Just occasionally, in this cynical industry that we call advertising, someone comes up with an idea so brilliant that it momentarily makes you forget about photo libraries and Apple Macs.
We’re talking about the kind of idea that is so pure that it rolls back the years to a time before computers, when writers and artists used sharpened pencils to etch the contents of their imaginations on to paper.
In our main feature this week, Intermarkets’ creative director Clive Sorrell celebrates 50 years in the industry with a look back at the ‘good old days’ before computers. But his reminiscences come with a timely message that making ads has become too easy; that many ad makers rely too much on new technology at the expense of incisive ideas.
In addition, he argues that time and cash-strapped clients have lost sight of the time and value that should be associated with idea generation. Agencies, on the receiving end of this pressure, are using quicker ways of making ads.
It is ironic that, as the Middle East finally starts to get the recognition it deserves from international awards, writing and producing ads has become easier than ever before.
There is a great temptation for lazy, photo library-based advertising, but thankfully the Middle East has a smattering of top-notch creatives who will refuse to accept this mediocrity, and continue to push the creative boundaries.
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