In Lebanon, beer drinkers typically choose between Heineken’s flagship pilsner, Almaza, and its challenger, Beirut Beer—the Burger King to Almaza’s McDonald’s. Since it first appeared in the market in 2014, Beirut Beer has thrived on taking shots at the bigger beer brand in Almaza.
Heineken wanted to undermine Beirut Beer without giving it any extra attention. Enter Al Rayess, a lesser-known beer in their portfolio with the name “Al Rayess” meaning “the leader.” Though it had a small following of Lebanese fishermen, it was perfect for a veiled comeback.
We crafted a strategy to outshine Beirut Beer’s witty social ads by reviving Al Rayess. We emphasized its down-to-earth appeal and infused it with classic Lebanese sarcasm and humor. Through a year-long series of “challenges” that only Al Rayess could overcome, we built a vibrant social media presence, surpassing Beirut Beer's content performance and giving Heineken its most engaging social footprint in the Arab world.
The challenge: nothing would happen to Al Rayess if it were to be thrown off of a mountain.
The challenge: Al Rayess never loses.
The challenge: Al Rayess is bullet-proof (in Arabic, bullet and lead, as in a lead pencil, are the same word)
Role: Ideation, Strategy, Content Writing, Community Management, Production
Agency: Leo Burnett Beirut
Credits: Odile Riachi, Elie Kanaan, Malek Ghorayeb
