Impact BBDO, one of the biggest names in the Middle East advertising firmament, has come up with a new formula to reinvent itself - a change in "attitude".
As part of the desired make-over, the agency has coined a new term - 'procrealligence' - to underpin all future efforts in this regard.
It is not as difficult as it may seem to pronounce. 'Procrealligence' is a concoction comprising equal parts of 'pro-activity', 'creativity' and 'intelligence' - a blend that Impact BBDO believes will secure its future.
"Above all, it is about getting the people working in our agency and across the network to have the right kind of attitude," said Alain Khouri, chairman and chief executive of Impact BBDO, headquartered in Dubai.
"It will be this attitude that will shape not just the company's growth in the future but, more importantly, of our people and the clients we deal with."
So, what was the need for the agency to come up with a new strategy to oversee its long-term interests? Haven't the existing policies worked well?
"Yesterday we may have had an excellent time and today we may doing good. But who knows about tomorrow," said Khouri, who is also one of the founders of the network which now spans multiple markets within the region.
"There is a constant need to reinvent - there is no point in clinging to the past. If you do, you end up being a dinosaur."
To come up with its new strategy, Impact BBDO looked within its client list and tapped the thoughts of prospective ones as well.
While the initial plan was developed in 2000, the actual study took place last year and primarily covered the markets of the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Lebanon.
"Their feedback could be summed up into three main parts - they wanted an agency who could provide market trends based on facts, which is where intelligence came in," said Khouri.
"Clients required their agency to get these facts to them as early as possible, which required pro-activeness on our part. And third, they needed creativity attached to it in good measure."
Shake these elements up and, voila, you have 'procrealligence'.
But how can something so personal as an attitude be imbibed across a network and so many divisions? Especially in an advertising agency type of scenario, where the emphasis is more on the individual and his/her innate qualities.
"I realise fully well that it will be a continuous process. We may never achieve 100 per cent of it," said Khouri. "But even if we get to 70 to 80 per cent of it, I would be very happy. The key thing about an attitude is that once you have it, it eventually becomes part of your dictionary."
As part of absorbing the required skills in the new format, a full time person has been put in charge of the process. Khouri himself intends to devote as much as 10 to 15 per cent of his time into it.
With billings in excess of $160 million, Impact BBDO has one of the widest networks in place across these markets. Short-term plans include raising its profile in Morocco, most likely through a joint venture.
"It is not about how much more money all these elements will bring in for us in future. That is immaterial - what will be required is the raising of the bar on quality. But I do feel that procrealligence will help us achieve growth of 20 to 25 per cent a year against 10 to 15 per cent per cent that is the normal rate. That is a sort of an internal goal."
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