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Hot models in camouflage uniforms, ads featuring the colors of the cedar flag, and rifles made of vegetables. It seems military and patriotic themes are all the rage in Lebanese advertising these days, as brands and agencies pin their national colors to the mast to sell goods and show they love Lebanon.
 
Beirut agencies’ exploitation of patriotic sentiments for commercial purposes is nothing new. But this year it has become ubiquitous, with the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) taking center stage in many campaigns. With advertisers jumping on the patriotic bandwagon, many say the trend is veering toward overkill.
 
Credit probably goes to Saatchi & Saatchi for starting the trend in the late 1990s with its campaign for Libancell, a mobile operator. A series of ads played on Lebanon’s need for cultural unity with the tag line, “It’s good to communicate.” The typography alluded to the country’s sectarianism: The C was in the shape of a Muslim crescent moon, and the T took the form of a Christian cross.
 
Everyone’s doing it now, spurred by events of recent years – former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri’s assassination in 2005, last summer’s Israeli bombing campaign, and the army’s protracted siege of Palestinian militants earlier this year. Politics as publicity is back, with a spate of flag-waving ads tapping into the population’s anxiety and need for reassurance.
 
“WE WORRY ABOUT OUR EXISTENCE.” The latest “Loubnaniyat” campaign by Impact BBDO for retail chain Monoprix, is just one example of the latest wave of nationalism in the country’s advertising. It includes a catalog showing models wearing the colors of the Lebanese flag and a radio spot using the Lebanese national anthem. The campaign sings the virtues of local Lebanese products sold in Monoprix’s supermarkets, says Georges Boustany, marketing manager of Admic, the investment group that owns Lebanon’s Monoprix franchise.
 
This year, Monoprix changed the focus of “Loubnaniyat,” an annual campaign, due to the dip in tourism. “Previously, we focused on traditional aspects as we were targeting mostly tourists. But they didn’t come this summer, so we aimed more at the locals,” says Boustany.
 
One in-house ad shows a woman brandishing a gun made of vegetables, with the copy, “Let’s fight for the good stuff.”
 
“Impact BBDO Beirut has been involved in a variety of advertising built around the current political situation,” says the agency’s associate director, Joe Ayache. He says this year’s “Loubnaniyat” campaign “rode the wave of patriotism” sweeping the country. “We wanted to take a different view of Lebanon’s disastrous situation and take the drama out of it. People enjoyed it,” he says.
 
SIEGE THE MOMENT. Other examples abound. Impact BBDO played on ubiquitous security concerns for City Mall in Beirut with a campaign that sexed up the cautionary measures that have become part of everyday life: Girls in bikinis use bomb detectors to check cars above the tagline, “Detect the lowest prices.”
 
Such ads have a dual role, Ayache says: “To support the country in its hour of need and to show brands share the same feeling as users. We believe the public can tell the difference between campaigns and reacts accordingly.”
 
The current vogue of military themes owes much to this past summer’s siege of Nahr Al Bared refugee camp in northern Lebanon, which pitted the Lebanese army against Palestinian militants over three months. As the fighting continued and more soldiers were killed, worries grew about the unity and capability of the army, which is one of the few institutions commanding respect from all of Lebanon’s fractious ethnic and political groups.
 
In July and August, billboards sprang up across the country in support of the LAF. “Because of the magnitude of what happened in Nahr Al Bared, everybody felt they should show their support,” says Eli Khoury, regional CEO of Saatchi & Saatchi, which produced T-shirts, scarves and caps celebrating the army’s victory with the motto, “One army, one people, one country.”
 
“It wasn’t done to convince [the public of Lebanon’s unity], but to tell the soldiers that the Lebanese are with them,” he adds.
 
Saatchi & Saatchi and Leo Burnett began the trend of army-supportive advertising when the rival agencies launched an outdoor and film campaign together. It was declaration of love for the LAF with the message, “In the heart, patriot.” It was signed, “The Lebanese.”
 
“We didn’t even need to hire a cast. People volunteered,” says Khoury.
 
Others jumped on this military-loving pro-bono bandwagon, and seemingly every agency has something to say.
 
The Holding Group, parent company of Team Y&R, erected a huge billboard of a soldier in downtown Beirut, and Grey Worldwide launched an army-themed campaign with the message, “The decision is yours.”
 
“All agencies paid homage to the army and tried to attract people’s attention,” says Sami Saab, creative director at Publicis Graphics, which designed a campaign using the national flag in camouflage colors. “Changing the Lebanese flag is not an easy thing to do, especially in the current political context,” he says.
 
MILITARY FATIGUE. Other companies, such as cruise operator Abou Merhi Group, liquor producer Ghantous, and Panasonic distributor Sacotel joined in, mostly with in-house ads. Byblos Bank came up with an outdoor campaign for a credit card for soldiers’ families. “Companies felt they had to do something, although there was no obligation,” says Saab.
 
But in sensitive times, the difference between smart advertising and exploitation is thin, and some are bound to go too far.
 
“Anything, be it politics, fashion, you name it, depends on style. The message mustn’t be shoved in – people are sensitive to this,” says Khoury. “But that happens in every single market. There are always professionals and there are con artists.”
 
The fashion for campaigns in support of the army and for patriotic advertising “is a trend that can be used extensively, in as much as the occasion offers itself and in as much as the ads are creative enough so that wear-out does not happen quickly,” says Impact BBDO’s Ayache. “But we have to admit that since Lebanon is going through a special period in its history, the tendency will be to overdo it, and we have to be cautious.
 
“Some might use this style in a flat manner and bore the audience,” he adds. “This is exactly what happened when many brands abused the ‘I love life’ concept by ridiculously applying it to their respective messages.”
 
Ayache is referring to a recent spate of copycat ads in which advertisers mimicked a campaign to uplift the national mood initially launched by Lebanese industrialists and entrepreneurs allied to the ruling government coalition (see “Heart attack”).
 
EFFECTIVENESS UNPROVEN. Moreover, while the Lebanese people are sensitive to efforts to support national institutions such as the LAF, the commercial effectiveness of campaigns linked to this support is unproven.
 
Georges Najm, a political communications consultant, is skeptical that military- and patriotic-themed ads will have any impact whatsoever. “In their current mood, the Lebanese people are very receptive to any message that hails the [soldiers that died for their country] and unity,” Najm says. “It doesn’t change any of their political views and unite the country in any way, but it answers their angst and disappointment at political parties and figures.
 
“Even creatives are affected by the atmosphere of depression. They live in it, so it’s not surprising that it shows in their work,” he adds.
 
Companies should certainly not expect much in the way of greater revenue – especially with the Lebanese economy in shambles – simply due to a campaign with a camouflage motif, Najm says. “With regard to impact on sales, which is the ultimate objective of any campaign, it’s generally pointless – and even more so when the message isn’t well designed. You have a picture of a soldier with the company’s logo: So what?”
 
It may already be tiresome, but with a presidential election looming, Lebanon should expect more political advertising campaigns. A “Vote” campaign for Aïzone clothing and accessories during the Parliamentary elections of 2005 was well received, and this year’s ballots are likely to see a continuation of the trend.
 
PRESIDENTIAL PROMISES. Beer brewer Almaza has already set the pace. Its new campaign shows a beer bottle sitting on a seat at the beach with the text: “They all want the chair.” That chair was at the center of Publicis Graphics’ campaign for telco Ogero, which has since been pulled.
 
Despite the demise of the Ogero ad, given the trends in Lebanese creativity, in which advertisers copy the latest eye-catching theme en masse, everyone from car dealers to florists may soon be churning out presidential-themed ads. When that happens, the public will likely have stopped paying attention.

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