Middle East: Searching for gems

However, if recent developments are anything to go by, you can expect

that scenario to change - and quickly.

Three years ago, it was rare to see work from a regional agency appear
on creative sites such as bestadsontv.com or adforum.com, and the region
was notable by its absence at Cannes. Then came the success in 2005 of
the Dubai-based independent Tonic Communications, and of direct
marketing specialist Wunderman in 2006.

Tonic's win, in particular, was a key moment in the history of Middle
East advertising. It was a "first" for the region, and it served as a
wake-up call for everyone else.

"To be the first agency in the Middle East to win a Cannes gold has had
a huge impact not only for Tonic, but for the entire region," Vincent
Raffray, Tonic's creative director, says.

"In two short years, we've seen a new creative energy flowing through
agencies that are now starting to see the value in producing solid,
creative work," he adds.

Since then, other triumphs have focused big-name networks' attention on
their Middle East operations.

"Just as multinational agencies expect to build profits from every
market in which they operate, they're also expecting those markets to
help to improve their creative reputations," Dani Richa, the chief
creative officer of Impact BBDO in the Middle East and North Africa,
says.

"If you get a couple of awards from the Middle East, it could be the
difference between an agency being second, third or fourth in the Gunn
Report."

In March, the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival staged its
first Middle East awards show - the Dubai Lynx. The ceremony crowned
Saatchi & Saatchi's Dubai office Agency of the Year.

While much of the agency's work was clever, it was also simple in
execution. Ed Jones, the regional creative director of Saatchi &
Saatchi, notes: "The stuff that wins awards obeys the rules of
international style, which means simple and accessible to all.

"I'm sure there are some very funny Egyptian TV ads that depend on you
getting the equivalent of Geordie jokes or something, but they're not
going to communicate to everybody, possibly not even to other Arabs -
certainly not to international judges or to the region's multicultural
audience."

The Pan-Arab nature of much of the region's advertising, especially TV,
is important. Big brands have to make sure they look and feel the same
across a huge geographical area.

"You have to do things that everybody will get," Richa says. "It's true
that you lose on the local relevance and insights, but you gain in
magnitude and scale in terms of getting clients to use better directors
and to have better production values."

When it comes to what is acceptable in advertising, the Middle East
varies significantly from country to country.

Saudi Arabia - where the depiction of female flesh, and even certain
animals, are forbidden - is by far the strictest country. In the United
Arab Emirates, the rules of engagement are more flexible, but the market
is still conservative compared with the US or the UK. Cultural and
religious sensitivities are, however, viewed as a motivator for better
work.

Raffray says the environment lends itself to the production of visually
uncomplicated work that makes instant connections with consumers: "This
is what makes our work unique in this region."

One thing the region lacks in terms of creative inspiration is a proper
film industry. In Saudi Arabia, cinema is banned, and, with the
exception of Egypt and Lebanon, there is very little in the way of
locally produced film.

Before the stellar rise of Dubai, much of the region's talent base
consisted of creatives from Lebanon, which has a far richer tradition of
advertising than the Gulf states.

But with advertising being a key growth industry, it is not surprising
that an increasing number of creatives are relocating from more
developed markets to seek their (tax-free) fortunes. This process of
internationalisation has been a major factor in improving Middle East
creativity.

Richa says: "Not only do they bring added value, but they also push the
locals to raise their standards ... so it's not as if the Middle East
broke through and made it to the international scene; the international
scene broke through and made it to the Middle East."

Yet there is no denying that the Middle East's network agencies still
have work to do in raising their game to an international level.

Raffray, previously a senior creative at Impact BBDO and Team Y&R in
Dubai, argues that many of the larger agencies have yet to find their
"true identity" and that some of the smaller ones are "so bad, they
don't even deserve to exist".

"There are a few great ideas but, in general, it's hard to listen to the
radio, watch TV or read a newspaper without gagging," he says. "Even the
good work feels like it has been done elsewhere, and great integrated
campaigns are just nowhere to be found."

Advertising-savvy clients are also thin on the ground. "The industry
still yearns for the client who understands and appreciates cutting-edge
advertising," Nirmal Diwadkar, the regional creative director of
TBWA\Raad, Middle East and Africa, says.

Last year, Falconcity of Wonders (a multimillion-dollar development in
Dubai) provided an example of just how unsophisticated advertising can
be. "The city will have lots of shops, shopping malls, and a majority of
worldwide known classy hotels ... and nice green parks," read the copy,
which ended with the utterly bizarre tagline: "Seeing believes
lakes."

Jones says: "It's like any other business - cars, hotels, construction -
there's a lot of shit, but there's some really good stuff, too. Of
course, you could ask what the style is here and say that it's shit
typography, lousy ideas, ghastly art direction and dreadfully
incompetent copywriting. That would be equally true."

Radio and outdoor can also be painful to listen to or look at. But there
are some gems to be found. You just have to look quite hard.

DUBAI LYNX WINNERS

At this year's inaugural Dubai Lynx advertising awards, the winners'
podium was graced with work that would have stood its ground against the
best in the world. Tonic Communications' Wonderbra ad played on the
censorship rules in the UAE, which call for revealing
images to be crossed out with a permanent marker before
distribution.

Meanwhile, Saatchi & Saatchi earned plaudits for its work on behalf of
La Vache Qui Rit, which used damaged toys to show how the
vitamin-enriched cheese gives children added strength.

And Memac Ogilvy earned acclaim for its Motorola campaign that showed a
woman in traditional dress. However, the ad was later banned from
outdoor sites by local authorities, because the dark eye make-up and
long fingernails were considered to make the woman look alluring, which
could cause offence.