How many times have you heard, “We can’t say anything, it’s coming from the local man on the client side.”? How often have you seen the stress in the eyes of the agency guys when a man wearing a kandura enters the meeting room? Or how often do you see agency C-suite treating the ‘local intern’ on par with the ‘expat’ creative directors of the agency?
There is a lingering apprehension among advertisers when they hear the word ‘local’ and are asked to craft bold, culturally relevant campaigns in the UAE.
What happens in the end is, that they often resort to tired clichés and nauseating stereotypes such as opulent lifestyles, falconry, deserts, camels, fancy cars, and the national dress, of course – missing the opportunity to truly resonate with the local audience.
Who bears the responsibility for this reluctance, and how can we shift the narrative from trepidation to inspiration?
I believe the root of this hesitancy lies in a dual dynamic: advertisers in Dubai come from all over the world and fear offending the local population as they are largely ignorant of the intricacies of Emirati culture.
So they stick to familiar, play-it-safe tropes rather than daring to explore the authentic heartbeat of the nation where they live and work.
But it is important to recognise that this apprehension is not solely the burden of advertisers. Locals themselves play a key role in shaping the advertising landscape.
Yes, advertisers must take the initiative to delve deeper into local insights, but it is equally important for the local community to embrace a spirit of collaboration and understanding.
Locals possess invaluable knowledge and perspectives that can significantly elevate creative advertising campaigns. By encouraging an environment of open dialogue and constructive feedback, advertisers can tap into this wealth of insight to deliver campaigns that reflect a more genuine UAE.
Locals also have the power to shine a light on the nuances of their culture, providing valuable context and ensuring that campaigns resonate at a level that feels real to the viewer.
Rather than shying away from creative experimentation for fear of missteps, the local community can serve as guides, offering direction and correction where necessary.
A more collaborative approach will not just empower advertisers to push the boundaries of what a locally relevant creative campaign can be, but it will also strengthen the bond between brands and their target audiences.
When locals feel seen, heard, and respected, they are far more likely to engage with and support the brands that reflect their values and experiences.
But as good as the ‘collaboration’ might be, it is a loose and overused term.
If we look at first-world countries, we notice that they only allow expats to work if they can communicate in the country’s language with a brief knowledge of its history, culture, and traditions.
So why does the UAE not do the same? While Arabic is difficult to learn, we can create special schools to teach the tradition and culture, introduce the country to expats by the locals themselves, and talk about the aspirations, achievements, but more importantly the difficulties and challenges.
These are sure to spark great insights and ideas that can be translated into truly local campaigns.
It is important to remember that UAE was the first country to win Grand Prix Cannes Lions for the MENA region, but it was an insight and brand from outside UAE.
This shows the country’s potential to create amazing work in advertising as it does elsewhere, so imagine if each agency has a local creative in the team or a strategist or consultant to push the bar and create great, real, un-cliched and stereotyped campaigns.
To begin with, we need to redefine the narrative surrounding the word ‘local’. It is no longer seen as a source of fear or hesitation, it was never so in the first place. Let it be a wellspring of inspiration—a poignant reminder of what it means to live in the UAE amidst over two hundred nationalities working towards mutual prosperity.
Agencies, meanwhile, should be awarded for their courage and their creative, daring ideas, even if they are not culturally correct, and this can be easily fixed. But going safe with cliches and stereotypes should not be acceptable anymore.
Let us challenge the world to be ‘local’, let us get the best out of it, and leave the fake fear that comes with it where it belongs: in the past. Along with all the other advertising dinosaurs.
By Adham Abdullah, Creative Director, Liwa Content.Driven
