Basically, any body who is literally anybody can open – start up an “agency” and render “Advertising” and “Marketing” services in Kuwait and believe it or not, it does work for a while and then we witness the breakdown “since I decided to use the egg”.
Whether local based agencies or those big names that are originally from outside with high hopes of taking over the Kuwaiti market but ha haaay, el3ab barra ya sha6er kan gherak ash6ar! My heart is burdened by they practices and from their twisted methods and sweet tongues and I decide to open fire:
1. Starting an agency:
You know someone who knows someone else using Adobe in general and can manipulate images or whip up a regular letterhead or a simple logo using built in fonts so they all team up and decide to establish an agency. So far so good?! right, you want to meet with these people but they might not have an office which is ok at the beginning and of course on condition that they come to you in a professional manner. Let’s say they got an “office” and you mistakenly decide to drop by, to find a lousy apartment with a bedroom and cockroaches!! So yeah, I am finding it difficult especially if I am approaching these people for corporate work and hell no, I ain’t after cheap stuff! All I need is fresh blood – new designs that are meaningful and decent.
2. Meeting people from the media world:
I kid you not, when I know that someone from an agency is dropping by to “say hi” or introduce the agency I feel blue :/
Sammmmmmme lame printed portfolios, saaaaaaame tedious PPTs, saaaaaaaaaaame talk about the agency and the work they’ve done and all the false promises and sweet talk that you get in the beginning and of course as PR people we have to nod our heads and smile, i can’t simply reject these people because who knows, I might actually work with the agency so I “try” to keep good ties :)
They’d sometimes send gorgeous men in crisp suits while I think the majority of agencies now tend to hire girls… good looking articulate ladies to push into the market trying to “get business” which is totally acceptable in the media world but I don’t wanna be dealing with a lady that thinks she can run things with a snap from her finger or act all smart on me thinking like I am like them clients of hers (men of course).. so I go along as well >:)
3. Exclusivity:
nearly the majority of these agencies walk in and start talking about contracts and exclusivity and how the contract will serve us well on the long run and while they showcase their clients I see logos of companies like Zain, Wataniya, banks… etc in every single portfolio and I start wondering how is this exclusive?! Why did they shift to another agency? Some agencies refer work done by a 3rd party which we basically know in person to themselves! It makes me laugh deep inside but again, I go along..
Worst case I’ve witnessed was when a reputed international agency did some work for us claiming they did it internally and we discovered as problems started showing up that a company outside Kuwait did it and the worst worst part was that the piece itself was beyond bad and it’s a shame that such an agency attaches itself to poor production work or poor creativity.
4. Follow up:
Bel awwal a7dan o telephone calls and the nice attitude and once you sign the fucked up quotation or start to butt in the work, they start showing off attitude which I don’t really understand! You’re running after me for work and then you treat me like a weigh on your shoulder!? la2! and I am paying you as well!?! A client is a client, enshallah yekoon a pain in the BUTT! where’s your professionalism and work commitment! Pshhhh
5. Plagiarism – creativity:
“we are so creative”! “We have the best creatives in town” ! If you have more than 5 Macs where you’re working that doesn’t make you the best, we have 4 here besides the screens and we kick ass man ! don’t measure it by the quantity of devices you run. Also, if one of your guys aced in one task that doesn’t make him – her a professional designer after all, not all designers at agencies even graduated from proper designing schools! it’s not that hard to check design books or online for brainstorming which is acceptable but when you take the whole concept as is and place it as yours, esma7ly! 7arami! I mean we do some homework before designing here but we don’t steal that whole concept as I see online and from other media related blogs. Also, when a client pushes his design – idea for you to implement and you do that YOU ARE NOT CREATIVE ANY MORE, just an implementer … I’ve met some of those and boyyyyy, I love roughing them up :) so yeah, integrity is missing.
6. Media relations:
Same people, sammmme dreary events, SAME TALK, saaaaaaaaame bullshit alllll over the papers, in magazines! Don’t you people get sick of each other and that hypocrisy!? I know very well as many of you that some of these reps only attend events because they have to or they want some goody bag or just to snoop around without any reasonable purpose which reminds me of the [ AdEaters Night ]
7. Mafias:
Let’s not get racist here but some nationalities work best for this field and I am talking about 2 which I will not disclose in this post bas it’s obvious. No one minds that but being a sales – marketing person automatically requires your patience and humbleness with clients. I don’t like it when they walk in arrogantly thinking they’ll do my company a big favor if we deal with them!
8. Advertisements:
They approach you once… they come again later on… they ask 6 billion times and you say the same thing: WE DON’T DO RETAILLLLLLL! Your publication doesn’t suit our requirements! you know what happens afterwards?! Nasty treatment like it’s the end of a lovers’ relationship! you idiots! I might go crazy and need you later on! Why break all bridges from the get go!?
9. fees:
Let’s talk money… they come in promising the best of the best with cost effectiveness and when the quotation comes in, I get shocked! Work that doesn’t consume that much time is over priced and the problem is when you negotiate at the beginning they refuse to lower the price ba3dein it goes down drastically! What does that tell you?! Or what’s worse is when you know how much something would cost because you’ve done your homework and they come in to rip you off as if you ain’t got no experience! Do I even need to mention the printing costs and what happens when we ask an agency to provide one – indirect with the printing press? How much is the added margin ya tara?! and fuck the nagging that happens for payment!
10. Media backstabbing:
It’s really bad when someone comes in and disses an competitor… I bad mouth agencies I’ve dealt with before but it’s different when you sit down listening to someone dissing another agency :)
11. Awards:
Mashallah, they are all internationally acknowledged and have trophies :)
12. Events:
It’s so sad when I attend events – when invited – and check the atmosphere… I am not saying that everybody should be uptight with sticks up their asses but things are too “loose” ya know what am talkin’ about.. I hate to see a hard working female or a decent man amongst crap but these people shine with their reputation and continue longer and I could name a couple of agencies easily!
13. Professionalism:
I really don’t mind it when guys offer me a fag during a meeting or if anyone smokes in my presence without asking, I don’t mind it when I call and they joke around with me like a sister to them or someone really close, what matters to me is that the work handed. Clean work with utter respect to the deadline appointed by us or the agency and most importantly, being open to last minute changes as that happens most of the times with our CEO which is not eib or mamnoo3! The guy is paining money to get the best. Cheers to our neighbors so far for keeping us loyal after all these years :)
14: Market info:
It kills me when they call for an appointment, walk in with a huge smile.. talk too much and when I say that I handle X work at the company, their smiles disappear and these idiots don’t even know how to deal with that and they go like: “I need to meet YZ” to talk about F (which is the project)…
1. BEFORE YOU COME ASK WHO’S IN CHARGE OF WHAT!
2. when I say I handle a different section, that doesn’t mean I don’t want business from you idiot! So be patient!
3. When you don’t do sufficient study on your client before coming, how do you run a professional agency or do marketing researching! LOL!
What else?! I had something on the tip of my tongue to type but Anil sitting in front of me is a major distraction! I continue later!
Category: Creativity, Everthing else on the planet, Sarcasm, Work Sucks! | 9 Comments »
