Who do you think you’re talking to?

Who do you think you’re talking to?

With many Arabs today asserting national pride, do marketing communications need to change their tone? Tarek El Jundi reports.

April 6, 2011 3:59 by Tarek El Jundi

Despite all this Leo Burnett’s Kuran does not subscribe to the theory that revolution necessitates an overthrow of the
marketing status quo as well.

“I wouldn’t say marketers need to change their tone, but marketers need to engage with people as people, given any situation.”

What is beyond dispute is that Arab society is changing radically. As Boulos points out: “Agencies never act on their own, they always act on behalf of their clients. Any communication strategy has to be specific to a brand’s needs. There is no way one can set up a rule on how to communicate during and after revolutionary times for a
brand. The only kind of communication I can think of is more related to crisis management if a brand has been too much associated with a failed regime.”

There is, however, one area in which agencies should play a crucial role, he adds. “They have to help countries emerging from a revolution get back on their
feet. That means reassuring foreign investors and businesses and attracting back tourism, which in many cases is a vital part of the economy.

“I truly believe that no other industry is better equipped to do that.”

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Tags: advertising, Arab, communication, Johnny walker, marketing, middle east unrest, new media, revolution, youth