Anup Oommen, Editor, Campaign Middle East.We have lived through some surreal times. A month ago, people across the Middle East’s brand and marketing landscape were juggling anxiety with resilience. Despite the dread of uncertainty, they stepped up to ensure business continuity. They empathised better with each other, kept lines of communication open with clients, quietly delivered on promises made, and responded to requests for proposal rather than running away from the region.
A large part of the industry also hit the pause button. Paid media spend and campaigns were scaled back to demonstrate sensitivity. Social media ecosystems showed solidarity with national leaders working to keep the skies above us safe. Meanwhile, carefully curated and meaningful discounts across owned channels, email marketing and SMS, coupled with customer relationship management (CRM) strategies, helped hold the line, offering consumers the opportunity to connect with brands – and vice versa.
Several businesses and agencies chose to support local and smaller counterparts rather than staying silent. Through the turmoil, consumers noticed the brands that became invisible, those that hesitated, those that stuck around to help communities in need and those that jumped on the opportunistic bandwagon. The measure of success during the crisis was not purely commercial; it was also emotional, social and reputational.
Once the geopolitical – and literal – storms abated, the industry braced for economic repercussions. The prices of fuel, groceries and essential goods rose marginally. Redundancies and pay cuts were announced across the market. Yet, through it all, the industry chose to persevere rather than give in to fear. As a result, it didn’t take long for the positivity to pay off. The market is already bouncing back.
At the time of writing, all the signals point to a semblance of normality. Most children are back at schools; parents are back at their office desks; traffic is building up on key arterial roads; creative campaigns are back on billboards and digital devices; embassies have lifted ‘shelter-in-place’ advisories; business travel plans are back on track; and in-person events are making a comeback. However, as we get back into the swing of things, we also have an opportunity to do things better – to fix age-old issues, starting with procurement and pitching.
The May edition of Campaign Middle East makes the case for better briefs, tighter shortlists, clearer selection processes and increased trust and transparency throughout the pitch process.
The key takeaways are practical and principled: fewer theatrics and more truth; less comparison and more conviction; less exploitation and more collaboration; less pitching and longer partnerships. Happy reading.
By Anup Oommen, Editor, Campaign Middle East
