The perils facing our industry

Never before in the history of the communication industry has there been a state of shock so prevalent as is the case today.

Suddenly the communications industry in the middle east found itself disoriented and severely crippled, unable to fathom what is going on and unable to chart a clear course ahead.

Personally I think that those times that we are passing through right now as communications professionals in this part of the world is the best of times, not the worst of times. Now the sifting begins.

Now is the time of real creativity. Yes. The answer to the new problems facing our industry is in the core of what we all believed this business is about. Creativity.

Now is the time to be relevant.

Our customers has finally and officially beaten us. Our customers, traditionally the weaker link in the old communication model, where we relentlessly shoved all sorts of messages and promotions down their throats. And we did it with such lack of taste and finesse that we failed to see them gagging and throwing up.

Now is the time to be relevant. To be creative. Not to conduct more research because that will do no good to no one.

By the time the research finishes and the results are formatted, not to say " influenced" the customers will have changed their mind and adopted a totally new set of desires and discovered new motives that they did not know they had because they just read a blog somewhere, probably while the research was going on.

Our customers don't need ads any more. They have each other. But I believe they are willing to give you a chance if you are relevant again.

For over three decades the communication business has been ruled by accountants and finance people. This has got to change. Agency heads must embrace the fact that now it is not about the money anymore. It is about relevance. And I believe that when you are relevant you will make money. I always believed that.

Of course I always clashed with agency heads whom I can best describe as peddlers. But those are the people that unfortunately call the shots, called the shots.

But here is the thing. Step aside dinosaurs, and make way to the creative egos and to the intellectual wizards.

This is what your client needs and certainly what your customers needs. Dinosaur agency bosses trampled so much on the dignity of this industry.

Client is king they taught us.

No. Client is not king. Customer is king.

And now, content is king.

Get it?