Advertising Creative Featured Marketing Opinion

posted on Apr. 09, 2026 at 11:45 amApr 9, 2026

You have no alibi: the endemic excuses have hit their expiry date

posted on Apr. 09, 2026 at 11:45 amApr 9, 2026

Riyadh Air's Rammy Elsaadany explains how the industry has been hiding behind production bottlenecks as cover for creative compromise for years, and how AI and automation are deconstructing excuses.

Rammy Elsaadany, Head of Creative, Riyadh Air on creative excuses in the industry

Rammy Elsaadany, Head of Creative, Riyadh Air

A long time ago, I was in a glass office deep in a creative review for a regional campaign that was imminent for launch. The brief was exciting and sharp, and genuinely the strategy was different. But when the creative came out of the oven, something was missing. It was ok, it felt translated as opposed to originated. Competent rather than considered.

When I probed a bit deeper, the usual replies came back: ‘not enough time’ and endless feedback rounds that had collapsed the thinking window. The realities of production had forced shortcuts, c’est la vie. But now my attitude is different.

The usual excuses that are endemic to our industry are about to expire, not because demand or

To continue reading this article you need to be registered with Campaign. Registration is free and only takes a minute. Register Now or sign in below if you already have an account.

Tags:AI arabic Automation Brand Briefs Campaigns competence competitive advantage connection content creative cultural nuance cultural specificity Decision making excuses execution feedback rounds high volume linguistic fluency localisation low authenticity opportunities outcomes output progress Rammy Elsaadany restructuring Riyadh Air speed time timelines versioning volume

the authorAnup Oommen

Anup Oommen is the Editor of Campaign Middle East at Motivate Media Group, a well-reputed moderator, and a multiple award-winning journalist with more than 15 years of experience at some of the most reputable and credible global news organisations, including Reuters, CNN, and Motivate Media Group. As the Editor of Campaign Middle East, Anup heads market-leading coverage of advertising, media, marketing, PR, events and experiential, digital, the wider creative industries, and more, through the brand’s digital, print, events, directories, podcast and video verticals. As such he’s a key stakeholder in the Campaign Global brand, the world’s leading authority for the advertising, marketing and media industries, which was first published in the UK in 1968.