A bit about my views on advertising...in italiano
For reasons still unclear to me, I was appointed International Advertsing person of the year in Italy last November during an event organized by Pubblico - Italy's leading Advertising publication.
The interview published on this occasion can be found on their website:
http://pubblico-online.it/
Once on their site, type my name in the search window and go practice your italian.
The interview published on this occasion can be found on their website:
http://pubblico-online.it/
Once on their site, type my name in the search window and go practice your italian.
The full interview in PDF format is at the end of the article titled "La creativita...".
And if you're not too keen on deciphering my views on Advertising in Dante's lingua, below is an english translation of the interview.
Pubblico interview – November 2009
1) You have had a starring role in the advertising world, from Middle East to Europe and America. Today the way of working in the great corporations of advertising is quite standardized…
It is true that the way we approach communication is being increasingly standardized. And while every agency group has developed its own structured communication process, the methods are fairly similar across agency groups and geographies. Most often these rely on an understanding of an equation made up of the brand, the consumer and the competitive environment. So until we get to the brief – with very few exceptions – the pre-work phase is fairly homogeneous across agencies. Then there is the miracle of creativity where big, effective ideas emerge and start moving emotions, brands and sales. This miracle of creativity is oblivious to standardization of methods. It is often a trait of genius of an individual in the creative department – may be a team of two, perhaps including a planner or a good client service person – and not necessarily those who get their name on the award…
It is when we start talking about the work that the distinction between geographic approaches can be best felt. Simply stated, there are big themes – not ideas – which can carry international communication programs with equal efficiency across geographies; like sports, celebrities, music, etc. And then, alternatively, there is the local story; with its local twist, capable of engulfing the brand in a more intimate manner and giving it roots that few international concepts can provide with comparable power.
…but, according to your personal opinion, which are in the Middle East the more remarkable and distinctive features in the service to the clients and in the communication?
The Middle East clients are not much different from those I have worked with in Europe or North America. First, many of those clients are western-trained and educated and are as demanding as their counterparts in other markets of the globe. Second, they face the same challenges all worldwide marketers are facing; for example, an increasingly elusive consumer, hopping from one medium to another or worse, interacting with several communication channels simultaneously while we’re trying to grab his/her attention. And like everywhere else, those clients are pursuing market shares from an ever busier competitive environment where brands strive to stand for a proprietary proposition, unique and distinguishable. Challenging times indeed for both the client and the communication agency…
The difference in the Middle East lies more in the communication itself. Here are a few facts starting with the consumer: substantial differences in living standards, education and exposure to other cultures; a fragmented society with markets where the expatriate population can reach more than 75% of the total and others where it is close to 100% local. Add to that contrasting tolerance norms; restrictive in certain places and lenient in others. The result is that the regional communication tends to “play it safe” and opts for common platforms which can carry the brand’s communication securely like – as I’ve stated earlier – sports or music. Those platforms allow for a mix of regional thematic activities in all the media with local executions and extensions in both the media and the brand’s distribution channels. This formula seems to work well. But there are times when I feel that everyone’s eagerness to associate its brand – for example with football or a rising singing star – may cause confusion and difficulty in brand attribution.
There are however some new and daring creative minds who have opted for deep-rooted local approaches using humor and a clever observation of their society through situations where the brand plays a pivotal role. I like this new trend as – beyond its obvious efficiency – it looks like the beginning of a new, specific Middle Eastern advertising style.
2) What characterize a good copy? Which is his most precious quality and which are the rules he must respect?
We must remember that every marketing-communication has a primary objective; that is to move brands and products. So, no matter how clever the message is or how beautiful the story is, to me it must lead to action. Broadly speaking, I like copy which creates empathy, makes the consumer relate to the proposition and leads to results. And if there is one trend I dislike, it is that of a funny piece of communication where the “joke” takes so much space that it overwhelms the brand. To me the brand must play an integral role in the communication; it must be part of the story and not just appear as a short signature stuck at the end of big joke. We may all laugh at the big joke, but we seldom remember the brand behind the communication. A total waste…
There are many examples where humor – a most effective communication approach – plays a marginal role in brand association and others where humor is intertwined with the brand – I definitely prefer the latter.
3) How the local culture influences the image of the global brands you work for?
Is different (and how) PepsiCo in Egypt e PepsiCo in Saudi Arabia?
Clever and effective communication is dependent on our ability to thoroughly understand our targets. Good creative talent must be “on the street”, they must be aware of current trends, aspirations and anxieties of the consumer. They must feel comfortable communicating with them as they would do with their own friends.
There is a very high degree of homogeneity amongst certain target groups worldwide. The cultural differences tend to fade away when we’re addressing youth, for example. So, in the Middle East – as anywhere else, the task is not necessarily to deviate from a solid global communication platform, but rather to be able to adapt it to what we know specifically about our local or regional target audience. In doing so, we may opt to customize the communication at the regional level first, then on a market-by-market basis in order to bring the brand even closer to the consumer.
4) How the global economic crisis effected the areas of Middle East? Did the crisis interested only the international brands or the local brands too?
The crisis was – or maybe I should say is – global. It has had a tangible effect on the Middle East’s regional and local economies as it has had practically everywhere worldwide. Some markets may have suffered less than others. For example, Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi were less hurt as they were on a sustainable economic growth pattern. Markets like Egypt and Lebanon remained relatively stable as they were not dependent on oil. Dubai however – the hub of advertising and regional business – suffered sensibly more. Three of its major growth sectors, namely Real Estate, Finance and Tourism, were negatively hit. This in turn deprived the Marketing-Communication industry from a large portion of its marketing spending. The situation is improving now – but, like in many worldwide markets, the crisis has caused companies – both local and international – to review their budgets and proceed with some unpopular actions such as redundancies and tighter spending.
Now, because we are talking about the crisis, allow me to add a couple of observations. Our professional lives are dependent on our ability to contribute to our clients’ business growth – we must remember that those clients, now more than ever, need our resourcefulness, our intelligence, our business acumen and our creativity. The severity of the problems some of them are facing, dictates that the marketing-communication community focuses its energy and talent on helping those clients walk out of any predicament with renewed energy. To achieve this objective, we must learn to concentrate on the important matters and develop for our clients strategies incorporating a sense of urgency. Tangible communication’s results will only be obtained by demonstrating usefulness, clarity and objectivity. We must remember that the consumer too, is living through the same crisis.
5) To make a comparison with the rest of the world, which economic results has the advertising market achieved in the Middle East? Which is the future outlook?
The measurable media spend in the Middle East region has grown substantially over the past five years to reach a solid US$ 10.5 billion (Ipsos 2008 – excluding North Africa). This is a remarkable achievement when you realize that ten years ago, the total regional spend was similar to that of South Africa or Belgium – close to US $ 3 billion. Clearly, the market lacked the media infrastructure and was primarily a recipient of multi-national brands’ budgets. The growth we have witnessed is in large part due to this industry’s ability to team up with the market’s new entrepreneurs in developing regional brands which are now visible worldwide. In a Formula One event nowadays, we can see the likes of “Emirates”, “Aldar”, “Mubadala” and “Etihad” featured as major sponsors among many Middle East-based marketers. In parallel, new categories such as real estate, telecommunication, tourism and travel have emerged as powerful sectors. Clearly, the Middle East advertising and communication community has played a substantial role in this achievement – something we can truly be proud of. The process of our region becoming increasingly an exporter of brands, goods and services is definitely encouraging and we see this as a trend in which we – the advertising and communication industry in the Middle East region – will continue to play a major role.
6) The Œmade in Italy¹s¹ brands have a lot of awareness in the Middle East and in the Gulf¹s Countries. Did you work recently for italian clients? According to your personal opinion, which business opportunities have the italian companies in the area?
I started my career writing ads for Zanussi, Perugina and Alitalia. Later, I commuted frequently between the Middle East and Ivrea for my work with Olivetti. And while in Paris as President of BBDO Europe, we were involved with FIAT as we managed the Alfa Romeo advertising account in Europe for many years. Recently though – and much to my regret – I have not had the chance to work with Italian clients.
The Middle East region has attracted several Italian businesses form construction, to fashion, food, design, automotive and machinery to name only a few. The region is growing and there are obvious opportunities across all fields. The “Made in Italy” label has an excellent image. Perhaps more effort should be exercised to further promote the diversity, depth and breadth of this label as it tends to be primarily associated with fashion, luxury goods and design.
I am particularly proud of the new Ferrari theme park in Abu Dhabi – the first of its kind worldwide. But Italy has to stand for more than high fashion, beautiful furniture and fast red cars…
1) You have had a starring role in the advertising world, from Middle East to Europe and America. Today the way of working in the great corporations of advertising is quite standardized…
It is true that the way we approach communication is being increasingly standardized. And while every agency group has developed its own structured communication process, the methods are fairly similar across agency groups and geographies. Most often these rely on an understanding of an equation made up of the brand, the consumer and the competitive environment. So until we get to the brief – with very few exceptions – the pre-work phase is fairly homogeneous across agencies. Then there is the miracle of creativity where big, effective ideas emerge and start moving emotions, brands and sales. This miracle of creativity is oblivious to standardization of methods. It is often a trait of genius of an individual in the creative department – may be a team of two, perhaps including a planner or a good client service person – and not necessarily those who get their name on the award…
It is when we start talking about the work that the distinction between geographic approaches can be best felt. Simply stated, there are big themes – not ideas – which can carry international communication programs with equal efficiency across geographies; like sports, celebrities, music, etc. And then, alternatively, there is the local story; with its local twist, capable of engulfing the brand in a more intimate manner and giving it roots that few international concepts can provide with comparable power.
…but, according to your personal opinion, which are in the Middle East the more remarkable and distinctive features in the service to the clients and in the communication?
The Middle East clients are not much different from those I have worked with in Europe or North America. First, many of those clients are western-trained and educated and are as demanding as their counterparts in other markets of the globe. Second, they face the same challenges all worldwide marketers are facing; for example, an increasingly elusive consumer, hopping from one medium to another or worse, interacting with several communication channels simultaneously while we’re trying to grab his/her attention. And like everywhere else, those clients are pursuing market shares from an ever busier competitive environment where brands strive to stand for a proprietary proposition, unique and distinguishable. Challenging times indeed for both the client and the communication agency…
The difference in the Middle East lies more in the communication itself. Here are a few facts starting with the consumer: substantial differences in living standards, education and exposure to other cultures; a fragmented society with markets where the expatriate population can reach more than 75% of the total and others where it is close to 100% local. Add to that contrasting tolerance norms; restrictive in certain places and lenient in others. The result is that the regional communication tends to “play it safe” and opts for common platforms which can carry the brand’s communication securely like – as I’ve stated earlier – sports or music. Those platforms allow for a mix of regional thematic activities in all the media with local executions and extensions in both the media and the brand’s distribution channels. This formula seems to work well. But there are times when I feel that everyone’s eagerness to associate its brand – for example with football or a rising singing star – may cause confusion and difficulty in brand attribution.
There are however some new and daring creative minds who have opted for deep-rooted local approaches using humor and a clever observation of their society through situations where the brand plays a pivotal role. I like this new trend as – beyond its obvious efficiency – it looks like the beginning of a new, specific Middle Eastern advertising style.
2) What characterize a good copy? Which is his most precious quality and which are the rules he must respect?
We must remember that every marketing-communication has a primary objective; that is to move brands and products. So, no matter how clever the message is or how beautiful the story is, to me it must lead to action. Broadly speaking, I like copy which creates empathy, makes the consumer relate to the proposition and leads to results. And if there is one trend I dislike, it is that of a funny piece of communication where the “joke” takes so much space that it overwhelms the brand. To me the brand must play an integral role in the communication; it must be part of the story and not just appear as a short signature stuck at the end of big joke. We may all laugh at the big joke, but we seldom remember the brand behind the communication. A total waste…
There are many examples where humor – a most effective communication approach – plays a marginal role in brand association and others where humor is intertwined with the brand – I definitely prefer the latter.
3) How the local culture influences the image of the global brands you work for?
Is different (and how) PepsiCo in Egypt e PepsiCo in Saudi Arabia?
Clever and effective communication is dependent on our ability to thoroughly understand our targets. Good creative talent must be “on the street”, they must be aware of current trends, aspirations and anxieties of the consumer. They must feel comfortable communicating with them as they would do with their own friends.
There is a very high degree of homogeneity amongst certain target groups worldwide. The cultural differences tend to fade away when we’re addressing youth, for example. So, in the Middle East – as anywhere else, the task is not necessarily to deviate from a solid global communication platform, but rather to be able to adapt it to what we know specifically about our local or regional target audience. In doing so, we may opt to customize the communication at the regional level first, then on a market-by-market basis in order to bring the brand even closer to the consumer.
4) How the global economic crisis effected the areas of Middle East? Did the crisis interested only the international brands or the local brands too?
The crisis was – or maybe I should say is – global. It has had a tangible effect on the Middle East’s regional and local economies as it has had practically everywhere worldwide. Some markets may have suffered less than others. For example, Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi were less hurt as they were on a sustainable economic growth pattern. Markets like Egypt and Lebanon remained relatively stable as they were not dependent on oil. Dubai however – the hub of advertising and regional business – suffered sensibly more. Three of its major growth sectors, namely Real Estate, Finance and Tourism, were negatively hit. This in turn deprived the Marketing-Communication industry from a large portion of its marketing spending. The situation is improving now – but, like in many worldwide markets, the crisis has caused companies – both local and international – to review their budgets and proceed with some unpopular actions such as redundancies and tighter spending.
Now, because we are talking about the crisis, allow me to add a couple of observations. Our professional lives are dependent on our ability to contribute to our clients’ business growth – we must remember that those clients, now more than ever, need our resourcefulness, our intelligence, our business acumen and our creativity. The severity of the problems some of them are facing, dictates that the marketing-communication community focuses its energy and talent on helping those clients walk out of any predicament with renewed energy. To achieve this objective, we must learn to concentrate on the important matters and develop for our clients strategies incorporating a sense of urgency. Tangible communication’s results will only be obtained by demonstrating usefulness, clarity and objectivity. We must remember that the consumer too, is living through the same crisis.
5) To make a comparison with the rest of the world, which economic results has the advertising market achieved in the Middle East? Which is the future outlook?
The measurable media spend in the Middle East region has grown substantially over the past five years to reach a solid US$ 10.5 billion (Ipsos 2008 – excluding North Africa). This is a remarkable achievement when you realize that ten years ago, the total regional spend was similar to that of South Africa or Belgium – close to US $ 3 billion. Clearly, the market lacked the media infrastructure and was primarily a recipient of multi-national brands’ budgets. The growth we have witnessed is in large part due to this industry’s ability to team up with the market’s new entrepreneurs in developing regional brands which are now visible worldwide. In a Formula One event nowadays, we can see the likes of “Emirates”, “Aldar”, “Mubadala” and “Etihad” featured as major sponsors among many Middle East-based marketers. In parallel, new categories such as real estate, telecommunication, tourism and travel have emerged as powerful sectors. Clearly, the Middle East advertising and communication community has played a substantial role in this achievement – something we can truly be proud of. The process of our region becoming increasingly an exporter of brands, goods and services is definitely encouraging and we see this as a trend in which we – the advertising and communication industry in the Middle East region – will continue to play a major role.
6) The Œmade in Italy¹s¹ brands have a lot of awareness in the Middle East and in the Gulf¹s Countries. Did you work recently for italian clients? According to your personal opinion, which business opportunities have the italian companies in the area?
I started my career writing ads for Zanussi, Perugina and Alitalia. Later, I commuted frequently between the Middle East and Ivrea for my work with Olivetti. And while in Paris as President of BBDO Europe, we were involved with FIAT as we managed the Alfa Romeo advertising account in Europe for many years. Recently though – and much to my regret – I have not had the chance to work with Italian clients.
The Middle East region has attracted several Italian businesses form construction, to fashion, food, design, automotive and machinery to name only a few. The region is growing and there are obvious opportunities across all fields. The “Made in Italy” label has an excellent image. Perhaps more effort should be exercised to further promote the diversity, depth and breadth of this label as it tends to be primarily associated with fashion, luxury goods and design.
I am particularly proud of the new Ferrari theme park in Abu Dhabi – the first of its kind worldwide. But Italy has to stand for more than high fashion, beautiful furniture and fast red cars…
posted by Selim Bernard Samman @ 6:22 PM
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