Anup Oommen, Editor, Campaign Middle East.Over the first week of April, several industry leaders have pointed us back to the highlighted quotes within our previous editor’s letters, which read “Lead with empathy as a strategy, not a slogan,” and “You matter”.
When those letters were written, we did not expect to move into such a surreal time. Yet, those statements have struck a chord with many across the Middle East region’s brand and marketing landscape. Yes, the sentiment in the industry has been mixed. After all, each of us copes with challenges and perceives reality from different vantage points and within different contexts. Cautious, calm, composed and collected leadership has often met a workforce of heavy hearts and anxious minds.
Within a single day, people have found themselves on the mental rollercoaster of convincing family and friends across the globe that they are safe; posting their on-ground truths about busy beaches and bustling restaurants on social media; advising clients on communications and campaigns in times of crisis; responding to requests for proposals (RFPs) and challenging briefs within a ‘business-as-usual’ ecosystem; and venting emotions within WhatsApp groups about how they, their families, children and pets are coping with window-rattling booms.
The incredible gratitude that people across the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman have voiced for their respective governments – and the overwhelming sense of safety that has moved from a ‘nice narrative’ to lived experiences – have been juxtaposed against concerns about business continuity and uncertainty about what the future holds.
Across agencies and brands, what stands out is not the grandstanding or opportunistic messaging, but grace. Leaders making space. Colleagues checking in. Teams recognising that the same moment can land very differently from one person to the next. While one may carry on with remarkable ease, another may feel the constant thrumming of a drumbeat in their chest. Neither reaction needs correcting. Both call for understanding. And, through it all, businesses and brands must come out stronger – together.
That is what gives this creative collective its emotional centre. Not the mechanics of remote working, revised schedules or operational pivots. It is the underlying humanity that rises to the surface. The call to pause before pushing. To ask after the person, not just the project.
What comes through is not fear, but faith. It trades noise for clarity, ego for presence and purpose, and pressure for perspective. After all, we are at our best when we look out for one another.
As we’ve said in most of our emails this month: each of you remains in our prayers. May strength, resilience, steady resolve and peace of mind be yours in the days to come. And may our tomorrows always be better than our yesterdays. Stay blessed!
