Lebanon has some of the most visible, and supportive, ads are those for Johnnie Walker whisky (From H&C Leo Burnett, Beirut) and Absolut vodka (TBWA). Both allude not only to the destruction inflicted by Israeli air strikes but also to the resilience of the Lebanese people. One Johnnie Walker ad, Keep Walking campaign, stretches across a multi storey billboard overlooking one of Beirut’s main roads. The ad shows the iconic Walker striding across a damaged bridge, one of dozens destroyed during the conflict.
Absolut Determination" src="http://www.creativereview.co.uk/crblog/wp-content/uploads/2006/10/absolut_determination.jpg">These Absolut ads, meanwhile, reference both the rebuilding of Lebanon (An illustration depicts the laying of new bricks, with a bottle-shaped mould, shown above) and the return of Lebanese citizens who fled abroad during the fighting (A plane whose boarding passengers form the shape of a bottle, shown below).
Absolut Return" src="http://www.creativereview.co.uk/crblog/wp-content/uploads/2006/10/absolut-return.JPG">Reactions have been as mixed as Lebanon’s ethnic make-up of Christians and Muslims. Beyond the irony of a war being linked to advertisements for alcohol, I wonder and frown upon what I see as the commercialisation of the deaths of over 1,000 Lebanese civilians and the destruction of thousands of homes. However, with arguably the most cutting-edge advertising in the Middle East, Lebanon has a media-savvy population who have a history of emerging with pride and humour from the many conflicts of the past 30 years. Thus, both campaigns have been broadly welcomed.
Posted by (E.T.)
I just want to add that the way my team mate has used to analyze these ads is amazing. He used a clever and reasonable way to deconstruct them. Can't add anything.
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