F
irst off, yes. We are wonder whether they were, vertising has a specific role.
aware of the recent Big in fact, unwilling to risk re- Ideally, you need to present
Won report that ranked vealing that maybe it’s not something that makes sense
the UAE as the number two clients crushing their crea- business-wise and engages
country in the world in terms tivity. Maybe their work just people emotionally, wheth-
This one
of ad creativity. isn’t that good. er that’s by making them cry,
We suspect that report That’s certainly a possibil- dream, laugh or think. That’s
may be flawed. ity that Mounir Harfouche, the challenge for creatives:
didn’t fly
While the Dubai Lynx has regional creative director To translate the business
showed that there is good and managing director of strategy into something that
creative work coming out Lowe MENA, thinks should is different. Yes, a lot of cli-
The Tribe’s failed pitch for
of the region—some for real be considered. ents think that a witty, poetic, Qatar Airways
clients—the majority of day- “I’m sure there are cases sophisticated message might
to-day ads we see are, to put where clients kill great ads,” be a risk because maybe not
it kindly, ry ubbish. he says. “But I’m equally sure everyone will get it. But if it’s
WWee’ve heare d creative di- there are cases where the done in the right way, clients
rectors complain mctors co any times client is disappointed with won’t always kill it.”
about how regional clients what the agency’s created. “Creative work for its own
often kill their best ideasoften kill , In some cases, agencies are sake is a waste of everybody’s
demandinanding they be replaced just producing average work. time. And a waste of money,”
with a bigger logo and a picith a big - And it’s not the client push- O’Brien agrees. “No client
ture of a smiling family, or e of a ing them to do that.” will do something just for the
a handshake. “That hand- Andrew Durkan, creative sake of getting his creative
shake,” says one, shaking his director of The Tribe, agrees jollies. And he shouldn’t. Es-
head. “Sh*th , man. I want to that some regional agencies pecially in times like this.”
chop those damn hands off.” just aren’t up to the job. “I But there’s plenty of anec-
“For youor your first presentation, question how much busi- dotal evidence that even when
you’ll pull out all the stopsyou’ll pul ness is at agencies because an agency manages to create
and do some kicko -ass work,” they provide the best pos- an ad that fulfils the brief and
says Martino Ot ’Brien, crea- sible solutions,” he says. “If meets business objectives,
tive directector at AGA|ADK in you put your business into regional clients won’t buy it if
the creative execution is a lit-
In terms of communication, these guys
tle out of the ordinary.
“A lot of the advertising
often rely on what their friends think,
that’s done in Dubai is not
so they just want no-risk advertising
done to build brand equity
that looks nice. They don’t care if
or sell products,” says Dur-
kan. “It’s a different objec-
there’s no big idea behind it.” tive to why people normally
advertise. It’s done to keep
Dubai. “Usually about 50 per your mate’s agency, are you shareholders happy and it’s
cent of it gets shot down. The really doing it justice? Du- done in the hope that some-
second time, you can knock bai’s quite a big market with one in a high position will THE TRIBE was the only peared just wasn’t in the
off another 20 per cent. So, at a lot of agencies, of which see it and that it will make a agency to share an actual same league, frankly,” he
the end, you’re left with a re- maybe five or six know what positive impression on them. example of work that the says. “Which goes to show
ally watered-down version of they’re doing. And business What agencies should be do- client didn’t go for. These you that the work often—in
the original. But I don’t know that goes anywhere else is ing is making a guess—but ads were created for a Qatar fact, probably most of the
who’s really to blame—the just an almighty gamble. an educated guess—about Airways pitch, part of which time—isn’t the most impor-
clients or the agencies.” Because I honestly don’t be- how customers will react was for the opening of its tant thing.
So we decided to ask agen- lieve they’ll bring anything to things. Here, there’s too New York and Washington “I don’t know how often
cies to prove it wasn’t their to the party.” much guessing about how routes. creativity wins pitches, but
fault by sending us some of the chairman will react.” “All destination market- I suspect that it’s not very
their rejected work. When “The first threshold you ing is pretty much the same often,” he continues. “Any-
the idea was first—hypo- have to cross is the man- for every airline,” says The thing they see that’s out of
thetically—suggested, most O
ne important is-
sue, Harfouche be-
lieves, is that many ager’s inhibitions,” suggests Tribe’s creative director, their comfort zone, they
of them agreed it was a good agencies produce a fantastic one creative director, who Andrew Durkan. “So we tend not to go with. Which
one. When it came time to execution which the client asks to remain anonymous. wanted to do something a is a little bit silly, because
actually send us the work, rejects because it doesn’t “In terms of communica- little bit different that was the most successful adver-
suddenly they weren’t so meet the requirements of the tion, these guys often rely on quite memorable as well. tisers around are the ones
keen. Most, to be fair, cited campaign. Then they com- what their friends think, so I think it stands out from who move out of their com-
the fact that, given the cur- plain that the client doesn’t they just want no-risk adver- most airline advertising. It’s fort zone. The blueprint for
rent economic situation, understand them. tising that looks nice. They almost stupidly simple, but success is to be unconven-
it wasn’t really worth their “Great creative work that don’t care if there’s no big it certainly gets across the tional and do new things.
while running the risk of doesn’t really make sense idea behind it.” frequency of the flights.” If that’s the blueprint for
annoying existing or poten- strategically is like doing a Another suggests that cli- The pitch, however, was success, why aren’t more
tial clients, even for a title beautiful painting and hop- ents want campaigns that awarded to another agency. people following it instead
as prestigious as ours. But, ing people like it,” he says. “It copy whichever billboard “The work that actually ap- of playing safe?”
the reticence did make us just becomes subjective. Ad- most recently impressed
07 JUNE 2009 / 13
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