On the latest episode of Campaign Middle East’s On The Record podcast, Dani Richa, Chairman and CEO, Impact BBDO International; Elda Choucair, CEO, Omnicom Media Group; and Reda Raad, Group CEO, TBWA\RAAD discuss the Middle East region’s thirst for knowledge and appetite for talent development amid rapid technological advancements within the brand, marketing, creative and media landscape.
Dani Richa, Elda Choucair and Reda Raad share crucial pieces of advice for future marketers and agency leaders, turning the focus back on human craft, culture, courage, curiosity and creative originality. ahead of the highly anticipated Omnicom Future CMO Academy at Athar Festival.
The Omnicom Future CMO Academy will convene 20 senior marketers for a transformative experience blending learning, mentorship, and networking with the region’s most influential industry leaders. This year’s cohort features participants from leading brands including Saudi Tourism Authority, King Salman International Airport Development Company, NEOM, Olayan Financing Company and Almarai.
Last chance to get your tickets to the Campaign Saudi Briefing: Media and Marketing before they sell out. Here’s your chance to meet and learn from top marketers across governmental entities, brands and agencies in Saudi Arabia.
In conversation with Campaign Middle East, Dani Richa, Chairman and CEO, Impact BBDO International, says, “For future marketers and creative leaders, the message is: It is very important to take calculated risks. If something doesn’t make you uncomfortable and doesn’t make your hands sweat, it’s probably because you have seen it before – and so have millions of other people across the globe. So, be daring, push the envelope, raise the bar. That’s the only way we can help the industry make better work.
Richa adds, “Also, to everyone out there who is relying a little too much on AI. Here’s another message: AI is artificial intelligence. We shouldn’t use it to become ‘artificially intelligent’ ourselves. Instead, please use it to bring the best out of yourselves.”
Elda Choucair, CEO, Omnicom Media Group shares her thoughts on how marketers and creative leaders can better tap into human wisdom and potention.
“Ask questions,” Choucair advises. “I don’t think any of us are asking enough questions. We’re asking AI questions, but that doesn’t mean we’re tapping into our own human wisdom or the wisdom of the people around us. There has never been a more important time than now to truly own one’s learning journey. The privilege of access that we have to so much knowledge is unprecedented. But it also means that if we don’t ask enough questions, if we don’t push ourselves to make the most of these opportunities to access people with more experience, specialised knowledge, or people who’ve travelled more than us, then it’s a missed opportunity. We can only get better if we ask more questions.”
Reda Raad, Group CEO, TBWA\Raad, revealed his points of view on what leaders look for in people before hiring them to join their teams. He opened up about what it takes to be distinctive in a highly competitive market.
“For us the most important thing is curiosity,” Raad says, ” The key differentiator in this industry is the hunger for curiosity. It’s the main way to excel in this industry. Having been in this industry for a long time, my key message to leaders are: We need to protect it; we need to find the love within it. We are often so quick to bash it and point out its flaws, but we also can be kind to the industry. Love what you do – and don’t forget that we’re blessed to be working in such an exciting industry at such an exciting time. We need to pause and reflect on the power of big ideas, and the beauty of how they build these big brands, So, all in all, love the industry, stay curious, and truly enjoy what you do.”
Through the podcast the leaders also discuss why the time is perfect to build a pipeline of future leaders in Saudi Arabia and across the region who can compete not only on the local leaderboard but also on a global stage.
“There’s nothing more powerful than an idea whose time has come,” Richa said, quoting French poet and playwright Victor Hugo, “There’s a transformation that’s already happening in the Kingdom, and it’s happening quickly. This transformation is impressive, not only in terms of the gigaprojects and the megaprojects but also in terms of the people. Because of this rapid speed of change, time is also of the essence. So, it’s super important to keep up with this speed of development and transformation.”
Richa adds, ‘This is also happening at the same time that our industry of brand and marketing is also transforming rapidly. So, imagine putting these two together. As such, we feel the responsibility to play a role, transfer knowledge and give access to best practices, proper mentorship, and the tools they need to be successful.”
They also open up about how to take talent development beyond mere tokenism and traditional toolkits, discussing the importance of training future leaders on the fundamentals of accountability, attention to detail, and tapping into the avant-garde as much as competencies around media measurement, understanding where media investments deliver and unlocking ROI.
Choucair says, “People are under pressure, more than ever before, to deliver tangible outcomes – whether that’s the clients, marketers, business leaders or agency leaders. Because of this, the questions are no longer just technical – how you do the job? how do you segment? how do we launch the next campaign? what does it take to push it further or amplify it? These questions are not enough.
She adds, “We need to start asking questions such as: How do you mobilise the best people in the agency? How do ensure people are still motivated 36 hours into working on a campaign? How do we get the best creative minds to work on a brief that may not be very exciting? It’s all about these human, behavioural, psychological, attitudinal questions that we should ask more. At the end of the day, the brand, marketing and agency world is all about people. It’s our job as leaders to think deeply about these questions and about our people.”
In the age where generative AI and human creativity collide, these industry veterans. also talk about what future creative leaders and marketers should keep as their ‘North Star’. They share ways in which leaders can move at the speed of culture and technology without sacrificing on creative originality, cultural contexts, compliance and craft.
Raad advises, “AI is a great tool, but I caution against its overuse, especially when we stop thinking for ourselves or become over-reliant on AI. AI should not replace creativity; it should only be an enabler for better creativity. Secondly, we should all be aware that if we’re all using AI – and we’re already beginning to see it – we’re witnessing the start of culture erosion because of the sea of sameness. We’re all relying on a tool so much that what we’re getting as outputs in terms of ideas are all beginning to look more and more alike. This means that it’s more important than ever for us to be authentic – be very clear what we stand for – and if you’re not, you’re going to get washed away.”
He adds, “Thirdly, brands need to be a bit more bold and courageous. If you stand for everything, or keep shifting your focus, you’re going to be forgotten. You need to know what you stand for and be very clear about it and constantly link your communication back to your core values. And finally, it’s this conversation around speed. Even before AI, we wanted everything yesterday. Now, with AI those demands have only grown. Maybe, in this world of speed, we need to slow down a bit; pause and think; and understand the benefits of focusing on both the short-term and long-term goals.”
For more details from the highly insightful conversation, watch the full video above.
CREDITS:
Guests:
– Dani Richa, Chairman and CEO, Impact BBDO International
– Elda Choucair, CEO, Omnicom Media Group
– Reda Raad, Group CEO, TBWA\RAAD
Host: Anup Oommen, Editor, Campaign Middle East
Production: Surajit Dutta, Content Production Manager, Motivate Media Group
Videography: Mark Mathew, Creative Content Producer, Motivate Media Group
Studio: Ahmed Abdelwahab, Studio Manager, Motivate Media Group
Editing: John Melencion, Content Producer, Motivate Media Group
