Raja Trad's Word 7 March 2013

Now that we are days away from Dubai Lynx 2013, the International Festival of Creativity for the MENA region, I'd like to take this opportunity to pause and think about the challenges we have faced in the past and those we will witness in the future.

 

Firstly, I would like to salute the organizers of Dubai Lynx. They have worked tirelessly with us, the communications industry, to elevate the standards of advertising and communications in the region.

 

When we compare the creative standards of the MENA region today with what it used to be six or seven years ago, I would say that we, as an industry, have come a long way. The very fact that some reputable regional agencies were able to secure very high competitive global rankings in the Big Won report is a testament to our commitment to creative excellence and to the creation of relevant ideas that connect with the people of the region. 

 

Relevant human insights and deep human understanding are crucial if we are to touch the hearts and minds of people. The Lynx should support the creation of Big Ideas guided by human purpose. Ideas that will engage and help transform human behaviour, making people brand advocates rather than just consumers.

 

We all need to be eternal students of life. We need to keep on supporting change and embracing innovation in an era that is going through major changes in terms of defining the relationship between people and brands. 

 

Today, more than ever before, we are seeing a new approach to media consumption. More and more media decisions are driven by massive amounts of media clutter. People are in control: they decide how to consume media, when, where and for how long.

 

I hope and wish that the Lynx Awards this year and in the years to come will reward creativity that is based on deep, human and insightful ideas that connect with the hearts and minds of people and engage them with brands.