Rita Harbie

Associate Creative Director INTERESTING TIMES It is truly an exciting time to be in advertising today because .....

Now, more than ever, creativity is not only about creating interesting copy with an attractive visual. Rather, the industry has evolved into creating experiences, innovations, and progress that disrupt general trends in business, society, and the digital world. And with the dwindling budgets from all stakeholders, efficacy in creativity is truly tested.

In what ways do you think the ad industry can change for the better?

The future is inter-disciplinary. The ad industry can change for the better by foregoing the idea of departments. Agencies still divide their employees by department whereas every employee should have full visibility and awareness on what colleagues from different disciplines are doing. Employees should be treated as multidisciplinary resources with trainings and meetings outside of their background. A collaborative effort between a creative and a tech developer will go much further than if they each work in silos. If we treat work as a collaboration made richer by people with different insights and backgrounds, the outcome will grow far stronger and more innovative.

What’s holding back Lebanon’s creative industry from being recognized further on a regional and international level?

The Lebanese creative industry is not catching up with this thought: purpose is the new punk. Brands with purpose that do good with its budgets and release work with actual social meaning are the ones that create culture and create a following. If brands want to spend money, the public is expecting that this money is put to good use.

Additionally, we can’t ignore braindrain and the economy (both go hand-in- hand). Brain-drain has been affecting the idea-economy of Lebanon with some of the greatest minds choosing to leave and work elsewhere—mostly for greater salaries and opportunities. The economic situation in Lebanon also does not help, preventing agencies from creating progressive research and development that can really compete with international creative work.