How did Zeina El Khoury turn the criticism of "Hish Hash" into a marketing success?

In the digital age, any unexpected moment can turn into a massive social media wave and while criticism can be a hindrance for some brands or public figures, others can cleverly exploit it to turn it into a marketing opportunity.

This is exactly what Zeina Al Khoury, one of the stars of the famous reality show “Dubai Bling”, did when she was able to turn a moment of criticism into a successful marketing campaign. Below, we will learn how the trend started, and how she used it to achieve unexpected success.

From spontaneous criticism to viral trend: How did the story of “Hish Hash” begin? Dubai Bling is a reality show that showcases the lives of successful and affluent people in Dubai. In its third season, a debate broke out between Zeina Khoury and Lujain Adada, when Lujain commented on Zeina's post with the phrase "Hush Hush", which Zeina considered a provocative criticism and spontaneously responded by saying: "Who is hush hush?" Lujain responded by adding a giraffe emoji.

Zeina cleverly exploited this unexpected situation, commenting: “What’s wrong with the giraffe? The giraffe is pretty and tall. Three-quarters of the animals are afraid of it.” This spontaneous response quickly caught the public’s attention, and became a fertile material for reenactments on platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and Sbsial , spreading as a viral wave under the name “Giraffe Trend” or “Hish Hash Trend.”

Rather than ignore the spread or defend herself, Zeina helped boost the trend by posting the clip on her personal account with the sarcastic comment: “Are we going viral on Instagram too?”, which gave it an official feel and prompted more followers and celebrities to engage with it, turning a fleeting moment into a remarkable marketing phenomenon.

Marketing Strategy: From Criticism to Success What distinguishes Zeina Al-Khoury in this case is her smart exploitation of the situation and turning it into a profitable marketing opportunity. She did not stop at interacting on social media, but went beyond that:

Launching trend-inspired products: Zeina launched a collection of clothing and accessories with the slogan “Hush Hush” and the image of a giraffe, turning the situation into a winning brand. Constant engagement with the audience: Instead of letting the trend die down, Zeina was constantly engaging with the content being created around it, which enhanced its continued spread. Appearing in interviews and dialogues: Zeina took the opportunity to appear in television interviews and explain her story with the trend, which helped enhance her public persona and increase her followers. Strengthening the identity of the personal brand: The trend was not just a passing moment, but rather turned into an essential element in building her personality as a star capable of influencing and benefiting from spontaneous situations. Elements of a Successful Marketing Campaign: How Did Zeina El Khoury Turn Criticism into a Golden Opportunity? Behind every successful marketing campaign are a set of factors that work in harmony to achieve the desired effect. In Zeina El Khoury’s case, success was not just a coincidence or the result of a spontaneous moment, but rather the result of smart strategies and effective exploitation of essential elements that helped transform a simple situation into a global trend. Here are the most important elements of her campaign’s success:

Embrace controversy rather than resist it. Rather than trying to ignore the situation or respond defensively, Zeina Khoury chose to embrace the controversy as part of her public persona.

She dealt with the criticism with a sense of humor and high confidence, which made her audience feel that she was close to them and not affected by negative criticism, which helped break down barriers with followers, and turned the situation into material for positive interaction and sharing.

Response speed In the world of social media, time is everything, and Zeina realized the importance of quickly engaging with a trend, allowing her to stay on top of the action while it was still hot.

She didn't wait for the debate to cool down or interest to wane; she posted the clip herself with a simple but clever comment that boosted its spread and confirmed that she had the ability to control the media narrative.

Creativity in Marketing She didn’t just limit herself to digital engagement. Realizing that a trend’s success could be turned into a real business opportunity, she created products with the “Hush Hush” logo and the giraffe image, giving her audience a chance to relate to the situation in a tangible way.

This transformation from a mere passing content to a real product enhanced the sustainability of the campaign and gave it a profitable commercial character.

Using the power of social media Al-Khoury harnessed the power of digital platforms to the fullest, not only relying on her own audience, but also allowing organic engagement to spread through reposting content, encouraging users to reenact the scene, and engaging in conversations around the trend, which helped make it a viral phenomenon that went beyond the original followers to reach a wide audience.

Trend Results and Impact: From a Fleeting Moment to Lasting Success Reacting to trends can have short-term effects, but Zeina El Khoury was able to turn this moment into a long-term impact on her public image and business.

The results weren't just numbers on social media , they were tangible changes in multiple aspects of her career.

Increase product sales By cleverly exploiting the trend, Zeina was able to launch products such as jackets and accessories bearing the phrase “Hish Hish” and giraffe images.

This was not just a random design, but a natural extension of the story that the audience loved. The demand for these products was high, which contributed to quick profits and turned the trend into a real source of income.

Marketing her own company Zeina Khoury also took advantage of the momentum she gained through the trend to boost her brand and turn criticism into a successful marketing opportunity.

Instead of just digital engagement, the launch of a trend-inspired product range has further connected its audience to its brand.

Follower growth Zeina El Khoury’s social media accounts have seen a significant increase in the number of followers. These were not just casual viewers, but rather they became part of a community that is interested in her content and constantly anticipates her news. This growth has not only boosted her fame, but has also opened up new horizons for collaborations with brands and future investments.

enhance public image This experience helped cement Zeina’s image as a strong, intelligent person, capable of turning even the most embarrassing moments into opportunities to shine. This positive image turned her into a role model in how to deal with pressures and criticism, which increased her popularity and appeal to the public.

Celebrity interaction It wasn’t just the general public who were drawn to the trend, many influencers participated in reenacting the scene or commenting on it, which contributed to expanding the campaign’s reach, as the celebrity endorsement added more credibility and attracted a new audience that wasn’t necessarily familiar with Zeina before.

Compare with similar cases There are many other examples of people or brands that have used trends to their advantage:

Kylie Jenner's Rise and Shine Situation: In 2019, a video of Kylie Jenner singing the phrase "Rise and Shine" to her baby girl went viral. Instead of ignoring it, Kylie seized the opportunity and launched products with the logo, making huge profits. Ariana Grande's Thank U, Next campaign: When she released her hit song about her past relationships, she used the momentum to launch a fragrance of the same name. How can Sbsial Advantage turn any moment into a marketing success? What Zeina El Khoury did with the trend “Hish Hash” is a prime example of how to use spontaneous moments to create a huge marketing wave. But imagine if she had tools like Sbsial, how she could have achieved a greater impact in more professional and faster ways:

Documenting the moment using Sbsial Moments: Zeina could have documented her famous moment directly through the app, adding the geolocation, to make it more realistic and attractive to her audience. Reinforce the message by recording audio with an image: Imagine the impact of Zeina re-recording her famous phrase “What’s wrong with the giraffe?” with an innovative expressive image, enhancing the audience’s interaction with the audio and image together. Expanding the campaign with celebrity ads : Instead of relying solely on the trend spreading organically, she could have collaborated with other celebrities via Sbsial to promote Hush Hush products, multiplying the reach and targeting new audiences. Create a unique experience with exclusive content : Zeina can provide exclusive content to her loyal audience, such as behind-the-scenes footage of her campaign shoot or private messages, which increases the brand’s value and enhances followers’ engagement with it. Display a campaign t-shirt as a celebrity memorabilia : She can display the “Hush Hush” t-shirt as an exclusive piece for her fans, turning the product into a unique souvenir that gives fans the chance to own a piece of the event, and enhances the value of the trend as a sustainable brand. Don't let marketing opportunities pass you by. Download the Sbsial app now and start your journey of turning ordinary moments into extraordinary success stories!