Work
El Kbeer – Strategy, Branding, Naming & Identity Development For Beirut Street Food Snack
The Brief
A new neighborhood snack place was to open in the center of Beirut’s busy bar street, Mar Mikhael. Its food was a return to the most authentic sandwiches that have defined the Lebanese street food cuisine. We wanted to create an approachable image that reflects everything authentic and raw about the experience, in order to attract all kinds of passers-by, from taxi drivers and business people working in the neighborhood, to the party goers of the night.
The Solution
We named it ‘El Kbeer’, drawing upon a Lebanese slang expression that means “the older, wiser big brother”. This was precisely the image we wanted to portray; a young, energetic, Beiruti older brother figure, one that you can always rely on for quality food. Simultaneously, El Kbeer was aimed at our customers to make them feel as though they are part of the family, and to empower them. We accordingly advised the staff to say “tfaddal ya kbeer” while serving any ordering customer. We performed a detailed market audit, taking a look at the area, the competition and the audience, in order to develop a well-rounded brand strategy able to sustain the positioning we were building. El Kbeer’s visual identity was red with a bold font that carries the weight of the expression perfectly. We designed everything from the logo, signage and menu to delivery and take away items, environmental branding, and even an “Instragammable corner”, a height-measuring wall, reinforcing the literal meaning of the expression and encouraging user generated content on social media. The brand’s voice was given a tone of camaraderie; friendly, casual and relatable.
The Result
We were able to achieve the right place and positioning for this brand in the midst of a busy street with a lot of competition. The concept successfully launched with a bang and attracted the audience we were aiming for. The shop is now full day and night, delivering all around Beirut area.
