There Are Great Days Ahead

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RESILIENCE. A TERM SO OFTEN HEARD IN 2020 IN THE FACE OF THE GLOBAL PANDEMIC, BUT A TRAIT ENGRAINED IN THE LEBANESE SOCIETY OVER DECADES. TODAY, MORE THAN EVER, WE HAD TO DIG DEEP INTO OUR FIGHTING SPIRIT, TAP INTO OUR ABILITY TO OVERCOME ADVERSITY, AND KEEP OUR HOPES HIGH, AS WE STREAM AHEAD TO REACH OUR GOALS.

SSaying that spirits are high would be an over statement; a pandemic, lockdowns, uncertainty, volatility, budget cuts (and that’s without bringing in politics to the conversation), it’s easy to see how the challenges take their toll on the team’s morale, creativity, and comfort. But that’s not the first crisis we overcome; once more we find ourselves shoulder to shoulder taking on the battle of a global shake up, but a battle that can be won, and a battle that we will win. Together we stood stronger, and together we overcame the crisis to the best degree possible, as all offices in The NETWORK Communication Group and in the region worked closely to keep each other motivated, positive and seeing the possible achievements.

As the talk goes, there are two different 2020s: the one the world witnessed, and the one Lebanon is living. With budgets being slashed and campaigns getting cancelled, we had to re-shuffle resources and bring out our DNA of a truly integrated network. Talent from various offices and disciplines (mainly the office in Beirut) stood up to support their peers in the region, allowing us to tap into a wider array of experts and creative minds. This kept the momentum going, creative cogs moving, and members putting their knowledge to practice, more than ever. It was also a great exercise to elevate the thinking process and bring our resilient character to play when it came to adapting and shifting campaign structures, mindset and innovation to match consumer and shopper requirements. Having said that, am I optimistic about the future? I will always look at a glass as half full. Lebanon is far from having achieved its potential, and knowing that we have so much more to offer, so much more to give, can only keep me but hopeful that there are great days ahead. Yet, what worries is our brain drain. We have always been exporters of talent, but that export has further accelerated with no return back into the nation. They are our biggest asset, our gold mine, and today more than ever, there is a desire to leave and not return. This is the biggest challenge that we face because it’s the same people that have the potential to achieve change, that have the potential to carve a better tomorrow, that have the potential to innovate, that no longer want to be a part of that process. Hope is what kept us moving forward, and it’s that same hope that some seek to crush. While we cannot as an ad Industry solve all problems, but we can together embrace and foster that talent within, then we can already help in driving people and the industry forward. All over the world, corporations operate offshore delivery centers to be able to tap into talent that wouldn’t be accessible otherwise, and we can build these centers in Lebanon to cater not just to the local market, but to the world, and the pandemic has taught us that location is not an obstacle. Creatives, content creators, producers, technology experts, performance managers, all of which we have brilliant minds for, and all of which can produce the same work in Lebanon that they strive to deliver elsewhere. But, for that we need to create an environment for them, an environment in which they can excel and operate comfortably. An environment in which they know they can grow and not stagnate. A platform where they can express themselves and innovate, rather than being silenced and dragged backwards. A network where they are exposed and exchanging ideas, not locked in and disconnected.

Yes, we can together help in developing our youth, help our industry in facing this crisis, help our talent blossom. The glass is half full and we haven’t yet tapped into our potential. Hope.