Morocco, the new kid on the creative block?

As a (recently) former Gulf advertising and creative professional, I witnessed first-hand the ridiculous amounts of budgets available for marketing and the likes thereof.

Since my arrival a few years back in Bahrain and more recently Qatar, I have always been amazed at just how much organisations are spending on marketing.

Coming from my native South Africa, where we are considered hot shots in advertising and digital marketing, the comparison in what is created and delivered back home, compared to the somewhat mediocre deliverables from some of the GCC agencies I’ve either worked with, affiliated myself with or followed, is astounding. Even more astounding, is the price tag that besets the craft from these various agencies.

For a while, it was the norm for businesses and corporations in the region to pay top-dollar, regardless of the creative output. It was a case of; “use what you have, even if it means using an agency merely because they are the least, least creative.”

I am all for using what you have within your state and assist in building a better local economy, but at what point (I thought) will these organisations realize they are being ripped-off and offered humdrum from these local agencies?

In layman’s terms; finding a really good and innovative creative house is like sifting through the bargain-bin at Wal-Mart. Somewhere “in there” you’ll find something that pops, the only difference is, because these agencies are based where they are, you’ll pay Saks prices for your Wal-Mart find.

Please note with that said; I am not saying all Gulf State creative houses are uninspiring, there are a small handful that truly soars creatively, however with the lack of competition, this should be done with ease for the scattering of good agencies left over. (I am not referring to some really amazing agencies that operate across the region in a “multi-national” capacity; I am referring to the “local” agencies that have been around forever-and-a-day).

In the defense of the agencies’ costs that operate in the respective countries, they are merely charging what they are charging, because these states are very costly to live in and to operate in (ask me, I’ve been a Middle Eastern expat for way too long).

With the current oil prices and its effect on the region’s economy as a whole, it stands to reason that at some point conglomerates and businesses will look at diverting their creative requirements to service providers across the GCC borders. And that has already started.

Indian, Pakistani and even South African agencies (amongst others) have started tapping into the gold mine that is the Gulf Cooperation Council. With each country’s Official Vision (remember these are “new” countries, with “new” visions that needs to be implemented), the opportunities are still endless. The only downfall is, seldom agencies from the mentioned countries understand the landscape, culture and even the language of GCC states, which means uber creative work is now being delivered, however the correct demographic is not always penetrated and messaging is not always on-track.

Where does this leave us? Syria can’t really offer anything until their mayhem has been resolved. Lebanon? Yes most certainly, however most Lebanese are in other parts of the world as we speak, should these expats return home, I would most certainly put my trust in the Lebanese folk. But until such time that they do, who should concentrate on the possible rewards from doing business with the likes of Saudi, Kuwait, Oman and Qatar etc.?

I have noticed that some businesses started dealing with Bahraini-based agencies and some with Egyptian organisations. Bahrain however, although cheaper, still operates with inflated costs and Egypt is cost-effective and solid, but sometime doesn’t seem to be able to break through to international trends.

Now I might be hypostatizing, I know, but looking at location, creative deliverables, skill-set and cost, my bet is Morocco could be and should be the next big influencer in the “broader” Arabic marketing and creative arena. Their neighbours in Algeria are slightly too temperamental concerning Gulf State expectations and the Tunisians are perhaps a bit too placid (just my opinion, I might be wrong, my opinion nonetheless).

I have noticed an increase in quality and innovative Moroccan agencies popping up. Some have started tapping into the European market and after chatting to some business leaders in the Kingdom of Morocco; the GCC is something they have thought about (however very few actually started dabbling with the concept).

The time is ripe and the time is now for Morocco to seize the opportunities available. I for one know how easy it is to sell just about anything to Gulf based businesses, as long as the product or service proves beneficial with added tinsel and glitter, it is usually a done deal.

Let’s see what happens...

#Morocco #MarocPublicite #GCC #GulfAdvertising #Gulf Marketing