The story of Ivysays.com is interesting to say the least. I always get asked, why did you choose the name Ivy? I didn’t.
Ivy Says started off alongside an integrated campaign called “Make your Move” for the high-end floral shop Exotica conceptualized by a great team of creatives in 2009 from Leo Burnett, a campaign that went on to win 8 Crystals, 2 Lynx awards and got shortlisted in Cannes. You can watch the video here
I was commissioned as the anonymous voice of Ivy, the girl behind a new blog we would launch called Ivy Says.
My mission? To shake things up a little; in a society where a man was always expected to make the first move, it was time for women to come forward on Valentines Day and take things into their own hands- and by that I mean buy him flowers. So the campaign took off, one of the first successful online/direct ones to launch in Lebanon and gain such traction.The blog got people talking. Meanwhile I was discussing dating, relationships and societal observations and I was the first lifestyle blogger to emerge in Lebanon at a time when not many were familiar with the term “blog.”
I found myself through blogging. I always loved writing, having also majored in professional writing and communications and it was the perfect fit. The campaign was over but I wasn’t about to let go of my new found title. So I took over. For 4 years as I worked as a political consultant I secretly blogged away and watched as more and more people around me made ludicrous assumptions about the real identity of Ivy. Finally in 2013, it was time to come out of hiding, and that’s when we staged #IvysBigReveal which trended internationally on Twitter for two days. Watch the reveal here
And the rest is history…
All the while, the blog remained the same. Same simple look, same interface, same everything. I got so much positive feedback about the blog that I was too afraid to change a font size or color. It is considered among the classics in the blogosphere today, people are familiar with it and there was no need to fix something that ain’t broken. Right?
But I have exciting things planned for 2016,even though it’s going to be hard to top 2015, one of the best year of my life both personally and professionally, so I decided to welcome the new year with a face-lift. Ivy Says is still super simple, with the one thing that truly counts, infinite scrolling of content-rich material. But it’s a little more interactive, user-friendly, organized and dare I say trendy. Although the core logo-remains the same custom font I’ve added a few more flowers to represent the lifestyle topics I discuss on the blog. I hope you like it, take a minute to go through all the new categories and continue to enjoy dropping by for your weekly fix. Make sure you subscribe (enter your email on the right hand side of the blog) to be the first to receive posts by email. Don’t forget to tune in to the Ivy Says show on NRJ every Wednesday at 7pm to watch this blog come to life.
So here’s my virtual toast to you, wishing you a fabulous(and peaceful)2016, one filled with all the things you’ve ever wished for!
Laura says
Ah love the new blog design. Happy new year!
Ivys Says says
Thanks! Glad you do! Happy 2016!
Maya says
Congrats on the new launch <3 and Happy New Year 😀
Farah Kdouh says
Looove the new web design <3
immsamir says
Congrats Ivy on the new look! Now keep those stories comin 🙂