Ramsey Naja is chief creative officer, JWT MEA
“There’s a great expression in Arabic, which, as many would argue, sums up our approach to life in the region. Literally translated, it says: “I hope I get him in the eye.” Which makes it not just the equivalent of a shot in the dark, but outlines the kind of character pulling the trigger. Whilst many would tut-tut such an attitude and frown at the laziness it suggests, you could say that it is the best way to deal with the bewildering speed at which our industry is evolving.
Technology companies simply live (or, indeed, vanish) by sticking to a mantra that you could paraphrase as “let’s hope it sticks”. In the app world, you simply don’t bother doing what we would normally describe as elementary groundwork. You just go for it, hope it goes Angry Bird-esque, treat your bank manager with utter disdain if it does, or simply move on if it doesn’t, hoping there aren’t too many bills in the post as you do so.
Indeed, as a result of this, we practically live in a beta world: just like the presentation files on our desktops, most tech projects are virtually labelled “final final (3) modified”, such is the number and frequency of the updates required, post purchase.
Whilst this would finish off a car company faster than you could say ‘Saab’, in many ways, our industry could learn a lot from such an approach. Now, I know this is a prospect that research companies will look forward to as much as a visit to a hiccuping dentist, but for the rest of us, it could be the best way to deal with a world that feels like Sebastien Vettel in a rush.
With so much going on, and the competitive pressures coming from all sides, it could be argued that treating campaigns like work in progress, beta versions that we can alter and improve as we go along, is the answer. The educated hunch could be as potent as any hyper-researched endeavour, if not more. You see, the trouble these days is, few companies like to shoot in the dark, and fewer still would allow others to do it on their behalf.”
