One of the pioneers of the advertising industry in the Middle East, Edmond Moutran — commonly referred to as ‘Eddie’ — kicked off his career in Bahrain in early 1973 by joining Beirut-based advertising agency Intermarkets. Eleven years later he set up his own agency, which eventually became part of the British-based multinational ad agency WPP group. Executive sat with Eddie, chairman and chief executive of Memac Ogilvy, in his Beirut office to understand why he refuses to be part of the MENA Cristal Festival, as well as to discuss his thoughts on the current state of advertising and why he believes Lebanese are dominant industry players in the region.
See also: Why the Lebanese rule advertising
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Why are you not participating in the MENA Cristal Festival?
I can’t see why a Frenchman who has nothing to do with the industry in this part of the world should come and tell us which one of our advertisements is better than the other. We should carry our own awards. I honestly believe that the affair of MENA Cristal in Lebanon is nothing but commercial with commercial benefits and dubious decisions. After several debates I had with people at Ogilvy, I was convinced that some award [ceremonies] are very honest and uplift the product to the benefit of the client. I wanted something of higher caliber so we participated in Dubai Lynx [International Festival of Creativity].
What is the biggest trend in the advertising industry going forward?
In the next few years, the trend is social media. An agency that does not master social media will be dead in a few years. It’s the name of the game. Social media today is what TV was when it started.
How do you expect the industry to perform in 2013?
I see it as a tough year. It started tough. I am aiming for 10 percent growth this year but I am scared. I’d be lying if I told you I’m not worried. I’m very worried. We will have to be clever and strong.
What plans do you have for growth this year?
I have no plans for geographical expansion, except for Baghdad at the moment and strengthening Erbil, but you never know. I am looking at one or two small agencies because we need the talent.
Why are the Lebanese predominant in the advertising industry in the region in your opinion?
As the Gulf people became educated, the government grabbed them to work, as they needed the workforce to build the infrastructure, and after the government, the big institutions from banks to insurance companies, people with more money than ad agencies, started grabbing young people. When it came to the agencies, we could not compete with the big boys because [our industry involves] hard work and little money. The Gulf people have a choice, either work for a bank and earn X or work for an agency, [put in] 12 to 16 hours a day and earn half of X. So there was no contest for the workforce. It was practically impossible to recruit locals. During the [civil] war in Lebanon, there were lots of young people coming out of universities. They were creative and advertising is a sexy business so they stayed close to it, and that’s where we are.
What would be your advice to young graduates looking to join the industry?
Take it easy. Learn faster than you earn. Kids are obsessed with salaries these days. They want fast salaries so they spend it fast. In my generation, we lived to work. Today’s generation, they work to live. When I started I was doing 16 hours a day. I didn’t get here because of my parents or good looks. I got here because of hard work. Today, young people can teach themselves the business; that’s the beauty of the web. You can become an expert because of the web. All you have to do is read. With knowledge comes experience, and experience is a slow cooked meal.
