Communicate Levant | September 2011

Levant Edition • The marketing and advertising resource • September 2011 • Issue N°17 • communicatelevant.com.lb

Saddle up: El Rancho adopts a Western slant to draw in dudes and corral cowgirls Page 42

OPINION Better off read In this month’s Communiquestion, we ask the industry: What’s your favorite book/film about the industry? Find out why some people like Good to Great while others prefer Manufacturing Consent. (Page 18)

RECRUITMENT Hire power

Loyalty, lies and lying in the sun in our roundup of the hottest blogs here Page 39 and abroad

Drive Dentsu’s Alain Shoucair and others on what they look for in creative hires Page 38

PAYBACK TIME

Want to know what it takes to get ahead in advertising? We speak to Lebanon’s creative leaders, and the big players of New York to see what skills the industry is looking for when it scopes out the hottest (Page 30) new talent.

AGENCIES Tips from the top We speak to the heads of regional agencies to see what advice they would give to those wanting to get started in advertising. The most important rule? Be passionate. And you need to have love, and courage, (Page 32) and honesty…

CAMPAIGN Wash this space

The Communicate salary survey reveals what talent is worth in Lebanon. And it’s no rocket science.

(Page 41) Cover Image: Corbis

MediaquestCorp Egypt................... E£ 10 Jordan ................... JD 4 Kuwait ................ KD 1.2

Lebanon ........L£ 5 000 Morocco ............DH 22 Oman ............... OR 1.5

Qatar ................... QR 15 Saudi Arabia ........ SR 15 Switzerland .......... SFR 8

Syria .................. S£ 100 Tunisia ................ TD 2.5 U.A.E ...................DH 15

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR | SEPTEMBER 2011

Money for nothing I

“

’ve always wanted to write.”

This is something you hear a lot when you’re a journalist, and even more so when you’re an editor on the lookout for potential new freelancers. You hear it often at parties and formal occasions, when one of the attendees shakes your hand, asks what your trade is and reacts by making this confession in a low voice, as if you were some kind of co-conspirator. I used to try and be polite, but today I reply with the same air of confidence that “I’ve always wanted to be a volcanologist” (which is in fact true). The frustrated writer usually gives me a puzzled look, but that’s OK – there are so many reasons to be puzzled in this world; writing shouldn’t be one of them.

Because if you want to write, you write. It’s as simple as that. Writing isn’t something that you decide to do, as many more successful and talented writers than I will tell you.

Writing is something that happens to you, something that you do because it imposes itself on you. Don’t go looking around for excuses; you don’t write for the money (believe me, there’s not much to be made out of it); you don’t write for recognition. You write because you have to. Because it won’t leave you alone. I got up in the middle of the night to write this letter, because it wanted to be written. It’s like a broken record in your head,

taunting you and demanding to be put on paper. Writing, like any art, has a life of its own.

So you want to write? Write.

There’s no way around it.

Now, although the confusion is common, writing is not the same as being a journalist. Writing is the easy part of the journalistic process.

The work is elsewhere: getting the right sources; collecting the right info; verifying it; cross-referencing it; making it palatable for readers; keeping your opinion aside as much as possible. Journalism – even in print media – is not as much about writing as it is about getting your facts right. So when I conduct a job interview, hearing the candidate say he has always wanted to write because he has so many things to say is usually a big no-no in terms of hiring. Most readers don’t give a rat’s ass about what you and I have to say (I’m aware of the contradiction, this letter being all about me giving my opinion, but hey it’s still fun). Writing is an art, journalism is a craft and they are quite different. But they both require passion.

This applies to other jobs. In our cover story this month on page 20, we talk big bucks when we see who gets paid what in the advertising business. We also ask what it is that recruiters are looking for in candidates. Guess what: Of course recruiters look for skills, but mostly they’re

desperate for passion. They’re hunting someone who will do the job because that’s what he or she does – be it design, copywriting, or any creative work. Because this person will be in love with the art of it. Again, when a candidate freshly graduated from university comes in claiming he wants an art director position, there’s something wrong with the picture. Don’t focus on the director part, remember the art part. Again, it’s not about the money ; it should be about the passion.

You don’t go into advertising because you have a career path in mind. You get there because you have no choice; it imposes itself on you. That’s the beauty of it and you can’t – or shouldn’t – put a price tag on it.

Nathalie Bontems, editor editor@communicatelevant.com

Communicate Levant I 3

SEPTEMBER 2011 | CONTENTS

Contents

COVER: Salary survey 20 26 30 32 36 38

We find out from creative, media and PR agencies what they pay their staff State of pay: See who’s looking for what type of talent, and what the experts say about maximizing your earning potential Pay roll: Who’s earning what? The facts and figures from the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Lebanon Appeal to a HR power: What do Lebanon’s agency heads look for when they are hiring?

View from the top: The region’s top marketers on how to get ahead in advertising States of the market: What US shops look for in new recruits…

Create expectations: … and what Lebanon’s creative directors are after

NEWS 6 8 10

Advertising. Impact BBDO and LBC join hands to put Lebanon’s daily outlaws to shame Digital. Beirut is the first Middle East capital to host Social Media Week Advertising. Beirut ad exhibition to focus on signage

12 14 15 16

Advertising. Leo Burnett Beirut grabs Silver Lion at Cannes Media. Elie Khouri wins the people’s choice as Kipp Report readers vote on Power List. But who’s been taking part?

Media. Carat opens Riyadh office and eyes Cairo and Abu Dhabi for further expansion Digital. Google+ adds games

THE COMMUNICONTEST 17

Come up with a great mobile app idea and win a Nokia Smartphone

THE COMMUNIQUESTION 18

We ask the industry: What’s your favorite film/book about the industry?

DEPARTMENTS

39 40 42

Blogosphere. What the Web is saying Work. Selections from the regional and international creative scenes Drive-by. One blogger’s take on Beirut’s billboards

SEPTEMBER 2011 Medialeader SAL, Azar bldg, 5th floor, Dimitri Al Hayek st, Sin el Fil-Horsh Tabet, Beirut, Lebanon, Tel: (961) 1 492 801/2/3

CO-CEO Alexandre Hawari CO-CEO Julien Hawari MANAGING DIRECTOR Ayman Haydar CFO Abdul Rahman Siddiqui REGIONAL DIRECTOR OF BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT Bassel Komaty CREATIVE DIRECTOR Aziz Kamel ONLINE DIRECTOR Rony Nassour HEAD OF CIRCULATION Harish Raghavan, h.raghavan@mediaquestcorp.com MARKETING MANAGER Maya Kerbage, m.kerbage@mediaquestcorp.com COUNTRY MANAGERS Lebanon:

Nathalie Bontems, nathalie@mediaquestcorp.com, (961) 1 492801/2/3 KSA: Walid Ramadan, walid@mediaquestcorp.com, Tel: (966) 1 4194061 North Africa: Adil Abdel Wahab, adel@medialeader.biz, Tel: (213) 661 562 660

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FOUNDER Yasser Hawari MANAGING DIRECTOR Julien Hawari EDITOR Nathalie Bontems MANAGING EDITOR Austyn Allison GROUP MANAGING EDITOR Siobhan Adams SENIOR SUB EDITOR Elizabeth McGlynn CONTRIBUTORS Ibrahim Nehme, Sidra Tariq, Samer Zoueihid CREATIVE DIRECTOR Aziz Kamel ART DIRECTOR Sheela Jeevan ART CONTRIBUTORS Aya Farhat, Jean Christophe Nys EXTERNAL AFFAIRS Manuel Dias, Maguy Panagga, Catherine Dobarro, Randa Khoury, Lila Schoepf, Laurent Bernard RESPONSIBLE DIRECTOR Denise Mechantaf PRINTERS Raidy Printing Group ADVERTISING The Gulf MEDIALEADER, PO Box 72184, Dubai Media City, Al Thuraya Tower 2, Office 2402, Dubai, Tel: (971) 4 391 0760, Fax: (971) 4 390 8737, sales@mediaquestcorp.com Lebanon Peggy El Zyr, peggy@mediaquestcorp. com, Tel: (961) 70 40 45 44 Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Tarek Abu Hamzy, tarekah@mediaquestcorp.com, Tel: (966) 1 419 40 61, Ghassan A. Rbeiz, ghassan@ mediaquestcorp.com, Fax: (966) 1 419 41 32, P.O.Box: 14303, Riyadh 11424, Europe S.C.C Arabies, 18, rue de Varize, 75016 Paris, France, Tel: (33) 01 47 664600, Fax: (33) 01 43 807362, Lebanon MEDIALEADER Beirut, Lebanon, Tel: (961) 1 202 369, Fax: (961) 1 202 369 WEBSITE www.communicatelevant.com.lb

SEPTEMBER 2011 | REGIONAL NEWS

Impact BBDO and LBC shame law-unabiding citizens

Beirut. In early July, creative agency Impact BBDO and leading Lebanese TV station LBC launched a publicinterest project named “Cheyef halak?” (a wordplay in Lebanese Arabic simultaneously meaning “Take a look at yourself” and “Are you proud of yourself?”). This 360-degree campaign highlights uncivilized conduct commonly observed in Lebanon, and aims to give citizens the power to denounce these irresponsible and dangerous behaviours.

“We realized that the Lebanese are not only forgetting basic decent behavior, but are even starting to find irresponsible behavior normal.

A campaign was needed to remind them of these basics,” says Walid Kanaan, regional executive creative director at Impact BBDO. Two TVCs – “Taxis” and “Pedestrians” – were produced pro bono with production house The Fantastic Film

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Factory and presented six months ago to the Ministry of the Interior (“The right body to convey this message,” says Kanaan). Motivated by the Ministry’s interest, the agency came up with two other films (“Speed” and “Bikes”), also pro bono, with Wonderful Productions this time, while digital agency Cre8mania designed a dedicated website. “There is no commercial purpose whatsoever. On the contrary, we believe so much in the cause that it is almost a duty to take part in it,” says Kanaan, who hopes that at some point donors will step in “to expand the campaign for the greater good of the country.”

The four TVCs were ready for release when the government resigned, and the project was put on hold. That’s when LBC got involved, adopting the idea immediately and even pushing to expand the campaign to more topics. LBC officially endorsed the

campaign through its popular talk show Kalam El Nass on July 7, with the first six weeks dedicated to traffic and driving in Lebanon. During eight months, a first category of topics will tackle other reprehensible behaviour such as corruption, inequality, bad upbringing of children, racism and prejudice, and environmental irresponsibility. A second category will then follow, focusing on belief and confession, and political education.

The campaign will span a period of around two years.

The TVCs – the latest one of which is called “Wait in line” and will be followed by a Facebook activation where people can agree to wait in line digitally – are highly ironic (featuring real-life people in sometimes ludicrous but nonetheless real situations), but the heartbeat of the campaign lies online, through the website and Facebook pages,

where users can upload pictures of the behavior they denounce. So far, the Facebook page boasts more than 17,000 dedicated users, and over 30,000 frequent ones, while the campaign has enjoyed massive feedback from local – and even regional – bloggers and online opinion makers.

“We didn’t want to preach, but rather to mirror the current situation.

Lebanese people criticize the government all day long, but we should look at ourselves to start with. We all have to agree that something’s wrong and we want to shame those who are acting wrongfully,” says Kanaan, who hopes that eventually, politicians will step up and maybe use the campaign’s digital tools to levy fines for bad behaviour and take action. “We’re preparing a big case to present to the Interior Ministry, and hopefully this campaign will become a movement,” he adds.

SEPTEMBER 2011 | REGIONAL NEWS

First Social Media Week Beirut in September

Beirut. The Lebanese capital will hold its first Social Media Week (SMW), organized by social media business consultant 90:10 Group, from September 19 to September 23. This concept was started in 2009 by New Yorkbased firm Crowdcentric as a global platform to connect people, content, and conversation around emerging trends in social and mobile media, and to “help people, brands, companies, not-for-profits and governments around the world establish deeper and more valuable relationships through collaborative learning and social communication,” say the founders. The next year, the event was expanded to six cities, including London, Berlin, San Francisco, Toronto and São Paulo, and became biannual, happening in February and September. “We hope it will become like Fashion Week,” says Monica Karam, strategist and partner at 90:10 ME. The February 2011 edition was held in 11 cities around the globe, with over 30,000 people worldwide attending more than 600 events. This September marks the first time the event will be hosted by a Middle East city; Dubai was also considered, but Beirut was the capital to get it. Karam says that

 I ADVERTISING Law to ban advertising of tobacco voted in Beirut. The long-awaited law banning tobacco advertising (see “Burning issue,” page 30, Communicate Levant, April 2010) was finally voted in by the Lebanese Parliament on August 18. Advertising of such products will be totally banned six months after the vote. According to the International Advertising Association – Lebanese chapter – this market segment is worth $8 million, and such a drastic ban will have a severe impact on the industry.

TBWA\Rizk serves up new ads

around 25 events – five a day, each in a different location, with free access for all attendees – are scheduled. The program will be released online on September 6. The point will be to explore the wide range of issues that the new online reality is creating in various business sectors. “The event is open to everyone, so everyone can listen and learn, and it should help alleviate the fears and concerns that social media sometimes generates in certain business sectors, such as banking,” says Karam, who further explains, “90:10 is only proposing a program, but every topic we’ll address is the result of an intense brainstorming with the online community and with all participants. We’re trying to make something that every sector is interested in, so everyone must be involved; it’s all collaborative work.”

Indeed, Social Media Week is built upon a set of principles that focuses on openness, inclusivity, collaboration and co-creation.

Planned events include numerous panel discussions.“If you broadcast to your attendees, they are unlikely to recall any information and you will have created no real lasting impact.

If you involve them, they will not

only understand, but they will also become your greatest advocates,” says Karam.

Each day, a different sector will be at the core of the discussion: Banking, finance and business; science, technology and gaming; advertising, media, communication and journalism; fashion, beauty, luxury and retail; hospitality, tourism and real estate; people, NGO and society.

The discussions, followed by case studies, will tackle issues as diverse as whether Facebook and Twitter are dangerous territory for banks and financial institutions; how social media changed the recruitment process for HR departments; the importance of crowd sourcing; social gaming; how advertising changed and became like an update on Facebook; how to merge offline with online; the place of luxury on social networks; how to embrace Foursquare; the rise of smartness; social commerce; beauty 2.0, etcetera.

“This is not a profit-minded initiative,” says Karam. “We’re here to raise awareness and engage the community.

We all have a common aspiration: to improve our digital presence. This concerns everybody.”

Beirut. TBWA\Rizk came up with two food products campaigns last month: a series of five TVCs was created for Maling Mushroom and will be launched on TV in September; and a corporate campaign was designed for milk powder brand Tatra, to reintroduce a new formula of milk.

TBWA\Rizk also won the muchcoveted Lebanon Central Bank pitch, organized to introduce through a TV campaign the new currency recently launched in Lebanon and its high security features; the campaign is also expected to teach consumers how to check the new bank notes in case of attempted fraud.  I AGENCIES Changes within FP7

I MEDIA Pikasso celebrates 25th anniversary Beirut. Outdoor supplier Pikasso celebrated “The Street” on its 25th anniversary by offering free artistic performances to people in the streets, malls and beaches of Lebanon during four weeks in 40 cities. In parallel, an “Off-Street Party” was organized on June 30 to celebrate the anniversary with Pikasso partners, clients, agencies and stakeholders.

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Beirut. The regional FP7 restructure at a group level is still underway.

The following “movers & shakers” happened at the FP7 office in Beirut: George Jabbour has been appointed

SEPTEMBER 2011 | REGIONAL NEWS

Lebanon to hold its first sign exhibition

Beirut. The first Beirut Sign exhibition will be held in Lebanon between September 22 and 25 at BIEL. Described as an exhibition for “international signage, digital print, imaging graphics, media and advertising,” this specialized trade fair is organized by UAE-based Trans Continental Fairs Management (TCFM).

According to Walid Al Saleh, managing director at TCFM, Beirut was selected as the venue for Beirut

Sign because Lebanon is considered a force to reckon with in the media, advertising, and signage industry.

As the event’s brochure highlights, the country ranks second after the UAE in terms of market size and profitability, employing around 8,000 people and generating an estimated $150 million in annual revenues.

The event will act as a platform for the various stakeholders to meet and network with key players from

across the Middle East, and get introduced to the technologies shaping the world of signs.

“We are expecting to showcase the latest technologies in signage and digital printing and create an environment for everyone in the sector to meet face to face with the leaders and experts of the industry under one roof,” says Al Saleh.

Beirut Sign is expected to attract more than 5,000 visitors during its four-day run.

Continued from page 8 CEO MCN Lebanon. Jabbour has been with FP7 for 14 years to date and has actively been involved in steering other MCN entities in Lebanon by advising and overseeing growth and performance. In his newly appointed role, Jabbour is expected to consistently build relationships with clients and suppliers across all operating companies in Lebanon.

Within this new remit, George will be reporting directly to Ghassan Harfouche, MCN Group CEO. Gabriel Abiad, former head of Strategic Planning at FP7 Beirut, has been appointed associate general manager and will now take on full responsibility of the operations.

Danny Georr, CCO of the FP7 Group based in Beirut, will now be “taking on the additional responsibility of directly overseeing the creative department for FP7 Beirut and will further enhance the creative product and build a solid team which again is fundamental to taking the FP7 brand to new levels of recognition, both regionally and at a global level,” says a statement.  I MARKETING Moët launches first Champagne to be enjoyed with ice

Beirut. Moët & Chandon launched Moët Ice Imperial, a Champagne specifically created to be enjoyed on ice, at the Orchid beach resort on July 2. It was also one of the main sponsors of the 2011 Summer Fashion Festival at the Eddé Sands resort the next day in an attempt to “take ownership of summer”.

To reflect the brand’s refined positioning, Moët Ice Imperial comes in an unconventional white lacquered bottle, with touches of black, gold and silver.  I ADVERTISING IAA celebrates 50th anniversary at beach party Damour. On the occasion of its golden jubilee, the International Advertising Association (IAA) Lebanon chapter

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held a beach party, gathering a crowd of professionals from the advertising industry at Oceana – La Suite in Damour.

As part of the celebrations, winners of the IAA Facebook Contest – launched online a month before – were presented with their prizes.

From 1,130 entries, five winners were drawn from a pool of 143 correct answers to the online quiz about the IAA. The IAA Golden Jubilee will be officially celebrated at an upcoming Gala ceremony.

 I ONLINE ArabNet expands online and abroad Beirut. Digital conference ArabNet relaunched its website as a hub for digital professionals and entrepreneurs to connect and learn. The new

SEPTEMBER 2011 | REGIONAL NEWS

Leo Burnett Beirut bags Silver Lion

Continued from page 10 portal features news and analysis of the Web and mobile industry, and a database of Arab startups on the Web. ArabNet also announced two new events this year:ArabNet Cairo on October 12/13 and ArabNet Riyadh on Dec 4/5. The ArabNet Digital Summit will be held in Beirut, March 27 to 30, 2012.

Memac Ogilvy holds digital training

Beirut. Leo Burnett Beirut’s “Fake it all” campaign for the Lebanese Brand Protection Group (BPG) has earned a Lion at the 58th Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, in the “Best integrated campaign led

by PR” category.

“Cannes first and foremost celebrates fresh ideas. Big fresh ideas. Simple big fresh ideas. Cannes also celebrates crafting as well as every invention of a simple, big, fresh channel that

relevantly engages with human beings. I am very proud of the Lions we have been able to tame at Leo Burnett MENA and I am sure that next year all the Burnetters in the region will reach for Gold,” says chief creative officer of Leo Burnett MENA, Bechara Mouzannar.

At the root of the “Fake it all” campaign was the idea that the closest things to you can be fake (see “Leo Burnett stunt gets blogosphere buzz-

 I ONLINE

in partnership with RedKaraoke.com, and a “Sing & Cook” offer in partnership with LebGuide.com and its “100 Lebanese Recipes” iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad application.

Leading a consultant career in new media and a fledgling one in music, the singer hopes to create a “Web-oriented entertainment for Web users.”

Lebanese “e-business artist” launches first e-single Beirut. Artist and entrepreneur Lamice launched her first single, “Summer Days,” available free on the Web, only in digital format. This initiative, unusual in Lebanon, is also accompanied by two other concepts: multi-language karaoke,  I MARKETING Spinney’s sets up plastic recycling machines in its stores Beirut. Spinneys, Servicorp and Nestlé Waters jointly promote the recycling of plastic bottles and cans in Lebanon.

The “Protect Lebanon – Recycle Today” initiative consists of the placement of “Reverse Vending Machines” in several Spinneys stores, which any

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consumer will be able to use for the in-store collection of plastic bottles and aluminium cans for recycling.

ing,” page 10, Communicate Levant, May 2011).

Also during the Cannes Festival, Leo Burnett unveiled an interactive ad unit developed with Facebook.

Designed by Leo Burnett Chicago, the Comment ad unit is expected to let brands spark conversations among friends by posting videos, photos, links and statuses on Facebook. The results can engage both a brand’s fans and its potential fans on any scale.

Service provider Servicorp will supply the machines and will send the collected material for recycling, while Spinneys will offer a special incentive supported by Nestlé Pure Life Water brand.

On a separate note, the supermarket chain has introduced a new range of specially imported goods through a new catalogue titled Spinneys I-Catalogue, in a design similar to that of an iPad.

Beirut. In August, Memac Ogilvy organized two-day seminars for its staff in Dubai and Beirut, as part of its new Digital U training program The sessions, led by Anna Lane, business director at Neo Ogilvy, OgilvyOne Dubai's newest digital media division, covered topics including branded entertainment, digital planning and production, and innovations in mobile Internet communication.

On the move

Dubai. In July Memac Ogilvy promoted Eymard Saldanha (pictured) to regional head of advertising in the MENA region.

Saldanha will continue to head up the BAT Eastern Europe Middle East & Africa account and part of the Global Leadership Team at Ogilvy on BAT, the single largest client within Ogilvy Africa Middle East. He joined the firm in 1997 as associate account director.

Nadine Maalouf returned to join Euro RSCG as head of corporate communications after five years of absence.

Wissam Najjar, OMD's former executive director - Trading out of Dubai, moved to Beirut as OMD Levant group director – Trading.

SEPTEMBER 2011 | REGIONAL NEWS

OMG’s Elie Khouri tops people’s Power List More than 300,000 clicks on Kipp Report for ‘people’s choice’ version of Communicate rankings – but who’s been voting?

Dubai. The people have spoken.

Communicate’s sister title, Kipp Report, asked its readers to vote on Communicate’s Power List. And they did. OMG MENA’s CEO Elie Khouri (pictured, above) came out on top.

Some background first: In June, Communicate released its Power List, a ranking of the 50 most powerful people in the media, marketing and advertising industry. We used a long and complex formula that took into account the turnover of people’s companies, the number of years they had been in the industry, and many other factors. MBC’s Sheikh Waleed Al Ibrahim was at No. 1; OMG’s Elie Khouri was at No. 2. To view the full list, where there is also a description of our methodology, log on to our website, Communicate.ae.

Our ranking was done according to data, numbers and stats, and Kipp decided to see how that would tally with public opinion. For a month, KippReport.com hosted a page where

it listed the power players, and members of the public could vote them up and down.

After the votes were tallied, the top 10 looked like this: OMG’s Elie Khouri was at No. 1 (he was 2 on our list); 2: Menacom’s Joseph Ghossoub (4); 3: TBWA’s Ramzi Raad (8); 4: Leo Burnett’s Raja Trad (6); 5: Pepsico’s Ahmed El Azizi (26); 6: Saudi Research and Marketing Group’s Dr. Azzam Al Dakhil (28); 7: GM’s Fadi Ghosn (18); 8: MCN’s Akram Miknas (3); 9: JWT’s Roy Haddad (7); 10: MBC’s Sheikh Waled Al Ibrahim (1).

You can find the list at KippReport. com/vote-results. That page will also tell you how many people voted for each person to be promoted, and how many voted for them to be demoted.

Khouri, for example, got more than 80,000 promotions, and just over 800 demotions.

Not only did the poll attract disinterested members of the public, though. We have been hearing

stories about coordinated clicking vendettas. We’ve heard tell not only of companies launching internal efforts to push their bosses up the list, but also of click-fests designed to push their competitors down.

Now with more than 300,000 votes cast, there might have been some scope for cheating, perhaps asking your friends – colleagues and staff, even – to vote for you. But we’d suggest not admitting doing so. Even if you are afraid others might have been voting vindictively against you.

Over all, the stats are optimistic, though. The total number of promotions was 258,906, outnumbering the number of demotions at 64,324. That’s a ratio of around four to one. It means more people were concerned with pushing people up than dragging them down.

Communicate is pleased that the people have spoken. But we’re raising our eyebrows when we think about who those people might be.

Moreover, 50 percent of respondents indicate they check their mobile before going to work, with almost a third (31 percent) doing that before getting out of bed.

Nassir Nauthoa, Intel’s general manager for the GCC, says, “The research shows that people’s tolerance levels are rising and the use of mobile devices is now so pervasive in our society that 70 percent of respondents felt it’s necessary to have its own code of conduct.”

Meanwhile, 86 percent of respondents said they check their social media status daily, with 43 percent of these checking more than three to four times a day.

 I RESEARCH Intel releases mobile etiquette survey for the UAE Dubai. Texting while driving, talking loudly on the phone in public, and losing awareness of surroundings or conversations are among UAE residents’ pet mobile technology peeves. This is according to Intel’s Mobile Etiquette Survey, conducted among 500 respondents.

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 I AGENCIES Cheil Worldwide announces new COO for MENA region Dubai. Azmi Yafi has been named marketing and communications company Cheil Wordwide’s chief operating officer for the Middle East and North Africa region. Yafi (pictured), who will work at Cheil’s Dubai headquarters, was a former CEO for UAE operations at FP7 and a regional managing director at Impact BBDO. Andrew Yi, regional president and CEO of Cheil, says, in a statement, “Cheil is strengthening its regional structure and growing the agency capabilities. Azmi has a proven record of achievements in the region [and] we are confident he will help us achieve our goals and take Cheil MENA to new levels of excellence.”  I PR Hotwire teams up with Active PR and others Dubai. Hotwire, the international communications consultancy, recently launched its enhanced global affiliate network incorporating Active PR (Middle East), East Side Consulting (Eastern Europe), Influencer PR (China), Northern Link (The Nordics), Rice Communications (SE Asia) and Six Degrees PR (India).

Andy West, Hotwire’s newly promoted group managing director for global client development, is spearheading the initiative, a press statement says. Under his remit, the affiliate network goes beyond the agency’s existing global relationships and delivers a tried and tested network of partners that will ensure a consistent high level of service, backed by a common ethos and working methodology, it adds.  I DIGITAL Vivaki launches research into KSA Internet habits Dubai. Working in an exclusive partnership with GlobalWebIndex, Vivaki’s research and analysis company, Business Compass, has launched an Internet research project – the GlobalWebIndex – in the Saudi Arabian market. The company has

REGIONAL NEWS | SEPTEMBER 2011

Carat MENA on expansion drive

Riyadh. Media agency Carat MENA has opened an office in Riyadh to support its current Saudi Arabia operation that has been based in Jeddah since 2006. Ahmed Haidar (above, left), previously managing director of the Jeddah office, is now MD for Saudi Arabia, and JeanClaude Gholam, previously at MEC, is head of operations in Riyadh.

Carat’s chief financial officer and head of corporate services, MENA, Antonio Chedrawy (above, right), says Riyadh is “the biggest potential market in Saudi.” He adds, “Mostly the growth is from local Saudi brands. Within banks, mobile operators, and across all industries there is growth among the infrastructure development companies.”

Carat’s regional strategy, by contrast, is based primarily around rein-

 I AGENCIES Dabo & Co. hires and promotes Dubai. Comms agency Dabo & Co. has promoted commercial director Jason Leavy to MD. It has recruited Alex

forcing the agency’s presence for its global clients, which include Nokia, Kellogg’s and Philips, and make up the majority of Carat’s business. “In addition to that,” says Chedrawy, “by expanding our network to service our current international clients, we will be developing our local footprint for local client portfolios.”

Carat currently has a presence in around 20 markets. Roughly half are through affiliates, and half are owned by Carat’s parent holding group Aegis, based in London.

Chedrawy says the next step will be to strengthen Carat’s footprint in Cairo (where it currently operates with a local affiliate) and Abu Dhabi, which is serviced by the Dubai office. The expansion could happen as soon as the end of this year.

Hutley (second from right) as senior digital strategist, Hanna Roche (left) as consumer account director, Abdallah Touqan (right) and Randa Kamal in PR, and Lisa Flanagan (second from left) to spearhead the Visa team.

also developed an infographic that explores the behavior of Saudi Arabia’s 9 million Internet users. (You can find the infographic in our Data Center at Communicate.ae.)

“We found that most of Saudi Arabia’s online community are young, and are more likely than not to be highly educated, which in itself challenges the misconception that clients have in the region about the profile and background of users,” says Racha Makarem, general manager for MENA at Business Compass, in a release.

These Saudi users have a markedly different profile from the average global Internet user and social networker. A key distinction is that they are far more active in voicing their opinions online and are more than twice as likely to upload videos online than the global average.

“What’s most interesting of all is the Internet consumption versus TV consumption figures, where nearly twice as many Internet users are online more than three hours a day as watch more than three hours of TV,” adds Makarem.

OMG appoints first social media director Dubai. Omnicom Media Group (OMG) has appointed Meredith Tuqan (pictured) as its first director of social media for the region. Tuqan joins OMG, which includes media agencies OMD and PHD, from Action Global Communications, where she was head of digital for the Middle East. Her focus will be on group consolidation, with a remit to further strengthen service levels.

Gulf businesses increasingly use social media Dubai. The past year has seen half of Gulf companies successfully use social networks, blogs, microblogs and forums to win new business, says a global survey from Regus. It found that 50 percent of firms in the Gulf were successfully winning new customers through business social networking activity.

The research looked at more than17,000 managers and business owners across 80 countries.

Sixty-two percent of Gulf business used websites such as Twitter and Weibo to engage, connect with and inform existing customers, while

32 percent devote up to 20 percent of their marketing budget to social networking activity.

Meanwhile, 69 percent agree that without social media activity marketing strategies they cannot hope to be successful, yet 82 percent say that without a combination of traditional and digital techniques marketing campaigns won’t work.

AudienceME launches advertising platform Dubai. AudienceME, a digital media sales firm, launched a brand advertising platform last month to service the MENA region. The firm says it will represent ad space on international sites to advertisers in the Middle East, where ad spending is growing at “a phenomenal rate” across existing clients.

VERY BRIEFS Lenovo hires Hill & Knowlton as PR agency MEPRA to host awards on Nov. 30 BPG group wins Al Rawabi account Y&R reorganizes EMEA structure TMH bags Abu Dhabi Mall account

The Entertainer launches website Rufus Leonard made digital creative partner for Dubai World Championship site Twofour54 ibtikar signs deal with Tahadi Games and Jawaker online games companies

Go to our Web site for the full stories: www.communicate.ae

Communicate Levant I 15

SEPTEMBER 2011 | INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Google adds Games button to Google+ profiles Google has announced it is creating a new Games button for Google+ profiles. Google+ users will be able to play the games, but – having learned from Facebook that spammy game notifications are a bad thing – only see invitations, games and updates if they want to.

Social gaming was an early driver for Facebook, and built the fortunes of Zynga, which recently filed an amended report in preparation for its initial public offering, revealing – among other things – that it has taken out a $1 billion line of credit as it prepares for its own IPO. Besides Zynga’s products, other games on Google+ include Angry Birds, Diamond Dash by  I AGENCIES McCann New York to reinvent Ikea catalog

Swedish retailer Ikea says it has turned to McCann New York – and its Swedish chief creative officer Linus Karlsson – to help redo its 200-million-circulation catalog.

Previously, the catalog’s design and marketing had been handled by ICOM, Ikea’s in-house team at its headquarters in Almhult, Sweden.

Interpublic Group of Cos.-owned McCann’s new global assignment doesn’t affect the role of WPP’s Ogilvy & Mather, as Ikea’s US creative agency of record, or other assignments in regional markets.

“By bringing technology to the paper catalog, we will be able to tell the Ikea story in new ways, while driving a more seamless connection to purchase,” says Mark Fallows, executive vice-president of creative technology at McCann.

16 I Communicate Levant

Nokia splits with Wieden & Kennedy Nokia and its global agency of record (AOR) since 2007, Wieden & Kennedy London, have parted ways.

From now on, the mobile giant – which has been outpaced by competitors – plans to stop using an AOR model.

“The last six months has marked an important shift in Nokia’s business and marketing strategy,” a Nokia spokesman says. “This has naturally resulted in us continuing to evolve the relationships with our wide roster of agency partners. While it would be inappropriate to speculate about future plans, I can say that, moving forward, we plan to move away from an agency of record model and leverage our wide network of agency partners.”

Nokia is a top-100 global advertiser with $278.6 million in measured media spending in 2009, according to Ad Age Data Center.

“We leave this partnership with tremendous respect for the Nokia brand,” says Neil Christie, managing director of W&K London.

The split comes amid serious turmoil for the largest global handset manufacturer, which is quickly losing market share to smartphone leaders Apple and Google. Low-cost Chinese cell phone makers are imposing a threat to its business too.  I MEDIA John Sheehy moves from Leo Burnett to SMG Starcom MediaVest Group (SMG) has hired John Sheehy, the lead on

game maker Wooga, and Bejeweled by PopCap. Zynga is the biggest developer of social games on Facebook (such as Farmville and Mafia Wars) according to research firm AppData.com.

The games are free to play, with the company making money by selling virtual goods as well as advertising in the form of branded virtual goods and sponsorships. Now that Zynga is also on Google+, its dependency on Facebook may continue to lessen.

Google+ is a long way away from Facebook’s 750 million users, but at 25 million accounts, its growth has been explosive.

Google and Zynga declined to disclose the terms of the deal.

the Kellogg’s business at sibling agency Leo Burnett, as its president of global operations.

As part of his new role – which is an expansion of the post filled by his predecessor, Andrew Swinand, who left in May to start a venture partnerships firm – he will focus on growing SMG’s footprint in emerging markets.  I MARKETING DraftFCB loses SC Johnson account after 50 years After a protracted review, DraftFCB has lost the entire marketing account for SC Johnson, according to sources. Much of the business had been housed at Interpublic Group of Cos.’ DraftFCB, Chicago, and other Interpublic agencies, so the loss delivers a serious blow to the agency. US spending is estimated at more than $400 million; globally it exceeds $1 billion.

Sources confirmed the account handled by DraftFCB will be split between WPP’s Ogilvy & Mather and Omnicom Group’s BBDO.  I DIGITAL Google to buy Motorola Mobility Search titan Google has agreed to buy Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion, its largest acquisition to date, giving it a wide-ranging portfolio of patents that allow it to compete more directly against Apple and Microsoft.

Motorola Mobility is a unit spun out of the parent company in January

that makes mobile phones, tablets and set-top boxes. Motorola shipped 8.5 million Android-powered smartphones and 700,000 tablets in the first half of this year, compared to the 38.9 million iPhones Apple sold in the same period. Motorola has been bleeding money, losing $137 million in the first six months of the year on $6.37 billion in revenue.

Of all mobile devices sold globally last quarter, 2.4 percent were Motorola handsets, according to Gartner. Samsung sold 16.3 percent and Apple sold 4.6 percent of all global mobile devices.

Motorola is the No.3 handset manufacturer in the US by total mobile subscribers above age 13, according to ComScore. By this measure, Motorola trails Samsung and beats Apple.

This is largely a deal to acquire software patents and has no nearterm implications for advertising.

Google insists Motorola will operate as a separate unit and will continue to make mobile phones and tablets under the Motorola badge. In other words, don’t expect Google phones and tablets – for now.

ADVERTORIAL | SEPTEMBER 2011

Communicontest

Find a great mobile app idea and win a Nokia Smartphone

I

n partnership with Communicate Levant, Nokia Levant is launching a competition across the summer.

In line with its work on a “developers’ ecosystem” which aims at bringing together whoever might be involved in creating, developing and promoting mobile applications in the Levant region (see “Getting app-ier”, Communicate Levant, June 2011, page 24), Nokia is inviting our readers to pitch in.

What to do?

The idea is simple: participants to the contest submit ideas for a mobile app to: nokia.levant@nokia.com The idea must be creative, original and practical.

Just explain what it is and what would make it special in a few words, design or graphic.

Deadline for submission is September 9, 2011.

Winners will be announced, with explained details on how and why they were selected, in the October issue of Communicate Levant.

Who can participate?

Everybody: • Students with a fresh idea they would like to use themselves.

• Developers who wish to go into this field and see a need for their idea.

• Marketers who aim to promote their brand in a fun, innovative and modern way.

Advertisers who want to introduce new ways • to communicate to their customers.

• Users who are simply interested in seeing good apps developed in Lebanon.

What to win?

Three prizes – all new Smartphones from Nokia – are up for grabs: • • •

The Nokia E7 The New Nokia X7 The New Nokia E6

See you in October and in the meantime, put on your thinking caps and join the competition.

Communicate Levant I 17

SEPTEMBER 2011 | OPINION

The Communiquestion

Great influences

We ask the industry: What’s your favorite film/book about the industry?

EDWARD BARSOUM Trade director, Vertical Media Services Film: Jesus of Nazareth. And book: When new brands become icons, Douglas B. Holt.

ADIB BASBOUS Co-founder Nineteen84 Adland.

OMAR SADEK Head of content, Impact BBDO Manufacturing consent, Noam Chomsky.

TOUFIC H. TRABOULSI Founder, Independent Productions 99 Francs.

DIANA MAATOUK Head of communications, VIP FILMS As simply as it could get, Paul Arden’s Whatever you think, think the opposite. Too bold (font and content) that not only my conscience it did strike, but the courage and

18 I Communicate Levant

curiosity to constantly search for that little diamond in the trash and be able to see it even when it is not there, and with a smile while digging in the bin. Plus, it has that twist, so simple yet great, which alerts and reminds that one does not belong to the comfort zone when in the communication battle, as our field is nothing but a constant evolution.

CAROL ISABELLA HANNA Director for people & culture – Levant, Leo Burnett Good to Great by Jim Collins. I keep reading it again and again. A very insightful and inspirational management book; I would recommend it to anyone who’s into talent recruitment and management.

MARC DFOUNI CEO/managing partner, Eastline Marketing World Wide Rave by David Meerman Scott. A world wide rave is when people around the world are talking about you, your company, and your products. Scott’s original views on social marketing portrayed with real life examples. A must read. I loved it.

OPINION | SEPTEMBER 2011

SÉBASTIEN GRINSARD Regional marketing manager, Les Affichages Pikasso So far, the best book I have read about the industry is Confessions of an Advertising Man by David Ogilvy. It addresses the key challenges of our business and provides very useful tips and guidelines to overcome the problems we all face one day or another, if not every day: creative, commercial, management… Several aspects of the book are a bit dated as it was written a few decades ago, but most of them are still applicable and provide precious insights to avoid frequent mistakes. There are so many things to learn from the life of Ogilvy (founder of the famous agency) and from this book in particular.

It influences many of the decisions I make.

MOUNA AJAM Regional PR manager, Mindshare MENA The movie What Women Want. It really shows you (especially for industry outsiders) how much time and effort it requires to come up with successful marketing ideas and how competitive this business is.

Especially the scene when Mel Gibson was trying to think (and dress) as a woman to better understand feminine products.

RACHAD AZAR TV producer, Promoseven 99 Francs. It really portrays life inside advertising agencies: it’s vibrant, chaotic, sometimes dangerous but always fun.

REVA BERBARI Client servicing director, Cleartag Rework by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hanssone. It’s a very inspirational book, a kind of practical strategy where the authors show us how to do less and create more in a world where we all keep getting asked to do more with less.

ADRIANA LEBBOS Account director, RPR Thank you for Smoking, a movie starring Aaron Eckhart.

In this movie Nick Naylor plays a seductive and ambitious lobbyist, putting all his charm and talent at the service of a tobacco company to convince the world of the virtues of smoking and to counteract anti-smoking campaigns and government initiatives. Abusing press conferences and television talk shows, he defends the indefensible, but ironically fails to convince his ex-wife that he can be a model father to his son.

My favorite part is when Nick speaks to his son’s class on career day, arguing with a little girl whose mother says cigarettes can kill you: “Is your mother a doctor?” he asks.

Throughout the short movie, Nick cuts a product placement deal with a Hollywood studio, and bribes the original Marlboro Man to keep his mouth shut about his lung cancer. Another great part is when he discusses having a Hollywood super agent, played by Rob Lowe, the challenge of getting movie stars to smoke onscreen once again.

Communicate Levant I 19

© Corbis

SEPTEMBER 2011 | COVER STORY

20 I Communicate Levant

COVER STORY | SEPTEMBER 2011

It’s all about the money What the experts say about salaries in the Middle East, and what we learned from our survey by Sidra Tariq

A

s a graduate we look for a job that would kick-start our career, give us a deeper understanding of the tools of the trade and let us earn our worth. As a working professional, we look for career development and growth, and expect a salary that matches our skills and experience. And when we look for alternative jobs, we always look for greener pastures – a step up. All this while, one question stays in our mind: Am I getting paid enough?

This year’s Communicate salary survey tries to find out just that. We received salary figures from advertising, PR and media agencies in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Lebanon, and calculated the average salaries for people in different positions across the industry (see salary tables, page 26).

The information we found was interesting, with average entry-level salaries in the UAE ranging between 9,500 dirhams and 13,500 dirhams. A junior account executive in an advertising agency in the UAE can expect a salary

of around 9,750 dirhams while a PR agency junior executive can expect an average of 9,667 dirhams. These figures are almost consistent with the average provided by marketing recruitment consultancy Kingston Stanley, which manages recruitment for advertising, PR and other marketing clients in the MENA region (see table, page 28). “Salaries have gone up at the lower end,” says Alex Koumi, director of Kingston Stanley. “Now the typical starting salary for an account executive is 12,000 dirhams – for good people. If you want top quality account executives, you’ll need to pay [that much]. The days of paying 8,000 dirhams to 10,000 dirhams for the best talent in the market have changed.

And obviously [the salary] for good senior account executives has jumped as well; [clients are] looking to pay 14,000 dirhams to 15,000 dirhams. Whereas through 2009 and 2008, you would get account executives for 8,000 dirhams to 10,000 dirhams, and senior account executives for 10,000 dirhams to 12,000 dirhams.”

According to Communicate’s salary survey, junior planning executives in media agencies appear to get paid more than their buying counterparts, with a junior planning executive getting an average of 11,500 dirhams and a junior buying executive getting 9,500 dirhams.

This may be a low starting figure for ambitious graduates, especially when compared to engineering graduates who often start on about 14,000 dirhams.

However, with limited job opportunities, the after-effects of the recession still being felt and advertising expenditure being one of the first things reduced in a crisis, it is a figure many are willing to accept.

LOOKING BACK. Last year was difficult in terms of recruitment. Fresh graduates, experienced professionals and recently laid off employees had trouble finding jobs.

“Last year there was very, very limited growth and [agencies were] only replacing employees

Communicate Levant I 21

© Getty/Gallo Images

SEPTEMBER 2011 | COVER STORY

NADA DEHNI. HR manager, JWT

ALEX KOUMI. Director of Kingston Stanley

22 I Communicate Levant

who had left,” says Kingston Stanley’s Koumi.

In contrast, the year 2011 “has seen a dramatic increase in the amount of recruitment that has been happening, particularly in Dubai,” he adds.

Another trend the industry has seen over the past year is that instead of hiring a replacement for an employee who leaves, agencies tend to divide the work among the remaining employees, says Koumi. “People were working more and doing more, whereas now if someone leaves they are looking at replacing in terms of hiring new people. There was a little bit of a freeze [in] 2009 and 2010. This year clients are now replacing immediately, and growing.”

So after a lot of cutbacks and hesitation on clients’ and agencies’ sides, hiring is back on track in the regional industry, and Dubai is leading the pack. Being a business hub and with new ad opportunities arising, the city has become a haven for jobseekers. “Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Qatar – those are the three main strong markets,” says Koumi. “Close behind is Saudi, and I think as of next year Kuwait will start to climb as well.”

“The hub is going to be in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, but within the region, what clients are looking to do is expand within Saudi, Qatar, and Kuwait… to have a satellite office in these locations to give a fuller spread in terms of people on the ground,” he adds.

Nada Dehni, HR manager at advertising agency JWT, says this can be tough, but has its advantages. “This year was a particularly tough one on the region and many of our colleagues had to be relocated with their families to other JWT offices,” she says. “But it’s also during times like these that a network’s true capabilities and potential come into play. This

migration of talent led to an unexpected but more-than-welcome cross-fertilization of knowledge and ideas.”

At the same time, Abu Dhabi, which often pays very high, is looking at dropping salaries, says Koumi. The government is making cutbacks as well, which eventually makes Dubai more attractive to jobseekers.

NEW PROJECTS. Umran Mehmood, director of HR Source Consulting, which handles recruitment for clients in IT, media, sales and marketing, and exhibitions and events, lists a few reasons agencies are hiring: “Organic growth in a company, dealing with client needs and wants, attrition – candidates leaving the Middle East to go back home; but in the main it has been growth, because their clients are channeling more work.”

As business grows, agencies look for more people to strengthen the team and have the required manpower to handle new projects. “[In advertising in particular], there are a lot of agency merry-go-rounds going on where agencies are winning new pitches and a lot of [them] are doing new retainers. There is an awful lot of business development, and so a lot of the trends in terms of recruiting in advertising are to hire people who can drive new business,” adds Kingston Stanley’s Koumi.

Dehni at JWT, says, “The combination of new trends and changing markets has redefined some positions and their roles within the agency.

Most new roles require a mix of skills that were considered a ‘plus’ earlier but are a ‘must-have’ now. An example would be the new breed of planners who are able to work within a traditional and digital environment.”

© Getty/Gallo Images

COVER STORY | SEPTEMBER 2011

THE NEW AGE. The effect of technological advancement continues to grow in the advertising industry and has made room for different job titles and skills. In this day and age, the wide web of Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and other online communication platforms has deepened the demand for the techno-savvy and digitally astute.

Digital and social media have emerged as the most noticeable trends in the industry, says Natalie Round, who heads the agency and recruitment ­division at MacKenzie Jones, a marketing and sales, HR, finance, agency and creative recruitment consultancy. “There is a lot of digital on the account handling side, and then on the PR side there is a lot of digital PR and social media PR. They seem to be the two most popular types of role at the moment.” “[Employers] are looking for everybody to have some digital influence or some online influence, so even when they are looking at designers [they are looking for] ones that have online and print skills,” she says. “Online is the biggest skill set over here at the moment,” she says.

Mehmood agrees, saying, “We have seen a massive shift toward digital-related skills, from planning to strategy.” Social media managers, strategists, search-engine positioning (SEP), search-engine marketing (SEM), and digital marketing are in great demand, he adds.

A candidate’s background has also become ever more important this year and, instead of a broad approach, agencies are making their hiring more targeted. “What you are finding now is companies aren’t looking for the best talent available; they are now looking for the best specific talent available,” says Koumi. “For example, we need a client servicing account manager with automotive experience; we are looking for a regional account director with fast food and retail experience. It’s very much specific requirements now to meet those needs of specific clients.”

The situation appears to be similar for PR agencies. “In PR, rather than looking for jacks of all trades, agencies are taking people on who’ve got very specific skills,” says Round. In other words, candidates suited to a sector or with experience in the sector they are looking for a job in are more desirable now. “The reason for that is because you’ve got your little black book of journalists that you speak to and… media that you speak to. So it’s easier to develop your media relations if people are very industry specific.

You’ve got the oil and gas industry that there is quite a decent demand for, and technology over here is growing massively, so from a PR point of view there is a big need for candidates who’ve got a PR-technology background.”

However, Koumi says that PR employers are more flexible than advertising agencies in hiring people from different industries. “You can move from working with consumer clients to working with corporate clients to working in B2B [business-to-business], B2C [business-toconsumer], as long as you’ve got good language skills and good Arabic writing skills.” He adds

that good Arabic language skills are on the top of the list for PR employers. Being able to write good Arabic press releases is as important as having good Arabic communication skills, he says.

IN DEMAND. According to Koumi, senior account executives and account managers are most in demand in the region. “Simply because these guys actually do a lot of the leg work and they are very hands-on in terms of the work they do and writing the press releases.” Account directors and general managers would go out and win the business and then need support from senior account executives and account managers, he adds.

According to our salary survey, a typical senior account executive in an advertising agency can expect a salary of around 12,542 dirhams, while one in a PR agency is looking at an average of 13,167 dirhams. Account managers seem to have the better end of the deal, with average salaries for juniors in advertising around 14,979 dirhams and PR around 16,333 dirhams. Senior account managers get about 3,000 dirhams to 5,000 dirhams more than juniors.

“From what I’ve gathered [salaries] have either stagnated in some agencies and in others have dropped to be more realistic compared to what they were around 18 months ago,” says Round. “But that’s only what I have heard through hearsay.” “[An] account executive is looking at anywhere between 10,000 dirhams and 14,000 dirhams.

Account managers are probably looking at anywhere between 16,000 dirhams and 20,000 dirhams. And [for] account directors, you’re probably looking at between 24,000 dirhams and 28,000 dirhams or 30,000 dirhams; That

depends on how long they have been an account director… the accounts that they have worked on and their agency background.” She adds that in some positions there are also grey areas such as senior and junior levels.

Koumi adds that “the demand is pretty much at the bottom end,” and that Arabic talent is attractive to non-PR agencies too. Strong business development skills are also sought after by agencies.

HOMEGROWN TALENT. The advertising industry in the region is awash with European and Western talent – particularly in the UAE. Skill sets and experience make it attractive to hire foreign talent. However, nowadays there is a growing emphasis on regional talent. “Clients are a little bit less willing to invest in flights, relocation and the risk that is associated with bringing a candidate from London, Australia or Europe,” says Koumi. “Their preference is now looking for candidates based in the Middle East, so that has made it harder for overseas candidates.

My advice for those guys is come to Dubai/the Middle East, try and spend a week or two here, try to set up meetings with line managers, and then you can hopefully go back with a couple of job offers.”

On the other hand, Mehmood says, “where there is a skills shortage, clients will hire from Europe, the US and Australia; the fishing in the UAE is familiar to lots of our clients. They want fresh talent, with new ideas, new ways of working, new dynamics, [etcetera].”

Moreover, when it comes to certain skills such as digital, foreign talent is more experienced than

Communicate Levant I 23

© Getty/Gallo Images

SEPTEMBER 2011 | COVER STORY

HOME-GROWN TALENT. Today there is a growing emphasis on hiring candidates from the region

NATALIE ROUND. Head of recruitment division, MacKenzie Jones

24 I Communicate Levant

local. One of the challenges facing agencies and recruitment companies is that the required skill set isn’t there. In such cases, what agencies need to do is look at what the majority of the work consists of, hire candidates specializing in that line of work and then train them in other areas, allowing them to grow, says MacKenzie’s Round.

However, on-the-job training is very limited in the region, she adds. “Agencies do not invest enough in people’s training and development.

One of the things I have noticed here more than when I was in the UK – the big difference – is that people move more for promotion, rather than being promoted internally.”

Mehmood from HR Source agrees, saying that one of the challenges agencies are facing is retaining staff. “They should focus on more training and development,” he says. “Some agencies hire too last-minute without any real planning of hiring strategies; some agencies are too slow to hire – that is to say, they take two to three months, which is not good enough unless you’re in a C-level role; they will lose candidates during this lengthy process.”

Round expects to see more internal investment in people and training in the next 12 months.

“A lot of the HR managers I’m talking to are very much into that,” she says.

Koumi says it has become even more difficult to find quality candidates, as candidates are reevaluating what is important to them. “Job security is usually now number one. Career progression is number two in terms of: What opportunities do I have to learn, develop and

grow where I currently am? If they haven’t got that then they’ll move. But they will really look at what they’ve got at the moment in terms of their current role. And third would be money.”

In addition to that, more and more candidates these days are being counter-offered by their current employers.

UP AHEAD. Round expects salaries to remain stable for the rest of the year. “Clients are going to have to become flexible, but they don’t necessarily have to become flexible on salaries, they just need to become flexible on skills and training people,” she adds.

As far as recruitment is concerned, Koumi says the rest of 2011 looks good. “Q4 is going to see a big spike in recruitment in terms of actual feet on the ground. Q3 is seeing a lot of interviews… But, that said, I think clients are still being cautious because they are still not 100 percent certain what is going to happen in terms of medium- to long-term growth. It is very much a pace of hire-as-we-need-it as opposed to historically where agencies have hired because they know they are going to grow, win more pitches, win new clients and retainers, so let’s get the headcount in and then when we get the business we will be there to supply it. Now is the case of: Let’s win the business and then we’ll get the staff.”

So now that you know what you could be earning and that agencies are hiring, do you think it is time to ask for a raise?

SEPTEMBER 2011 | COVER STORY

SALARY SURVEY TABLES* UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

ADVERTISING AGENCIES

MEDIA AGENCIES

POSITIONS

AVERAGE

POSITIONS

AVERAGE

Junior Graphic Designer

2,395

Junior Planning Executive

3,131

Senior Graphic Designer

4,192

Senior Planning Executive

4,220

Junior Copywriter

3,607

Planning Manager

6,534

Senior Copywriter

5,814

Head/Director of Planning

9,529

Junior Studio Manager

2,495

Junior Buying Executive

2,586

Senior Studio Manager

4,828

Senior Buying Executive

3,947

Traffic Manager

5,150

Buying Manager

5,717

Junior Producer

2,433

Head/Director of Buying

8,168

Senior Producer

6,988

Junior Research Executive

2,586

Junior Production Manager

2,649

Senior Research Executive

4,220

Senior Production Manager

5,835

Research Manager

5,990

Junior Account Planner

3,153

Head/Director of Research

8,848

Senior Account Planner

7,998

Business Development Director

9,529

Junior Account Executive

2,654

General Manager

—

Senior Account Executive

3,415

CE0/Regional MD

—

Junior Account Manager

4,078

Senior Account Manager

5,594

Account Director

7,033

POSITIONS

AVERAGE

Group Account Director

9,098

Junior Account Executive

2,632

Junior Art Director

4,038

Senior Account Executive

3,585

Senior Art Director

6,285

Junior Account Manager

4,447

Junior Creative Director

7,120

Senior Account Manager

5,263

Senior Creative Director

11,185

Junior Account Director

5,944

Client Services Director

11,367

Senior Account Director

7,305

Managing Director

19,704

Director

10,074

Managing Director

11,163

PR AGENCIES

LEBANON

ADVERTISING AGENCIES POSITIONS

AVERAGE

POSITIONS

AVERAGE

Junior Graphic Designer

992

Group Account Director

4,667

Senior Graphic Designer

1,741

Junior Art Director

1,465

Junior Copywriter

1,160

Senior Copywriter

2,464

Senior Art Director

2,549

Junior Studio Manager

1,250

Junior Creative Director

4,000

Senior Studio Manager

2,740

Senior Creative Director

6,927

Traffic Manager

1,791

Client Services Director

5,300

Junior Producer

1,128

Managing Director

8,677

Senior Producer

2,796

Junior Production Manager

1,433

Senior Production Manager

3,113

Junior Account Planner

1,459

Senior Account Planner

3,300

Junior Account Executive

997

Senior Account Executive

1,477

Junior Account Manager

1,789

Senior Account Manager

2,675

Account Director

3,780

* To find the salaries, we asked agencies to tell us what they pay for each position, then took an average. All figures are in USD.

T

COVER STORY | SEPTEMBER 2011

LEBANON

MEDIA AGENCIES

PR AGENCIES

POSITIONS

AVERAGE

POSITIONS

AVERAGE

Junior Planning Executive

960

Junior Account Executive

900

Senior Planning Executive

1,530

Senior Account Executive

1,233

Planning Manager

2,550

Junior Account Manager

1,500

Head/Director of Planning

3,950

Senior Account Manager

2,167

Junior Buying Executive

875

Junior Account Director

2,500

Senior Buying Executive

1,363

Senior Account Director

3,250

Buying Manager

2,910

Director

4,500

Head/Director of Buying

3,888

Managing Director

6,500

Junior Research Executive

833

Senior Research Executive

1,400

Research Manager

2,267

Head/Director of Research

3,167

Business Development Director

3,583

General Manager

7, 625

CE0/Regional MD

—

SAUDI ARABIA

ADVERTISING AGENCIES

MEDIA AGENCIES

POSITIONS

AVERAGE

POSITIONS

AVERAGE

Junior Graphic Designer

1,721

Junior Planning Executive

2,222

Senior Graphic Designer

3,024

Senior Planning Executive

3,466

Junior Copywriter

2,787

Planning Manager

4,621

Senior Copywriter

5,726

Head/Director of Planning

6,310

Junior Studio Manager

2,699

Junior Buying Executive

2,621

Senior Studio Manager

4,493

Senior Buying Executive

3,910

Traffic Manager

4,031

Buying Manager

4,977

Junior Producer

2,748

Head/Director of Buying

6,221

Senior Producer

5,238

Junior Research Executive

2,444

Junior Production Manager

2,322

Senior Research Executive

4,088

Senior Production Manager

4,731

Research Manager

4,977

Junior Account Planner

3,033

Head/Director of Research

7,243

Senior Account Planner

6,844

Business Development Director

8,665

Junior Account Executive

2,325

General Manager

14,087

Senior Account Executive

3,265

CE0/Regional MD

27,330

Junior Account Manager

3,861

Senior Account Manager

5,393

Account Director

7,255

POSITIONS

AVERAGE

Group Account Director

9,099

Junior Account Executive

2,066

Junior Art Director

3,248

Senior Account Executive

2,799

Senior Art Director

5,011

Junior Account Manager

3,466

Junior Creative Director

6,299

Senior Account Manager

4,399

Senior Creative Director

10,879

Junior Account Director

5,866

Client Services Director

9,110

Senior Account Director

7,666

16,539

Director

10,999

Managing Director

14,332

Managing Director

PR AGENCIES

SEPTEMBER 2011 | COVER STORY

AVERAGE SALARIES ACCORDING TO RECRUITMENT CONSULTANCY KINGSTON STANLEY UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

SAUDI ARABIA

ADVERTISING AGENCIES

ADVERTISING AGENCIES

POSITIONS

AVERAGE

POSITIONS

AVERAGE

Junior Graphic Designer

2,178

Junior Graphic Designer

2,133

Senior Graphic Designer

3,267

Senior Graphic Designer

3,199

Junior Copywriter

2,995

Junior Copywriter

2,933

Senior Copywriter

3,811

Senior Copywriter

4,266

Junior Studio Manager

4,900

Junior Studio Manager

5,332

Senior Studio Manager

5,445

Senior Studio Manager

5,866

Traffic Manager

5,445

Traffic Manager

6,666

Junior Account Executive

2,722

Junior Account Executive

2,666

Senior Account Executive

3,811

Senior Account Executive

4,266

Junior Account Manager

3,811

Junior Account Manager

4,266

Senior Account Manager

5,445

Senior Account Manager

6,666

Account Director

6,806

Account Director

7,999

Group Account Director

9,529

Group Account Director

10,665

Junior Art Director

5,990

Junior Art Director

6,666

Senior Art Director

6,806

Senior Art Director

7,999

Junior Creative Director

8,712

Junior Creative Director

9,332

Senior Creative Director

10,890

Senior Creative Director

11,999

Client Services Director

10,890

Client Services Director

11,999

Managing Director

13,613

Managing Director

15,998

PR AGENCIES

PR AGENCIES

POSITIONS

AVERAGE

POSITIONS

AVERAGE

Junior Account Executive

2,722

Junior Account Executive

2,933

Senior Account Executive

3,811

Senior Account Executive

3,999

Junior Account Manager

4,084

Junior Account Manager

4,266

Senior Account Manager

5,445

Senior Account Manager

5,866

Junior Account Director

5,990

Junior Account Director

6,666

Senior Account Director

8,712

Senior Account Director

9,332

Director

10,890

Director

11,999

Managing Director

13,613

Managing Director

15,998

THE SITUATION IN SAUDI by Sidra Tariq Opinion on working in Saudi has long been divided, especially among foreign nationals. The cultural limitations in the country may be a discouraging factor for some jobseekers, but the tax-free income and relatively low cost of living (when compared to Dubai) gives them a solid reason to work in the kingdom.

The situation of Saudi’s advertising market is very positive, says Alex Koumi, director of marketing recruitment consultancy Kingston Stanley. “A lot of companies out there are recruiting and they are seeing increased growth,” he says.

The agencies are increasingly looking out for local talent: “Ideally they want

people with an understanding of the region – that is to say, the Middle East and North Africa.” He adds that the kind of candidates who are in most demand are Arabic speaking males, to get the best from communication.

And like the UAE, Saudi agencies are also looking for specific talent that matches the needs of their client.

However, the Saudi salaries are slightly lower than those in Dubai, according to Communicate’s figures. A junior account executive at a Dubai ad agency is paid an average salary of 9,750 dirhams, while his/her Saudi counterpart gets paid around 8,722 riyals (8,542 dirhams). The difference seems largest higher up in the ladder. Dubai ad

agency managing directors receive an average of 72,371 dirhams, while a Saudi MD gets about 62,030 riyals (60,748 dirhams) – a difference of more than 10,000 dirhams.

One explanation could be that Dubai is often the base for agencies’ regional headquarters, which is why the salaries are typically higher than other countries.

Another could be the amount of business Dubai agencies handle.

Yet Saudi remains to see an influx of jobseekers, and a lot of locals tend to stay and work in the country. As agencies increase their hiring outside their UAE headquarters (see main story), the appeal of working in Saudi looks set to grow.

© Getty/Gallo Images

SEPTEMBER 2011 | COVER STORY

HR in demand

We speak with agency decision makers in Lebanon to see what they look for in potential recruits

by Samer Zoueihid

L

CAROL HANNA. Director of people and culture for the Levant, Leo Burnett

MARK DAOU. COO overseas, TBWA\Rizk

KATIA YASMINE. Managing director, TRACCS PR

30 I Communicate Levant

ebanon used to be known as a pool of talent for employment, and somehow it still is. But as the marketplace is increasingly demanding specialized professions, companies are finding the pool is fast being drained.

With hundreds of new graduates fresh out of universities every year, Lebanon stands out in a region where talent is often imported. “It is an absolute pleasure to see the fresh new faces of each generation as they pass through the agency doors and push the limits of advertising to establish Lebanon as a global creative hub,” says Mark Daou, chief operations officer for overseas operations at TBWA\Rizk. “The recent achievements at an awards level regionally, and globally at Cannes, have proven that even with all the challenges, the rich Lebanese cultural mix remains a source of great creative juices.”

According to Katia Yasmine, managing director of TRACCS PR, it is the hard working ethos of the Lebanese that sets them apart from the rest of the region. “The Lebanese talent pool is unique in the region it operates in. Lebanese culture always strives to work its hardest and be number one. That’s what our employees and what many people seeking a job set their goal to be. As long as everyone is putting in their utmost effort to succeed, then it is something unique. You may travel to other countries where their nationals may seem to dislike work and responsibility; however, here in Lebanon the nationals seek that,” she says.

NOT SPECIALIZED ENOUGH. Enjoying high numbers of available graduates on the market is all well and good, but it is unfortunately not enough. Firstly, most communication curriculums do not include specialized skills that are severely lacking in Lebanon. Secondly, recruiters would rather hire joiners who have already earned some experience in their respective field, if only by having undergone training – which remains the exception rather than the rule in Lebanon’s academic routine.

As a result, some specific positions are particularly hard to fill, as Daou explains: “Strategic planners are a rare kind, and at a certain stage you need to have agency-grown planners who can lead and apply [TBWA’s] ‘Disruption’ approach. Once inducted, a planner needs to have a good foundation in different sectors of the industry, and that in itself is rare to find.

Agencies do not invest extensively in their strategic planning units, so the pool of capable talent is very limited, and given the size of the budgets of the local clients, the expense of a strategic planner is unaccounted for; as for multinational clients, planning is handled on a regional level, and that means not in Lebanon.” Daou adds that as a result, because of the lack of experience in certain specialized fields, some agencies end up having to outsource the job to their regional network.

In the PR field as well, employers are suffering unsatisfied needs – for media relations specialists among others. But Yasmine says the problem lies beyond experience. “There is a lack of competent

COVER STORY | SEPTEMBER 2011

© Getty/Gallo Images

available candidates in media relations with the necessary experience and soft skills to deal with people and be able to identify with each publication and media representative personally. It is more than just a job; it’s a real relationship, so finding that right candidate can be challenging at times,” she says.

NEW POSITIONS, NO CANDIDATES. The growth of digital communication is complicating matters further, with new jobs being created and fast becoming in demand, says managing and creative director of Purple Advertising Ghada Chehaibar: “New developments in IT and the online marketing industry have translated into the recent creation of a lot of new job titles and positions that simply weren’t around a few years ago,” she says, adding that finding new recruits is a challenge due to the nature of such new roles, which require experience and skills that not many people can get.

“Our team lacks a good social media strategist.

It’s a position for which a keen sense of timing, creativity and in-depth knowledge of the Web are more essential than any particular degree or qualification, although skills in professional writing, marketing or advertising could be an advantage.

It’s a new generation of media, another vision, and another target. The demographics and facts and figures that are used in traditional media cannot be applied to social media. It will require specific formation in social media, encompassing all social networking sites as communications and marketing tools,” she says.

However, managing director of media agency OMD, Chadi Farhat, explains that his company is tackling this problem by moving away from specialized positions and focusing on integration.

“We are keen on moving from individual positions to integration. For example, instead of having one person for digital and another for offline planning, we see a better scenario by bringing one who excels in both. This adds more value on so many fronts with the client,” he says.

One of the side effects of communication companies integrating roles is that all employees now have to catch the social media bug. In fact, many agencies are beginning to make digital knowledge a prerequisite for any role in the company. Senior account director from advertising agency Adrenalin May Nasrallah says, “The new skills we are looking for in new recruits include familiarity with the constantly evolving technology and a good grasp of the online tools, especially those related to social media; the ability to make use of such knowledge.” And Leo Burnett’s director of people and culture in the Levant Carol Hanna adds that in this day and age, digital knowledge is essential if you are looking to get recruited.

“Simply, we no longer hire people who are not attuned to the digital sphere. We have all been through extensive digital training and this has become a key skill required for anyone joining Leo Burnett. Communication nowadays is not complete without social media. This is where the experience happens with the people.”

FINGER ON THE BUTTON. Social media is increasingly being used to recruit people RECRUITMENT TOUGHENS UP. As the demands on professions grow and evolve under the pressure of online, so does the recruitment process to find the right candidate.

Not surprisingly, one of the tools increasingly being used to recruit people is social media platforms such as LinkedIn. Traditional methods such as referrals, recruitment agencies, and hiring interns are not outdated, but as Nasrallah explains, it’s now a lot more efficient to use LinkedIn. “The rise in social media and professional networking websites gives us access to a large database of candidates and allows us to screen the professional profile of the applicants,” she says. And the system works both ways, with job seekers using online social media as a method to track down HR managers to the point that Hanna says she’s been “drowning with requests of people connecting with me on LinkedIn.” On the other hand, agencies are making candidates go through a longer corridor of questions before they can walk through the door. “The list of key performance indicators is becoming longer. In the past, the recruitment used to be based on a couple of criteria and then we roll the wheel of fortune hoping to get lucky. Today, we are able to identify the weaknesses and strengths before employing that person on the basis of clear and strict criteria that leave no room for failure,” says Farhat.

According to Daou, a more stringent interview process was necessary, and could help lower the high turnover in the industry. “As the agency culture matures, it becomes necessary to have several levels to the recruitment process, from the initial qualifying to the first interview, followed by the senior interview, and finally the team induction. These guarantee that a chosen candidate will have the most chances to succeed in the agency, can integrate easily, can build a career and grow with the agency.

The high turnover that marks industry recruitment trends is a big challenge to retain the teams intact for the medium term,” he says.

MAY NASRALLAH. Senior account director, Adrenalin

GHADA CHEHAIBAR. Creative director, Purple Advertising

CHADI FARHAT. Managing director, OMD

Communicate Levant I 31

©Corbis

A step in the right direction We ask agency leaders: What advice would you give to someone who wants to get into advertising?

ELIE KHOURI CEO, OMG MENA If you want to be in the business, you want to have the passion and you want to be caring, because if you don’t care, you’ll never be successful in our business. It’s a people’s business, and people come first.

AKRAM MIKNAS Chairman, MCN You’ve got to have a lot of passion, a lot of love (for what you are doing and for the people) and you’ve got to have a lot of energy. If you don’t have these three ingredients, then you are not going to be able to succeed in this business. That’s for sure.

JOSEPH GHOSSOUB Chairman & CEO, Menacom Group First of all, be passionate in what you do, or be passionate in what you have to do, and about what you have to do. If you are not passionate – really, really, sincerely passionate – don’t even attempt it, because you’ll fail. And don’t be afraid of any failures, because without failures, there cannot be successes. So if you are passionate and you really like what you are doing in this business, you’ll positively, definitely succeed. Other than that, don’t even try it.

32 I Communicate Levant

RAJA TRAD CEO, Leo Burnett Group of Companies MENA My advice is: Go in, live it. Either you love it or you don’t, because in advertising if you do not love it, if you are not passionate about it, you’ll not be able to make it into the future. Make sure that this is what you want to do in life.

ROY HADDAD CEO, JWT Middle East and Africa First and foremost, be curious. Cultivate your knowledge.

And have the courage to express your ideas.

RAMZI RAAD Chairman & CEO, TBWA\Raad This is the advice that I have been giving over the years. Normally, a lot of candidates come from business schools and I tell them if you are going for interviews with banks, etcetera, you get into a certain routine; you join a bank and there are a number of operations that you will keep repeating day in, day out, while if you come to an advertising agency, at one stage you are sitting with an airline client and learning about airlines and the next day you are sitting with a perfume manufacturer, and after one hour you are sitting with a baby diapers

©Getty Images

SEPTEMBER 2011 | COVER STORY

manufacturer, and so on. So it is fun, it’s the variety, it’s the change, and if you like that then certainly close your eyes and jump into this fascinating ocean.

EDMOND MOUTRAN CEO, Memac Ogilvy and Mather Make sure you have the passion for it. Don’t enter the business because it is a job, enter the business because it is a mission.

People forget sometimes that the commissions that we earn, the fees we earn, are there for a purpose and that purpose is to sell our clients’ products and make them succeed in the marketplace. Sometimes agencies don’t work as hard as they should for those clients who are paying the fees.

My advice would be: If you don’t have the passion or the stamina to do that, you shouldn’t be in this business.

DANI RICHA Chairman and CEO, Impact BBDO I would advise not to get into the advertising business, but to get into the creative technology business where advertising could be part of that; so to not narrow too much, not to specialize too much, but to try to bridge technology and creativity; the opportunities there are immense.

ALEX SABER Chairman, Vivaki MENA This is a very promising industry, very interesting industry, very challenging, but it is tough work, hard work, long hours. But definitely I encourage people to join this industry, both from the client and media side.

34 I Communicate Levant

We are all proud [of] where we are right now, and what we have achieved in the past few years is remarkable.

SAMIR AYOUB CEO, Mindshare MENA Be honest to yourself, to the people within the organization, your clients and your suppliers.

MUSTAPHA ASSAD CEO, Publicis First of all, make sure that you like it, because it is not a given that everybody will like this kind of thing.

Second, I would encourage mainly the new generation to go into this business because it is full of creativity, of technology, of ideas, of planning, of synergies, of strategies and of networking, and living with the society.

So it’s very, very interesting. And it is not a hobby; it is a major business. So be very, very serious about it, and really commit the resources into this field.

MOHAN NAMBIAR Regional managing director, MEC MENA Don’t come into advertising just to make money. Come into advertising if you are passionate, come into advertising if you are creative, come into advertising if you can do that extra mile by understanding the audience, and don’t look at it as another job. You’ve got to be really passionate if you are to take this forward, and my advice would be that you’ve got to enjoy what you do; but in this particular area of profession, a lot of people tend to like it because it is communication; so you are creating a dialogue all the time, and you are understanding the audience,… doing communication planning, and so on.

© Getty Images

SEPTEMBER 2011 | COVER STORY

Finding creativity Strong understanding of digital and social media, knack for versatility, solid storytelling abilities and a good heart top list of most-desired traits for CCOs by AdAge staff

A

sk any creative person – heck, ask any agency person – what their three biggest challenges are, and one of those is consistent every time: talent.

Creativity is, at its heart, a human business and finding people who can adapt to a changing world is on the minds of every chief creative officer.

We asked several what’s important in scouting the next great creative star and whether they would have hired themselves fresh out of school.

ROB SCHWARTZ. CCO, TBWA/Chiat/Day, LA

PJ PEREIRA. Co-founder and CCO, Pereira & O’Dell

36 I Communicate Levant

Lots of creatives now are focused on “the big idea” or integrated work. Is this something you look for in a young creative’s book?

Rob Schwartz, CCO, TBWA/Chiat/Day, LA: We always look for the big idea. The issue I see now is that a lot of books have an integrated bunch of tactics, fleshed out from a mediocre idea. I’m thrilled that kids are thinking in terms of media arts, but media arts without an idea is like a lot of ingredients in search of a recipe.

PJ Pereira, co-founder and CCO, Pereira & O’Dell: Big ideas... another overrated concept. Not because a big idea isn’t important, but because it’s very easy for us to oversize our own ideas, or even our own judgment of the size of someone else’s idea. Why would size matter, though? Sometimes a series of “smaller ideas” is much bigger than a single one that will make a splash then get tired.

What about basic skills such as copywriting and art directing? How do people with those skills rank, compared to coming up with big ideas?

Susan Credle, CCO, Leo Burnett USA: We have underestimated the need for brilliant writing and art direction. I have a saying: Just because you can type fast does not make you a great writer. For the past 10 years, technology has been so all-consuming that we have been a bit distracted. It has been necessary, but as technology becomes more second nature, the craft of creativity will gain importance again. I have seen many people who didn’t know they wanted to be in advertising succeed because they simply were fantastic storytellers.

Con Williamson, CCO, Saatchi & Saatchi, New York: What are really cool are the tools we now have make it easier for us to execute, and the more industrious younger folks know how to use these tools. So if they have an idea they can execute it. We see this with younger creatives – how they pull it off for, like, $7.

Schwartz: We like people who come up with big ideas and can tell stories graphically. Art directors need to show us impact and guide us through executions. Writers need to write.

I like to see at least two long-copy ads in a book. I like to know that the writer can frame

COVER STORY | SEPTEMBER 2011

an argument and persuade me. Although these days, sentences and paragraphs are as rare as Haley’s Comet.

What stands out in a portfolio for you?

Credle: Confidence to tackle the hardest territories.

Tor Myhren, president and COO, Grey, New York: Versatility. I really like portfolios and bodies of work that show a good range. We’re a very big agency with a lot of different types of brands. That’s not necessarily true for every agency. I look for a sort of modern approach to problem-solving. If things are feeling dated, that’s a bad sign in a skill set, but also in how you approach a business or creative problem.

Things really are changing so much that I just really look for a forward-learning point-of-view aesthetic and skill set.

What was the last portfolio that really attracted your attention or got you excited?

David Droga, founder and CCO, Droga5: An entire novel about a young writer’s life and their desires to work for me. Beyond the ego stroke, it was well-written, funny, honest and displayed cover-to-cover dedication.

Linus Karlsson, CCO, McCann, New York and London: A guy named Zack McDonald from Kentucky. He’s a writer but I didn’t find anything written in the whole portfolio. I could see his point of view in his portfolio pictures and films and projects – interesting stuff.

What are the most important skills you look for in a new hire?

Karlsson: A good heart. We’re in the business of working together, so I think being a good person is essential. It’s always important to find lots of different people with different backgrounds.

That’s when it gets interesting. I really don’t like to label creative people. I am looking for people with interesting points of view on what we’re doing and life itself. The more interesting backgrounds with different points of view and different kinds of skill sets, the more interesting it gets. It’s important to find that versus trying to streamline everything and get the sea of sameness.

David Lubars, chairman and CCO, BBDO North America: There are all the usual criteria about brilliance you would expect. A key thing, though, is that they must also possess soulfulness and not be an asshole. It’s crucially important and a major contributor to our success.

Williamson: We’re looking for Swiss Army knives. You have to have idea people first, but we’re creating more unique combinations. We have a lot more digital creatives. Craft is first – being a great art director and writer means you can write; it means you can art direct. But when we get into execution, more digital creatives are being brought into traditional roles.

We’re taking the traditional position and adding something new to it. We want creatives to see a whole world around an idea. People with digital experience tend to do that more.

I’m tired of seeing case studies on reels.

ALL-ROUND REQUIREMENTS. Personality and skills are both important in landing a creative job How important is it for young creatives to be wellversed in technology, social media, etcetera?

Jose Molla, co-founder and CCO, La Comunidad: To me, it’s a given. Someone who isn’t curious about technology or social media these days should probably work in a different industry.

Participate or leave, those are pretty much the options. Digital/social media isn’t a position at the agency and it’s also not a three-month campaign. It’s a change of behavior that has to be embraced because it’s here to stay.

Myhren: It’s mandatory. We have to be fluent in the digital space, and it’s not just young people.

Everyone will have to be fluent. The question is how deep have they gone. It’s also really interesting – when you’re hiring from pure digital agencies for a place like Grey that’s much more brand-building and less digital-specific, there are some very different creative methodologies.

Now I look for people who are idea first and technology second. I’m not crazy about things led by technology. I’d rather they be led by the idea and see that they use the technology really beautifully around that idea. For what we do, being brand architects from the brand up, we have to lead with ideas.

If you look back on your first portfolio now, would you hire yourself?

Credle: If I look back at my first portfolio, I might fire myself.

Molla: No way. The only thing I had going for me was my conviction.

Pereira: I wouldn’t. I was too sure of myself back then. And probably still am.

Droga: Absolutely. I worked my arse off, was appreciative and not a dick.

TOR MYHREN. President and COO, Grey, New York

CON WILLIAMSON. CCO, Saatchi & Saatchi, New York

SUSAN CREDLE. CCO, Leo Burnett USA

Communicate Levant I 37

SEPTEMBER 2011 | COVER STORY

Creative collective

Lebanon’s advertising world is bountiful for creatives, if they have the passion it takes by Samer Zoueihid

C ALAIN SHOUCAIR. Regional executive creative director, Drive Dentsu

MAYA SAAB. Regional creative director, Spirit

IYAD ZAHLAN. Executive creative director, JWT

RAMSEY NAJAR. Chief creative officer, JWT

38 I Communicate Levant

reativity – be it design or copywriting, the two key ingredients of a good concept – will always be what recruiters look for in fresh graduates.

Advertising is not like most industries; it’s not like creatives can learn a set of specific skills that will make them a success. Of course, the basic tools are required to ply a trade in graphic design, but tools do not a creative make.

“Nowadays, Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator [are the tools you need to master]. But not everyone who knows how to work on these programs is a graphic designer, just like not everyone who knows how to work on AutoCad is an architect,” says creative director and partner of creative agency Fluid, Ranwa Hakim. Of course, mastering some techniques, such as drawing, can give one candidate an edge, as regional executive creative director of Drive Dentsu Alain Shoucair explains: “Knowledge of drawing is a big plus because it teaches you the sense of composition, perspective and proportions, which are crucial to art direction.”

But it is in fact graphic designers’ ability to think conceptually that makes them succeed in the industry. “The concept is behind everything we ‘create’ in life. Be it a logo, a brochure, a website, or a press ad, a TV commercial, a slogan, a radio spot…

Any creation should have a concept behind it. We expect from any creative mind to work, think and live conceptually,” says Maya Saab, regional creative director at advertising agency Spirit.

So if learning the basic tools at university is not enough to make you stand out from the pack, what catches the attention of agencies? For executive creative director of JWT, Iyad Zahlan, it is the look in a candidate’s eye that tells him that person can make it. “It goes without saying that we are all looking for talent: mainly individuals who are driven, motivated and passionate about what they do and/or create.

Design, art direction, dancing, copywriting, drawing, head-banging, hair-pulling, cooking, day-dreaming,

etcetera, are just skills that these individuals possess or would like to excel at, and it’s our responsibility to mold them and nurture them in order to ensure solid organic growth in every department. An experimental-fearless-sparkle-in-the-eyes-hungryfor-success-full-of-ideas kid beats any senior with a polished portfolio,” he says.

As for copywriting, the issue is quite different in a market where candidates are rare and not always performing up to expectations. “We had some bad experiences with fresh graduate copywriters, and that’s the reason we insist on hiring only experienced candidates for this particular creative position,” says Saab, who’s concerned about the fact that “There are few skilled copywriters in town that do have experience in advertising and that are not already hired by other agencies.”

“It is extremely hard to find a good ‘advertising’ copywriter. You can either find somebody who writes well, but has no experience in advertising or somebody who has a creative background but doesn’t fully master the language. To find both in the same person is the challenge. Advertising copywriting can’t be taught; it comes from passion and experience,” says Shoucair, who adds, “What I want from my copywriters is the ability to turn a boring proposition into an original and interesting one.”

But as the industry evolves, maybe recruiters should no longer look for graphic designers and copywriters but for innovators, according to Ramsey Najar, chief creative officer at JWT. “Just as we cannot stick to the traditional channels in our communication, we can no longer recruit using oldfashioned recruitment methods and sources. Much of the advertising today being technology-driven, solution-driven innovators can represent a major leap in the way we advertise a brand or even an offer. And the way you use these innovators can vary dramatically, as the creative process in itself is no longer confined to the usual suspects,” he says.

DEPARTMENTS | SEPTEMBER 2011

Blogosphere L

ebanon’s blogosphere is probably one of the most vibrant digital scenes in the region. Lebanese bloggers are many, dedicated, and very, very outspoken.

Agencies are now turning to social media and online communities, listening intently to this direct feedback on how they are perceived. Here is what increasingly influential Lebanese bloggers – inside and outside our borders – have to say about local work and news.

THEY’RE LISTENING, AND WATCHING. My, my, the summer was hot, even in Lebanon’s virtual world, with dozens of reasons for bloggers to go on a rampage or be in ecstasy (sometimes simultaneously): the law banning indoor smoking clearly captured attention and generated massive discussion about its actual implementation; so did the “Cheyef halak” campaign on “douchebag drivers” (see page 6), the arrest of singer Zeid Hamdan, and the launch of the AltCity project (more about this in a future issue). But, for now, here is a taste of other interesting items.

Liliane – aka Funky Ozzi – is one of the many bloggers happy with the launch of Mizalla.com, allegedly Lebanon’s first online mall. “I can tell you, it has all the ingredients, it’s easy to use, straight forward,” she says. http://blog.funkyozzi. com/2011/08/new-onlinemall-in-lebanon.html

Fadi, from On-the-Go Blog, lives in Sweden. Like many fellow bloggers, he receives spam e-mails. But this time, he decided to explain to Lebanese company Pic’N Print why asking for his marketing support that way doesn’t work. http://survivalfirst.tumblr. com/post/7820502558/whata-marketing-email-shouldnot-look-like-picnl

Rasha, on Buffering Brain, gives an interesting, and hilarious, typology of clients, and ways to handle them. Beware of the “Shrewd Freud”… http://www.bufferingbrain.com/ a-guide-to-client-archetypesthe-good-the-bad-the-ugly/

Rita observes that Lebanon has been seized by a loyalty card craze recently. So she asks questions, usually the right ones, such as why cashiers usually wait for the customer to make his or her purchase before asking if he or she has a loyalty card. http://ritakml.info/2011/08/10/ lebanon-and-the-loyaltyprograms-craze/

Youmna Zod, from Marketing in Lebanon, had fun with Captain and Captain’s latest Facebook campaign, titled “The Truth.”

A lie detector is up for grabs, believe it or not. http://www.marketinginlebanon. com/2011/08/facebook-adresults-gender-gap.html

It was about time Ibrahim, from Reason to Believe, was featured on this page. His rant on Lebanon’s beach resorts resonates so much among many Lebanese – bloggers and non- bloggers alike – that this post had to be the one. http://ilahoud.wordpress. com/2011/07/25/i%E2%80%99ma-son-of-a-beach-let-me-enjoy-it/

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SEPTEMBER 2011 | DEPARTMENTS

Regional Work

Salaam by Mashreq ·

Agency: Zaman Branding

Real fun anytime... anywhere Client: Tiffany Bites (IFFCO) Creative Agency: Blue Apple, Dubai Creative & Planning Team: Vishal Anand and Ravi Naik Production House: Dejavu FZ LLC, Dubai

Reporters Without Borders: Censorship tells the wrong story Advertising Agency: Memac Ogilvy & Mather Dubai, UAE Executive Creative Director: Steve Hough Creative Director: Ramzi Moutran Art Directors: Leonardo Borges, Rafael Rizuto Copywriter: Sascha Kuntze Photographer: Atp

Britain’s most memorable Snopake Sticky Notes Advertising Agency: Impact BBDO Dubai UAE Executive Creative Director: Fouad Abdel Malak Creative Director/ Copywriter: Amit Kapoor Art Director: Dinesh Tharippa These ads (and more) can be found at adsoftheworld.com

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DEPARTMENTS | SEPTEMBER 2011

International Work

Don’t let bloating change your world.

Gestiva Digestive Pills.

Advertising Agency: Maksim Fulltime, ­Guayaquil, Ecuador CCO: Jimmy Landaburu, Chuck Vallarino Executive Creative Directors: Jimmy Landaburu Copywriter: Freddy Ordoñez

This is how your cat feels when you take him to a clinic for dogs.

Felina, veterinary clinic exclusive for cats.

Advertising Agency: Propeg, Salvador, Brazil Creative Directors: Ana Luisa Almeida, Ariston Quadros Art Director: Lucas Reis Copywriter: Ana Luísa Almeida Illustrator: Lucas Reis, Danilo Carvalho

There’s a story everywhere. Be a part of it Advertising Agency: David&Goliath, USA Chief Creative Officer: David Angelo Executive Creative Director: Colin Jeffery Creative Director / Art Directoy: Steve Yee Creative Director / Copywriter: Ben Purcell Art Directors: Steve Yee, Dan Madsen, Chris Cavalieri Copywriters: Ben Purcell, Justin Bajan, Mark Habke Sr. Photographer: Vincent Dixon Producer: David Safian / SaF Productions

Smart phones for smart cookies Advertising Agency: ArnoldFurnace, Sydney, Australia Copywriters: Tom Spicer, Cameron Brown, Mike Miller, Paul Fenton, Sam Bennet, Laura McWhinnie Art Directors: Paul Fenton, Darren Cole, Nic Adamovich, Tom Spicer

These ads (and more) can be found at adsoftheworld.com

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SEPTEMBER 2011 | DEPARTMENTS

Drive By One anonymous blogger critiques Beirut’s billboards. All of these examples, and more, can be found at beirutdriveby.com

42 I Communicate Levant

WHAT’S WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE? Is it the logo? The word “menhood”? The rifle? The wrist doohickey? The spot on his chest?

WHERE AM I? Could this be Lebanese? No way!

Valet parking guys in Lebanon don’t look like university students in T-shirts! Think SWAT team…

Boots and all.

LEBANESE COWBOYS From the Marlboro man to cowboy hats and buckles, Lebanese have always loved cowboys…

Thanks to El Rancho, they love cowgirls too.

YOU PAID HOW MUCH FOR THAT? Perhaps Aishti’s ad people are hearing the same question that Aishti shoppers usually hear…

LOVE IS BLIND… ...and sometimes blindfolded.

VIAGRA FOR WOMEN Extensive research has yet to come up with an effective chemical version of “the little blue pill.” However, the Lebanese have successfully discovered the mineral version.