How the Little Differences Make a Big One

Whenever you go on a journey, it's always a healthy exercise to look back and reflect on the memories that you've created and how far you've travelled. Recollection is a trait that we uniquely have as humans, and it is a quality that we need. If it's a positive experience, you'll look back fondly on the exciting times, and if it's negative, you'll be able to focus on how to make things better.

Now that I've been in a Qatar for over a year now, I can safely say that my time here has been exciting, but with many unnecessary detours. When I first got here, I didn't really know what to expect, but for some reason I thought it would be very similar to Oman.

Boy was I wrong.

Qatar, for better or worse, is its own country, with its own set of attributes and nuances. Some things were expected like the scorching heat, and some I could have never imagined, like having to go to such great and costly lengths to go to the beach, considering Qatar is an island.

But what has been consistent throughout my whole excursion are the little differences that make working abroad so interesting. Sure, there is the fact that I get to meet people from different countries, or that my vacation options are much more vast. But what I assume, makes life more interesting for expats is that when you work abroad, things are basically the same, but with little differences.

Cue, John Travolta

So what are those differences in Qatar? I'm glad you asked. I would have never remembered these unless I wrote them down, but I notice at least a handful each day. They include:

• Having the ability to un-press a button on an elevator
• Having to worry about speed cameras on roads and intersections
• In a mall food court, you leave your food tray at the table
• Gas prices (Sorry, Canada)
• In the Middle East, it's, "Welcome", not "You're welcome"
• Answering machines don't exist
• There is no such thing as a street address. You should just know where to go
• Calls to prayer happen everywhere, including in IKEA or on 80% of radio stations
• For many, working in Qatar is like being a kid again - everybody is away in August
• Blogs are the most popular and dependable source of information
• You can never find motor oil in a store, only at gas stations
• Recycling is non-existent
• Sometimes, I'm not only a minority, I can walk into a mall and be the only Caucasian expat
• Getting different tiered notes from the ATM rather than just $20 bills
• When you get into an accident, they don't tow cars, they leave them on the side of the road
• Everything is closed on Friday's from 11:30am to 12:30pm
• Airport food prices are actually fair
• There's no crime. You can leave your valuables in your car without worry
• People happily reveal their credit card pins if it's more convenient for the servant to process
• The forecast is about how hot it is rather than the type of weather
• You can only left turn at intersections, otherwise you have to U-turn

Everyday, people wake up in the morning. Some take their kids to school. Some don't. People work hard. They have their lunches. They come home, turn on the television, or spend time with their kids. No matter where you, this equation is the same, no matter if you are in Toronto, Budapest, or Doha. But it's those tidbits along with the surrounding scenery and people that make life just a little different each and every day.

Stop, Collaborate, and Listen

Whenever I come back home to Toronto, I am asked many questions about the Middle East. How hot is hot? Does Penny have to wear a hijab? What is it like living without daylight savings time? Ok, maybe not the last, but I'm often happy to explain because it shows that inquisitive minds are somewhat curious to what the Middle East is all about.

But once I meet my advertising colleagues for a beer or two, I am often asked more specific questions about what the advertising world is like in the Middle East. And without a doubt, this to me is a more interesting topic. This is because although in the Middle East you advertise to a market where the players, cultures, and insights can be different, the main point of the game is still the same - to be as creative as possible.

And this something that I believe is consistent throughout the world. I often tell people that the agency refrigerator smells just as bad in Muscat, as in does in Toronto. Nobody in the Middle East loves filling in timesheets, and having to deal with client requests at the last minute can be just as challenging, if not more difficult.

But just as there are similarities, there are also major differences, which are widening the gap between the levels of advertising in the Middle East vs. the rest of the world. If you were to ask an advertising creative, what would be the biggest challenge that creative's face in the Arab World, I'm sure one of the most popular answers would be the desire to creative digital marketing.

Unfortunately, the Middle East is nowhere near the rest of the Western and Asian worlds in terms of digital communication and social media. All I have to do prove this is to look at my FaceBook or Twitter pages, to see all the links that my advertising colleagues are posting about Webby Awards, innovative social media campaigns, or the most design friendly products on designtaxi.com

All the meanwhile, I'm sitting on my computer, thinking about what I want to say in this glorious brochure that no one will ever read.

But if you look deeper, it's not just a technological gap that is dragging Middle Eastern agencies further behind, but the ideals and standards that many agencies these days are missing. You know, small, insignificant principles such as collaboration, community, and relationship marketing.

Let me give you example. There was in agency in Doha that brought me in for a freelance project to help with a pitch. No names or clients names are needed or necessary. Once they brought me on for this pitch, they put me in a room without my own computer, and told me to let them know when I had ideas ready.

And the first thought in my head was, "Oh my God, we're going to lose." By doing this, the agency was laying their principals on the table, and unfortunately playing into the stereotypes that were somewhat prominent 20 to 30 years ago. First as the copywriter, they thought that I was the idea's guy. Which I can be without a problem, but there was no art director joining me. 

Second, by keeping me in this secluded dungeon office, they felt that they had created an incubator of ideas to help win the pitch. And thirdly, when I asked if there was any chance to go over ideas with other team members such as art directors or designers, there was little desire or need to have people come together.

So I sat in the office by myself and came up with a few thought out ideas for the pitch. But what I wanted to scream at the top of lungs was this incubator exploded a long time ago. Today's brilliant ideas are not just about a copywriter sitting in a room and brainstorming. It's about the art director, creative director, account people, and every other employee of the agency working together to mold and shape the best ideas possible.

Just look at the successful agencies of today. While there are no sure things in any sector, you can always look at the most successful and find a high level of collaboration, creativity, and hard work.  I was even interviewed for a position, in which creative director told me that the teams in their agency consisted of a copywriter, art director and planner. And that every team had a chance to work on every brief (not that they actually got the time to).

So what does this all mean? It means that the root of the problem for agencies in the Middle East is not the fact that there is a technological gap. Everybody in the Middle East has an iPhone. The problem is much much deeper than that.

It's that the values that are proving successful and essential in the need digital market are being underutilized or missed. Indispensable traits such as teamwork, collaboration, and discourse are not on the radar of most agencies in the MENA region.  And the longer it takes for them to realize how integral they are, the harder it will be to come up with ideas in this new, socialized digital world.

Way Back Playback #2 - Five Rules to Advertising Happiness

If you read my very first entry, I talked about how I used to write online way back in 2002. So in order to bring some perspective into what I wrote, and how it relates to what is going on today, I've decided to re-post the articles, grammar mistakes and all. 

Written January 25, 2003

Before I begin on my rules of advertising, it must state to what I think advertising is. True advertising is the promotion and marketing of a product, service, or idea to a viewing audience for interest, knowledge, or sale. For many advertisers, it’s so hard to forget what their living is all about.

Rule #1: If the creative is good, the numbers will follow. (Not the other way around)

I understand that advertising is a job, and we are all in it to make a living. But that does not mean that we have to degrade our creative abilities for profit. I understand there are extreme pressures by business accountants who add the numbers. Like in life, there needs to be a balance. However, if the creative is good, the numbers will follow.

Rule #2: Be open; understand why people have problems with the advertising industry.

When I talk to my friends or family and tell them that I am studying advertising, I usually get mixed responses. Some people are proud because they identify advertising as a knowledgeable field. Others look at me, and identify me as the king of capitalism, and blame me for the world’s problems. I can identify with both points of view. So during my studies, I not only focus on the advertising world, but the other side as well. There are many people around the world who think that advertising is the devil’s game, and they have every right to believe so. So instead of battling, it’s better to understand another’s point of view. Last year, while I was reading my advertising texts, I decided to read No Logo by Naomi Klein. Reading these two texts were the ultimate contradiction, but I am better off for being more educated.

Rule #3: Don’t contribute to the clutter. Use creative strategic placement

There are numerous stats that show how many different ads we see on a daily basis. However, what these stats don’t say is that the more ads we see, the less effective they are. Just image, if you were in a room, would remember more ads from a bunch of 50 or a bunch of 10? Don’t think of media buying as a way of spending the client’s money on ad space, just to show the client that his/her ads are working. Strategic thinking of placement can help a campaign tenfold.

Rule #4: Step in your audiences shoes

I know this next recommendation may sound too simple but it is one of the most important details that people forget. What of the worst errors that advertisers make is that they have so much information to give, that they try to fit it in a little space. I understand that in some cases, advertisers are forced to fit information, because of clients needs but the quality of the ad must play a role. One of my personal advertising pet-peeves are radio commercials that spend 25 seconds of the commercial trying to tell a story, and the last five seconds squeezing everything else in. People will not forcefully try to understand and decipher ads.

Rule #5: Change your mindset

I have saved the best and most important for last. I have never understood why advertisers believe that people are always attentive to ads. It must be said. PEOPLE DO NOT LIKE ADVERTISING.  Unless people hear a specific word that caters to one of their needs, or see an ad they like, they will listen to ads passively. People understand the necessity to have ads, because they pay the bills. For instance, when people complain about advertising, they never complain that there is advertising. They usually specify that there are too many ads. This has three meanings a) they believe the current amount of advertising is sufficient enough to cover costs b) someone is getting greedy and is willing to put more advertisers for more money c) the ad is in a spot where they feel should be ad-free. In a perfect world, we would need and not need advertising. On one hand, we would need advertising because we need to know about companies selling necessities. On the other hand, we wouldn’t need advertising because everything would be based on 100% content (TV shows, radio, magazine, etc). So advertisers have to understand that when they create ads, they should feeling like they are auditioning for a role, or sitting at a job interview because every ad that is created must prove to the viewer that they should stop and read about the product that you are advertising. In the world of advertising, the group with the most power are consumers. If the people do not buy products, companies do not have a budget to advertise their products. Therefore, our mindsets need to change, thus focusing on better advertisements, which would make better creative (and we all know what follows when you have better creative).

Shopping for Culture in a Sedentary World

For the last 4 years, I have been lucky enough to live abroad and see a small speckle of the world. Although I have been able to travel to more than 30 countries, I always tell people that I still have 170 to go. Through my travels, I've had the opportunity to live a wide variety of experiences and ways of life. And the one connecting specimen that has always brought it all together, no matter which country you visit has been culture.

Although culture is nothing you put your finger on, it is something you can see and feel. It's the smell of the air as you walk in the streets of Calcutta. It's the pizza shop with with 3 broken stools in the middle of Rome. It's the dirt on the streets as you try to make your way to your hostel in Kathmandu. All of this is culture, and it helps define the country that you are in. The great thing about culture is that it can be good or bad. Culture is what it is. And it's through this culture that people travel thousands of miles every single day to explore.

There are thousands of cities around the world, that once you name, all five senses are aroused. The streets of Prague, the rain in England, the pubs of Ireland.

But when it comes to Toronto, Ontario, Canada, my mind is a blank.

You can blame it on Rob Ford, like everything else, but the one thing that is digressing in Toronto as a city is culture. In the last years alone, 3 iconic establishments have closed with little more than a hashtag on Twitter. #RIPHonestEds

Honest Eds, The World's Biggest BookStore, and Global Village are just 3 recent examples of iconic buildings that are just months away from being demolished with little fanfare. It's sad to see Canada, which is known to have very little culture, destroy what little of what we have left of our past. As a nomadian expat, it's the number one complaint that the world has about Canada, along with Justin Bieber.

So what's the big deal? Well, just imagine you visited Dubai, and there was no Jumeriah Mosque or Burj Al Arab, would you care? For some, it would just mean one less stop on the Big Bus Tour, but for most of us, these iconic monuments are cultural icons that help define a city. It may not be to the same extent, but Honest Ed's is the same.

So how is Toronto replacing the last remnants of its cultural history? Condos. The same, gray, concrete rectangles that house the living souls who have no need or care for culture in the city. How ironic.

Before I continue, let's play a game.

Quick, describe to me, what Yonge Street looks like now that Sam The Record Man is gone. Can you do it? Do you have any idea what it looks like? I don't.

Toronto will always be a haven for cultural because of its multiculturalism - that is a fact. But like you and me - identity is multi-faceted. It's hard to explain but easy to understand.

But when it comes Toronto, there is very precious little left. Toronto's identity is now defined by its events rather than places. Events such as Caribana, Gay Pride Festival, and TIFF give Toronto a positive identity. But what if they cancelled these events, or you couldn't make it, why would anybody visit the city?

In the grand scheme of things, replacing the World's Biggest Book Store was never going to draw protests. It's no Louvre - I get it. But every city needs to be defined. People who go to New York because it's New York. People know what to expect in Vegas. Even Chicago has a giant metallic Bean.

What kind of city would you rather live in? A Kensington Market or a Walmart?

Mourning the Death of a Loved One

There is little doubt about how much digital technology has had an affect on the advertising industry. With the advent of the internet, there is now a whole new medium of opportunities in order to breed creativity. Consumers now have the power to demand more from every type of company and the overall mantra of connecting people has made brands much stronger than ever before.

But behind all of the gadgets and QR codes, lies a story about the slow and painful death of a once powerful position. I'm talking about the death of the headline copywriter.

It wasn't always this way. For many decades, headline copywriters ruled the advertising world. It all started in the 60's with the release of the revolutionary VW "Lemon" ad. Although "Lemon" was not such a thought inducing headline, it brought prosperity and significance to the headline of a print ad. This was followed by the subsequent "Think Small" VW ad.

And the headline copywriter was born.

As any creative will tell you, the first place that copywriters went with their headlines was cliches. After all, with all that drinking and smoking, this was the easiest and fastest place to go. And at that time, headlines were still new. The new generation of headline copywriters wrote fun and punny headlines throughout the 50's, 60's and into the 70's.

Then in the 80's when people started to get bored of the puns, headline copywriting was reinvented and started to get more creative. The headline became just as important as the body copy. With attention spans getting shorter, a more persuasive headline was needed.

As attention spans continued to deteriorate due the high use of cocaine and the dialectic introduction of MTV, clients wanted even less copy. So the headline became the ad! This not only meant that the copywriting had to spectacular, but the art direction had to be impeccable as well.

(I always tell other creatives that the easiest way to find a great art director is to get him/her to art direct a headline ad. That to me distinguishes the best from the rest. )

The 90's and the beginning of the 21st century was the peak for headline copywriters. Awards and recognition came left, right and centre and headline copywriters were on top of the world.

The good ones at least. 

And then came the internet. At first, nothing really changed because people were too busy getting used to video sites like YouTube and porn sites like YouPorn. Copywriters breathed a sigh of relief as they were still relevant in the digital economy. 

And then came Twitter. And comment boards. And so on.

And there you had it. The internet killed the headline copywriter.

Whether you are reading a tweet or a comment on a blog board, the internet has now made headline copywriters of us all. Plus, with our attention spans now almost non-existent - "Look! A squirrel" - the job and the need has all but disappeared. 

Headline copywriter. You will surely be missed for all of your wit and banter. But look on the bright side. At least your tombstone will have something creative. 

Coke and Balls

"You. You."

Yes, I'm talking to you, immigrants who are now citizens and full fledged contributors of America. Did you really think you could pull that off. I must give you credit for trying. You almost had us fooled, but before long, things went awry and back to normal.

After 18 grueling games in which 25 men, give their blood sweet and tears, they are rewarded with a final Super game called The Super Bowl. But the Super Bowl is more than just an American football game, it's an opportunity to glamourize everything that is American. It's when Democrats and Republicans come together to Bless America. It starts with the singing of America the Beautiful AND the American National Anthem. That's 2 for the price of 1. 

And so what? American Football is a patriotic game played all across the United States. It's an American treasure and should be represented justly. And if other countries are allowed to have National Day's to commemorate their nationalism, why shouldn't the United States be allowed to do the same. With July 4th now just a mere public holiday, there is no bigger stage to celebrate America than the Super Bowl. It's just smart, strategic marketing.

But this year, immigrants of America tried to throw down a heist bigger than Peyton Manning's second quarter interception - they wanted to be seen as equals. Introducing Coke's America the Beautiful commercial in which America the Beautiful is sung in 7 different languages.

Let's watch, admire and awe.

And then the shit hit the proverbial fan that's not Made in America.

Maybe Coke thought that nobody would notice, but with all of America watching the telecast, people tend to notice things. As the game ended, everything seemed to be normal and everybody was looking around like nothing happened. And then the picks and shovels started to appear.

#SpeakAmerica

Rather than get into the politics and sub analytics of the commercial, I would rather spend time giving Coke credit. It was a valiant attempt. But even with an African American president, a Hollywood community run by people of Jewish origins and millions of hard working immigrants, it still showed how inequality is still prevalent in American society. That doesn't mean it won't change. Or that the commercial was not great. But to think that Coke would be able to run that spot, and not have anyone notice at the Super Bowl? You gotta have a lot of Coke and Balls to do that.

Reflecting on 10 Years in Advertising + 3 Favourite Commercials

Last June I celebrated the 10th anniversary of my advertising career. Like any career, advertising has left me with a lot of highs, lows, and maybe a few regrets. I remember as a junior, I would always tell juniors the greatest move I ever made was working on my portfolio rather than trying to get an internship.  While classmates ended up in an uneventful internship doing very little, I used those 6 crucial weeks to create 3 campaigns. Those 3 campaigns stayed in my book for many years, won me accolades with an Applied Arts Advertising Award, along with my first real internship at Grey. And since I was completing an actual internship, I worked on real ads, won more real awards, and moved on to my first real job in advertising.

I owe a lot to advertising. Right now, I am reside in Doha, Qatar working as a freelance copywriter, and I know that I would not be here today without advertising. The reason to work overseas was an easy one. Once my future wife to be introduced me to travelling, I was hooked. I then realized that rather than having advertising trudge me through the mud with long hours, unreasonable clients, and last minute changes, I needed to use advertising to further my life. Instead of advertising using me, I used advertising to explore the world, meet new people and broaden my horizons. So when I got the call to go to Oman, the decision was already made. To put this into greater perspective, for the first 30 years of my life I had visited a total of 4 countries, including Canada. And in the last 4 years, I have visited 34 countries.

Advertising has also brought me many regrets. The first being having to turn down an opportunity to work at Biggs Gilmore in Michigan. Although I had a great interview, and really enjoyed meeting the team, I unfortunately had to turn down the job due to family reasons. It was just bad timing on my end. I look back and think about what my career would have been if I had taken that job. Remember, Biggs Gilmore is a digital agency, and entering the digital market so early in my career would have put me ahead of the game today. You just have to wonder and remember that everything happens for a reason.

Another difficult decision was having to leave Penny right before the wedding to work in Budapest. Working at Scholz & Friends gave me the opportunity to see the beautiful city of Budapest, but was a step backwards career wise, considering how little actual creative work I did.

But I digress. I may have changed a few things here and there, but the important thing is that I am still in the game today. Every now and again, I have to remind myself how lucky/unlucky I am, considering I am still doing what I love. Considering I graduated in 2003, and up to 75% of my class moved to other fields within the first year, I am grateful. I still do keep in touch with some of my classmates who have successfully created their own paths, whether be it as a photographer, chef or stay at home mother.

So as I look back on my 10 years, I have decided to celebrate with my top 3 commercials. I strongly believe that these 3 commercials are the most strategic, insightful, creative, well written, well art directed pieces of commercialism that I have ever seen. I'd say that in my 10 years, I have probably seen at least 5,000 commercials, and these 3 stand out to me the most. 

3. Coca Cola Border

This gem for a global brand works on so many levels. First, the fact that it's for Coke makes it interesting. I say this because it's often the biggest brands in the world that often provide the biggest challenges. Creating happiness sounds easy, but creating something with such a broad USP is not easy. What I love about this commercial is that it hits on the insight of a brief moment of happiness in such a relevant and unique way. It's not flashy, but it's memorable, strategically perfect and well directed.

2. Career Builder - Tips

Where. To. Start. This was one of those commercials that when I saw it for the first time,  I gathered everyone within a 20 metre radius to watch with me again. The difference is that after all these years (4), I still remember the commercial to the very end. This commercial is a personification of a great story being told. It has memorable characters, a plot that builds, suspense as to what is going to happen next, and of course a show closing brand. Unlike the coke ad above, which some may say doesn't make you go out and buy a bottle of coke immediately, this made me go directly to careerbuilder.com. This commercial was a micro site in the making where they could have taken the story so much further. And since this was all based on an insight that we can all relate to - bad coworkers - the idea had enough legs to make it to the next Super Bowl. 

1. Apple Think Different

 

I realize that many intelligent advertisers put Apple's 1984 commercial as the greatest commercial of all time. Sure 1984 had a big budget, impact and buzz, being only aired once during the Super Bowl. But let me ask you this? How many Super Bowl commercials do you see more than once? Or care to? The reality of the situation that people will never talk about because of the 1984's God like status is that sales actually went down after the release of the commercial. For me, Think Differently is a commercial that is a better example of everything Apple stands for. It illustrates in an effective, simplistic way the mantra of. And 17 years later, it's still relevant to everything Apple does.

Some people say that you know a commercial is great when you wish you thought of the idea. But I think a commercial is great when you believe there is nothing humanly possible to add to a commercial to make it better.