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OLX Lebanon Lets Users Decide—and They Chose Loyalty
by Ghada Azzi
July 31, 2025
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In a rare and refreshingly self-aware move, OLX Lebanon handed over its most fundamental asset—its name—to the people. What followed was less of a rebranding and more of a brand referendum, one that turned public opinion into the loudest stakeholder in the room.
Launching a month ago on June 26, OLX's digital-first campaign invited Lebanese users to decide once and for all: should the platform stick with the OLX name, or embrace something new?
What made the campaign click was its tone—funny, familiar, and fed by a long-running inside joke among users who never stopped calling it “OLX” no matter how many times it rebranded under the Dubizzle name.
The company enlisted a crew of comedy content creators including John Achkar, Peterwenmaken, Ohmyjad, Gstrings, Patrick Daoud, Farix, Amal Taleb, Basit Nation, Ali Ettihad, Kimo Wazen, and Fouad Yammine, who played off the chronic name confusion in short, viral skits and Instagram polls.
The community answered loud and clear: over 100,000 votes, with 87% choosing to keep the name OLX.
In doing so, OLX turned a historically top-down process—naming, branding, identity—into a bottom-up show of loyalty. “This campaign proved that people care deeply about brands that are part of their everyday lives,” said Maria Nehme, General Manager at OLX Lebanon. “By handing over control, we built something stronger than a logo—we built trust.”
It’s not just an anecdotal win. It’s a strategic lesson for brands operating in highly localized, community-driven ecosystems.
Globally, OLX operates across 30+ countries and serves hundreds of millions of users. Its parent company, Dubizzle Group (formerly EMPG), has overseen several brand transitions in markets like the UAE, Pakistan, and Egypt. In many of those, the Dubizzle name has taken precedence. Lebanon, however, has proved to be an exception—one that’s been dictated not by global strategy, but by user preference.
Aline Feghali, Senior Marketing Manager at OLX Lebanon, summed it up: “Instead of guessing what people want, we asked. And thousands answered. Humor, nostalgia, and shared history carried the vote—and the brand.”
Alongside the name confirmation, OLX Lebanon has rolled out fresh updates, including verified accounts for secure transactions, exclusive seller offers, and a refined user experience. The app remains free and active across 13 categories, maintaining its position as Lebanon’s leading classifieds platform.
By leaning into public sentiment instead of steering away from it, OLX didn’t just dodge an identity crisis; it also managed to reignite a bond with its core base.
This wasn’t just a feel-good stunt—it was a sharp study in participatory branding. OLX turned user behavior into brand strategy, proving once again that in markets like Lebanon, relevance trumps reinvention.
