Lulwa Al-Harbi, CEO of Acquaint Communications in Saudi Arabia.
Campaign Middle East caught up with Lulwa Al-Harbi, CEO of Acquaint Communications in Saudi Arabia, to get her view on advertising in the Kingdom today and what she expects the industry to look like in the next 10 years.
Q: Lulwa, let’s start a with a little about your journey. Could you tell us how you got here, and what you do today?
Lulwa Al-Harbi: Believe it or not, I fell into the digital media landscape and the world of communication quite by chance. I studied management information systems (MIS) and that was going to be my chosen path. But, of course, life had other plans. A phone call from the right person at the right time got me curious enough to give the world of digital and social media a try. “How hard can it be?” I remember thinking to myself. Many years later, I find myself blessed to be sitting on the board as a CEO and Partner at Acquaint Communications, which, I humbly say, is one of Saudi’s most consistently growing local agencies.
Q: This issue looks at ‘Women in Advertising’. Your thoughts?
My view on this topic is quite simple – and I think many of my colleagues may agree with me when I say this – but the ‘gender’ conversation is not one we invest much energy in. Our approach is driven by output, not input. We look at what we’re trying to achieve for our clients, whether its strategies, campaigns, designs or even media. When we think that way, there is one insight we have consistently found: Consistent representation in the thinking process from both genders adds value. It takes men and women of all sorts to create great work.
Q: That’s a very interesting view. Would you say that this has always been the case for you, or did you find things to be different in the earlier part of your career?
Although the industry was generally male dominated back in the day, Acquaint Communications was always one of the more progressive groups in the country; it’s been that way since the agency was born. Surprisingly, I would say our male to female ratio was a lot more balanced versus the industry, even as early as 2010. So, although I personally didn’t quite have a ‘struggle’ in my own workplace, I know that seeing women in leadership in this industry was less common at the time.
“I can comfortably tell you that those in the industry that don’t evolve with the prevalent consumer mindset may struggle.”
Q: As an industry leader, what changes have you witnessed over the last few years?
The rate of change in the communications industry has been noticeable. I believe that this rapid change in the industry has been driven primarily by the shift in the average consumer over the past decade.
It’s not only change within consumer habits but also changing consumer expectations that drive so much of how we operate. As consumers, we are simply not the same as we were 10 years ago, don’t you think? This, of course, is thanks to the realisation of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 programmes, which are coming to life.
Q: With rapidly evolving consumer expectations, what industry predictions would you be willing to share?
Looking into the future is a tricky thing. As human beings, you can only use the knowledge of the past to predict the future. With what we see of the past, I can comfortably tell you that those in the industry that don’t evolve with the prevalent consumer mindset may struggle. That would be my first and safest prediction.
Additionally, I believe that a shift is occurring within our industry as we speak, due to the advent of artificial intelligence (AI). We are riding the wave and actively participating in this new and exciting era of AI.
I would expect a few new norms to be formed in the ‘agency of the future’. I expect multiple processes to become redundant. I also suspect that a few positions may eventually be phased out. On the flip side, I expect a whole bunch of new positions, requiring a totally new skill set to be formed in the agency of the future, too. We are looking at exciting times ahead. The race to stay ahead of our consumer, may become increasingly demanding!
Acquaint Communications is an award winning, full service agency, with more than 150 employees with offices in Riyadh, Jeddah and Cairo.
Information on clientele and services can be found on: https://www.acq-c.com/
