Making content that is indispensable
After print, the other old media that’s getting burnt by the new is the region’s television broadcast industry. “TV has the highest weekly reach in the UAE across all ages and among millennials is the second most used medium,” said Reda Raad. “But nothing is immune to the wider economic climate.
“Is any hit to TV spending down to ad rates? Maybe that’s part of the puzzle, but there are many other factors at play. The rise in prevalence of streaming sites such as Netflix, the abundance of choice, and the quality of programming being produced by the TV channels themselves. The only way to ensure that TV in the region doesn’t suffer the same fate as print is to make sure that what’s being produced is indispensable.”
Will creativity suffer in the digital- and data-obsessed industry? “No — Just look at the work that won at Cannes this year. Nissan’s #SheDrives and the Louvre Abu Dhabi’s “Highway Gallery”, both of which won gold at Cannes. Data-driven creativity works and works extremely well. It’s bravery and innovation that make you stand out, not Facebook likes and retweets.”