I could not believe my eyes when I watched the three TVC’s below on Jazarah!
Is Zain Kuwait out of its mind? How was such an offensive campaign approved. Or maybe they feel it’s funny to liken wives and women to mobile phones?
Notice.. in the three ads its always a man and a “broken”, “faulty” or “replaced” wife. Never the other way around (which would have balanced the campaign but would still be unacceptable as people might watch only one of several commercials).
Your Wife/Mobile is old an ugly? So what does the Arab man do? Get a new wife/mobile. Very well done.
This goes way beyond the initial launch campaign in which men where all achievers and business people and women where all about beauty and perfume!
Simply outrageous.
Comments
25 responses to “Sorry Zain Kuwait, but these TV commercials are sexist TRASH!”
Wow…this says a lot about the ‘backward-ness’ of people’s mindsets in our region. Certainly a corporation of Zain’s caliber could spend a few more dollars on proper advertising…
I personally hate it as well.
Simply stupid! I think they should stop these ads at once.
funny Ahmad we never hear you coming to the rescue of liberal values and equality in hateful intolerant debates about Shiites on the Jordanian Blogosphere, a problem that has real painful consequences on the stability of Jordan and the region. You even promote such intolerance on itoot with your selection of hateful blog posts. you are another proof of a Jordanian affliction called petty liberalism.
no need to publish this.
people actually think that zain marketing are creative, i know at least one!!
idiots
and btw, this is a mobile set commercial, not a mobile service provider one
Hey Tartoor,
Didn’t you know that I am a hardline Sunni wolf dressed in the skin of a liberal sheep..
No, my friend I am “publishing this”, just to be able to have an example to show to my friends and colleagues when I talk to them about commenters who come barging in with all kinds of big accusations. This is classic.
Just to address your two points. I am honestly not following the Jordanian blogosphere that much and I rarely comment. I reserve my comments for things I can say something useful about and not in pointless discussion with religious bigots of any persuasion.
Just for the record, Shia bashing, and any other form of sectarian hate speech, is plain stupid and dangerous.
As for itoot, it has a team that runs it and I don’t interfere much. If you have any comments regarding any shia/sunni issues please contact them with specific issues.
Finally, I would hope that you would introduce yourself properly when you visit my blog. You’re using a pseudonym and there is no link to a site that clarifies your values and what you stand for.
Thanks
It’ hilarious. I loved them! the second one is sooooo funny.
Chill People, It’s a funny commercial, just enjoy the humor.
and no, its not only in Kuwait that women are taken as “beauty and perfume” and men are likened to success. at least in middle east men call it a second marriage or a third marriage, elsewhere they simply cheat to ‘replace’ their ‘faulty’ wives.
I lived abroad and I know almost every man I met either cheated or thinking of divorce to ‘replace’ his current wife. some are even so blunt to express that in public. this eternal issue of man/women sexism is a universal thing not only confined in Kuwait. It’s been talked about and debated for ages in thousands if not million of articles and books. we are not going to go anywhere trust me. So relax and enjoy the humor.
It makes sense now why stand-up comedy is not so successful in the arab world. the humor is just lost because we are so cynical.
It’s a Man’s world out there. Don’t keep bitc**** about it. make the best of it and enjoy the humor it may bring. u don’t like it, hop to Mars!
(((and for the record, Zain marketing department is one of the most successful in the region, their branding strategies are just amazing)))
“Your Wife/Mobile is old an ugly? So what does the Arab man do? Get a new wife/mobile. Very well done.
This goes way beyond the initial launch campaign in which men where all achievers and business people and women where all about beauty and perfume!”
Unfortunately, this is a true representation of middle eastern reality today – or the reality of the majority in the middle east – remember that egyptian series about a man marrying four wives? it really encouraged men to seek their “god-given right”.
Oh dear! And their tag is ‘wonderful world’??!
How weird they make such choices. Are they supposed to be funny? Why this negative contribution to societal attitudes? Stuff like this is encouraged by the impact of all the bad TV soaps and Ramadan series I think!
You know, this makes me wonder about the social responsibility programs corps define for themselves. It’s like there’s a disconnect in social claims, causes, affiliations, who they are, and their commercial messages. These vids negate any kind of social responsibility.
this is stupid, bab il hara and such made its influce i guess, and zain are using it to their benefit, thats creative!!
i agree that its not a big issue, we should just take it easy, but as a regular guy not a branding stratigist, i dont understand zain’s commercials, not practical at all to me and does not make sense (and i can safely say that this applies for a good percentage of society).. and the argument that this suites our mentality and if it works then its a good job, is also stupid to me..
i live in jordan but ocassionally travel abroad, never saw such adds, their’s are indeed creative and they jsut grab your attention, whether billboards or tv commercials.
maybe this kind of “rasisim” suites our region and people women and men wont be offended by such commercial, but from my little background i can say that such ad would not have reached anywhere in coroprates elsewhere (the west) as it would have stopped before surfacing, or if indeed it got through, some action would have been taken, not a nation-wide-strike like action, but some lawsuites here and there, which the company may win or loose.
Can’t see the humor either… bluntly following the typical objectification of women be it in the middleast or elsewhere in its own way… Oh well, everyone is startled with Zain’s one network offering by sending local SIMs to to their loved ones abroad to call them on local rates while the abroad SIM receives the call for free… who cares if they announce new charges in a subtle manner or be offensive with phonebook backup (for when your wife/mobile is dew for replacement) ads…
total lack of social responsibility where such a corporate should contribute highly to elevate.. especially that they come with a wonderful world campaign. They are terminating the values they brought in the first place.
You just spoke my mind! That were the exact thoughts I had when I watched the commercials.
Quite disgusting I must say!
Your making a big deal mate
.. after its an advert and its funny
there is no need to think otherwise … right?
The Zain Saudi is nice … aired on MBC
Meh, I don’t see the sexism in it. Just some classic arabic paranoia. It’s common with both arab ‘liberals’ and ‘conservatives’.
Just because they didn’t show a woman with a broken husband, it doesn’t mean that they’re sexist. Besides, the tone and setting of the commercial is obviously too weird to be taken seriously. If anything, you want to take this commercial seriously? Then look at the guy who remarried, he looks like a fool. If anything it’s poking fun at those kind of people.
I totally agree…I do hate it but I still find it creative.
Oh wait!
Are they really using a different font on the last ad?
when it says “موبايلك يطÙÙŠ Ùجأه؟” .. That’s not the same font
Anyone please correct me if I’m wrong…
aslan ma beda77ko!
i hate to say this but if they could have made me laugh..no at least smile..i would have said comeon give them a break! but they r not the slightest bit funny..they r very much laaaame.. and pointless
i guess the ad people in the arab world have lots of and lots of homework to do….they have a loooooong way to reach smart advertising:P but i would tell them to just keep the hope and scratch their heads a bit:P:P:P sexist ignorants!
muhammad.. ya it looks like a different font in the last ad..why what difference does it make???
I can understand why some people find it funny.. the music does give it a comedic touch.. HOWEVER, it is degrading to women.. had they balanced it out by reversing the roles around for at least one of the ads it would have made a difference.. unfortunatly the middle East still thinks its primary audience is women… im thinking of switichin my Zain subscription to Orange
Oh come on people just relax.. In fact I do agree that in the middle east we are facing a lot of sexism issues but I do know as well that women are having a lot of rights if not more than they should be having.. Actually it’s getting ridicules reading and seeing women crying and screaming for their right forgetting about at least doing some of their duties.. I think that men now should start asking for their rights coz women became the higher power these days… So actually seeing a TV commercial referring that a man should change his wife whenever she became old and useful is a humiliation as seeing a half naked women in another Arab commercial promoting for a product like a chocolate or anything else being sexy and inappropriate.. So I think before talking about small issues like women rights and their humiliation and their husband’s cruelty we should first limit their rights that became so unlimited and stupid…
About Zain I really love their commercials and as Bilal Said they have the most successful Marketing Department in the region and as a women I’m one of the people that hope to have the opportunity to be creative in the marketing world as the people working in Zain They really inspire me… So before criticizing their commercials we should take a look first to inappropriate commercials presented by Arabic Muslim women…
Finaly this was my opinion..
I agree with u layla that its not a sexism prob or some thing & we r the arab men dont give the woman her rights … crab .. but i still see its not good commercials … what the hill “wonderful world” this is … and stop making fun of arabs ..
The behavior which makes the things right for the society. That is the reason we spend million dollar on behavior based safety program to learn the best.
Zain need to do that too and soon.
aslam o elikam
really this this bull shit . i m not arabic but this kind of commercial make
bad image of our people.
You guys are taking it too seriously,,
I find it funny and so did every other women I watched it with..
People in kuwait have a weird sense of humor
and it is not at all sexist,, its just a funny analogy
and who takes these ads seriously?
Don’t let it get to your head humor is just an advertising method