Mind Soup

If you own or manage a Facebook page for a brand, cause or personal reason, you are bound to get spam messages from people claiming to get you more Facebook likes for cheap or free, something like the below: What is more annoying is how they try to convince you that their services are legit. Check out the below conversation that occurred on one of my client's pages. To begin with, I do not allow any of my clients to purchase fans or likes on any platforms. If you know anything about marketing, you would know that purchasing bulk followers does not get you anywhere, for the following reasons: These users approach uniformed or uneducated page owners to take advantage of them. These "companies" work by hiring a bunch of underpaid people in China, India or Egypt and stuff them in an overcrowded room to create fake Facebook accounts with randomized named and their only job is to like "client" pages. ( Side article:   83 million Facebook accounts are fake...

Below is one of the most simple yet touching TV commercials that I have seen in a long time. The simplicity and yet complete relevance to the topic at hand is striking (especially with Gebran Tueini's quote - may he RIP), and the visuals compel you to focus on every detail. I usually do not like political advertisements, and this one is not entirely political but advertising for Annahar newspaper (which tends to have a political side), but I felt that it was much more creative than other advertisements in this category. This campaign was done by GREY. Let me know what you think. UPDATE : Apparently, this ad has been inspired (I don't want to say stolen) from a Chinese Ad for CCTV . Thanks Nadim for the info.

Most of you might have noticed how the whole world is tending to become more fake: from fake noses and boobs to fake personalities to fake brands and products. Sadly, very little is being done to promote originality and uniqueness, especially those relating to human traits and physical appearance -- however, this is not our topic for today. The purpose of this post is to shed light on a very successful campaign that is currently taking place in Lebanon. BPG ( Brand protection group ) is an international organization that protects brands and consumers from fake products by creating awareness campaigns & seminars. The objective of this campaign is to create as much awareness as possible about the fact that there are fake products in the market and to promote a number that consumers can dial to report those imitated products. What I loved the most about this campaign is that its everywhere. Leo Burnett have outdone themselves this time. They have created a very interactive camp...

Before I start getting disgusted looks and weird boggly eyes, I should point out that this title is misleading - kinda the point of this whole post and advertisement. (And yes it is suitable for work - don't worry :P) And yes, I find it very creative, appealing and eye-catching for the following reasons: Jennifer Aniston <3 Lip-syncing toddler Acknowledgement of the online community, viral videos and including "internet geeks" Cute little animals crawling all over the place Talking parrot that refers to the show "Friends" by calling Jennifer Anniston by her character name "Rachel" Skate-boarding dog in the background Dancing babies Double-rainbow guy parody Kicking a guy in the balls (which is apparently worth 100,000 hits) Herbal Essences sort-of ending which targets the sexy appeal The daring title Some people might not be as daring or risky in a marketing campaign but I think it works. The video has something for everyone and can p...

MIND SOUP : I am very sure that a lot of you agree with me that the most annoying thing on Lebanese television is these stupid little commercial programs where a supposedly modernized "doctor" is trying to sell the viewers a bunch of herbs that can mysteriously get rid of most diseases, weight loss or whatever disorder the audience might be interested in. What's more annoying is that you not only find them on one television channel, but on several (such as Aljadid - previously "New TV", NBN or what I like to call "Nabih Berri Network", Manar TV, and even Tele Liban, among others) Well, guess what? According to the Daily Star , the Lebanese government (more specifically the General Directorate of General Security) has declared on Monday that advertisements for such medical herbs are now prohibited by law. The directorate based its decision on Law number 90 of June 3, 2010, which prohibited media outlets from advertising for medical herbs and othe...

A segment from the popular series "Buy Me That." We'll meet a "makeup artist for food," who surprises us all with this behind-the-scenes look at how burgers (and fries) are made to look their best for television.

A 25-year-old man from Maine is auctioning off the back of his neck as advertising space. The winning bidder can put a permanent tattoo ad on the back of Mark's neck. Mark Greenlaw from Biddeford, Maine has ran crazy auctions since the day he started the all famous weirdebay.com but nothing could prepare him for his newest adventure. The 25 year old has decided to offer a permanent advertising spot on the back of his neck to the highest bidder, when sitting down with Mark Greenlaw he had a smile that would make you think he was just your normal crazy guy, in reality he is a very nice guy at age 25. Mark Greenlaw has three kids ages 5, 3, and 2 his exact words to me were “I am doing this auction to help support my family and if it takes a little pain and a logo on the back of my neck to do so then I will do it.” When asked does it bother you that this company will be branded on you for life? He replied: “Not at all I think it will be fun for both myself and the company, just i...