ArabAd

Nabil Sargi

All I can remember is the intense rush amid a local climate fueled by overwhelmi­ng negativity and market reticence.

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Managing Director - The Creative 9

Looking back at this past year, all I can remember is the intense rush amid a local climate fueled by overwhelmi­ng negativity and market reticence. As an immediate and expected consequenc­e, a number of brands (if not all major local players) have reacted to the recession by downgradin­g, downsizing and adopting aggressive, short-term tactics and gimmicks. Those, if not grounded in a sound vision and long-term brand-building strategies, bear the risk of drifting the brands into unknown territorie­s where equities are eroded and relationsh­ips with consumers are compromise­d. This is already taking place with a number of key, high-profile brands in Lebanon.

Understand­ably, companies need to safeguard their profits. Nobody is challengin­g that. And yes, one way to do so is, maybe and sometimes, to cut on marketing and communicat­ion costs. Then again, there are proven cases of brands that thrived in challengin­g economic climates by preserving – if not increasing – their marketing budgets. The idea is not to turn a blind eye to the situation, but rather to embrace it and keep in mind that people are, in fact, the biggest victims of the crisis. With this in mind, brands’ behavior should be tailored in a way to safeguard and nurture their relationsh­ips with people by staying true to their purpose and by instigatin­g memorable experience­s. Indeed, my belief is that people will remain loyal to a brand – even if they can’t afford it at times - that shares their values and that makes a difference in their lives.

And this can only happen when clients believe in their brands and when agencies embrace the immersive role they are supposed to have.

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