Mind Soup

I've spent much of my career marketing across the Middle East and North Africa, and I've watched a lot of global brands and international marketers arrive in the region with a playbook that worked beautifully everywhere else and then quietly underperform here. Not because the marketers were bad, they were often excellent, but because they treated MENA as a single translation exercise: take what works in the home market, swap the language, adjust the media plan, and go. MENA punishes that assumption. It's one of the most diverse, fast-moving, and misunderstood marketing environments in the world, and the things that make it distinctive are exactly the things a global playbook tends to flatten. Here's what those playbooks most often get wrong. Treating MENA as one market The first and most fundamental error is in the acronym itself. "MENA" groups together countries that differ enormously in wealth, media habits, dialect, religiosity, regulatory environment, c...

The “Coalition for the Protection of Women,” is a group of Lebanese citizens who refuse the perpetuation of the violence against women under the protection of existing antiquated laws. They stand by the women of their country, who have been raped, beaten and those who have decided that oppression and discrimination under the guise of law is no longer acceptable. As such, they are calling on the parliamentary subcommittee chaired by MP Samir El-Gisr to halt its subversive activity related to amending a draft law to protect women from conjugal violence originally proposed by the Kafa Association in 2007. The committee has come under significant political pressure from special interest groups who seek to amend the law to ensure that it is ineffective and inapplicable. These amendments have rid the original text of its specificity by expanding it to the rights of children, elderly, men thus maintaining the imbalance of the Lebanese legal code vis-à-vis women. In light of this grave ...

I would like to wish all my readers, on Behalf of all the Mind Soup authors, Eid Fitr Mubarak and May the guidance and blessings of God be with you and your families. Dar al Fatwa in Beirut announced on Wednesday night that Eid el Fitr will fall this year on Friday the 10th, making Ramadan this year 30 days. For more information about Eid el Fitr, you can find it here (wikipedia).

OUR MAN IN BEIRUT : Ladies and gentlemen, following this exclusive online guide is a sure-fire way to be mistaken for a Lebanese. Driving: The driver's seat must be in an uncomfortable and impractical reclined position at all times. No more than one hands shall be on the wheel at any time. The other hand should be on the window frame. Alternatively it may be located on the gear-shift or your girlfriend's leg. Profuse use of horn is encouraged. Religious symbols are to be attached to dashboard at will. Clothes: Shirts are never to be tucked in. A minimum of three buttons must be undone to reveal chest hair and optional gold medallion. Brand names are to be exposed on every visible area of clothing. Technology: Ownership of mobile phones released more than two months ago are a big no-no. Be sure to keep your phone visible at all times. Keep it in your hand and place it on the table during diner or coffee. Fiddle around with the menu at all times, to seem like you are alw...

Below is an opinion piece written by a good friend of mine, Doaa, who is Sudanese. She talks about the problem of racism in Lebanon, and how the Sudanese are treated. MIND SOUP : Recently, a group of Sudanese living in Lebanon - legally or illegally - held a fundraising event in one of the areas in Beirut in order to raise money for two Sudanese cancer patients who are in dire need for the money. Unfortunately, the gathering was busted by the Amn El-3am or police and the Sudanese were accused of various things. The highlight of this story is not what they where doing or where they were but rather it was the way they were treated by the police. They were verbally and physically assaulted not to mention humiliated and belittled. I am a Sudanese living and studying in Lebanon; I am fortunate to be studying at AUB as it shields me from a lot of the aggression and even racist remarks I sometime get walking down the streets in various neighborhoods in Beirut. I get surprised looks wh...

MIND SOUP : The general manager of Rafik Hariri's International Airport Daniel al-Haybi announced Thursday that smoking has been banned throughout the airport, except in designated areas. He said that strict measures will be taken in case of breaking the laws, and in collaboration with the airport's security personnel. The ban comes after Tourism Minister Fadi Abboud has visited the Airport on Wednesday and expressed his discontent over the failure of implementing a smoking ban in the lobbies, especially after he had previously  made several calls requesting so. Several Arab countries, most recently Syria ( related article ), have adopted laws prohibiting smoking in public areas. Lebanon still has a lot to improve regarding health and environment, but at least we are going along the right direction. With over 70% of the population who smoke (according to several statistic sources), these laws will be harder and harder to implement, especially in the public sect...

I was surprised this past week with such HUGE publicity from media internationally and regionally, shedding the light on several American figures that have appeared to belong to Arab familiar origins. Recently the newly elected and Lebanese-born Miss USA Rima Fakih inspired researchers to "dig up" through prominent names and introduce internationally recognized people from Arab roots Kippreport had issued the following list fully quoted below; this is merely a sample of unknown Arab Americans. Intrestingly, we prove to care about the 15 minute famous Arabs and neglect to encourage and celebrate the accomplishment of so many established men and women who have given the world successful experiences, such legacies that could enlighten and honour our lives for generations to come... Let's begin with:    Steve Jobs Steve Jobs, the charismatic CEO of Apple, is of Syrian biological descent – although he has never publically acknowledged this.   According ...

Below are some articles from renowned newspapers and blogs across Lebanon and the region that discuss the Student protest at the American University of Beirut due to the shift from the 12-credits system to the 15-credit system which increase the tuition for newly enrolled students (as of Fall 2010) up-to 25%. English Daily Star: AUB students hold strike against hike in tuition fees ( link ) Star Scene: AUB students protest against tuition increase  ( link ) Now Lebanon: Strike at AUB ( link ) Demotix:  Students of AUB university in Lebanon protest rise in tuition fees ( link ) This is Beirut:  Empty classrooms a week before finals at AUB! ( link ) iloubnan: AUB students go on strike protesting increase of tuition ( link ) Gino's Blog: The AUB Problem Breakdown ( link ) Farfahine:  Letter from AUB students: Support us to take our campus back. ( link ) Blog Under Construction: AUB Students Boycott Classes ( link ) Sawt Al Niswa: Stike: It is your rig...

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As of May 1, Lebanon is set to head the United Nations Security Council for the first time in almost 50 years and will remain in that position throughout the month. Lebanon will gain exceptional importance in that role in light of several conflicts and dangers raging in many areas in the world, reported the daily An Nahar Saturday. The daily said that Lebanon's presidency "will not change the world, but nations great or small, far or near, friend or foe, will have to address Lebanon with the term 'Mr. President' before the Security Council and the entire United Nations." Lebanon's permanent representative at the Security Council and the current President of the Council, Ambassador Nawaf Salam, told An Nahar: "Part of Lebanon's message has arrived by its entry into the Security Council." He continued: "The message is that Lebanon is regaining its health, it is present on the international scene, it takes part in international resoluti...

Lebanon is reeling from the shock of five brutal killings, four of which targeted members of the same family and the fifth that of the Egyptian man suspected of their murders. He was dragged from police custody,  beaten to death  and lynched by an angry vigilante mob Thursday in the small mountain town of Ketermaya. Graphic footage and video of the murder suspect's lynching (way too graphic to be posted here) began circulating immediately, leading many to criticize the breakdown of law and order. The suspect, Mohammad Salim Mssalem, was arrested after the fatal stabbing on Wednesday of Youssef Abu Merhi, his wife Kawthar and their two granddaughters Amina, 7, and Zeina, 9.  Mssalem was reportedly reenacting the murders for investigators at the scene of the crime when an angry mob overpowered the security officers, dragging the suspect into the streets and beating him severely. The officers were able to retrieve the badly wounded Mssalem and get him to a hospital, bu...

Definitions of  Wasta : Wasta (Arabic: وَسْطة) is an Arabic expression that loosely translates into ‘whom you know’ or 'clout'. ... en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wasta Intercession or mediation by people on behalf of others to whom they are connected by friendship or blood en.wiktionary.org/wiki/wasta

Before you guys go crazy on me, I did not write this article. It is a repost from Al-Bayt Baytak blog which I found interesting. I am very interested to see what you guys think about this issue, so feel free to comment below . Sari Hanafi, a sociology professor at the American University of Beirut, has done an incredibly brave or stupid act (depending on your perspective) co-editing a book with Israeli academics. This is particularly perplexing considering that Hanafi has put his name to the Lebanese Campaign for the boycott of Zionism in solidarity with the Palestinian call for Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions. This includes boycotting Israeli academics and their institutions, as the statement reads: Specifically, we ask our colleagues worldwide to support the call by the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel to comprehensively and consistently boycott and disinvest from all Israeli academic and cultural institutions, and to refrain from participat...