A wrecked ad land knows no defeat
If you have been wondering why Arabad hasn't reached you in the recent past, the answer is that we've been caught up too in the turbulences of such odd times. But more than that, we've been reeling from a massive national tragedy that left every Lebanese in shock and awe.
More than three months after the devastating explosion in the port of Beirut, Arabad is raising its head cautiously above the parapet to survey the surrounding scene. In this special issue, it is a wrecked ad land that we meet.
To be sure, the damage is horrendous. And it is the awful and stupefying scale of the damage that hit the communications sector that catches Arabad's eye, and ends being the showcase of this very issue. Nonetheless, what strikes us as importantly has been the tremendous hidden strengths among the Lebanese, despite the creeping economic paralysis the country has been witnessing for more than a year now. Yes, even so--and you will read for yourself-there are remarkably few cries of despair, which only points to hidden human strengths. In this issue, Arabad wanted to allow every agency affected by the blast to speak its heart and share the what then, what now, what next thoughts.
Most believe change will come from the disaster. It seems that shared hardships have brought greater determination to move forward and rebuild from scratch an office, a business, a life, a country, a better version of everything that was lost …
Indeed, today what counts is the way forward… What future do we want and the actions that will lead to it.
Despite all the shock, despair, and huge sadness, a strong sense of motivation to re-start, to salvage, to stay strong and not be defeated is omnipresent among all ad players we talked to. Courage aside, in a country where resiliency is king, the need to accept the Herculean challenges that are dawning on everyone has never been so clear. Yet, the silver lining is that these challenges will bring along the winds of change, with evolution and vitality at the core of this new journey.
Those hurdles can only be crossed through the mad passion of an industry that believes in its real purpose and essence. Rougher seas have not drowned us before, and the ad community polled for this issue hold great hopes it will sail through this turbulence. Its people has what it takes to get out of this slump affecting them all. And because they all have the will, they shall succeed, because they possess the power.
Let's not forget, the success of any endeavor rests on the will of the people bearing the burden of making dreams come true. In this case, we are optimistic but we still keep our fingers crossed. Ghada W. Azzi