The "I Love Life" campaign certainly has the attention of the nation. The Lebanese are a captive audience for the clever ad campaign headed by Saatchi & Saatchi's Eli Khoury.

Following the first stage of nation-wide advertising in December and a New Year's Eve "I Love Life" themed party, the creative heads have released a new series of billboards, responding to the recent street violence that has plagued Lebanon's morale.

The message expands on going back to basics. Just as "I Love Life" described the most fundamental common denominator, new catch phrases include - "I'm staying here", "I have class", "I'm going to work", and "I'm going out tonight".

"I'm Staying Here" (left), in response to the reports of Lebanese youth rushing to emigrate

"I Have Class", in response to the bloody clash between university students on January 25, 2007

"I'm Going Out Tonight", encouraging the youth to resume in the national pastime of going out and partying.

"I'm Going to Work", in response to the widespread chaos on January 23, 2007 under the facade of a "strike"

An unrelated, but effective campaign was also spotted by Rampurple in Beirut:

The bilboard shows two men holding guns at each others heads, with the headline: "Who is the loser?" The powerful message hits at the core of the mounting fears of civil war. The billboard is signed "Libnani ou bass", which literally translates to "Lebanese and only", a catch phrase that implies a national identity of being Lebanese supersedes all other affiliations.

Resolve It, Solve It

Under the campaign "Resolve It, Solve It", a group of concerned Lebanese youth joined hands on Saturday to form a human chain along the former Green Line in Beirut.

The peaceful demonstration was intended to send a message to Lebanon's political leaders, "to take a stand and publicly demand a dialogue to end the political deadlock immediately."

Posters for the event proclaimed: "We want civil solutions. Not civil war. Compromise is not failure."

There is no excuse

We refuse civil war

Excerpt from the Resolve It, Solve It website:

Our Parents couldn’t stop it in 1975, are we going to relive it in 2007? You may be feeling powerless in the midst of colors and slogans, propaganda and violence. You may be sitting at home anxious about your present and fearful for your future. Perhaps you have already turned off the news.

Cheap Imitations

As previously published on Ya Libnan, opposition groups in Lebanon employed a copycat "I Love Life" campaign. As cheap as that might be, nothing compares to this cheap imitation by a local jewelery shop:

Sources: Ya Libnan, Rampurple, Resolve It Solve It