A Sense of Unease
LEBANON HAS MOST DEFINITELY SEEN BETTER DAYS. The ME is currently facing the toughest of times. The state of the business is entirely predictable. We need local and foreign Let’s go back to basics! Our responsibility here is to double our efforts Communicating is the best way to deal with the CRISIS. No light at the end of the tunnel.
It has been the TOUGHEST YEAR for us. Creating value is the key to move forward. THE WAY FORWARD IS TO BELIEVE. It is the most critical period in the advertising history.
ARABAD HAS SOLICITED THE PERSPECTIVE OF LEBANON’S AD EXECUTIVES ON THE STATE OF THE BUSINESS TODAY IN LIGHT OF THE PREVAILING ECONOMIC CLIMATE. WE WERE KEEN TO KNOW HOW THE INDUSTRY MAIN PLAYERS DEPICT THE GENERAL ATMOSPHERE IN LEBANON, IF THEY FEEL FRUSTRATED BY THE SEEMINGLY STAGNANT STATE OF THE AD BUSINESS AND WHAT DO THEY THINK IS THE MOST URGENT NEED THAT AGENCIES AND CLIENT SHOULD BE ADDRESSING TODAY.
Lebanon has most definitely seen better days. Consumer sentiment with the country is down along with spend dropping across the board and, yes, the first to feel the pinch is the advertising industry. But why is this continuously the case during tough times? It’s during the toughest of times that advertisers can truly make a noticeable difference to clients’ bottom-lines. However, frustration lies with the fact that the advertising discipline is more-often than not brought to the table at too late-a-stage, almost as an afterthought. Advertisers are problemsolvers, we live for solutions that will grow brands and drive sales, as we know our audience and their behaviors better than anyone else – just look at all the volume of consumer reports and brands we have helped sell. Bringing advertisers to the table early on with clear marketing budgets and clear performance indicators will more often than not result in a positive outcome, and if not, the ability and area to optimize in is clearer. Too much time is spent with too many cooks deciding on what to tell consumers versus a stronger understanding of the consumer buying cycle, within the brand-scape, and selling not telling!