Mr. Christian Cappe is the president of the 2C Associés, CEO of the MENA Cristal Awards and general director of the Méribel Ad Festival. Based in France, 2C Associés is among the top ranked event agencies specializing in the imaging and audiovisual domains. In addition to the MENA Cristal Awards and Méribel Ad Festival, 2C Associés has produced and organized many events such as the China Cristal Awards and the European Corporate Responsibility Festival. Executive had the opportunity to enjoy an interview with Cappe at the MENA Cristal Awards in Faraya, Lebanon.
E When were the MENA Cristal Awards inaugurated and what was the idea behind them?
The MENA Cristal Awards were created four years ago with the same aim of Méribel Ad Festival, which was launched in 2001. The concept is to put together the clients, agencies, media and production houses in a very cool place for networking. They have lunch and dinner together, go to conferences, and also see the best works of advertising.
The first year it was in Morocco. We tried to find a ski resort and hotel in the Arab world, but there are not many solutions… so here, in Lebanon, the infrastructure is exactly what we want.
E Is that the only reason why you chose Lebanon?
Firstly, because of its ski resort and secondly because Lebanon contributed to the launch of the advertising industry in the Middle East. Dubai is certainly the hub of the region in advertising, but the talents and educational systems in Lebanon make the people very well trained and prepared.
E Did you have any difficulties preparing for the MENA Cristal Awards in Lebanon in previous years?
It has been in Lebanon for the last three years, and it was very challenging. When we organized the second edition of MENA Cristal Awards — for the first time in Lebanon — in January 2007. It was five months after the war. On July 12, 2006 when the war began, we were negotiating the partnership in the Middle East’s head office at eleven o’clock in the morning, but I stayed [in Lebanon]. Later, I went home to France through Syria but came back to see the hotel [Mzaar Intercontinental in Faraya]. In the beginning, it was a little bit difficult — not to organize, because the Lebanon people are so nice — but the people coming from abroad were a little bit anxious about coming here. The last two years, some people decided not to come at the last minute. This year, it is quite the opposite. Cécilia Attias, Dominique Baudis, president of the Arab World Institute, Osman Sultan, CEO of Du and Michael Maedel, the president of JWT Worldwide, as well as many other important people are participating.
E During recent years, how has the innovation, creativity and quality of the advertising industry evolved?
For me, what I can say is that two years ago, we were very impressed by the quality of works at an international level. It has improved over the years because all agencies are becoming a kind of a melting pot; people are coming from everywhere and that mélange boosts creativity. So it becomes more creative every year. It [advertising] is at a very high level in the region and it is very difficult to cater to all the different environments — communication varies in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Lebanon. There are many markets and they are quite different.
E Due to the current global financial chaos, what are the major challenges that advertising agencies are facing right now?
I think that the most important thing is to see what clients need; they need specificity in communication, they need to emerge and that is the reason why the creativity is the most important target of the agencies now. After that, they have to use new media so the clients can precisely identify their return on investment. Digital media is now developing rapidly. The challenges and budget constraints are there but it depends on when and where. For example, Dubai is definitely suffering a lot since they are cutting their budgets, but when you cut the entire budget, you have to begin all over again. So it is sort of a new departure and I think that the next six months will be difficult but then it will be pushed up again. I have heard that next year people expect oil prices to go up to $100 because the trend is to get the barrel price higher than the actual price. That is the reason why I think that the crisis here is quite temporary; it will be violent, but temporary. But it is not the same thing in Lebanon; Lebanon will be affected a little bit but not as much because the banking sector is very secure and there is a strong entrepreneurial spirit. The Saudi market is very dynamic and it is the chief market in the region. Saudi is not affected as much as the UAE. The foundations of the Saudi market are very strong. Some people told me that they are suffering and there is a lack of liquidity, but they have not stopped operating. We still need TV and magazines and perhaps more digital advertising, like mobile communication. That is the reason why Osman Sultan is here, as we want to demonstrate that through mobile technology, we can push advertising innovation.
E Is there anything else you would like to add about the awards?
We have seven main media awards and each award is appraised on different parameters. The most important aspect is that the awards need maximum credibility. The MENA Cristal Awards, perhaps with the Méribel Ad Festival because they share the same concept, are the most credible in the world. First of all, the people are voting electronically. Secondly, there is a mixed jury of clients and agencies, so the clients do not have the same targets as the agencies concerning the outcome of the awards. The agencies are coming from all over the world, they vote by secret ballot for the winners of each competition. That’s the reason why I think it is so credible; no one knows exactly who is winning and that is the most important thing because the market needs credibility. In the same way, people need to analyze their work to promote rankings across the industry. It is the reason why we push the Gunn Report here, which is the worldwide ranking of the best ads in the world.
