GlobaLAIFation! - The time is Now

The time for GlobaLAIFation is now!
The next time you’re online, which I guess is probably right now or anytime from now, cut and paste this link into your browser http://adsoftheworld.com/media/print/sharpie_permanent_marker_fiery_fries.
It’s an amusing albeit somehow ‘heart-wrenching’ discourse I stumbled upon in the course of my numerous traversings on the webpages of http://www.adsoftheworld.com/ a popular website that most of us creative suckers flock to every now and again.
I’ll leave you to follow the exchanges yourself, a scenario in which painful reality is once again rubbed right into our faces following the airing of a ‘harmless’ critique by an ‘overzealous’ Nigerian creative(name withheld). Our naija dude exercise his freedom of speech without reservation and spares no vocabulary in rubbishing a particular creative work from North Africa (incidentally from an agency within his own network). Our guy had proceeded to give the originators of the work a good piece of his mind, trailing off with the line ”……………… I work with XYZ agency Lagos (name withheld) and we don’t do stuffs (sic) like this”.
I personally didn’t see anything untoward about a creative guy airing his honest opinion about an ad that I didn’t seem to buy into myself. Unfortunately, other ‘citizens of the world’ apparently did not find it funny, evidenced by the nature of reactions in the wake of this ‘unguarded’ comment!
The torrent of comments that trailed his did not spare Nigerian advertising in the least. As a matter of fact, one guy tersely drove his point home with this sarcastic laugh-line “hahaha…….that’s probably why we don’t see your names at Cannes”
But true! With every deserving iota of merit…..so on a lighter note folks, be just extra careful when embarking on the next critique of that foreign ad!!
Back to the issue which prompted me to pick up my pen this time around. In a recent column, the focal point of my writing essentially centred around how hitherto obscure African brands are forcing the world to reckon with them by way of purpose-driven and focused advertising. This time we turn the spotlight on African agencies. Let’s introspect.
Really, the question of the standing of our local advertising industry in the committee of nations has become markedly topical issue, drawing a flurry of frenzied reactions in recent time – I guess it was about 3 editions ago in which M2 devoted almost the entirety of that issue to this topic!
More questions and answers, thoughts and non-thoughts keep steadily streaming in by the day, even as the world excitedly anticipates the coming of Cannes once again in 2009. Questions like… ‘As a matter of fact, Must we even aim for Cannes?”, “Why, after over 70years of organized ad practice are the prestigious lions still painfully elusive?”, “Do cultural contexts constitute barriers to our winning these coveted trophies?”, “Are our clients allowing us to churn out the kind of work that will win us (and them, come to think of it) the much coveted and so far elusive lions?” ……..Indeed the list of questions are endless.
Truth be told, the industries in places like South Africa, India and Brazil for instance have clearly managed to become potent forces to reckon with in the global scheme of things. South African work have been comfortably winning at all manner of internationally credible award shows for practically ages. As a matter of fact, the now glamorous Loerie Awards have successfully captured global attention and earned international recognition that can match up with any other in any part of the world!
Now, I put it to you that this is because these folks consciously made it a point of duty at some point in time to raise their game and thereby compete on the global stage. The prestigious Loeries earned their credibility not by ignoring what was going on on the global stage, but by making a credible statement first at Cannes and other international shows, and then finally consolidating on these by developing their local awards to world-class standards. These guys simply gauged where the game was at and raised theirs commensurately!
We quite frankly appreciate the vision behind LAIF, and all hands must remain on deck to ensure that the lofty ideals thereof are consolidated and given further impetus to raise it to the next level.
Quite interestingly, a couple of days ago, I was discussing on-line with an acquaintance who’s a junior art director at the acclaimed global creative shop, Wieden+Kennedy, London. Somehow fortuitously the discussion veered towards the fringes of creative work, awards, clients and other familiar elements in that mix. I,of course aired my opinions regarding how I felt about the industry here, as well as the axe(s) I had to grind with the foreign industry as well. My argument was steeped in the realization that more often than not,most of the widely acclaimed and much hyped award-winning creative work coming from the West in reality failed to have any measurable impact on the bottom-line of the business in fiscal terms, or do any much good to the particular client’s marketing initiative.
Our dude was surprisingly objective enough to concede the fact that most of their contemporary work had slipped into what he described as a somewhat lethargic state….too visual oriented with nice illustration, obscure copies somewhere on the edge and logos in the bottom corner! According to him, the increasing challenge over there equally lies in finding new and different ideas and strategies.
One other intriguing point he made that struck me in the course of our discourse was that about widespread incidence of ‘scam ads’ that have often only run somewhere and are specifically produced to win awards, without much consideration for the requirements of the client’s marketing challenges.This, according to him is another unfortunate consequence of the proliferation of award shows in our industry.
As creative people in these climes, I guess there’s no better time to start asking ourselves incisive questions than now. W e hear about the exploits of John Hunt of TBWA Hunt/Lascaris, which is acclaimed as the first South African agency to focus on competing in the International arena. Hunt it was who spearheaded the release of an unashamedly South African style which was, according to observers, not based on ripping off what we saw in international ad annuals, but rather celebrating true local essence according to international standards.
Other noteworthy names exist in the ilk of Matthew Bull’s Lowe Bull, Net#Work BBDO and of course the inimitable Jupiter Drawing room, all African agencies that are playing it out comfortably in the big league of global creative solutions!
If anything, I say we need more MTNs, Virgin Nigerias and Bank PHBs in these climes of ours. Our clients simply must allow the kind of work that will collectively win us the elusive lions to fly. For so long, We’ve been undoubtedly big fish in our own rights, but shouldn’t we be tired of still wading in tiny ponds???
A resounding passionate appeal to our partners in progress ….Mr. Client, kindly globalise! As for us on this side, we’re ready to globalaif!!!
I rest my case till next time!