What a Woman is Worth

No the way you are raising your kids is not ok. 

Women are not obliged to dress to kill every day, they should not have to abide by social standards our superficial society sets. What do you get from being pretty? From all those beauty surgeries you've undergone? From that Facebook profile with tones of likes and comments. What do you really get? You've changed your face so many times, you don't even recognize your own reflection, and for who? For what?

When the highest and most appraised status a girl can get is a title of a beauty queen in a beauty pageant; that's when you need to reconsider the whole community.

Miss Lebanon 2008-2009 from fanoos.com

What are you doing telling your boys it is ok to go with a prostitute? Or that love is not a prerequisite for sex? Yes it is your fault, dear parents. Your fault, that none of those men abroad stayed faithful to their partner. It is your fault, that your married son, with a 1-year old kid, is hitting on that young girl he just met. It is your fault, that like you, your sons have learned to be violent to their wives.

Outdoor Ad on Highway - from Beirutdriveby.com

It is your fault that 11 year old got raped by the neighbor, yes that guy you know and trusted so well. It is your fault your driver dared to touch that 14 year old. It is your fault your second husband is harrassing your baby girl. It is your fault your son raped his 17 year old girlfriend. It is your fault. You, parents of this community, you failed to raise your kids with ethics, with morals. 

You failed. 

Haifa Wehbe, Lebanese singer -  from Bloggingbeirut.com

You failed at teaching them a woman's worth.

And why? Is it our stupid television stations? That set the standards for looks and beauty... instead of brains and content? Is it our advertising agencies that are so convinced that sex sells that they have plastered the roads with naked women, with no character nor personality? In either case, you failed. You still judged that girl your son brought home by her external beauty.

...And even had you raised your sons and daughters right;

You failed to say no.

Outdoor Ad on Highway - from Beirutdriveby.com

No to the degrading image of a woman hanged on our walls, our magazines, they've even managed to get on the radio... and you still failed to say no. No, to our singers, to our tourists, to the bosses, to your friend, to the gossip... 

But most importantly, no, to the social taboo, that keeps all those ladies quiet and those men free. 

...And you may think it's just an advertisement, or just a picture, but you are contributing without knowing it. Our marketing teams should be more aware of the brainwashing our kids are being raised in.

Facebook Competitions in Lebanon

Marketers are diving more and more into the social media world in Lebanon... But are they doing it right?

• Sayfco Holding reached more than 50,000 fans by granting anyone who likes their Sayfco Holding Facebook page the automatic entry to a sweep stake that would allow him to "WIN a $1m apartment"; and other similar offers "The fan with the most friends on Sayfco Holding page before 28th Feb 2011 will WIN $10000".

• B2B launched a "Be the first to tag an item's picture and win it". For that of course, you will need to like the B2B Facebook page. A cost-effective intiative, I may say. They also used a QR code on their posters to link to the page. 

• Sony World is offering you a chance to win a Sony Vaio C laptop on the Sony World Lebanon Facebook Page, granted, you need to like their page, to be able to upload a picture "where you feel like you shine" (to match their current advertising campaign) and get the highest amount of likes on it; i.e. get your friends to like their page too.

• Citi Furniture has created an "ugliest couch contest" on the Citi Furniture Facebook page , a creative initiative, not the first of its kind globally, but cute nonetheless.

That, just to name a few Facebook competitions taking place in Lebanon.

...And finally here's what Facebook would have to say about all those campaigns; here's a summary exerpt from Facebook Promotions Guidelines : "You must not use Facebook features or functionality, such as the Like button, as a voting mechanism for a promotion."

But we all know Lebanese never read guidelines or any other sort of user manuals for that matter! 

Were you really expecting anything different?

Online Presence Strategy

Before any sort of "Acting" in the sense of creating an online presence, you should consider: 

what is your purpose?

Step 1: know Thyself

Step 2: Set your objective

 

No, you cannot say you are looking for "Whatever you can get". This option can't even be selected on Facebook anymore! Here are a few suggestions: sales, awareness, top-of-mind recall, brand sympathy, engaging with clients, marketing research, reaching new markets, ...etc

Step 3: Find your target market

Step 4: Choose your online media

Step 5: Select messages adequate to the media

Step 6: Engage and respond

Step 7: Measure success

Step 8: Adjust accordingly

Lebanese Restaurants Conquer Social Media

Finally, Lebanese restaurants have reached out to the online community in Lebanon and are getting more and more involved with twitter users, bloggers and social media activists (if I may call them that)!

Here's the drill:

Roadster Diner organizes a Roadster Tweetup where they offer free desserts to the attendees. They create Roadster Diner mobile applications for their menu catering to both Blackberry and iPhone users. The iPhone application is said to have become the number one most downloaded in Lebanon shortly after.

Casper and Gambini's follows shortly by offering free Casper and Gambini's mug, cookies and coffee, for whoever follows them on Twitter or likes their page on Facebook. Moreover, adding an organized  C&G Tweetup to their account. Following which; they upload pictures to their Casper and Gambinis Facebook page and notify attendees.

Zaatar w Zeit goes completely out of their way, by outsourcing their social media involvement and getting Eastline Marketing to handle their Social Media efforts. The latter, creates a full-fledged, online campaign "the missing Zs" and reaches out to bloggers and the influential online community members in Lebanon; making use of everything from youtube, to Twitter and Facebook, as well as creating a Missing Z website for this purpose (looks like an expensive initiative).

We hear Deek Duke and Tarator are on the verge of going social too...