1972 May 01

General Assembly of UNIVAS Agency held in Paris March 10 and 11

March 10 and 11, 22 agencies of the UNIVAS Network met in Paris to study the development of the interior...

March 10 and 11, 22 agencies of the UNIVAS Network met in Paris to study the development of the interior organization of the Network on the one hand, and on the other, to discuss the major problems faced by the profession.
Side by side with the directors of the most senior agencies such as A.T.A. Milan, HEYE Munich or O.W.G. Vienna, were all the partners who joined UNIVAS in 1970 and 1971 and such recent associates as LINEA SPN, our second Network agency in Italy, and INTERMARKETS Lebanon which covers the whole of the Mideast.
The meeting began with a report by Jacques DOUCE, chairman of UNIVAS, who recalled the most important stages in the development of UNIVAS since its creation in 1968. The company has seen its business go from $23 million to nearly $80 million forecast for 1972.

From left to right: J. Douce, B. Nixon, G. Brignone, A. Melendez,
J.R. Batllo, E. Guerrovich, Mrs. Lambadariou, J.N. Reboud.

This growth stems from the local dynamism of the agencies, whose business has grown thanks to winning national accounts but also thanks to international accounts gained by the commun activity of the Network, accounts which now represent 30% of total Network business.
Mr. Douce stressed the fact that UNIVAS was the business of every manager and that each of them should become more and more involved in its development policy. It was in this spirit that it was proposed to develop the structure toward an association of economic interest.
Before concluding, Mr. Douce recalled the action led by UNIVAS in cooperation with NHS and KMPH to establish a worldwide power capable of competing with the biggest American networks and thereby attracting large international accounts to our agencies. Denys BRUNEL then explained the details of UNIVAS's new structure in order to facilitate the group discussions.
Part of Friday was also devoted to working meetings on professional problems of communication and equipping agencies, while the six representatives designated by the agencies as a whole worked out a final plan for the 1972 organization of UNIVAS.
All of the agencies together were to give their consent to the conclusions of this commission which specified that the UNIVAS development economic interest association would be operational by May 31, 1972.
Saturday morning it was New Business's turn, with M. MANTON and NIXON repeating before the entire Network two major presentations done for important clients, to demonstrate the methods used. Also Pierre DAUZIER gave a report on activities undertaken in the United States relating to big American companies exporting to Europe.
Outside of the working sessions, the managers of the various agencies of course had the chance to talk personally to each other, both strengthening the ties of friendship between them and discussing many opportunities open to them for exchanging accounts.
(UNIVAS news)

1972 May 01

by Erwin Guerrovich

With Intermarkets the UNIVAS Network adds a new partner

by Erwin Guerrovich

No. 1 in the Mideast, INTERMARKETS covers a market of nearly 200 million people. Erwin GUERROVICH, Chairman of the Board,...

No. 1 in the Mideast, INTERMARKETS covers a market of nearly 200 million people. Erwin GUERROVICH, Chairman of the Board, agreed to introduce his agency and speak about the Mideast market to UNIVAS news readers.
UNIVAS news: Erwin GUERROVICH, you are Chairman of the Board of INTERMARKETS. Your agency is established in Lebanon, at Beirut, and your advertising activities cover the whole Mideast. How long has INTERMARKETS been in the advertising market in the Mideast?
Erwin GUERROVICH: It's a long story. INTERMARKETS has existed legally since January 1, 1971, but it was born much earlier and you have to go back to July 12, 1961, when we began our advertising activities. At first there were 3 of us in 1-1/2 rooms. In 1962, with growing business, we structured ourselves as an agency and by 1970 our growth had made us No. 2 in the Mideast advertising market. At that point we felt the need to expand our structures and to adapt them even more to the market. With this in mind we merged with the No. 4 Lebanese agency to form INTERMARKETS and thereby became No. 1 in advertising in this area.
In the first year, INTERMARKETS raised its Business by 35% over the combined Business of the two agencies
in 1970.
U.n.: How large is your present staff?
E.G.: We are 52 in Beirut and 6 in Kuwait, which makes a total of 58 associates.
U.n.: How much Business did you have in 1971?
E.G.: Our consolidated Business came to 6.5 million Lebanese pounds or $2.5 million.
Wide Resources
U.n.: What is INTERMARKETS present profile like on the Mideast advertising market?
E.G.: We are established in Beirut but we are Mideast agency whose activities are not only Lebanese. Our headquarters is in Beirut and we have a branch in Kuwait. It is this Beirut-Kuwait axis which enables us to cover broadly and precisely the key Mideast areas, some of which have the priority at this moment-the ones where the greatest expansion is taking place.
Thus the biggest potential for new business is located especially in the Persian Gulf, in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia among others.
U.n.: You have indicated the importance of INTERMARKET's privileged position in the Mideast on its Beirut-Kuwait axis. What differentiates the advertising market in this area from other international advertising markets?
E.G.: With its 200 million inhabitants the Mideast may seem homogeneous, especially if you look at it from the standpoint of language or basic culture. In the advertising and marketing field the situation is totally different: different approaches for each market, different mentalities, and differences in understanding problems and in the rate of expansion and development. Thus when you tackle these markets you must never make the mistake of thinking of them as a single, identical market, but on the contrary think of them as so many different markets which require solutions perfectly adapted to their specific characteristics. For that matter, there is a dearth of media in a good number of countries. In Saudi Arabia, for example, the local press is rather weak and very limited when compared to the Pan-Arab publications printed in Lebanon which cover the whole area. There is also no radio and the fringe radios are very weak and only cover certain parts of the outer edge of Saudi Arabia which is an enormous country. These listening areas are several thousand kilometers apart.
"A moving team" of specialists
U.n.: In certain regards and in some areas it is a somewhat backward market, but this also makes it a market where there is much to be done in advertising. Isn't that an advantage?
E.G.: That is precisely where our advantage lies. If we take the case of Lebanon, a market of 3 million inhabitants with a very liberal economy and a high, well-distributed per capita income, we have a very sophisticated market and if we want to establish a new business growth index, it is rather limited. On the other hand if we take the developing Mideast countries, they offer us a number of resources. The markets there are in an extraordinary expansion, especially on the Persian Gulf where considerable effort is being made to speed development: schools and hospitals are free and the best students are given scholarships to study at Beirut universities and then are sent on to international universities, all at the state's expense.
An effort is also being made to industrialize and extraordinary roads are being built. Among other things this represents an enormous potential for the introduction of new products which may correspond to new needs and which call for advertising. Valid statistics do not exist so there is, of course, an enormous field for research, market studies, etc.
U.n.: Given the extent of your market, what is your strategy?
E.G.: With the current situation in the Mideast it is impossible to cover the whole area with an antenna on each market. Some markets are very small, others have very strict laws which make it difficult to open an advertising agency. In Iraq or in Syria there is a Central State Advertising Office which you are forced to go through. Thus we've put together "a moving team" of specialists who travel all over our market. And in order to be effective in the area where the potential for New Business is highest-the Persian Gulf-we have set up a branch in Kuwait. Also, apart from their constant traveling, our specialists manage to be on the spot for each new advertising operation.
Offering an International Network to expansionary companies
U.n.: The Mideast represents nearly 200 million people and a vast geographical area. How do you carry out your advertising activities for your clients?
E.G.: All our clients work in the Mideast. Above all we have an important American and British clientele. They all have a financial center in London, New York or Chicago and they entrust their advertising problems for the whole Mideast to an agency in Lebanon. If, in fact, it is necessary to differentiate each market, there is always a basic constant - the brand image or advertising at sales points. Thus we must retain uniformity, with, however, differences for each market. Each market obliges us, by it's very characteristics, to adapt our activities to its particular shape, while maintaining the uniformity of the brand image. Obviously this complicates matters in our work and that isn't all, because on top of these problems there are economic and financial problems. In each market there are advertising agencies but these are agencies that work only on the local level. They act especially as space brokers and as work centers. When we come in locally we have to do our own creative concept work in the market in liaison with these agencies.
U.n.: Erwin GUERROVICH, INTERMARKETS is now a part of the international UNIVAS Network. From your standpoint what does the UNIVAS Network bring to INTERMARKETS and what will INTERMARKETS mean to the other partners ot the Network?
E.G.: First of all in opening the Mideast to the international market. The various Mideast countries have more and more activities in Europe or the United States - in the field of tourism for instance or with airlines, which are becoming more and more important. There is thus a potential to be analyzed and for a Mideast agency to reach it, we must be able to offer expansionary companies an international Network to which we belong. This Network should furnish whatever help is necessary in the international market and should do so actively and not merely be content to receive instructions. The help from the Network to the partner agency must also go beyond the particular field and add a formative element by transmitting the sum of its experience. For these reasons, belonging to the UNIVAS Network is an important expansion and development factor for INTERMARKETS.
And then in opening the International Market to the Mideast. The Arab countries are not yet very industrialized so a large part of their consumer goods are imported and with them the accompanying advertising accounts.
With INTERMARKETS, UNIVAS can offer its clients the possibility of advertising activities in the Mideast carried out by the biggest agency in the market. Like all the Network partner agencies INTERMARKETS is in a position to offer UNIVAS clients the same services they are used to in Europe or the United States. I believe that it is useful for the UNIVAS partners to have a partner who covers a complicated market that is very hard to get to know.
In the next three to five years
U.n.: In becoming a partner of the UNIVAS Network, INTERMARKETS has taken a big step. At this point in your development what are your current projects?
E.G.: First, the creation of affiliated companies in sectors such as Public Relations, Research and Printing. We also want progressively to reinforce our implantation (according to the particular style of Mideast markets). Finally, thanks to the opening available through the Network, we would like to see exchanges with certain African countries which have points in common with the Mideast. A large part of this program will be operational in the next three to five years.
(UNIVAS News)

1979 July 22

by Martin Hedges

The man behind a $16 million advertising organisation

by Martin Hedges

Erwin Guerrovich can truly be called a decisive man. From a very early age when he ruled out first ambition...

Erwin Guerrovich can truly be called a decisive man. From a very early age when he ruled out first ambition to become a journalist in France, he began training himself to become a marketing professional.
At 43 he is president of Intermarkets, one of the largest agency groups in the area, with billing of $16 million last year. His decisiveness has taken Intermarkets from being an advertising department in a large import company back in the sixties, to the respected force in Middle Eastern advertising that it is today.
His business acumen has seen the company through its start as a fully fledged advertising agency, two merger deals and the expansion from the Lebanon which gave Intermarkets its strength following the conflict in Beirut.
Guerrovich himself feels that it is important not to discount luck in his personal success. "It is all a matter of luck in the end." he says, remembering the co-incidence of fortune which gave him a chance, at the age of 22 to run the advertising department of the Fattal trading company, which later formed the heart of Intermarkets.
But Guerrovich’s luck and power of decision have left him at time, as he admits. During the Arab Israeli war of 1967 he was offered the chance to buy his agency outright from the shareholder, as all the sign were that the Lebanon was to become involved with the war and business opportunities looked disastrous. He bid too low and as things rapidly improved, a golden opportunity was lost.
His expansion plans, conceived in the mid sixties have taken the agency into almost every market in the Arab world and clients and international agencies alike want his service.
The agency and Guerrovich still have unfulfilled plans for future markets and, meanwhile, multi-national agencies frequently make overtures with the intention of gaining equity in the operation.
When Erwin Guerrovich finished his Baccalaureate (a year early) his first thought was to become a journalist. His father had given him free choice to pursue his studies further, to enter the profession or to take on something more practical. As Guerrovich investigated the possibilities for a journalist he found that he would spend too much time for his liking working for others to get the glory. He says: "I would have liked to have been a journalist and later a writer, but as a Lebanese, my mother tongue was French and in France I would be a foreigner. It looked a depressing prospect to be an esclave under the hand of a big newspaper man. So I turned to advertising, which appeared to be the closest field to journalism.
"It was interesting because it offered variety, an intellectual challenge and no administrative security."
And Guerrovich single-mindedly applied himself, first to learning the English language and later marketing technique, under the advice and guidance of his father.
He came to London and for nine months studied English. He was fully exposed to the English milieu, staying in place like East Horsley in Surrey's commuter belt and Colliers Wood in South London. He remembers with a smile that it was at the lime of the "teddy boy" phenomenon in England.
Quick tour
After a grounding in the language his father's contacts took him to spend time in such diverse companies as Gillette, Unilever, Squibb and Prudential Insurance.
Guerrovich is quick to make it clear that he was no "visitor" who just did a quick tour of the factory to find out what was going on, but spent month working at each company. His fondest memories are those of selling as part of the London sales team for Gillette, both in the Dockland and in the West End of London.
His training lasted three years in all, before he returned to Beirut and joined the Fattal distribution company, where his father was managing director.
At first he was assistant to the man in charge of pharmaceutical promotions to clinics, hospitals and doctors, but he soon moved to become assistant to the mainstream advertising manager. Says Guerrovich: "It was the line I was following and I insisted on joining the advertising department.
Guerrovich says his first piece of luck came when the ad manager went on a course to France and, after a battle with his superiors, he was left in charge of the department, as he puts it "without the title and without the money, of course". When the ad manager returned he moved up to senior management and left Guerrovich confirmed in the ad manager job - at the age of 22.
And he says that his second piece of luck came when the large Lebanese advertising agencies decided to cut out companies dealing directly with media by forming an advertising association. This they did and Guerrovich went to the Fattal board, for the setting up of a house advertising agency to replace the sales department. "I did not have to give reasons for the set up of on agency in principle, but I had to argue over how much freedom they would provide".
And so in July 1961, Middle East Marketing and Advertising Services was born. "A very long and complicated name" agrees Guerrovich, but notes that his say in such matters was very small at the time.
The agency began getting business from international agencies straight away, but a number of the agencies which came to see MEMAS criticised the size and scope of the operation - which was literally three people at the time.
"This helped me a great deal with what had become my shareholders", say Guerrovich. Arguing for a larger set-up, MEMAS bought a small ad agency which was in financial trouble through disagreements between the partners.
This formed the nucleus of the organisation later to become Intermarkets and from 1962 to 1964 Guerrovich says the agency went through "fascinating years" with new business coming from Unilever, in the shape of Vim and Omo, Pan Am and Rothmans.
It was at this time too that Guerrovich made another of those decisions which worked. He explains it thus: "While a lot of agencies were, I would not say media brokers, but perhaps media 'connoisseurs', we became much more involved on the marketing side, getting very much involved in the clients operation. This created our reputation."
In the beginning MEMAS took any work it could get and the business was split 50/50 between international and local clients, but as time went on the agency became more selective until by 1965 nearly 80 per cent of the billings came from outside the Lebanon. And then came the Arab-Israeli war in 1967.
"The first day of the war we were in the full swing of business at nine in the morning and then we started receiving telexes and call saying 'stop the campaign'."
By midday virtually all the agency was at a standstill says Guerrovich, and the shareholder decided to close down the operation for the duration of the war.
It was then that Guerrovich made his unsuccessfully low bid for the agency. "If I had offered the right price - a reasonable price - the deal would have been clinched then. But it was perhaps my inexperience. If I wanted to offer an extenuating circumstance I could say that the price was based on how much I could borrow from my friends".
After a few days the gloomy things predicted for the Lebanon did not happen, but the shareholders did offer Guerrovich a 25 per cent equity stake in the operation.
But already Guerrovich was thinking about the greater market potential of the Middle East. "It was becoming clear, he says, "without being a prophet, that nationalism would eventually mean larger income sooner or later. And as the region has always been a troubled one, on the principle of not having all your eggs in one basket, the more the agency was spread the better able it was to face adversity. But when all these plans were laid down. I never expected so much truth could come out of the thinking."
New company
And Guerrovich traces the decision to go into other markets back to a board meeting in 1965 when the plans were laid, but to execute the expansion plan the company needed a stronger base in the Lebanon from which to begin. And it was then that the link with Hima took place, forming Intermarkets as the new company.
As the first part of the expansion the Kuwait office was a locally registered, full service agency from the word go. Bahrain followed soon after, as a good servicing point for business in Saudi Arabia. By now things looked rosy for Intermarkets, as the revenue from the oil boom was translated into consumer spending power, just as Guerrovich had predicted.
In 1975 the Lebanon was again engulfed in violence, which paralysed business in what had been the advertising and media capital of the area.
But Intermarkets' policy of diversification meant that they could continue working without interruption.
"In comparison with the competition, we were the only ad agency which had continuity of communication with our clients.
"For the others it was a problem of logistics - entry visa, resident and work permits. As we were entrenched in the area we had none of these problems.
"The staff had a desk and a phone to go to - in fact everything they wanted". Guerrovich remembers that he learnt a lot at that time about the people with whom he worked. He says: "When you come to crisis situations you find the people who can stand changing conditions and who have loyalty to the company. The good ones stayed and the mediocre ones went".
The Dubai agency finally came about in 1976, followed a year later with an Egyptian office to handle international business. And in 1978, with the opening of the Saudi office Intermarkets could claim to be represented with a full service presence in most of the major markets of the Middle East.
But Guerrovich didn't stop there. Realising the importance of the PR function in communications he signed a deal with the Burson Marsteller organisation to form a joint PR company. And Guerrovich has other plans too. He says that Oman in the lower Gulf has a great future.
As president of such a large and diversified organisation there is no way that Guerrovich could be involved in the day-to-day decisions of all the offices, but he wants it that way. He says: "I do not believe in a one-man operation, I have seen companies in this (the Beirut) market which have been relying on one man then the man falls sick or dies and you see in a matter of months the company would not even exist. My policy is that Intermarkets must have a number of key men. And whoever is at the top, the company must not suffer if he changes. The continuity must be there."
Guerrovich is a confirmed believer in the power of a strong organisation too. "Maybe this is what I have learned in my training period and my time in a large organisation. Forget about the number of people, start making an organisation first and then, as you grow everything becomes easier."
Guerrovich tells another story which illustrates how aware he is of his role in the company. When visiting Europe recently, he says: "I met the managers, advertising, marketing, sales etc of a large manufacturing company. They were all in their thirties and they had all sorts of marketing plans for the future - it was a really exciting meeting, I was carried away by their enthusiasm. Then they introduced me to the president of the company and I saw all their enthusiasm deflating.
"I would hate to look at myself and see that man. I would hate to hold up progress just because I was the majority shareholder.
"I believe that life is a struggle and because it is a struggle it is also a game. If things are running too smoothly there is no challenge to feel you are fighting and winning. So there must be this struggle - it is possessed of everything that makes professional life interesting.
"And so it is my philosophy that I would never have a majority share in the company, because it is against my principle of struggle."
Intermarkets is a very valuable property nowadays, with more than one international agency making overtures. But Guerrovich is fairly firm on the pre-conditions for his recommendation to the shareholders that a deal should go through.
The deal with Lintas which went sour has obviously chastened Guerrovich.
Lintas was to gain 20 per cent of the equity after a two-year trial period. Guerrovich says: "The result of this experience makes us even more negative", but he does not entirely rule out some kind of "evolution".
"A huge sum of money is not enough, for let us not forget that Intermarkets is already working with international agencies from America to Japan. For a start there must be compensation for a large billing that we would lose - and that applies to whatever billing would come in the future too."
(Campaign Mid East)

1983 January 01

Conferences

1. The formation of a self regulatory system;
2. To encourage the education of young people in our industry In Mass...

1. The formation of a self regulatory system;
2. To encourage the education of young people in our industry In Mass Communication subjects;
3. To work towards a definition of "Pan Arab media and markets";
4. To develop a research programme to analyse and evaluate the data available in the Arab world markets;
5. Arab African Promoters for International Conferences. (AAPIC), will undertake administrative and organizational decisions regarding all future Advista Arabia conferences.
Another suggestion proposed the convening of a new Advista Arabia every two years at a venue to be determined, and that it maintains its international identity.

From left Fares, Choueiri, Guerrovich and Pitcher.
As the Egyptian Minister of information, H. E. Satvat El Sherif said in his welcoming address, not only was this conference an important event for Cairo, but it is so also for advertising. The conference attracted, for the first time, representatives of the media, advertising agencies, publishing organizations, and business people from all over the world, thereby assessing the present and the future of advertising, business and economic trends.
(ArabAd)

1987 January 01

Guerrovich on advertising

Mr. Erwin Guerrovich discussed with ARAB AD his views on the development of the advertising scene in the area, and...

Mr. Erwin Guerrovich discussed with ARAB AD his views on the development of the advertising scene in the area, and the way he visualised the future. Following, are excerpts of the interview:
Pan Arab publications are here to stay. Their role and position are not at stake. All over the world, regional publications exist serving information and advertising needs. The Middle East is no exception. Their future however, is difficult but interesting. Difficult owing to the substantial development of local media and the area stabilisation alter the oil boom period. But interesting, as there is a wide scope advertisers for Pan Arab publications. Creative salesmanship on potential clients worldwide can expand their market and volume.
Mr. Guerrovich also said that local newspapers could increase their revenue by promoting the use of more classified ads. Lebanese are not yet used to the benefits of classified ads. They need to be educated and attracted. No impact and progress take place when the reader sees a few ads. Classified ads are a major source of revenue to European newspapers. Without going that far, see the Gulf newspapers, especially in Kuwait and Dubai. Classified ads occupy good space and are expanding.
When asked about his views on mergers. Mr. Guerrovich expressed his approval of these methods, but only when done under certain conditions:
1. That mere must be "a complementing factor on the professional aspect" In other words, that each company lacks an aspect that is found in the other. Therefore, both companies need each other.
2. That the "merger be the result of a harmonious development for the two companies" Under these conditions both the human and the professional elements are needed, thus resulting in a "natural merger". Otherwise, it is no more a merger but an absorbation.
Mr. Guerrovich expressed reservations about the mega-mergers on the international level. He pointed out that major international clients did not applaud to these mega-mergers, emitting doubts as to the benefits for better advertising.
Another item that we discussed with Mr. Guerrovich was the new medium of video advertising. In the Middle East, there is over 75 percent penetration of video machines in households. This represents a strong source of advertising, since in terms of cost and reach, video advertising is sometimes better than TV. However, the problem faced with video advertising, "especially in our area, is a psychological one for advertisers". Control of video advertising is not easy. Clients have a tendency to prefer the easily monitored media, such as Television.
The relationship between local and international agencies was another topic that Mr. Guerrovich discussed. Overall, he said, there is always an inter-dependence between international and local agencies. Our markets being mainly importers of branded goods, international agencies need local agencies to channel advertising to the Middle East and to perform the servicing at our end.
The relationship can be divided in three periods. One period being the years preceding 1973. Media m the Middle East were still scarce, budgets volume low, international clients most of the time, not affording anything more than the adoption of their international material. During that period, most advertising came from international agencies dealing with local agencies acting as their correspondents.
The second period was between 1974-1983 Budgets volume substantially increased, media opportunities developed, the big local Pan Arab agencies expanded in geographical coverage and in servicing, both strategic thinking and creativity. It led to a shift, international clients preferring to deal directly with the Pan-Arab agencies rather than their international agencies.
The third period is 1984 onwards. It is very much a balanced situation. The strength of Pan Arab agencies and the interest towards the Middle East, had led international agencies to enter the area. As most of them have not fared well some even folding, like Young & Rubicam, Lintas, and Ogilvy & Mather - the inter-dependence international agencies/ local agencies still largely exists.
Finally, for Mr. Guerrovich, the problem facing advertising in the Middle East has to do mainly with creativity. On one hand, local talents are scarce. On the other, the area lacks the creative atmosphere and facilities existing in Europe and the United Stales. However, great improvements have taken place, especially in the leading Pan-Arab agencies. They have the means to invest in a creative force and their structure which includes European offices, allows transfers lo regain creative impetus and exposure 10 new creative techniques.
(ArabAd)

1987 April 01

IAA to expand in M.E.

Mr. Samir Fares, IAA vice president/area director for the Middle East and Africa, recent speech at Advista Arabia conference was...

Mr. Samir Fares, IAA vice president/area director for the Middle East and Africa, recent speech at Advista Arabia conference was entitled, "What the IAA Can Do For You!"
More than 250 IAA members from the Middle East attended and guest speakers came from both Europe and the USA as well as the Middle East.
Mr. Fares announced plans to form three new Chapters, in Jordan, Morocco and Pakistan. He has contacted prominent advertising people in each country asking them to lead the effort to set up the Chapters.
Mr. Fares also foresees that the Middle East Council will be able to recruit more new members under its umbrella, specifically from Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrain and Oatar, as a result of the conference. Y.S. Alyan, Publisher of the Kuwait Times, will be in charge of recruiting more members in Kuwait, while Abdul Nabl AI Shola will be responsible for recruitment in Bahrain and Qatar. The projected number of new members expected in the area for 1987 is 75.
Mr. Fares called for a meeting of interested parties, including advertisers, advertising agencies and the media, with the cooperation of the IAA, to explore methods of implementing the recommendations that have emerged from Advista Arabia.

Mr. Samir Fares (centre) surrounded by the new
board of directors of the UAE chapter of IAA
(Arab Ad)

1987 July 01

by Ramsay Najjar

Brand loyalty: Latest victim of Lebanon's quagmire

by Ramsay Najjar

The ultimate objective of advertising is to reach and consolidate "Brand Loyalty". Years of mass-communications expressed in investments are sacrified,...

The ultimate objective of advertising is to reach and consolidate "Brand Loyalty". Years of mass-communications expressed in investments are sacrified, millions are spent in space or airtime, copywriters do sweat their pens to have it, to keep it or at least to trigger it... brand loyalty; the obsession of advertisers, the "muse", the beloved, the eversearched fulfillment of our profession: How do we define it? How do we achieve it? How do we keep it? and what is more important how do we lose it?...
The following paragraphs are simply evoking the most crucial metamorphosis that professionals felt in Lebanon on the advertising scene, when major brand loyalty started to vanish as a result of uncontrolable changes that occured and that are still moulding the economical trends due to the Lebanese crisis or dilemma still active since 1975.
Needless to recall the golden age of Lebanon before 1975; the pilot market praised by all Pan Arab advertisers, giants or ambitious; Lebanon was indeed the sublimation of a modern market flourishing, radiating with prosperity and appealing to the advertising currency. That was the picture and brand loyalty was really justified.
Regardless of their genuine and hidden drives; giant advertisers succeeded the complete seduction; the following brands selected to form the basic spectrum of consumer products, achieved full brand loyalty and secured the consolidation of their charm and taught as well the legendary title of "Generics" in the mind of their consumers; we recall:
In Cigarettes:
Philip Morris positioned Marlboro as the leading brand.
R.J. Reynolds followed with Winston.
The remaining secondary market shares were the arena to all other brands that lost faith in attacking the major leaders and accepted stoically to fight to be among the minor followers; these were Kent, Rothmans, Dunhill, Viceroy, etc... and the French brands accepted the segmentation theory and kept a very few ratio of loyalty. Local cigarettes suffered from this and their efforts were vain to join the race.
In Detergents:
Procter & Gamble won the trophy, in high suds from "Tide" to "Yes" the race was really discouraging even for international leaders such as Unilever: The motivation was nearly lacking in low suds, "Ariel" convinced Pienkelto accept the second position for Persil as it did not succeed its brand loyalty consolidation.
In liquid detergent, Fairy Liquid of P and G as well enjoyed the adoring effect of brand loyalty up to its peak.
In powder instant Milk:
"Nestle" positioned "Nido" as the ritual leading brand deserving the complete worship privileges; the success went beyond all expectations, and the competition accepted stoically the defeat and "Brand Loyalty" was expressed with the same esteem that is granted by primitives to their native legend.
Consumerism was an act of faith, and the supermarket tray became the ritual altar for the same sacred "offerings" that were Marlboro, Ariel, Fairy, Nido, Pampers, etc...
Brand Loyalty was safe, or at least we felt it secured and enjoying full immunity as despite the nine years of the Lebanese events; brand loyalty seemed more solid than the constitution itself.
Nevertheless the virus was incubating and when the feverish race between the local currency and the foreign one started, the ethical consumer values started shaking till they collapsed. We recall during that period the psychological psychosis that shocked and frustrated all these "loyals"; imagine your source of faith, your ultimate objects of admiration, your daily "offerings" became all of a sudden inaccessible, unaffordable and out of reach... at that time these faithful, trusty and "loyal" consumers were viciously turning all around the alleys of the superstores, looking to these brands with addict eyes and their offended pride managed to keep their hands off these shelves, these same shelves of yesterday...
Brand Loyalty started shifting from labels, logos, emblems, and all the elements of corporate identity to a new small label; ugly and primitive; numerical and mean... all these eyes went there; hunting a figure; eliminating a digit; a cipher or at least a monogram...
The mechanism was dramatic, eyes driving hands and these same hands returned the same product and the eyes opened a glance of frustration and deception... People were hiding their new purchased goods or "gods," they were outraged, offended and insulted.
Brand Loyalty collapsed as if built on quick sand, and the "worshippers" were doomed.
"The Day After" Marlboro started becoming a rare and precious object (3 new brands were launched recently Winston vanished from the advertising scene and many "remnants" joined the race), "Ariel" became nearly a wedding gift, Pampers left the shelves to pseudo-diapers and Nido witnessed the launch of 23 brands in 6 months time only; least and not last, Fairy Liquid "foamed" more than 30 brands launched in less than 6 months as well; and Fairy is no more present on the majority of shelves.
Later on, the evolution went towards the logical hunt of the ideal compromise or the best quality/price combination or concession.
"Brand Loyalty" is no more the religion of the Lebanese consumers, they are nowadays rebels, they shift at the highest speed you can imagine, they swap at the highest frequency you can set... brand loyalty is no more existing in Lebanon; although all Lebanese are eager to repractice their ritual sect provided resurrection will be granted to their country.

Ramsay Najjar is Deputy Manager for Operations at Trust.
(Arab Ad)

1987 November 01

By Robin Mannock

Brand loyalty in the Arab Gulf

By Robin Mannock

If you are looking for brand loyalty in the Arab Gulf countries, the answer is no different to what it...

If you are looking for brand loyalty in the Arab Gulf countries, the answer is no different to what it is anywhere else in the world. Cherchez la femme.
This may surprise those who hold the stereotyped view of the Arab woman cloistered at home and totally subservient to her husband. But the stereotype just isn't true in the marketplace for consumer products in the Gulf states (Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Oman), according to two experts on advertising and marketing in the Arab world.
"The closer the product is linked to the household, the stronger brand loyalty becomes," says Erwin Guerrovich, president of Intermarkets. And Ramsay Najjar, associate director of Trust Advertising, shows the other side of this coin. "When it comes to the household, she (the Arab housewife) is the decision-maker even if sometimes it is by remote control."
Guerrovich rates brand loyalty in these Arab countries as "very high." Najjar is not so sure. Both agree, however, that the importance that Gulf Arabs afford to tradition can and does play an important role in attitudes toward consumer products and advertising. And despite the outwardly male-oriented nature of Arab tradition, both see women exercising real power within Arab families.
Guerrovich sees the market for products bought by women in the Arab Gulf divided in two. "There are the smaller Gulf states like Kuwait, Bahrain and the UAE where women go to shops and supermarkets. And then there is Saudi Arabia." But even though Saudi women stay at home, and much of their shopping is done by men, he is sure that it is the housewife who chooses what products are purchased.
"Let's say it's the driver who goes to the shops for her," Guerrovich explains. "Many of the drivers are illiterate and are often none too bright. So the housewife will be very specific when she gives him her order: 'I want brand X of this, brand Y of that and brand Z of something else."
The decision-making power of Saudi women does not stop there, Guerrovich insists. "When it comes to choosing large items of furniture or major household appliances, it is quite common these days to see a Saudi husband with his veiled wife come to the shop together."
Brand loyalty does not attach itself to all products bought by women, according to Guerrovich. Their choices in toiletries, cosmetics and perfumes can be "very flexible," he says. And all bets are off, Najjar and Guerrovich say, if a product that is significantly different is introduced into the market.
Does that mean that the Arab Gulf market is much the same as many other markets? No, definitely not. Although their approaches to the question are very different, both Najjar and Guerrovich stress the need to treat the Arab Gulf as a market with its own special problems for those who seek to sell their products there.
Najjar points to the relatively brief time that has elapsed since Arab Gulf countries joined other consumerist societies. Before the 1973-74 oil boom, he notes, Arab Gulf states were not consumerist societies. The next thing the Arabs knew was a flood of new products on which to spend their new wealth. "As consumers, they were infants before the oil boom," Najjar says. "Then all of a sudden they were adults as consumers. Without passing through a consumer adolescence."
This abrupt introduction to consumerism and the vast choice of products meant it was difficult to develop brand loyalty, Najjar says, the more so because most Gulf Arabs knew little about the products they were buying. Even nowadays, he believes, Gulf Arabs are not necessarily influenced by such issues as quality or safety that advertisers emphasise in other markets when they go out to shop. Sometimes, he says, the product will be bought because the customer believes it will enhance social standing or because there is a psychological identification with the product.
Najjar feels the inrush of so many products during the oil boom of the 1970s and the advertising that accompanied it, diluted brand awareness among Gulf Arabs. "There were so many advertising campaigns all at one time," he says. In a calmer atmosphere Najjar believes individual advertising campaigns would have greater impact and do more to promote brand loyalty.
Guerrovich is not so sure. "Yes, there were a lot of new products and people wanted to try everything," he concedes. "But while Gulf Arabs were willing to switch brands for some goods, there were others where brand loyalty meant they stayed with the product they knew because it was already well-established in the market. Products like milk or baby powder."
Guerrovich says some new brands did manage for a while to win market shares from established competitors. Quite frequently, however, consumers gradually returned to their old brand once the novelty of the new product had worn off, Guerrovich says.
Guerrovich rates brand loyalty in the Arab Gulf "slightly higher" than it is in the West.One reason, he says, is that Arab consumers ask fewer questions about products than do their Western counterparts and publications on consumer protection do not circulate widely in the Gulf. Najjar believes Gulf Arabs do share the skepticism of consumers elsewhere that advertisers may not be telling the whole truth and nothing but the truth. But he agrees that Gulf Arabs are less likely to question advertising. "When they travel to the West they see that advertising is a part of Western life," he says. "So they accept advertising."
Guerrovich, however, saw a less confused market in the 1970s. The oil boom, he notes, brought, with it a huge influx of expatriates who served as trend-setters for the Gulf Arabs. Products favoured by expatriates became popular in the Arab Gulf. Most influential of all, Guerrovich says, was ARAMCO, the giant oil consortium in Saudi Arabia. ARAMCO's impact on consumer choices spread beyond the Kingdom to neighbouring states, he adds.
One reason, according to Guerrovich, was that the city in Saudi Arabia built by ARAMCO for its expatriate employees was a compact market and so manufacturers had no difficulty in spotting which products sold well there, giving them a better chance of breaking into the Arab market. But Guerrovich warned there was a down side to this form of trend-setting, especially now that the oil boom is over and many expatriates have returned home.
"We've had to fight with some clients about their advertising targets because they were putting more emphasis on expatriates than upon Arabs," Guerrovich says. Initially, in his view, advertisers such as airlines were correct in focussing attention on expatriates because they travelled a great deal and because they were trend-setters for the Arabs. "But concepts have changed," he says, "It's difficult to get advertisers to spend the right proportion of their budgets on Arabs."
Guerrovich and Najjar concur that distinctive packaging plays a significant part in brand loyalty in the Arab Gulf. "A lot of Gulf Arabs identify brands by the colours of their packages," Najjar explains. "For example, when they are buying cigarettes they will ask for 'the blue ones' (a Rothmans brand)." Guerrovich cites Craven A as a brand of cigarettes that capitalised successfully on its distinctive packaging. Gulf Arabs call Craven A "Abu Biss" (The father of the cat) because of the black cat on the packet.
Najjar does not think that this reliance on package colours is due to the difficulties Gulf Arabs might have reading brand names in an unfamiliar Roman script. Guerrovich stresses, however, the need for a brand name that transliterated easily into Arabic script and did not translate in Arabic into an offensive or unpleasant word.
Brand names that are offensive to Arabs, Guerrovich concedes, are not usually a problem for multinational firms accustomed to worldwide sales. They take care that their brand names can pass muster in a multitude of tongues - or else they are renamed for specific markets. Some products, he points out, sell under as many as six different brand names around the world.
Getting the right brand name for the Arab Gulf can be a headache, Guerrovich says, for smaller companies trying to develop exports markets for the first time. "Usually, they are companies which have been successful in selling a single product in their home market," he says.
Brand loyalty cannot be taken for granted in the Arab Gulf once it is acquired. On that point both Guerrovich and Najjar are emphatic. And while Guerrovich cites powdered milk as a product unlikely to be subject to brand disloyalty, Najjar recalls how Nestle's Nido brand of powdered milk knocked Klim off its preeminent perch in the region. Najjar also points to the way Procter & Gamble grabbed market shares for its products away from Unilever, once the market leader in the Arab Gulf.
Guerrovich warns, however, that an advertiser who hopes to blitz competing products off supermarket shelves with a saturation campaign is unlikely to succeed all at once in the Arab Gulf.
"In most cases it doesn't work," Guerrovich says. "Entering markets in the Gulf is a comparatively long process which requires steady but not undue advertising expenditure and a strong marketing backup."
There is, nonetheless, one very important exception to this general rule. "If it is obvious that your product comes into the market with a definite plus, then it is an entirely different story," Guerrovich says.
But finding out whether a product really has a plus factor when it reaches the Arab Gulf is not always easy. Najjar notes that Arabs paid next to no notice of aspects of new products that were central to massive advertising campaigns in other markets. Whether, for example, detergents were low-sudsing or did not concern Arab consumers, Najjar says. It was not an issue that affected sales.
Market research was much easier before the oil boom. It is the accepted wisdom that Lebanon was the pilot market for the Arab world's variegated markets until the 1975-76 war and the following years of turmoil meant that the only market in which Lebanon was a pilot was that of munitions dealers of dubious repute.
"We could take a street in Ras Beirut and use it to simulate the market in Egypt," Najjar recalls. Other Arab markets could be tested in microcosm elsewhere in Lebanon. This was doubly convenient because Beirut was the undisputed advertising capital for the Arab world and home base for the region's main advertising agencies. Market research could be undertaken on their own doorstep.
No longer. Even though Lebanese are still the driving force behind Arab advertising and the strategy underlying many major advertising campaigns in the Arab Gulf are still plotted in Beirut. Najjar pointed out that more than over 40 percent of all television commercials for Arab markets are produced in Lebanon and that many others are made elsewhere by Lebanese who have left their own country because of war and insecurity.
"In terms of modern equipment, Lebanon cannot be compared with studios in the Gulf," Najjar says. "They can bring in the latest machines without having to worry about what might happen to it. But what we Lebanese have is flair and knowhow."
Another reason, Najjar says, is that Lebanese have long experience of both the Western World from whence come the goods that are advertised and the Arab World and its age-old traditions. Many Lebanese, he notes, can move effortlessly from one to the other because their own lives are an amalgam of modernity and consumerism together with their own traditional Lebanese way of life.
This cultural ambivalence is far less marked in the Arab Gulf states, according to Najjar. The Arab Gulf wants the West's consumer goods, he says, but not at the price Gulf Arabs fear they may have to pay through the loss of their traditions and their cultural identity. Najjar believes this explains why wealthy Gulf Arabs will leave luxurious homes in the city from time to time to seek peace of mind in a tent in the desert.
On a less exalted level, Guerrovich feels this fierce defence of tradition helps to foster brand loyalty among Gulf Arabs once a product is accepted by them. He agrees that some of this brand loyalty might be termed inertial loyalty.
Guerrovich and Najjar are, however, of one mind that the tradition of Gulf Arabs and the role of Gulf Arab women in particular do serve as some what of a barrier when advertisers seek to discover what products they will buy and to probe Gulf Arab tastes. There are times, Najjar says, when launching a new product in the region can be a leap in the dark. But Guerrovich does not believe tradition is an insurmountable bar to market research among Gulf Arab women.
Women in Saudi Arabia, he notes, often have a great deal of free time on their hands. "That means they welcome a visit by a woman of some standing - not a princess, but a member of the bourgeoisie - who is doing market research. They are often willing to discuss a product in much greater depth than other women would be prepared to do."
Another important way of hurdling the barrier of tradition, according to Najjar, is by moving the weight of advertising agencies into Gulf Arab markets by setting up offices in the region's main cities. The shift away from Beirut towards the Gulf was dictated in part by the disappearance of Lebanon's role as a pilot market and partly by pressure from the agencies' big international clients who wanted their advertising to be created close to the point of sale. Yet another reason for this decentralisation, Najjar saysjs the acceptance and growing use of marketing techniques from the West such as point-of-sale promotion and mailings which can best be organised on the spot.
Because companies from outside the Arab World cannot sell their products directly to Gulf Arabs but must use the services of a local importing agent, success or failure of sales promotion can often depend on the agent's willingness or ability to get behind the campaign with sufficient drive and resources, Najjar says."We do have problems explaining to agents that advertising is not a form of tax on their profits but rather something that they need," he explains, adding that this form of resistance to advertising is receding as importing agents recognise the impact advertising is having on sales.
Paradoxically perhaps, the bars of Gulf Arab tradition that hinder market research for a new product line make it easier rather than harder to reach women with advertising once the product line has been launched. The reason, Guerrovich points out, is that many Gulf Arab women live lives of enforced leisure and watching television is one of the main ways they pass their time. Until quite recently, television advertising was not accepted by the authorities in Saudi Arabia and Oman but nowadays advertising on TV reaches the entire Arab Gulf.
But the Saudi Arabian housewife did not have to wait for the authorities to act before seeing advertising on the family's television screen. Video cassettes have become a very popular form of home entertainment in the Arab Gulf and both Guerrovich and Najjar point to the thriving minor industry that has developed of splicing advertising spots into rented video cassettes. Both see this as an effective medium for advertising but Guerrovich admits that some clients are yet to be convinced this is so.
Brand awareness, the essential prerequisite for brand loyalty, has on occasion backfired in the Arab Gulf, Najjar says. He cites Sohat, the Lebanese mineral water, and Kleenex paper handkerchiefs as examples of brands that have become generic names for these products in the region thanks to advertising. But although these brand names have become a part of the everyday language of the Arab Gulf, Najjar says that will not prevent customers from walking out of the supermarket with competitors' products in their shopping bags.
You can't win 'em all.
(ArabAd)

1991 September 20

History of the Lebanon Chapter

IAA Pionneers during the early sixties
The Lebanon Chapter of the IAA was founded in 1961 by Mounir Takchi, who at...

IAA Pionneers during the early sixties
The Lebanon Chapter of the IAA was founded in 1961 by Mounir Takchi, who at the time was director of Advision. The founding committee, immediately started recruiting new members and organized a number of functions to promote the industry. The chapter was thus the first in the Arab World.
Fuad Pharaon was later elected vice-president Middle East and was succeeded by Jean Rizk. Samir Fares was in later years elected vice-president for the Middle East and Africa.
Since 1975, the Lebanon Chapter has strugled for survival because many of its members left the country due to the war. Most established themselves abroad.
In 1977, Takchi reassembled the majority of the members and a new board was elected headed by Erwin Guerrovich. Another board was elected in 1980 and was chaired by Camille Menassa. In 1984, Mustapha Assad became the president of a newly-elected committee and was succeeded by Jean-Claude Boulos in 1986. Walid Azzi took over in 1988 and in 1991, Boulos assumed the post for the second time.
The past 16 years witnessed various activities which included.
The first media survey on a Pan-Arab level sponsored by the Lebanon Chapter, covered Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Jordan, and Lebanon.
The chapter participated in all world congresses of the IAA since 1978.
- Copenhagen, 1978 - 30 members
- Durban, 1980 - 20 members
- Rio de Janeiro, 1982 - 23 members
- Tokyo, 1984 - 35 members, during which the chapter hosted a gala dinner and a message of goodwill from H.E. the President of Lebanon was read.
- Chicago, 1986 - 38 members (the biggest delegation per capita). The chapter sponsored the Ella Fitzgerald closing night performance.
- Sydney, 1988 - 18 members. In Sydney the chapter was awarded the highest honour in the industry, the Golden Tulip for being "Most Active Chapter". Samir Fares was elected during the congress senior vice-president/world president-elect.
- Hamburg, 1990 - 20 members. Mustapha Assad was elected senior vice-president/world president-elect.
Participation in the Advista conference in Cairo and later in the International Beijing Conference.
Creation of the 25 th anniversary advertising stamp.
Creation of the "Mouhir Takchi" award for academic achievement in advertising.
A chapter for associate members was founded and grouped 70 members.
In Beirut, 1988, the chapter pioneered an extensive audio-visual anti-drug, anti-AIDS campaign in collaboration with the CRS. And in the same year the chapter sponsored the first communication exhibition in the Arab World.
In 1991, membership of the Lebanon Chapter is expected to top the 100 mark. In September of the same year, the chapter organized an international forum on "Gateways to Reconstruction" in Lebanon.
(GATEWAYS to Reconstruction)

1993 January 01

No thanks for the memory. A survey of advertising in Lebanon, 1989 - 1993

Or should it be thanks for the memory? Either way, 1989 and 1990 are years Lebanese advertising agencies are unlikely...

Or should it be thanks for the memory? Either way, 1989 and 1990 are years Lebanese advertising agencies are unlikely to forget, much though they would like to do so. Maybe it is because the advertising industry here began 1989 with high hopes and expectations. Advertising had been one of the first services to be "dollarised" in late 1987 in what turned out to be a successful bid to create stability in the midst of 730% hyperinflation of the pound. A lot of new Made in Lebanon products were being brought to market, spurred by plummeting wages and the soaring cost (in pounds) of imports. So 1988 had been a good year for advertising and 1989 promised to be even better.
That wasn't what the fickle finger of fate had in mind. The good news of 1989 for the advertising executives interviewed for this survey was that they survived. Trust Advertising's Nazih Moussallem recalls driving to his office on most mornings (the shelling usually began after lunch in Gen. Michel Aoun's six months of "Liberation War" against Syria). He wanted to be on hand if business came in. Some did. Much to his surprise. Trust broke even in 1989.
H&C Leo Burnett fared somewhat better, thanks to its international budgets for brands of products of mass consumption. War or no war, those advertisers knew Lebanese needed detergents, cigarettes and, increasingly as the bombardments intensified, Scotch Whisky. The agency adopted crisis plans, according to Maher Ashi, the present head of H&C Leo Burnett, but was intact when the fighting ended. None of the staff was laid off and everyone was on full pay, he says.
Erwin Guerrovich of Intermarkets notes that international brands abandoned ideas of planning for advertising in Lebanon during this period, depending instead on advertising for the quantities of goods agents were able to move. This, however, did not hit the volume of advertising as badly as an outsider might expect. One reason, he explains, was the search by Lebanese importers or local manufacturers for cheaper substitutes for better-known brands and the need to advertise the replacements. Another reason, Guerrovich says, is that Lebanese media granted very favourable terms to advertisers to obtain their business. "It meant a little went a very long way." he says.

But 1989 was only a foretaste for worse to come in 1990, when Gen. Aoun and the Christian Lebanese Forces militia fought each other to an inconclusive standstill in February, March and April. For Jean-Claude Boulos of Inter-Regies the war came home to him on the TV news when he realised he was watching the building housing his agency going up in flames.
He was lucky because the fire spared his offices. Nonetheless, he moved key files to safety from what had become the front lines. "It was my 16th move in 16 years," he says. It is a record he has no desire to see commemorated in the Guinness Book of Records.
Others were not so fortunate. Trust and Intermarkets had offices in the same building, which was gutted by fire. Intermarkets was able to rescue client servicing and creative records and used specialists to retrieve some of the information on computer diskettes stored in a safe but damaged by the intense heat of a 9-hour blaze. Trust was totally wiped out. "We couldn't rescue a pencil," Moussallem says. Yet it is also clear from what he says that the ideas of shutting down Trust never entered his head. He set to work immediately to rebuild it from scratch. Trust's Creative Director Alain Brenas and the agency's creative talent were sent out of the country, first to Jordan and later to Cyprus, to maintain contacts with non-Lebanese clients and to hold together the creative team as a functioning unit.
Trust's greatest asset along the comeback trail was its roster of clients. "They all stayed with us," Moussallem says proudly. But the agency's accounts were a writeoff. Trust did not know how much it was owed by clients or how much the agency owed its suppliers. It took eight months of painstaking detective work to reconstitute 90 percent of Trust's financial records, according to Moussaliem.
Also gone were Trust's creative work for clients and it cost $20,000 to replace TV advertising films and other material needed to service their needs and keep the agency trading. With the Christian zone broken into two segments, account executives living in different areas maintained contacts with those clients they could reach and, in the absence of telephone, they communicated with each other and with Moussallem with citizen's band radios. In the summer of the year Trust, with a staff of 11, was able to move into refurbished offices located in the edge of what had been no-man's-land during the warfare between East and West Beirut. The creative team was recalled early the next year and Trust today has a staff of 30. The days when Trust consisted of a handful of files in Moussallem's bedroom closet are now history.
The fire kept Intermarkets out of business for only about three days, although to describe its new offices as makeshift is an understatement. They consisted of Guerrovich's beach cabana at Portémilio in the territory north of Beirut controlled by the Lebanese Forces. Other space was found in the home of Intermarkets' Deputy Chairman Raymond Hanna in Rabieh in the foothills held by Gen. Aoun's troops and in offices in West Beirut's Verdun Street.
Although no more than a score of kilometers separated Intermarkets' three outposts, keeping them in touch with each other and coordinating their activities required journeys of several hundred kilometers every few days by Sonia Chaanine. To reach Portémilio from West Beirut involved a flight from Beirut International Airport which made a wide detour over the sea out of artillery range to land at Kleyate, a small airport close to Lebanon's northern frontier with Syria. Then followed a drive south to within sight once again of West Beirut, with the return journey necessitating the same movements in reverse order. Eventually, Intermarkets was able to pull itself back together at offices in East Beirut and in September 1992 the agency came full circle by moving back to its original building, which is still being rebuilt. The fragmentation of Lebanon (according to Transmediterranean, an importer and distributor of important mass consumer brands, there were 17 distinct markets in this country in 1990!) caused lesser upheavals for other agencies.
For a while H&C Leo Burnett's Headquarters in Lebanon was Ashi's home and later clients were serviced from a hotel in the village of Baabdaat. Philippe Hitti, who heads Publicité Universelle, moved the agency to the East Beirut suburb of Sin-el-Fil to avoid a daily wait of up to six hours to cross from Gen. Aoun's territory to Ashrafiyeh, then controlled by the Lebaneese Forces. Hitti recalls the total lack of understanding by a militiaman who searched his car as he brought files accross the front line. "We have got to work," Hitti told the gunman, who displayed absolutely no concern for the plight of civilians trapped by ruinous political feuding.
The uneasy cease-fire which culminated in a swift overthrow of Gen. Aoun in October 1990 did not mark the end of the woes of some Lebanese agencies, notably those with pan-Arab networks. Iraq's invasion of Kuwait in August 1990 sent advertising, which had been booming in the Gulf, into a nosedive (Guerrovich reckons it fell by 65-70 percent for the rest of the year). Events in Lebanon and later in the Gulf forced H&C Leo Burnett to impose pay cuts and lay off some staff. The agency was already experiencing shortages of skills due to the emigration of key personnel who had either reached the limits of their disgust over what was happening in their homeland or had abandoned hope for the future in Lebanon.
Those who stayed behind faced a weary climb upwards, but by the end of 1991 Ashi had been able to restore salaries to pre-crisis levels.
Despite political upheavals in 1992, which witnessed for the first time since 1958 a government forced to quit by street demonstrations and legislative elections which were boycotted by most Christians, advertising remained surprisingly buoyant. This reflected the economy's underlying residual strength, although it was strength that went largely unrecognised by a majority of Lebanese (see Robin Mannock's accompanying article on the economy). The advertising spend for 1992 was estimated to be about $42 million.
How do the heads of Lebanese advertising agencies view their future? With few exceptions, they predict 1993 will be a good year with an advertising spend rising to between $50 and $60 million. Even Publirizk's Wajih Nakhle, who is pessimistic and believes 1993 will be a year of continuing recession, foresees much better times in 1994. Faith in the future likewise brought an important new player to Lebanon when Saatchi & Saatchi opened an agency in Beirut at the beginning of 1992. Saatchi's Ramsay Najjar admits it was "impossible" to begin in a normal fashion but says he and Elie Khoury, the agency's creative director, were determined to chance their luck in what Najjar describes as "the new look for advertising." Najjar and Khoury began as associates with Saatchi but this relationship has since been converted into a full partnership with the international agency.
(ArabAd)

1994 January 01

History of the Lebanese Chapter

The Lebanon Chapter of the IAA was founded in 1961 by Mounir Takchi. The Chapter was the first in the...

The Lebanon Chapter of the IAA was founded in 1961 by Mounir Takchi. The Chapter was the first in the Arab World.
Fouad Pharaon was later elected vice-president Middle East and was succeeded by Jean Rizk. Samir Fares was in later years elected vice-president for the Middle East and Africa.
Since 1975, the Lebanon Chapter has struggled for survival because many of its members left the country due to the war.
In 1977, Takchi assembled the majority of the members and a new board was elected headed by Erwin Guerrovich. Another board was elected in 1980 and was chaired by Camille Menassa.
In 1984, Mustapha Assad became the president of a newly elected committee and was to be later elected IAA World President. Assad was succeeded by Jean-Claude Boulos in 1986. Walid Azzi took over in 1988 and in 1991, Boulos assumed the post for the second time.
The chapter participated actively in all world congresses of the IAA since 1978, and organized the Lebanese Night at Barcelone which was a great success.
1978: Copenhagen
1980: Durban
1982: Rio de Janeiro
1984: Tokyo
1986: Chicago
1988: Sydney
1990: Hamburg
1992: Barcelone

A chapter for associate members was founded in 1988 and grouped 70 members.
In 1994, membership of the Lebanese chapter exceeded the 100 mark.
(Lebanon Your Door To The Arab World)

1994 January 01

IAA hosts debate on audio-visual law

The Lebanese Chapter of the IAA has been host late last month to a luncheon at the Beirut Riviera Hotel...

The Lebanese Chapter of the IAA has been host late last month to a luncheon at the Beirut Riviera Hotel during which MP Joseph Moghaizel dwelt in detail on the introduction of the new audio-visual law.
The luncheon which was attended by IAA members and their guests in the industry witnessed a lively discussion on the subject which at times reached a heated level.
Speakers pointed out that the law contained many loopholes and asserted the difficulty of implementing some of the articles included in the law.
Table of honour from left: Erwin Guerrovich of Intermarkets; Mustapha Assad, Publi-Graphics; May Kahale, Information Advisor at the Presidential Palace; Deputy Joseph Moghaizel; Jean-Claude Boulos, Inter-Regies and Walid Azzi Publisher of ArabAd
(ArabAd)

1994 January 01

Erwin Guerrovich Intermarkets

1. All around the industry, the climate was towards glorious optimism as 1993 started. Forecasts were constantly referring to a...

1. All around the industry, the climate was towards glorious optimism as 1993 started. Forecasts were constantly referring to a minimum growth of 35% of the Lebanese advertising volume, within a context of further internal peace consolidation and economic growth.
It did not happen. In fact, our statistical unit estimates actual advertising expenditure in 1993 as lower than 1992. We mostly attribute this situation to the continuous impoverishment of the middle class with fixed revenues and to the media war.
On the agency side, as our Lebanon office was embarked in a major restructuration, we had not set our 1993 objectives to the tune of the optimistic outlook of the general industry. Our targeted growth for Lebanon of 10% over 1992 was reached. Overall, having met both our targets and internal planning, we are satisfied with 1993.
2. With the situation in Lebanon, as it is, our office here did not have the same level of equipment and professional sophistication as in our other offices throughout the area. Our accomplishments included new management transferred from the Gulf, bringing along the expertise and disciplines now required in Lebanon, the staffing and installation of equipment in computer creativity as well as media, and the return to our enlarged offices in the Chalouhi Centre spanning 1,000 sq.m. on 3 floors.
1993 has also been for us the return of our head office to Beirut and especially, the resumption of our Lebanon office as a regional co-ordinating centre. In 1993 two of our international accounts were co-ordinated successfully out of Beirut and it is likely that this will be increased in 1994.
As a regional network, it is also worth mentioning the start in 1993 of the Saudia Airlines campaign on a world-wide basis.
(ArabAd)

1994 October 01

Corporations and Charities: Forming Strategic Alliances

An ancient Chinese curse proposes for a favorite enemy: "May you live in interesting times." The wish suggests that "interesting...

An ancient Chinese curse proposes for a favorite enemy: "May you live in interesting times." The wish suggests that "interesting times" are periods of turbulence and change in which established businesses and individuals are brought under pressures which threaten to overthrow them. Such a malediction may now be operating against Lebanese business and its leaders, because they are surely experiencing interesting times, although few general managers would use this phrase to describe what they are going through.
We are in the opening phase of a social upheaval that will, if it runs its apparent course, radically change the character and performance of business organizations in our society. If this judgment is correct, the significant question facing general managers is not how to prevent change, but rather how to understand it, accommodate it, and bring constructive influences to bear upon it.
There is an implicit movement to change the unwritten social contract that has existed between private enterprises and Lebanese society. The social contract implicitly stipulates that business bear no responsibility for the general living conditions of the nation or in local communities.
The proposition that society is challenging business organizations and their managers with demands can be fairly described as revolutionary. There is a shift in the balance between economic progress and social progress, between the quantity of life and the quality of life. Consider some of the demands widely debated in recent months:
- refrain from or lessen price increases.
- invest in nonproductive equipment to minimize environmental contamination by eliminating, controlling, or cleaning discharges into the air and water.
- contribute generously to the support of charitable, educational, and artistic organizations and activities.
To debate this explosive issue and to explore ways in which profit organizations can respond to the "social responsibility" demands placed upon them by the society in which they operate, the General Manager Magazine invited leaders from profit and non-profit organizations to a roundtable discussion on how corporations and charitable organizations operating in Lebanon can work together to form strategic alliances and benefit from the shift in public attitude.
Enlist Suppliers and Customers
The consumers who are reached by affinity-by-purpose marketing are not always motivated by lower prices, convenience, or gimmicks. They are becoming increasingly resistant to advertising. But very often they can be reached through an intangible value such as social responsibility. So companies with a promotional budget are looking for something "different," something beyond ads in the newspaper or a booth at the local trade show.
Thus, more and more, non-profits and corporations are joining strategic alliances to form cause-related marketing. It is a marriage of convenience that makes money for both the nonprofit and the for-profit. In the simplest form of this strategy, the for-profit advertises that it will contribute a specific amount or a percentage of each sale of its products in a certain period to the nonprofit. The corporation gets to connect itself to a good cause and motivate consumers to spend money.
The American Express Company is an outstanding pioneer in developing this concept. They are most famous for raising $1.7 million for the Statue of Liberty restoration, the campaign that increased usage of American Express cards by 28 percent and increased the number of customers by 17 percent.
Mr. Erwin Guerrovich, Chairman of Intermarkets Group, commented "in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf region, corporations are becoming more aware of the public relations impact of charity and environmental issues' programs. A large pharmaceutical company that had a virtual monopoly in the market, responded to a public demand to lower prices by formulating an integrated program of social welfare and community service. The program was highly visible in the press and on television and helped improve the tarnished image of the company in the eyes of the public."
In Lebanon, a recent example is that of "Bo Jeans company that launched an ad campaign to educate the public on the use of condoms." Mr. Francois Mourad, Marketing Manager of Ksara, continued: "Is the company concerned with public health? I don't think so. It is because they have a target group - teenagers - who are concerned with the issue. The company hopes that the target group identify with this message and believe this company is concerned with the problem and understands their worries. So they want to work with this company. But is the Lebanese consumer fed up with traditional advertising and open to this approach?"
Mr. Berge Daw, Marketing Manager of Bank of Beirut and the Arab Countries, believes "using social issues as a promotional tool is still not very effective in Lebanon. The public is still not responsive to this type of advertising. Recently, we embarked on a marketing research project at the bank. We sent questionnaires to our customers, and at the bottom we stated that if you respond to this questionnaire the bank will give L.P. 5000 to your favorite charity. Many of our customers phoned us and said that they prefer we charge their accounts with the amount."
Mr. Guerrovich added "when companies undertake charitable or environmental programs, it is for purely mercantile reasons. Either because of a tax break or as a public relations tool. Companies in ones, such as money or products.
Companies should specifically reward employees who engage in charitable activities. In one program, workers who contribute 16 hours of personal time per year in community services can take the Christmas week off with pay.
- Leverage your company's expertise: Companies can use their company's skills to enhance nonprofit operations. Can you help get computers up to speed? Design a marketing strategy? Do an energy audit? Local companies can lend their best brain in a field.
-Attract other companies: One of the simplest and cheapest thing you can do to make a difference is to be the first to take a stand on an issue, then involve others. One company persuaded 35 other companies to join it in building an elementary school in a low-income area.
Assessing the Right Alliance
Most businesses want to support groups that benefit their employees, making it easier for them to make a profit or help build an image with customers or investors. So how can a company assessing the right charity to support? Ask the following questions:
- How will a charity's mission advance and logically connect to your corporate mission? Examples of "natural linkages" include preventative medicine and a health club chain; day care and a toy manufacturer; teen center and running shoes.
- Do your organization's interests and values match?
- How much money, products, services and/or time can your organization donate? What specific benefits can the charity provide? How will your support be acknowledged, promoted and publicized? Program ad space? Our name on their vans?
- Is the charity well-managed with clear objectives and guidelines? Who is on the board of directors? How visible is the charity in the community? To your organization's target group? Does it have universal appeal?
- Does the charity have a previous history of partnerships with corporations? Do we want to set up a partnership with a charity?
The Payoff
Business has been defined and perceived as soulless for so long that when people get a chance to express a bit of caring through their company, they love it. By doing good, company owners can reap many benefits:
- The ability to attract and retain employees longer. The rank-and-file employees will be proud to work for a company that supports their causes. - Feel a more intense bond from their customers. Customers believe that what they put out in the world will come back to them.
- The good publicity that often arises from such programs. A social purpose injects humanity into the process of commerce.
- "Goodness by association."
- Supporting charities with snob appeal enables the company to show off for its best customers.
- Conversely, supporting projects for social causes not only puts money where it is needed the most, it can also alleviate charges of elitism or lack of social conscience.
- Company people can work with politicians and bureaucrats as peers involved in the same causes.
- Love. It can be lonely at the top.
- Money. Spending money in a targeted way with charities can increase sales, profits and customers.
So why are corporations and charities involved together? The attitudes and misperceptions of both groups of each other tended to inhibit the formation of an alliance. When nonprofits are asked "what comes to mind when we say corporations," the response usually is "only care about profits, arrogant,and untouchable." The corporate world responds with "poor management, always have their hands out, can't make it in the for-profit world and is unrealistic."
Each group speaks a different language and have seemingly different values. But they need each other desperately and need to open the communication lines that will lead to alliances.
(The General Manager Magazine)

1995 January 01

Guerrovich replies

Erwin Guerrovich, Chairman and CEO of Intermarkets, made the following comments on Makdessi's interview in a letter to Arab Ad...

Erwin Guerrovich, Chairman and CEO of Intermarkets, made the following comments on Makdessi's interview in a letter to Arab Ad publisher Walid Azzi:
1. Although not the majority shareholder, I personally control well over 51% of our group and accordingly, the destinies of our companies.
2. Our by-laws stipulate that in case of disagreement on the share price, between existing shareholders, the share price is to be determined by an expert jointly appointed.
It is correct that our group, and shareholders individually, have offered to Mr. Hanna book value for his shares. Obviously, if Mr. Hanna is not in agreement, we shall go through the process as above indicated.
It is worthwhile however to clarify why we have offered book value. The reasons are:
-Through our so far 24 years of existence, Mr. Hanna has been active in the company only in 1971-1972 and again for another period in 1992-1994. He had no part in the regional growth of the group. As such, shareholders feel that in all fairness, Mr. Hanna should not ask for a market value share price since it is their sweat that built the company. Especially that Mr. Hanna interests are well taken care of.
His initial investment was well covered by dividends received. His limited initial investment having substantially grown at book value.
-In the late '70's, the Fattal organisation was our major shareholder. From the modest Lebanese ad agency of the early 70's, we have grown to a major corporation in less than 10 years, operating from our Bahrain HQ and ever expanding regional network. Mr. Bernard Fattal, with his legendary fair play inherited from his father, told us this: "You have built a major company outside of Lebanon and without our help.To our eyes, it is not fair that we be a shareholder and take the reward of your work as your business is a people business."
As a result of this superb stand, the Fattal shareholding was purchased at book value. Mr. Hanna as well as other shareholders, benefited from this attitude. Now that Mr. Hanna is in the seller position, we expect an equal sense of fairness.The above covers the major points related to us. However, for good order's sake, I would like to pinpoint a number of lesser important elements contained in the interview, that require correction.
-The indication of our group not having distributed dividends in the last 15 years is false.
-Mr. Hanna's shareholding is 36.6% not 42%.May I, dear Mr. Azzi, as an old corporate man and past consultant to many boardroom cases, complete this "mise au point" with my personal views.
-I believe this whole matter is a publicity stunt. Team is eager to get a WASP image (and I am certainly glad that a student of ours is aiming at leading the agency in this direction). And what best than being associated to the pioneer and most prestigious name in Middle East advertising. I cannot possibly think that Mr. Makdessi is serious.
-In the equity buying game, the basic rule is to have one's facts right. I cannot really believe that Mr. Makdessi is so naive as not to know this basic rule. It reminds me that at the starting point of his agency, Maurice Saatchi wrote to J. Walter Thompson offering to buy. He had neither the means nor the intention... but it gave him a lot of mileage in free publicity.In the case here, it does look like a publicity stunt... or could it be that Mr. Hanna took Mr. Makdessi for a ride?
Let us be serious! Conclusions of this saga, "tempete dans un verre d'eau", are:
-Mr. Hanna has declared intent to sell his shares, on which there is no turning back. Once the price agreed (either through mutual undemanding or by experts as stipulated in our by-laws), the group, and individual shareholders, will purchase Mr. Hanna's shares.
-Our group has always kept an open eye on opportunities, mergers and acquisitions. If Mr. Makdessi sees a fit with us, it is possible that he has a rationale unknown to us, as we are not familiar with his agency. If he indeed has an interesting one, we would duly consider it and positively consider absorbing his agency in our group.
(ArabAd)

1995 January 01

Intermarkets s'établit au Yémen

Première agence régionale de publicité à s'établir au Koweit, à Dubai, en Arabie Séoudite et en Jordanie, Intermarkets étend son...

Première agence régionale de publicité à s'établir au Koweit, à Dubai, en Arabie Séoudite et en Jordanie, Intermarkets étend son réseau moyen-oriental à un nouveau marché en expansion. Fidèle à sa politique de pionnier de la publicité moyen-orientale commencée au début des années 60, Intermarkets s'implante en effet au Yémen.
M. Abdul-Gabbar Hayel Saeed, PDG du Groupe Hayel Saeed Anam (HSA).et M. Erwin Guerrovich, PDG du Groupe Intermarkets, ont récemment signé à Taïz un accord portant sur la formation d'Intermarkets Yemen/Mass Advertising.
HSA est le conglomérat le plus puissant du Yémen, regroupant des compagnies à vocation industrielle, commerciale et agricole, et employant plus de 12.000 personnes. Mass Advertising, une subsidiaire du Groupe, est l'agence de publicité la mieux structurée du Yémen, avec ses propres facilités de production de panneaux, d'impression et un studio de production vidéo.
Ont assisté à la cérémonie de signature, M. Mohammed Ahmed Suhaibi, le directeur général de Middle East Trading Co., la division commerciale de HSA, et M. Ramzi Raad, vice-président du Groupe Intermarkets.

1995 January 01

Intermarkets enters Yemeni market

Intermarkets has announced a further expansion of its regional network by starting operations in Yemen, becoming the first regional advertising...

Intermarkets has announced a further expansion of its regional network by starting operations in Yemen, becoming the first regional advertising agency to enter the growing Yemeni market.
Intermarkets Yemen/Mass Advertising is the result of a management agreement signed recently in Taiz between Abdul Gabbar Hayel Saeed, Executive Director of the Hayel Saeed Anam Group of Companies, and Erwin Guerrovich, Chairman of the Intermarkets Group. Mass Advertising, a subsidiary of the Hayel Saeed Anam Group of Companies (HSA), the single largest industrial, commercial, and agricultural conglomerate in Yemen, is one of the leading advertising agencies in Yemen with its own full-scale outdoor signs workshops, a silk-screen printing facility and a fully-equipped video production studio.
(ArabAd)

1995 May 10

Bruxelles: Pourquoi l'Europe soutient-elle le Liban?

EN ASSOCIATION AVEC LE CONGLOMERAT HAYEL SAEED ANAM INTERMARKETS S'ETABLIT AU YEMEN
Première agence régionale de publicité à s'établir au Koweït,...

EN ASSOCIATION AVEC LE CONGLOMERAT HAYEL SAEED ANAM INTERMARKETS S'ETABLIT AU YEMEN
Première agence régionale de publicité à s'établir au Koweït, à Dubaï, en Arabie Saoudite et en Jordanie, Intermarkets étend son réseau moyen-oriental à un nouveau marché en expansion.
Fidèle à sa politique de pionnier de la publicité moyen-orientale commencée au début des années 60, Intermarkets s'implante au Yémen.
M. Abdul Gabbar Hayel Saeed, PDG du Groupe Hayel Saeed Anam (HSA) et M. Erwin Guerrovich, PDG du Groupe Intermarkets, ont récemment signé à Taïz, un accord portant sur la formation d'Intermakerts Yémen/Mass Advertising. HSA est le conglomérat le plus puissant du Yémen, regroupant des compagies à vocation industrielle, commerciale et agricole; et employant plus de 12.000 personnes.
Mass Advertising, une subsidiaire du Groupe, est l'agence de publicité la mieux structurée du Yémen, avec ses propres facilités de production de panneaux,d'impression et un studio de production vidéo.
Ont assisté à la cérémonie de signature, M. Mohammed Ahmed Suhaibi, directeur général de Middle East Trading Co., la division commerciale de HSA, et M.Ramzi Raad, vice-président du groupe Intermarkets.

1995 December 01

par Yvan Kougaz

L'apport des français du Liban à la publicité

par Yvan Kougaz

Cette fin de XXe siècle est certainement le siècle de la communication et par conséquent de la publicité.
Certains ont été...

Cette fin de XXe siècle est certainement le siècle de la communication et par conséquent de la publicité.
Certains ont été constamment agressés par elle, d'autres ont été longuement caressés par elle. Sans publicité, le consommateur - vous et moi - aurions bien du mal à faire notre choix. C'est les annonces publicitaires écrites ou audiovisuelles, qui nous permettent de faire notre choix et d'acheter un produit grâce à un minimum de critères.
Mais la publicité n'est pas une invention du XXe siècle. Elle remonte à la nuit des temps. La première publicité est probablement née au Liban; si l'on en croit les historiens, et pourquoi ne pas les croire. Les jardins de l'Eden où vivaient Adam et Eve, ne seraient autre que Ehden, ce centre d'estivage, si près de Zghorta. Et la Bible nous apprend: "Dieu dit à Adam qui vivait dans l'Eden: tu pourras tout faire, mais tu ne pourras pas manger les fruits de cet arbre", en lui désignant un arbre majestueux. Et Eve rêvait de goûter au fruit défendu. Puis le diable déguisé en serpent, la persuada d'y goûter... On connaît la suite. Là nous retrouvons tous les ingrédients d'une publicité moderne. Une très belle femme, nue, un produit (les fruits de l'arbre), un texte motivant, créant un besoin. Le seul problème de cette publicité, c'est qu'elle était mensongère, et la finalité des réactions au produit ne correspondait pas du tout à la description qui en a été faite par le publiciste. Aujourd'hui, en France, grâce au B.V.P. (Bureau de Vérification de la Publicité) elle aurait été interdite et son rédacteur et annonceur (Satan) puni. C'est nous qui avons été punis. C'est également une réalité de la publicité moderne. Le consommateur moderne, naïf, ne trouve pas souvent son compte englobant tout ce que la publicité lui présente, et surtout au Liban où il n'y a toujours pas de B.V.P. ou d'organisme similaire.
LES ORIGINES
La première affiche connue date de 3.000 ans avant J.-C. C'est un papyrus égyptien, découvert à Thèbes, qui offre une récompense à qui retrouvera un esclave perdu.
En Grèce, des informations destinées au public étaient peintes sur des tablettes en bois exposées sur les places publiques.
Les Romains créèrent l"Album", mur blanchi à la chaux, annonçant un spectacle ou une vente, ou même des problèmes personnels.
En 1477 après J.-C, l'Anglais W. Caxton imprime la première affiche qui annonce les cures thermales de Salisbury.
En 1482, le Français Jean du Pré réalise pour le chapitre de Reims, la première affiche illustrée à l'occasion du grand pardon de Notre-Dame.
Très vite les affiches prolifèrent tant et si bien que, dès 1839, elles sont interdites sur les murs des propriétés privées en Angleterre. A Paris, le préfet Rambuteau fait édifier des colonnes réservées à l'affichage, à partir de 1842.
LES PETITES ANNONCES
En 1611 s'ouvre à Londres "un bureau d'adresses et de rencontres", où l'on pouvait déposer des petites annonces. Mais il faut attendre la parution de "La Gazette" de Théophraste Renaudot, en 1331, avec une rubrique "Petites Annonces".
PUBLICITE DANS LA PRESSE
Lors du lancement de son journal "La Presse" en 1836, le Français Emile de Girardin invente la publicité, telle que nous la connaissons. Il définit le principe selon lequel les recettes publicitaires doivent financer une part importante du journal, afin que son prix de vente soit accessible à tous.
LA PUBLICITE AU LIBAN
Ce n'est qu'un siècle plus tard que le Liban découvre la publicité telle que nous la connaissons; sur la fondation exacte de la création des deux premières agences de publicité, les dates exactes prêtent à controverse. Mais tout le monde s'accorde à dire qu'elles auraient eu lieu entre 1935 et 1936.
Pour l'Union des Français du Liban, notre grande fierté est que parmi les précurseurs, c'est un Français, Gabriel Brenas, ancien inspecteur de la Sûreté nationale, excellent dessinateur, qui fonde une première agence en mars 1935. Mais cette agence aura une durée éphémère. Elle ferme en 1939, Gabriel Brenas ayant été rappelé sous les drapeaux. Aujourd'hui, son fils Alain, prend la relève. Partenaire de l'agence Trust-Sofir, il marie sa fille à un autre Français, Erwin Guerrovitch, président directeur général de l'agence "Intermarkets".
En 1936, Fouad Pharaon, qui travaille à la boutique Béranger, propriété de la famille Chouery (un des grands annonceurs d'An-Nahar, Lissan Ul-Hal, Al-Rawad, Telegraph, Ad-Dabbour, La Revue du Liban, Al-Hadith, Al-Massaa, Al-Nida) qui, après un stage à Havas-Paris, fonde son agence. A l'époque, la publicité se calculait au nombre d'unités, et non pas en référence à sa grandeur et à sa position.
UN PREMIER TEXTE
L'agence "Pharaon Publicité" est considérée comme le pionnier, car elle a fonctionné sans discontinuité de 1936 au début des années 70.
En 1940, un jeune étudiant, Chafic Hadaya, qui dirige la revue "Al-Shira"', fait du porte-à-porte pour avoir de la publicité pour rentabiliser sa revue. Assaad Najjar (Continental) lui demande un texte pour promouvoir la marque qu'il représente. Chafik rédige le teste suivant: "Hier deux voleurs ont pénétré par effraction à la boutique Najjar, mais ils n'ont pu s'emparer de l'argent, n'ayant pu ouvrir le coffre de marque "Continental". Après enquête, la police recommande à toutes les boutiques d'acquérir des coffres de marque "Continental".
A l'issue de cette première publicité, les ventes de Continental ayant sensiblement augmenté, Assaad Najjar lui confie tout son budget publicitaire. Mais ceci n'est pas suffisant pour couvrir ses dépenses. Il conclut un accord avec la municipalité de Beyrouth pour "patronner" les matches de boxe. L'un des meilleurs dessinateurs de l'époque est un certain Fayez Sultan. Chafic s'associe avec lui pour fonder une agence de publicité qui prendra le nom de SNIP (Société Nationale de Publicité et d'Impression). Cette société sera opérationnelle jusqu'en 1978. Sise à l'immeuble Byblos, près du cinéma Rivoli, son siège sera dévasté durant les événements. SNIP sera une véritable pépinière de publicistes. De ses rangs sortent Philippe Hitti et le regretté Elie Nawaz, qui fonderont la société "Publicité Universelle" ainsi que Saïd Sabbagha, actuellement président de l'Association des agences de publicité.

LES FRANÇAIS DU LIBAN ET LES NOUVELLES AGENCES
Une troisième et extraordinaire agence Syes (pour Sioufi, Yonan et Compagnie) voit le jour. Cette agence aura la réputation d'être la plus correcte, vu l'honnêteté indéniable de ses fondateurs. Faisons un saut dans le temps pour présenter un deuxième Français, créateur d'agence de publicité. Il s'agit de notre ami Gilbert Milles, qui fondera "Eclair", dont la direction est confiée à M. Jean-Pierre Régnier. Un troisième Français est considéré comme un des pionniers de la publicité au Liban. Il s'agit de l'ami Erwin Guerrovitch. En effet, en 1956, les Ets Fattal, qui fonderont par la suite un holding, lancent leur propre agence, Hemas, qui après fusion avec d'autres agences deviendra Intermarkets. Intermarkets sera la première agence à se lancer dans le panarabe. A la fin des années 60, un autre Français, Moustapha Assaad, acquiert l'agence Publi Graphics à qui il donne une grande expansion. Moustapha Assaad sera par la suite élu président mondial de ITAA (International Ad-vertising Association).
Comme on peut le lire, l'apport des Français du Liban à la publicité est relativement important, comparé au nombre des Français qui vivent dans le pays.
LES REGIES
Si nous avons traité jusqu'à maintenant de l'histoire des agences, il n'en reste pas moins que dans le domaine du démarchage de la publicité, les Français du Liban sont également fortement implantés et se montrent particulièrement dynamiques. Mais avant de continuer, qu'il me soit permis d'expliquer un mot technique à nos lecteurs. Une mention doit être faite sur le rôle des Régies. Une régie est une société qui démarche de la publicité, pour un ou plusieurs médias.
La toute première régie libanaise est Advision. Elle voit le jour en 1959. Elle agit alors pour le compte de Télé-Liban, dont un des principaux actionnaires est la société française Sofirad.
La première régie totalement indépendante est la MEM, qui est fondée en 1967 par le Dr Lucien Dahdah, et qui a pour collaborateurs Ghazi Abou-Jaoudé, Eddy Breidy (un Français du Liban), Mayada Daftari, Michel Hmouda et Robert Honein. La MEM gère alors "Ousbouh el-Arabi, Magazine, Jeune Afrique, la revu Meed, Radio-Monte-Carlo et les Actualités Libanaises".
Actuellement, le plus important groupe de régies est présidé par un Français du Liban, M. Antoine Choueiry. Ce groupe gère notamment au Liban. La LBCI, C33, Télé-Liban, L'Orient-Le joUr, An-Nahar, As-Safir, Massira et une multitude de radios.
Comme on peut le lire, depuis les premiers balbutiements de la publicité au Liban, à nos jours, les Français du Liban se sont montrés des précurseurs et particulièrement dynamiques.
(Bulletin de l'U.F.L.)

1996 January 01

Sabbagha re-elected president of advertising agencies syndicate

Elected members, Said Sabbagha, Erwin Guerrovich, Ramsay Najjar and Gaby Hayek Alex Slim declined running again Philippe...

Elected members, Said Sabbagha, Erwin Guerrovich, Ramsay Najjar and Gaby Hayek

Alex Slim declined running again Philippe Skaff, another winner Tilda Ghosn of Gemini casting her vote

Six new members were elected last month to the board of directors of the Syndicate of Advertising Agencies, including Said Sabbagha, who was re-elected as president of the Syndicate. Ten candidates ran for the election, but Andre Rizk, CEO of Rizk Advertising and Associates, withdrew from the race leaving nine candidates who got the following results: Said Sabbagha (48 votes), Erwin Guerrovich (46), Nouhad Beyhum (42), Ramsay Najjar (40), Gaby Hayek (34), Philippe Skaff (30), Wadih Rizk (19), Jihad Abu Jaoudeh (13) and Jamal

Unlucky candidates from left, Jihad abu Jaoudeh, Jamal Hermez and Wadih Rizk
(ArabAd)

1996 January 01

Tales of war and peace

Intermarkets founder, chairman and CEO Erwin Guerrovich gave Karen Thomas a progress report on how Lebanon's reconstruction is effecting agencies...

Intermarkets founder, chairman and CEO Erwin Guerrovich gave Karen Thomas a progress report on how Lebanon's reconstruction is effecting agencies and the media.
Israel's bombardment of southern Lebanon and Likud's subsequent election victory have hit Lebanese business confidence hard. Despite these setbacks, the international business community has kept faith in the reconstruction process and in Lebanon's ability to pay back its debts.
However, after 17 years of war, Lebanon has learned to function on psychological rather than economic factors says Intermarkets chairman and CEO Erwin Guerrovich.
Israeli raids on southern Lebanon led to a crisis in consumer confidence during the critical spring peak of March-June, he told GMR in an exclusive interview in Beirut.
Lebanese advertising expenditure fell dramatically after the south was evacuated and consumer confidence slumped to its lowest ebb in years. Agencies will not start to recoup their losses until the second annual peak from October to December, if then, Guerrovich said.
"When there are a few months of calm on the political front, the Lebanese start to become over-excited consumers," Guerrovich said. "But when something like the crisis in the south happens, you suddenly get a situation where the Lebanese immediately go back to war psychology where money is better in pockets, rather than being spent."
"The first period of the year was hit hard and the result is that it will pick up again, if it does pick up, in October." Guerrovich likens Lebanon in 1996 to Saudi Arabia in the early oil-booming Seventies, awash with huge infrastructure contracts and over-run with building sites, but lacking an affluent, spendthrift middle class.
Crucially, though, Lebanon lacks oil. What it does have is growing inward investment from the far-flung Lebanese diaspora, a vote of confidence from international financiers and a wealth of local talent waiting to return from overseas.
It lacks a heavy industrial base, but new service-based industries are showing signs of growth.
Lebanon is emerging as a major production centre for 35mm films and commercials, Guerrovich says. Production houses are springing up to take advantage of the republic's ample supply of talent so that more commercials are being produced locally, rather than in Europe.
"More and more companies are making their commercials here, because they find that our quality compared to price is very interesting," Guerrovich says. "Now, agencies in the Gulf are doing their production work in Lebanon - and not just the ones with Lebanese managers, but the expatriate agencies as well."
Middle Eastern advertising first took root in Lebanon and Guerrovich set up one of its first agencies. He founded Middle East Marketing and Advertising Services (MEMAS) in the early 1960s.
After steady growth and several strategic mergers, MEMAS spawned Intermarkets. Today the organisation handles both advertising and public relations and has branches in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, the UAE, Jordan, Syria and Yemen.
Today, Intermarkets' regional stable of advertising and PR clients includes Lancome, Polaroid, Visa International, Singapore Airlines, Lufthansa, Unilever Gulf, Grundig and Tag Heuer.
Agencies' other preoccupation is the restructuring of Lebanon's media.
"There has been a war in this country between the television stations which represent the bulk of advertising expenditure and this war has led all the television stations to have super conditions officially on the rate card for clients," Guerrovich says.
Lebanon's media shake-up is not the only change on the horizon. The signs are that advertising agencies and their clients will also have to adapt to the new, more commercial environment, Guerrovich predicts.
All the signs are that these changes have already started. Earlier this year, the country's largest agencies set up a syndicate to promote greater transparency in their dealings with the media.
Traditionally, multinational companies have relied on local agents to buy airtime. Those agents have spread their bookings between a large number of channels, often going through small advertising agencies whose lower overheads could easily undercut their larger rivals.
In a future with fewer channels, Lebanese agencies want to bypass the agent and approach the client directly. Clients will have to work with larger, more professional agencies to buy airtime more effectively, Guerrovich hopes.
"Today, we have a situation where the leading agencies are strongly structured and offer more professionalism than the market needs. And the market is not following with the development of ad volumes and the mentality of the clients," Guerrovich says.
With these kinds of imbalances, the Lebanese advertising industry will have to brace itself for further restructuring, mergers and closures. And as the biggest agencies club together, small agencies with narrow margins will bear the brunt of these changes.
(ArabAd)

1996 March 12

Speakers' biographies

Following are the biographies of speakers not included in The Innovators Magazine.
Erwin Guerrovich
Chairman and CEO of Intermarkets Group, Beirut, which...

Following are the biographies of speakers not included in The Innovators Magazine.
Erwin Guerrovich
Chairman and CEO of Intermarkets Group, Beirut, which he founded in 1961 as Middle East Marketing and Advertising Services. The Group name became Intermarkets as the result of a merger in 1971. After studies in England, Erwin joined a Lebanese trading company as advertising manager in 1960 before striking out on his own. Intermarkets was the first ME agency to develop a regional presence, with its first Gulf office opening in Kuwait in 1968. Bahrain followed in 1973, then the head office relocated to Bahrain for three years 1975-78 after the outbreak of the Lebanese Civil War. Egypt office opened in 1976, Dubai also in 1976, Saudi Arabia in 1978 and Jordan in 1980. A European base was established in London in 1982 and the group has recently added Syria (1994) and Yemen (1995).
Edmond I Moutran
President and Chief Executive, Middle East Marketing and Communications - MEMAC - a group of full service agencies which he founded in 1982. Eddie began his career with Intermarkets in Beirut in 1972, having graduated in the USA, and after one year moved to develop an office in Bahrain, facing the emerging challenge of media development in the Gulf Slates. He became general manager, Intermarkets Bahrain, and regional manager, Gulf, adding in 1979 the role of bureau chief for Intermarket's PR associate, Burson Marsteller. In 1981 he was given the opportunity to set up his own agency, resulting in the founding of MEMAC in February 1982. From one client and a staff of four he has built MEMAC into a substantial network of wholly owned and associate agencies.
(The Innovators Magazine)

1997 January 01

Ailmia Intermarkets

The launch of Ailmia Intermarkets Public Relations was announced in Riyadh by His Highness Prince Bandar bin Saud bin Khaled...

The launch of Ailmia Intermarkets Public Relations was announced in Riyadh by His Highness Prince Bandar bin Saud bin Khaled Al Saud Chairman of the board, Mr Robert Leaf a delegate of Burston-Marsteller and Mr Erwin Guerrovich Chairman of the Intermarkets Group. Ailamia Intermarkets joins Corporate Communications in Beirut and Intermarkets Public Relations in Dubai as the third Intermarkets public relations group.

Mr Robert Leaf, Prince Bandar bin Saud bin Khaled Al Saud
with Mr Erwin Guerrovich

.

1997 January 01

par Rosy Hatem

L'ouverture du XIe Congrès mondial de la publicité francophone

par Rosy Hatem

Du 2 au 5 octobre se tiendra à l'Université du Saint-Esprit à Kaslik le Congrès mondial de la publicité francophone,...

Du 2 au 5 octobre se tiendra à l'Université du Saint-Esprit à Kaslik le Congrès mondial de la publicité francophone, dans sa onzième édition. M. Erwin Guerrovitch, président du Comité national mondial de la publicité francophone l'a confirmé au cours d'une conférence de presse tenue au siège du Syndicat de la presse, en présence de M. Mohamed Baalbacki, président du Syndicat de la presse, de plusieurs représentants de la Mission culturelle française et de nombreux journalistes et publicistes.
Quel est l'intérêt du Congrès mondial de la publicité francophone? "Le mondial est unique en son genre" a souligné M. Guerrovitch. "Les congrès, les concours sont nombreux mais aucun ne se concentre sur une langue inter-Etats. Sa particularité réside dans le fait que c'est un forum international d'échanges sur la plate-forme francophone. Ce congrès permet de dégager les différentes interprétations d'une même culture de base. Il permet de se rencontrer, de s'informer, d'échanger, de comparer, de se mesurer planétairement - du Canada au Liban et jusqu'à l'Asie profonde, le Vietnam et le Cambodge - dans le domaine de la publicité, qui est une des composantes clefs de la communication.
"Je voudrais souligner ici le tour de force réalisé par le Liban du fait même qu'il a été choisi comme siège des onzièmes assises de ce mondial alors qu'il n'en est membre que depuis deux ans. Notre candidature a été acceptée grâce aux efforts inlassables de M. Jean-Claude Bou-los. Par ailleurs, un site Internet a été mis en place pour le Mondial libanais grâce à M. Ibrahim Tabet. Aux dernières informations, plus de 5000 personnes à travers le monde l'ont déjà consulté. Un poste promotionnel a été distribué à travers le monde à des milliers d'exemplaires plaçant ainsi le Liban sur la carte mondiale".
L'intérêt des médias traduit l'importance de l'événement et le mondial au Liban est assuré d'une large couverture médiatique durant et après l'avènement. Les différents organes de presse internationaux qui ont jusqu'à présent confirmé leur présence par des envoyés spéciaux sont: le Monde, le Figaro, Libération, Radio France internationale, Canal Plus, la chaîne de télévision MCM, CM News (section France) qui diffuse sur plusieurs médias écrits et audiovisuels, le magazine de communication stratégie, Media Marketing (édition française), M6 avec deux envoyés spéciaux de la fameuse émission Culture Pub qui compte faire un spécial Liban, le Jour de Côte-d'Ivoire, Bucarest Matin de Roumanie (un pays où l'on parle beaucoup le français), le groupe Info Presse de Canada, la Tribune de Genève".
Au sujet du thème du congrès, M. Guerrovitch a souligné: "Le thème "Beyrouth, c'est mondial" a été sélectionné pour transmettre dans son titre même, le message que nous voulons faire parvenir à la communauté internationale:
1. un Liban multi-culturel et multi-linguiste;
2. un Liban réduit peut-être par sa dimension, mais étendu par sa culture, son histoire et sa place dans le monde - aussi bien en affaires qu'en culture".
LE PROGRAMME
Les sujets traités seront les suivants:
- la publicité, arme de culture,
- le français, arme de culture aussi,
- l'audiovisuel, arme de culture également,
- la publicité: arme de liberté,
- la publicité: un dénominateur qui a en commun le latin,
- l'enfant et la pub,
- la perspective publicitaire dans le bassin méditerranéen.
Les conférenciers sont tous des cadres qui ont joué un rôle prépondérant dans la communication francophone internationale. Il a été également fait appel, suivant les thèmes, à des experts nationaux dans les sujets traités.
En plus des conférences plénières, des ateliers, de discussion seront tenus en fin de parcours sur les thèmes comme: "la femme et la publicité", "la publicité et la société", "le multimédia".
Et pour clôturer les travaux, une soirée de gala sera organisée avec remise des trophées au City Hall de Beyrouth. Cette cérémonie sera animée par Jérôme Bonali de Canal Plus "1800 entrées publicitaires sont en compétition" (presse, radio, télévision, services publics), a indiqué M. Jean-Claude Boulos, administrateur du Mondial au Liban. "Un jury international, composé de représentants des sept pays membres (Canada, Belgique, Suisse, Côte-d'Ivoire, France, Maroc et le Liban) a sélectionné 57 publicités toutes catégories comprises. L'on s'attend à la participation de 200 congressistes étrangers sans compter les publicistes et journalistes locaux et étudiants en publicité et audiovisuel à qui des conditions de participation spéciales ont été offertes. Certaines conférences serviront de sujet de débat dans les universités concernées.
Le groupe Siemens et la Banque libano-française patronnent l'événement. Air France transporte les congressistes.
Pour reprendre les termes d'Ibrahim Tabet, le fait que l'événement ait lieu au Liban témoigne de la vitalité de la francophonie et de la publicité dans un pays riche par son pluralisme culturel.
(Le Commerce)

1997 January 01

Le Mondial de la pub francophone. Beaudouin: "Bien plus qu'un concours"

Conférence de presse, hier, du président du Mondial de la publicité francophone, Patrick Beaudouin, pour présenter les onzièmes assises du...

Conférence de presse, hier, du président du Mondial de la publicité francophone, Patrick Beaudouin, pour présenter les onzièmes assises du Congrès mondial, annoncées ici-même voici deux semaines et qui se tiendront du 2 au 5 octobre.
M. Beaudouin était entouré des organisateurs, MM. Erwin Guerrovitch, Camille Menassa, Jean-Claude Boulos et Amine Kassouf. Il a axé ses propos sur deux points. A savoir, l'historique du Mondial et "sa dimension de développement, d'échange et de partage des compétences et des talents".
Le Mondial de la publicité francophone est né, il y a 11 ans au Québec, d'une volonté de resituer la francophonie dans ce pays noyé dans un entourage anglophone. Ce concours de publicité a été par la suite adopté en France et dans les pays membres de la communauté francophone. "Depuis, ce congrès regroupe annuellement entre 1.500 et 2.000 oeuvres publicitaires destinées aux médias traditionnels mais aussi dernièrement aux supports de marketing technique comme Internet par exemple. Cette manifestation apporte autre chose que des prix publicitaires", insiste M. Beaudouin. "Jusqu'à il y a deux ans, le Mondial n'était qu'un concours publicitaire accompagné de quelques conférences. Aujourd'hui, nous avons un site sur Internet qui contribue à faire de ce Mondial une cheville ouvrière pour l'échange des informations et des compétences dans le domaine de la publicité francophone". A cet effet, et "dans l'esprit d'une francophonie d'ouverture sur le monde, nous sommes", dit-il, "en négociation pour obtenir que les langues d'accès à ce site soient également l'espagnol, le portugais, l'italien et l'arabe".
"Beyrouth 97, pour les administrateurs du Mondial", poursuit Patrick Beaudouin, "c'est un geste des publicitaires des pays participants qui symbolise leur volonté d'établir et de développer des emplois avec le Liban. D'ailleurs, de nombreux créatifs francophones ont participé au concours lancé à travers la planète pour la création du poster promotionnel de la manifestation. Et les lauréats de l'affiche "Beyrouth c'est mondial" seront présents durant les trois jours".
L'an dernier à Marrakech la thématique était axée sur les aspects techniques de la profession, cette année elle sera, à la demande du comité local, bien plus culturelle. "D'autant qu'ici la pub participe comme outil de communication à la renaissance de certaines idées et valeurs", conclut M. Beaudouin.
Entre autres thèmes et sujets de débats, les 150 congressistes se pencheront sur "la relation entre la communication et la culture francophone", "l'audiovisuel et la culture des masses", "la publicité est-elle arme de liberté?", "la publicité et la société"...
C'est la première fois que le Liban reçoit un événement "de cette importance tant par le nombre que la qualité des personnalités du monde des médias qui y participent", souligne pour sa part Jean-Claude Boulos. A ce titre, différents organes de presse internationaux seront sur place-dont TV5 qui prépare un reportage - pour la couverture des différentes activités du congrès.
(L'Orient-Le Jour)

1997 January 02

Ailamia Intermarkets opens public relations business in Saudi Arabia

A new communications agency, Ailamia Intermarkets, has been launched in Saudi Arabia.
The company is a 51/49 joint venture between Ailamia,...

A new communications agency, Ailamia Intermarkets, has been launched in Saudi Arabia.
The company is a 51/49 joint venture between Ailamia, a Saudi company owned equally by the King Faisal Foundation, ARA Croup International; Syahya, the national company for tourism, and the Saudi Hotels and Resorts Group and Intermarkets Public Relations. The company will offer clients public relations, marketing, research, promotion and direct marketing.
Ailamia Intermarkets is an exclusive affiliate of Burson-Marsteller, who took an active role in establishing the joint venture.
The Chief Operating Officer is Mike Verligans (38), a former UK Government Information Officer with added experience in banking and the PR Consultancy business.
(ArabAd)

1997 October 01

par May Makarem et Maya Ghandour

XIe Mondial de la pub francophone

par May Makarem et Maya Ghandour

UNE ARME DE CULTURE...
Les assises du XIe Mondial de la publicité francophone se tiennent depuis hier à l'Université Saint-Esprit de...

UNE ARME DE CULTURE...
Les assises du XIe Mondial de la publicité francophone se tiennent depuis hier à l'Université Saint-Esprit de Kaslik. Le coup d'envoi a été donné par le ministre d'Etat Michel Eddé représentant le chef de l'Etat, en présence du président Charles Hélou, de l'ambassadeur du Canada, de l'ambassadeur de France, M. Daniel Jouanneau, de MM. Mohammed Obeid et Rafic Chlala représentant le ministère de l'Information, de 150 congressistes venus du Canada, de la France, de l'Afrique du Nord, de l'Afrique Noire et d'un grand nombre de professionnels libanais.
Cette première journée de travail était placée sous le thème "La publicité, arme de culture".
Prenant la parole, M. Michel Eddé a rappelé que le Liban est un des pays fondateurs de la francophonie. "Si nous avons adopté le français comme seconde langue, c'est parce que nous sommes attachés, comme la France, aux mêmes idéaux de liberté, de justice et de démocratie qui sont à la base de la culture française...". Il devait indiquer que "le français est enseigné chez nous dans une proportion de 80% aux élèves des écoles publiques et privées et, dans la même proportion, aux étudiants des diverses universités..." Le ministre Eddé a également souligné que "la formidable croissance du nombre de revues hebdomadaires et mensuelles est due principalement aux recettes publicitaires. C'est grâce à elles que nous parvenons à préserver notre liberté de penser et d'expression, et d'une manière générale toutes les libertés qui sont notre raison d'exister".
M. Jean-Claude Boulos, PDG de Télé-Liban, mais aussi administrateur libanais du "Mondial de la publicité francophone", a remercié les congressistes de tenir leur XIe édition au Liban: "Vous témoignez ainsi de votre confiance dans notre pays, de votre appui à sa renaissance, de votre coopération à sa vie nouvelle".
M. Erwin Guerrovich, président du comité national, a noté que "ce sont les Libanais qui ont bâti, structuré, épanoui la publicité dans l'ensemble du Moyen-Orient. Jusqu'aujourd'hui, 60 à 70% de la masse employée par l'industrie publicitaire moyenne-orientale sont des Libanais".
C'est quoi au juste un Mondial de la publicité francophone? M. Patrick Beaudouin, président du Mondial, a mis l'accent sur des "marchands d'idées", des "commerçants d'images" animés par l'ambition d'un message culturel et la réussite d'une industrie. "Une industrie qui ne véhicule pas, une culture perd sa pertinence... La publicité participe comme outil de communication à la renaissance de certaines idées et valeurs", dit M. Beaudouin qui signale qu'aujourd'hui le Mondial a un site sur Internet.
Diffusion
Dans ce monde menacé par la marée uniforme de l'automatisme, M. Marcel Ndione, représentant de l'Agence de coopération culturelle et technique (ACCT), relève que "pour que la publicité francophone soit effectivement une arme de culture, il faut assurer une meilleure diffusion au français et aux langues partenaires de l'espace francophone; affronter, dans la pluralité culturelle, les défis d'une mondialisation accélérée; mettre en cuvre nos solidarités spécifiques en vue du développement de chacun de ses membres... La francophonie sera forte si nous sommes actifs, imaginatifs. Elle sera dynamique, si nous sommes solidaires dans la pensée et dans l'action... En cette fin de XXe siècle, la puissance de la publicité est basée sur l'influence qu'elle exerce, puisqu'elle joue sur les registres psychologiques et affectifs..."
M. Xavier Gouyou-Beauchamp, président de France-Télévision et du CIRTEF, a mis l'accent sur "les défis à relever face à la mondialisation de l'économie et de la culture" et "les prouesses de la publicité porteuse de liberté et d'inventivité".
Ensuite sur le thème "La publicité, arme de culture", les conférenciers ont ouvert le débat sur les limites de la mondialisation de la publicité. MM. Jean Morin (Canada), Moustafa Assaad (Liban) et Hassan Esmili (Maroc) ont pris la parole. Le modérateur, M. Camille Ménassa, devait noter que "malgré 17 années de guerre, Beyrouth est restée et demeure le festival des idées au Moyen-Orient et de la création publicitaire".
Double rôle
Afficher une publicité tout à la fois à couleur locale et à portée internationale est le but des publicitaires réunis. Ainsi pour M. Jean Morin, la seule façon de réussir dans le contexte actuel de mondialisation, est que chacun prenne le contrôle de son territoire. "37% de nos publicistes sont performants: ils cuisinent le poulet comme les Américains, mais contrôlent les épices au goût des Québécois... Lorsqu'on touche à la masse, on est plus efficace localement, à tous les moins au Québec... La culture d'un peuple est son univers de réception du message. Elle est aussi notre ticket d'entrée, notre logiciel de départ, notre système d'exploitation... Chez nous, le consommateur ne tolère pas d'impair face à sa culture. La blonde, le chapeau de cow-boy des Américains, c'est de l'exotisme; ce n'est pas de la communication, alors le consommateur ne participe pas, il est simplement témoin", dit M. Morin qui ajoute par ailleurs que la que la magie s'obtient en respectant la règle des six "s": stratégies, surprendre, simplifier, séduire, signer, soigner.
M. Moustafa Assaad, PDG de Publi-Graphics au Moyen-Orient, a, pour sa part, développé plusieurs points: "Le Liban pays d'ouverture et terrain privilégié pour la publicité"; "Une publicité en bonne santé est une société en bonne santé"; "La publicité stimulatrice de créativité, promotrice de culture et expression du génie inventif de l'homme est aussi une expression esthétique et décorative".
Quant à Hassan Esmili, doyen de la faculté des lettres de l'université de Casablanca, dit que tout acte d'expression verbal est porteur de message. La communication suppose un engagement et définit par la suite un comportement. Se reportant à des oeuvres d'art qui ont marqué leur temps, M. Esmili insiste sur l'aspect esthétique de la publicité "qui deviendra un témoin de son temps et un document de recherche pour les historiens", a-t-il conclu.
Une bataille
L'après-midi, après la pause pour le déjeuner gentiment offert par votre journal préféré (auto-pub de circonstance), les participants ont derechef bataillé avec "Le français, arme de culture", thème qui a réuni Lise Bissonnette (Québec), Guy Mettan (La Tribune de Genève), et Alexandre Najjar, avec Gebrane Tuéni comme modérateur. M. Tuéni a souligné dans son mot d'introduction que le Liban a toujours eu comme seconde langue le français, "cette langue de communication et de savoir par excellence. Le pluralisme du pays, est en grande partie dû à ce bilinguisme a fait de notre terre une plaque tournante, un trait d'union". Il a qualifié l'anglais de langue de finances, de business. "L'argent n'engendre pas les idées. Ce sont les idées qui engendrent l'argent, et le français reste une langue riche en idées", a-t-il ajouté.
Lise Bissonnette, directrice d'un journal québécois, n'a pas oublié le compliment d'usage: elle se sent un peu envieuse, dit-elle, de voir les habitants d'un pays qui ont des-milliers de projets en tête. "La culture est certes un héritage à préserver mais c'est aussi et surtout un projet qui doit rester ouvert aux interactions diverses", affirme-t-elle. Elle a ensuite critiqué un article paru dans la revue "Foreign Policy" qui va à rencontre de ses idées propres. Cet article, à l'en croire, fait l'éloge de l'impérialisme culturel, concept qu'elle refuse en bloc. L'article dit en substance que c'est la diversité culturelle qui est à l'origine de tous les conflits, de toutes les barbaries. La culture du IIIe millénaire doit être américaine car elle incarne la diversité culturelle et promeut la tolérance. Pour Mme Bissonnette, le français est une langue faite de subtilité et de nuances qui peut très bien remplacer l'anglais, même dans le domaine des affaires. "Au Québec, nous nous battrons toujours pour préserver notre espace de liberté", a-t-elle conclu.
- "Le français est l'arme de culture du passé" a tranché, catégorique, Guy Mettan, rédacteur en chef de La Tribune de Genève. Mettant les choses bien au point, il a entamé son intervention par une série de citations dont celle de Jean-Jacques Rousseau qui illustre parfaitement ses propos: "Oh Français Françaises, nations parolières, que vous donnez de l'importance aux mots et peu aux choses". Car pour M. Mettan, le français est constitué à 95% de verbiage et à 5% de mots qui veulent dire quelque chose. "Le français a perdu beaucoup de valeur. C'est une langue qui régresse parce que la France elle-même régresse pour des raisons politiques. Les Etats-Unis sont en train d'imposer leur langue". D'après lui: "Le français régresse aussi parce que la culture et les valeurs françaises sont en recul. La littérature de la France métropolitaine se meurt. Elle produit énormément mais pour ne rien dire. Le français est une langue extrêmement protectionniste. Elle se ratatine, se renferme sur elle-même. Or pour survivre, elle devrait accepter l'échange".
Après avoir tenu un discours aussi pessimiste, M. Mettan a quand même conclu sur une note optimiste: "Le français se trouve dans la même situation que le grec au IIe siècle avant J.-C. Les Grecs étant battus par les Roumains, on pensait que leur langue et culture allaient mourir. Le grec a pourtant survécu quelque 1.300 ans. Donc tout n'est pas perdu!".
C'était ensuite à Alexandre Najjar de prendre la parole. Le jeune écrivain a relevé que le sujet du débat peut paraître agressif, "puisqu'il adopte le mot "arme" de culture au lieu de langue de culture, véhicule de culture ou instrument de culture. Comment s'en étonner lorsqu'on constate, aux quatre coins du monde, deux phénomènes d'agression contre lesquels il est devenu impératif de se battre: d'abord l'inculture qui envahit notre société; ensuite la langue anglaise, non pas celle de Shakespeare ou de Hemingway, mais une langue anglaise asservie par les exigences de célérité et d'efficacité du monde moderne, une langue anglaise qui a vendu son âme pour devenir un instrument de communication et un code international entre les hommes d'affaires". Profondément francophonophile, si on peut dire, M. Najjar a qualifié la langue française de "porteuse de liberté, adaptée par excellence au caractère universel de la pensée" pour reprendre les propos du général De Gaulle. "Langue envoûtante, riche, ciselée par des centaines d'auteurs".
"Le français au Liban est bien plus qu'une langue de salon... Elle est pour nous, véritablement, une arme contre l'obscurantisme, contre l'occupation, contre le cloisonnement qu'on veut nous imposer. De nombreux livres, des journaux et revues échappent à la censure parce que les "ténèbres organisées" ne saisissent pas la portée des textes publiés".
Au cours de la troisième session, MM. Antoine Choueiri, Abdel Kader Marzuki, (secrétaire général du CITREF), Gérard Sapey, (directeur général de la Radio-Suisse), et Serge Adal (président de Canal Horizon) ont ouvert le débat sur le thème de "L'audiovisuel, arme de culture".
"L'audiovisuel est-il une arme de culture? Certes et quelle arme!", a dit M. Choueiri. "Ceci mène à souligner la responsabilité des opérateurs. Cette responsabilité est importante, tellement importante qu'elle doit être exercée en toute liberté et indépendance".
Pour M. Marzuki, il est "particulièrement instructif pour le sociologue d'observer les effets des mass média dans ce qu'on nomme le tiers-monde, ou les pays en voie de développement. Depuis l'avènement des chaînes satellitaires, l'Afrique reçoit une véritable pluie d'images venues des quatre coins du monde. II ne faut pas avoir peur pour l'instant de cette intrusion. L'extraversion ne menace qu'une certaine élite, un minimilieu. Mais il faut quand même tirer la sonnette d'alarme car toute jeunesse setrouve exposée à des modes de vie et à des comportements qui n'ont rien à voir avec les réalités africaines". C'est pourquoi, d'après lui, les télévisions du Sud doivent développer des initiatives pour retenir leur public tout en évitant l'aliénation. "Et pour cela, dit-il, la télé doit puiser dans les traditions, procéder à la sauvegarde du patrimoine culturel en revalorisant la musique, les contes, les légendes... Le CITREF pour sa part apporte une modeste contribution en aidant les télévisions du Sud à réaliser des séries harmonisées sur l'habitat, les instruments de musique, les contes et légendes et bientôt sur les musées et l'archéologie".
Gérard Sapey a axé son intervention sur le rôle de la radio suisse romande qui vise en premier lieu à une libre formation de la libre opinion, à une compréhension, à des valeurs culturelles, à stimuler la création, à instruire et à divertir.
Serge Adal, président de la chaîne cryptée Canal Horizon, s'est dit très choqué par le thème des assises "français, arme de culture". "C'est à croire que la langue de Gibrane n'est pas culturelle. Que lorsque ce grand écrivain philosophe s'exprime en anglais il parle business". Pour M. Adal tout est dans la nuance. Et toute langue peut être porteuse de culture.
Il a conclu justement, à la Gibrane, en lançant cet axiome un peu zen: "Il faut savoir allier le pessimisme de l'intelligence à l'optimisme de la volonté".
Et pour rester optimiste, signalons que les congressistes traiteront aujourd'hui de "La publicité, arme de liberté", "Le dénominateur commun: le latin", "La femme et la pub" et "La pub, arme de société"...
MARTHA HRAOUI AUX "PORTES OUVERTES" DU XIIIe
Martha Hraoui a participé, au même titre que de nombreux artistes du XIIe arrondissement de Paris, à l'événement "Portes ouvertes d'ateliers, septembre 97". Cette manifestation annuelle permet au public de visiter les ateliers des artistes et d'y admirer leurs dernières créations. Là, le peintre libanais a pu présenter ses tableaux de nus et toujours les différentes créations sur le thème libanais...
(L'Orient - Le Jour)

1997 October 01

Lancement de Ailamia/Intermarkets public relations en Arabie Seoudite

De droite à gauche:Erwin Guerrovich, CEO du groupe Intermarkets.
Son Altesse le Prince Bandar Bin Saoud Bin Khaled Al Saoud,...

De droite à gauche:Erwin Guerrovich, CEO du groupe Intermarkets.
Son Altesse le Prince Bandar Bin Saoud Bin Khaled Al Saoud, président du conseil
d'administration d'Ailamia/Intermarkets. Robert Leaf, délégué par Burson-Marsteller
C'est au cours d'une conférence de presse donnée à Riyadh par Son Altesse Le Prince Bandar bin Saud bin Khaled Al Saud. président du conseil d'administration, M.Robert Leaf, délégué par Burson-Marsteller, et M.Erwin Guerrovich, CEO du Groupe Intermarkets, que l'inauguration des activités d'Ailamia/Intermarkets a été annoncée.
La compagnie est une entreprise commune entre Ailamia (51%), un compagnie séoudienne appartenant à parts égales à la "King Faisal Foundation", ARA Group International. Syahya, Saudi Hotels & Resorts Group, et Intermarkets Public Relations (49%), le plus grand groupe de relations publiques au Moyen-Orient.
La compagnie proposera aux clients, relations publiques, études de marché, promotion et marketing direct. Ailamia/lntermarkets est une filiale exclusive de Burson-Marsteller, la plus grande firme du monde de conseil stratégique et de relations publiques qui a joué un rôle actif dans l'établissement de l'entreprise commune.
Le directeur des opérations est Mike Vertigans, qui compte à son actif une longue expérience dans le domaine des relations publiques et qui a occupé le poste de directeur d'information auprès du gouvernement britannique. Mike Vertigans jouit par ailleurs d'une longue expérience dans le domaine bancaire.
Concernant le lancement, le prince Bandar Bin Saoud Bin Khaled, président directeur général d'Ailamia/Intermarkets a déclaré: "Il y aura maintenant une agence en Arabie Saoudite pouvant proposer des services globaux de relations publiques aux compagnies locales et étrangères situées dans le royaume, et aux organismes séoudiens - situés de par le Moyen-Orient, et ce à travers le réseau de relations publiques Intermarkets ainsi qu'à travers le reste du monde avec Burson-Marsteller. De surcroît, nous allons bénéficier des programmes de formation et des données informatiques mondiales de Burson-Marsteller."

Ferdinand de Bakker, président directeur général de Burson-Marsteller (Europe), a pour sa part déclaré: "Cette démarche importante reflète notre engagement vis-à-vis du Royaume. Ayant travaillé pendant 12 ans pour SABIC (Saudi Arabian Basic Industries Corporation), nous comprenons le pays et percevons l'excellent potentiel qu'il offre aux compagnies déjà basée sur place et à celles qui prévoient de lancer de nouveaux produits ou services."
Ailamia/lntermarkets devient ainsi la troisième compagnie du Groupe Intermarkets Public Relations qui comprend également Corporate Communications à Beyrouth et Intermarkets Public Relations à Dubai. La coordination de groupe est assumée par Roger Fennings, directeur régional, basé à Dubai.

1997 October 01

Attention, ilmouillacieu

S'il est encore besoin de démontrer le mullilinguisme libanais et son attachement à la langue française, Arab Ad, en la...

S'il est encore besoin de démontrer le mullilinguisme libanais et son attachement à la langue française, Arab Ad, en la personne de son patron, Walid Azzi, en est la preuve vivante.
Dans le cadre du travail assidu du Comité Organisateur, quel plaisir c'était de voir l'éditeur d'une publication de langue anglaise, donner des heures de son temps chargé, sa collaboration constante et l'aide logistique des installations et des collaborateurs d'Arab Ad. Quel bel exemple de spontanéité que d'offrir un encart en langue française, à l'occasion du Mondial.
Ce n'est certes pa pour faire l'éloge de M. Azzi que je mentionne ces faits. Car pour moi, c'est cet esprit là qui donne tout son sens et sa valeur au Mondial.
Un esprit de fraternité nationale, se réaffirmant à l'occasion du Mondial, esprit étroitement lié à nos racines et à notre culture où le Français a joué - et continue à jouer-un rôle prépondérant.
Une fraternité nationale qui s'étend et se consolide dans cette magnifique initiative qu'est la Publicité Francophone.
Le Mondial à Beyrouth est un somptueux cadeau aux Libanais, et surtout à nos jeunes. A tous ceux qui ont rarement l'occasion de prendre part à des congrès sur la communication. Ecouter, s'imprégner de l'expérience de tous ces conférenciers internationaux est une bénédiction à la fois intellectuelle et d'ordre pratique.
Et unique en son genre, car il s'agit d'une même culture de base: la francophonie. Quelle extraordinaire expérience que de pouvoir échanger, comparer, se mesurer. Visitant Montréal, mon ami Canadien m'a dit: "Attention, ilmouillacieu". Clarification donnée, j'ai compris qu'il pleuvait. (Il mouille aux cieux...)

Erwin Guerrovich
Président du Comité National Libanais du M.P.F.

1997 October 01

Beyrouth c'est mondial

Les XIèmes assises du Mondial de la Publicité Francophone se sont tenues au Liban, signe du renouveau de notre pays...

Les XIèmes assises du Mondial de la Publicité Francophone se sont tenues au Liban, signe du renouveau de notre pays qui est redevenu, selon les propres termes de M. Patrick Beaudouin, président du Mondial, "la plaque tournante de la publicité au Moyen-Orient". Cet événement n'aurait pu avoir lieu sans les immenses efforts de M. Jean-Claude Boulos, administrateur pour le Liban du MPF, et de M. Erwin Guerrovich.

1997 October 02

par Chantal Rayess

Beaudouin situe le Mondial de Beyrouth dans son cadre historique, culturel et économique

par Chantal Rayess

Octobre 1997: après Marrakech l'an dernier, Beyrouth est l'escale des XIe assises du Mondial de la Publicité Francophone. Il faut...

Octobre 1997: après Marrakech l'an dernier, Beyrouth est l'escale des XIe assises du Mondial de la Publicité Francophone. Il faut noter a cet égard, que pour la deuxième année consécutive, le MPF - qui, traditionnellement, ne s'exporte qu'une année sur deux - se tient hors de son lieu d'origine, le Québec. En mars dernier, le conseil d'administratioh du MPF décide en effet de faire une entorse à cette tradition en acceptant la canditature du Liban pour accueillir ces XIèmes assises - candidature posée en 1995 par Jean-Claude Boulos, l'administrateur libanais. Si ce dernier a "lobbyé" comme il le dit lui-meme pour l'obtenir, c'est aussi la certitude que le Liban a enfin recouvré le calme, acquise par le jury du MPF réuni à Beyrouth en 1996, qui a motivé la decision. Un intérêt qui s'était déjà manifesté lorsque la demande d'adhésion du Liban au MPF - encore une initiative de Jean-Claude Boulos - avait rencontré l'approbation unanime du conseil d'administration.
Voila done ce qu'a déclaré d'emblée Patrick Beaudouin, au cours d'une conférence de presse qui s'est tenue mardi 30 septembre à l'hôtel Gabriel à Achrafieh. Entoure d'Erwin Guerrovich et Camille Menassa, respectivement président et vice-président du comité national du MPF ainsi que de Jean-Claude Boulos, Patrick Beaudouin a également présenté l'événement en le replacant dans son contexte historique, et en a révéle la vocation. Le MPF est un concours de publicité couplé à une série de conférences - né il y a onze ans au Québec pour resituer et promouvoir la francophonie dans un environnement anglo-saxon, à travers la pub. Le MPF, qui s'est progressivement élargi aux pays francophones d'Europe, d'Afrique noire, du Maghreb, et du Moyen-Orient avec le Liban, a vocation d'être "un pigeon voyageur porteur d'un message culturel dans un espace francophone de 180 millions d'habitants", comme le dit Patrick Beaudouin. Chaque année, pas moins de 1500 à 2000 oeuvres publicitaires y sont présentées qu'elles soient vehiculées par les médias traditionnels (télévision, radio, presse, affichage, cinéma) que par des supports marketing techniques commes le web. Il ya deux ans, le MPF s'est enrichi d'un site sur internet: www.lapub.org.: ce site met à la disposition des pays qui veulent développer leurs connaissances publicitaires, une importante banque de données. "Parce que le MPF se veut plus qu'un concours destiné à primer l'excellence, souligne Beaudouin. Il entend être une tête de pont, la cheville ouvrière pour le développement continu des possibilités d'échange d'informations, de compétences et de talents." Aujourd'hui, les négociations sont en cours pour obtenir la traduction simultanée du site en arabe, espagnol, portugais et italien - ces trois dernières langues ayant été retenues pour leur origine latine. Une manière de s'ouvrir sur le monde qui montre bien comme dit Beaudouin que "la francophonie n'est pas frileuse: elle se place résolument dans une perspective de partage". Et s'il est vrai que ce n'est qu'à partir de l'an prochain que le site commencera à contenir des offres d'emploi destinées aux publicitaires du monde francophone, déjà, l'escale Beyrouthine aura une portée économique. Elle precède d'un geste clair de la part de la communauté publicitaire de chacun des pays participants: celui de développer des emplois avec le Liban.
C'est ailleurs pourtant qu'il faut voir l'originalité de cette XIème edition du MPF, qui compte 400 participants - dont une moitié d'étrangers venus de France, de Belgique, du Canada, du Maroc, de Tunisie et de Suisse. Et pas seulement dans le caractère exceptionnel de l'événement pour le Liban qui, pour la première fois, accueille un nombre aussi important d'autorités du monde publicitaire, comme le souligne Jean - Claude Boulos. La nouveauté de la cuvée 1997 du MPF réside également dans sa dimension culturelle, qui se distingue résolument de l'approche technique qui prévalait l'an dernier à Marrakech. C'est la communauté publicitaire libanaise qui en a voulu ainsi: son choix d'une thématique différente - la publicité arme de culture - est frappant: jamais le Mondial de la publicité francophone n'a été aussi engagé. C'est Beaudouin lui-même qui le dit.
"La publicité arme de culture": c'est donc sur ce thème que s'ouvrira, jeudi 2 octobre à l'Université Saint-Esprit de Kaslik le XIème MPF. Mais les thèmes de débat de cette nouvelle édition du MPF sont bien trop riches pour en faire ici, une liste exhaustive. Voici quand même quelques-uns des plus innovants: "la publicité: dénominateur commun le latin", "l'enfant et la publicite" et "la femme et la publicité" - tous sujets qui n'avaient jamais été évoqués auparavant dans le cadre de cet événement. Il en est un cependant qui mérite une attention particulière; c'est justement la "femme et la publicité»: un sujet porteur, en regard de la présence au Liban de dix-huit communautés et presque autant de traditions concernant la femme. D'autres nouveautés viennent égallement ajouter au caractère exceptionnel de ce XIème MPF: d'abord, la présentation exclusive d'une étude, révélée il y a une semaine au Québec, sur les performances comparées de la publicité adaptée et de la production locale. Ensuite, le multimédia, cette technologie qui connaît un essor fulgurant Outre - atlantique et qui, à ce titre, fera l'objet de la session de clôture. Enfin, un concours lancé pour la première fois cette année à l'adresse des créatifs de l'espace francophone (voir encadré).
Reste la soirée de gala qui viendra clore, samedi 5 octobre, le XIème MPF: pas moins de 57 trophées seront décernées dans 14 categories.
Pour finir, notons que le concept de l'affiche publicitaire de ce XIème MPF a été conçu par l'agence de publicité libanaise Inter-régies. Son slogan est hautement évocateur: "Beyrouth, c'est mondial". Et c'est justement ce qu'il nous appartient de montrer, conclut Jean-Claude Boulos.
(LA GAZETTE DU MONDIAL)

1997 October 02

Un cadeau pour les jeunes du Liban

Onze ans de confrérie de la publicité francophone. Cette durée seule suffit à démontrer l'utilité et le succès d'un événement...

Onze ans de confrérie de la publicité francophone. Cette durée seule suffit à démontrer l'utilité et le succès d'un événement capable de promouvoir la publicité francophone à travers le monde.
Quelle merveilleuse occasion que de permettre l'échange des différentes interprétations d'une même culture de base. Force culturelle, mais aussi force économique qui resserre les liens d'affaires entre tous les professionnels de la communication d'expression française.
Le Liban, pour qui la culture et la langue française font partie de son héritage, sel devait d'être un membre à part entière del cette confrérie mondiale. Dès la création du Comité National du Mondial de la Publicité Francophone, S.E. le Président Charles Hélou lui a donné le privilège d'être son Président d'Honneur.
Le Mondial à Beyrouth est un somptueux cadeau aux Libanais, surtout à nos jeunes, et à tous ceux qui ont rarement l'occasion de prendre part à des congrès sur la communication.
Nous sommes heureux que le Liban ait été séléctionné pour organiser cet XIème Mondial et de transmettre au monde le massage d'un Liban multiculturel et multilinguiste.
Erwin Guerrovich
Programme du jeudi 2/10/1997
09H30 INAUGURTION OFFICIELLE
Mots de bienvenue de MM:
- Jean-Claude Boulos, Administrateur pour le Liban
- Erwin Guerrovich, Président du Comité National
- Patrick Beaudouin, Président du Mondial
Mot de Marcel Ndione, représentant de l'ACCT
Allocution de Xavier Gouyou-Beauchamp, Président de France Television et du CIRTEF
Allocution de S.E. M. Michel Eddé, représentant S.E. le Président Elias Hraoui
11H30 LA PUBLICITE, ARME DE CULTURE
- Jean Morin (Canada)
- Moustapha Assad (Liban)
- Hassan Esmili (Maroc)
- Modérateur: Camille Ménassa
13H00 Déjeuner au Portémilio, patronné par L'Orient-Le Jour
15H00 LE FRANCAIS, ARME DE CULTURE
- Alexandre Najjar (Liban)
- Guy Mettan (Suisse)
- Lise Bissonnette (Canada)
- Modérateur: Gébrane Tuéni
16H00 Pause-café de café Najjar
16H30 L'AUDIO-VISUEL, ARME DE CULTURE
- Adbel Kader Marzuki, secrétaire général du CIRTEF
- Gérard Sapey, directeur général de la Radio Suisse Romande
- Serge Adda, Président de Canal Horizons
- Modérateur: Pierre El Daher

20H30 Dîner folklorique sur le vieux port de Byblos, offert par le Groupe Choueiri
(La Gazette du Mondial de Publicité)

1997 October 13

Le XIème Mondial de la publicité francophone

Du 1er au 4 octobre, le Liban a vécu au rythme du XIème Mondial de la publicité francophone, placé sous...

Du 1er au 4 octobre, le Liban a vécu au rythme du XIème Mondial de la publicité francophone, placé sous le haut patronage du chef de l'Etat, M. Elias Hraoui, qui s'était fait représenter à la journée inaugurale par le ministre, S.E. Michel Eddé.
Les conférences ont eu lieu à l'amphithéâtre Jean-Paul II, à l'USEK. Après une présentation des buts poursuivis par les assises, par MM. Jean-Claude Boulos, administrateur pour le Liban; Erwin Guerrovich, président du Comité National et Patrick Baudouin, président du Mondial, la parole est donnée à S.E., le ministre Michel Eddé qui ouvre au nom du chef de l'Etat et en son nom personnel, officiellement le congrès. Cultivé, ayant du bagout, M. Mchel Eddé nous parlera de la francophonie et du Liban qui est un des pionniers des associations francophones, et ce tout en sachant garder son précieux sens de l'humour. Puis la parole est donnée aux différents conférenciers. M. Marcel Dione, vice-président de l'ACCT, nous parlera entre autres de la coopération qui lie les pays francophones et de certains résultats déjà obtenus par cette coopération, tout en rappelant que les présidents Leopold Senghor et Charles Hélou - qui s'est installé au premier rang de l'assistance - en sont les pionniers. Après une pause café, les discussions techniques ont commencé et ont duré jusqu'au soir avec une interruption pour le déjeuner. Le soir, les congressistes se sont retrouvés sur le vieux port de Byblos pour y dîner et assister à lui spectacle libanais organisé par Josiane Noujaim. La danse du Seif et Tirs a impressionné nos hôtes étrangers. La danseuse Noura nous y a donné la preuve de son talent. Le lendemain, dès 9h30, les travaux reprenaient avec les sempiternelles, pause café et déjeuner. Ce n'est que très tard le soir que le congrès était clôturé. Dans la soirée, les hôtes étrangers et uniquement eux, étaient invités par la direction du Casino du Liban à un dîner libanais offert sur la terrasse. Samedi, les congressistes ont pu visiter Baalbeck et la Béqaa, avant de se retrouver dès 20h00 à la soirée de remise des prix, retransmise en direct par Télé Liban, qui s'est déroulée à la salle des expositions de la place des Martyrs. Salwa el Katrib qu'on n'avait pas vu depuis longtemps sur scène, nous a interprété d'une façon magistrale, l'hymne libanais, en chantant (chose exceptionnelle pour être relevée) toutes ses paroles. Nous ne parlerons pas de tous les prix décernés, mais le Liban se voyait remettre trois:
Or: "Sur un arbre perché" Country Lodge de H&C Léo Burnett.
Argent: "SMS" Cellis de Inter-Régies
Bronze: "Une ville millénaire" le festival de Tyr de Publi Graphics.
Tout le congrès a été organisé de mains de maîtres et certains invités étrangers nous firent la confidence qu'ils espéraient que le lendemain, leur avion aurait du retard pour rester plus longtemps parmi nous. C'est un compliment qui nous va droit au Coeur.
(MAGAZINE)

1998 January 01

Erwin Guerrovich Chairman and CEO Intermarkets

Founder of MEMAS (Mid-East Marketing & Advertising Services) in Lebanon, in 1961, Erwin pioneered the regional development of advertising in...

Founder of MEMAS (Mid-East Marketing & Advertising Services) in Lebanon, in 1961, Erwin pioneered the regional development of advertising in the Arab peninsula area by opening his first office in Kuwait, in 1968. He merged a number of advertising agencies together with MEMAS to form Intermarkets in 1971. He became chairman of the Board and CEO since then. Intermarkets is one of the leading communication groups in the Middle East, with offices in all key markets; and has developed public relations services in affiliation with Burson-Marsteller, and marketing relationship services with Tequila/Option One.
Guerrovich is a founding member of the Lebanon Chapter of the IAA, twice president of the chapter and a former director in the world-wide IAA board. Currently he is vice-president of the Syndicate of Lebanese Advertising Agencies. He chairs or participates in various committees working on the ethics and advancement of advertising standards in the Middle East region.
(ArabAd)

1998 January 08

Intermarkets get's up close and personal

Intermarkets Advertising successfully held its second private airshow from the roof of its offices in Dubai.
Over 200 clients and friends...

Intermarkets Advertising successfully held its second private airshow from the roof of its offices in Dubai.
Over 200 clients and friends joined the Intermarkets team over the four days of the Duhai Airshow and enjoyed their own private view of the exciting air displays.
This year's hospitality theme was traditionally Arab with a Bedouin lent. Intermarkets served their guests the traditional cuisine including a buffet of cold delicacies, a Shawarma stand and Sheesha.
Ramzi Raad, Executive Vice President of the Intermarkets Group was on hand to greet guests as they arrived, alongside the Agency's team from the Dubai office. Visiting from Beirut, Erwin Guerrovich, the Group's Chairman, and Khalil Bitar, Senior Vice President - Finance and Administration, also joined in welcoming the guests.
(ArabAd)

1998 May 01

History of the Lebanese Chapter

The Lebanon Chapter of the IAA, the first in the Arab world, was founded in 1961 by Mounir Takchi, who...

The Lebanon Chapter of the IAA, the first in the Arab world, was founded in 1961 by Mounir Takchi, who at the time was director of Advision. The founding committee started immediately recruiting members and organised a number of functions to promote the industry.

Presidents of the Executive Committee:
Mounir Takchi - 1961
Fouad Pharaon - 1963
Samir Fares - 1965
Jean Rizk - 1969
Roby Arab - 1974
Erwin Guerrovich - 1976
Camille Menassah - 1980
Mustapha Assad - 1984
Jean Claude Boulos - 1986, 1991, 1993
Walid Azzi - 1988
Ramsay Najjar - 1995
Ibrahim Tabet - 1997
(ArabAd)

1999 December 30

Publicitaires francophones

La première assemblée générale de l'Association des publicitaires francophones (APF) au Liban a réuni début décembre une trentaine de dirigeants...

La première assemblée générale de l'Association des publicitaires francophones (APF) au Liban a réuni début décembre une trentaine de dirigeants représentant les principaux médias (dont Le Commerce du Levant), régies et agences de publicité francophones. Le nouvel administrateur pour le Liban, Ibrahim Tabet, a présenté les objectifs et le plan d'action de l'Association. Le point d'orgue de ce plan sera le lancement d'une campagne de promotion de la francophonie à l'occasion du prochain sommet de la francophonie qui se tiendra à Beyrouth en 2001. L'APF entend également unir ses efforts au Forum francophone des affaires (FFA) pour apporter sa contribution au succès de ce sommet et saisir cette occasion pour promouvoir le savoir-faire libanais. La priorité de l'Association est de défendre l'utilisation du français qui décline, dans le secteur de la publicité, face à l'anglais. Par ailleurs, dans un souci de défendre la langue française, l'APF organise le concours du Mondial de la publicité francophone dont la cérémonie de remise des prix aura lieu en l'an 2000 à Paris. Ceci valorisera, du même coup, la créativité libanaise.

2000 January 01

Clarification

Dear Sir,
Owing to being largely on travel in the past weeks, it is only now that I have seen the...

Dear Sir,
Owing to being largely on travel in the past weeks, it is only now that I have seen the feature on Bahrain advertising in the January issued of ArabAd.
As one of the key pioneers of Middle East advertising and first-hand witness, allow me to add some elements - especially that Intermarkets is mentioned in a context that needs to be historically clarified.
As MEMAS (Mid-East Marketing & Advertising Services), prior to the merger with Hima in 1971 to form Intermarkets, we opened our first Middle East office in Kuwait in 1968, thus starting the advertising pioneering of the area.
At that time, Kuwait was the leading sophisticated business centre and Bahrain, the relaxed lifestyle hub. We opened our second office in Bahrain in I973.
Our regional coordinator in charge of Middle East development was then Nabil Nahas. He is the one that organised our basic structure in this market and led Edmond Moutran's first steps. Edmund Moutran had freshly joined our Beirut headquarter with a view of managing our Bahrain office. From 1971 to 1975 Edmond contributed greatly to servicing clients on the UAE and Saudi Arabia together with Ramzi Raad.
In 1975 due to the continuous insecurity in Lebanon, we decided to transfer our Corporate Headquarter from Beirut lo Bahrain. As Vice-President on International, in charge of coordinating regional accounts, Samir Fares moved to Bahrain as avant-garde, followed a few weeks later by over 30 staff and senior management.
Al that lime, I recall that on my arrival to Bahrain, Edmund and I were invited to a meeting at the Ministry of Information. "The government of Bahrain," said our interlocutor, "welcomes new and big companies. We trust that with your bigger means you will not fight our local agencies." Our answer was that our vocation was to service our international clients and bung our modest know-how to develop advertising standards.
We have kept our promise, not only in Kuwait and Bahrain, but throughout in Dubai and Saudi Arabia, that were the next links in the Intermarkets Gulf area network.

Best regards,
Erwin Guerrovich
Chairman Emeritus
Intermarkets Group

(ArabAd)

2000 September 22

La langue française à travers la publicité

La guerre moderne des langues
Pour limiter les effets de la langue anglaise à travers le monde, des associations se créent...

La guerre moderne des langues
Pour limiter les effets de la langue anglaise à travers le monde, des associations se créent partout, dont l'Association des publicitaires francophones. Celle-ci multiplie les campagnes en faveur d'une reprise de la langue française par les instances de la communication.
La dernière politique mise au point par l'Association des publicitaires francophones (APF) réside dans une stratégie à long terme alliant marketing et relations publiques. Cette stratégie vise à promouvoir les publicités en français que produisent surtout les sociétés des hommes d'affaires de cette association. Sans pour autant oublier que les plus modernes outils d'une langue sont les médias.
La french touch
La french touch désignait à l'origine la musique électronique française qui a connu un essor incroyable au début des années 90. Il concerne maintenant une large palette d'activités créatives et artistiques et se caractérise par un fourmillement d'influences, à l'image du métissage culturel et de la diversité de la population française. Au-delà d'un concours publicitaire, le Mondial 2000 à Paris sera un événement culturel de grande envergure pour exposer l'esprit créatif francophone. Des ateliers, des conférences et des expositions qui se tiendront du 14 au 17 novembre prochain seront un lieu privilégié de rencontres entre publicitaires et créateurs venus d'horizons aussi différents que la mode, la gastronomie, le design, l'architecture, la musique, le cinéma, la vidéo... Sans oublier la place accordée aux publicitaires et aux créateurs des autres pays francophones. Voici comment montrer que la France et les pays francophones n'ont aucun complexe vis-à-vis de la mondialisation et sont à la pointe de l'innovation dans le domaine de nouvelles technologies de la communication. Qui n'a pas remarqué la série de publicités en faveur de la communication médiatique en français qui apparaît depuis quelque temps dans les quotidiens, hebdomadaires et mensuels francophones au Liban? Le camembert représentant le faible taux de publicités francophones par rapport à la pénétration réelle de la langue française... ou la publicité de la femme qui se fait surprendre avec son amant et s'exclame en anglais: "God, my husband!" au lieu de l'expression très connue: "Ciel, mon mari!" De quoi opter définitivement pour la langue extrêmement imagée qu'est le français! "Sur le plan libanais, l'identité culturelle plurielle (dont la francophonie) est un trait fondamental. Cette identité doit faire face aujourd'hui à la menace de mondialisation entre autres", explique Ibrahim Tabet, l'administrateur du comité du Liban. L'APF Liban regroupe les agences de publicité, les médias, les annonceurs, les sociétés d'étude et de production et les universitaires concernés par la communication francophone au Liban. Sa mission principale est de promouvoir la communication publicitaire en contribuant aussi au sommet de la francophonie au Liban par des activités diverses, mais surtout en publiant un ouvrage sur le Liban, pôle de la langue française au Moyen-Orient. Alors qu'il est naturel de s'adresser à un Wallon en français, au Liban, la question se pose vraiment: quelle langue pour quel type de produit ou de public? Les langues française et arabe doivent défendre aujourd'hui le même combat pour une identité culturelle plurielle et contre l'anglais, langue des affaires il est vrai, mais moteur d'une culture qui, en s'internationalisant, s'appauvrit.
Septembre Mars Janvier
Langue de lecture 1996 1998 2000

Base population
adulte totale (15+)
Arabe 83,7% 78,3% 82,5%
Français 19,4% 21,5% 26,3%
Anglais 6,5% 9,6% 12,5%

Base classes A et B
Français 41,6% 41,5% 46%
Anglais 16% 20,7% 12,6%
(L'HEBDO MAGAZINE)

2001 April 01

by Walid Azzi

Good-bye old friend

by Walid Azzi

Sadly, the Lebanese and Arab advertising industry lost one of its genuine pioneers this month. Erwin Guerrovich was not only...

Sadly, the Lebanese and Arab advertising industry lost one of its genuine pioneers this month. Erwin Guerrovich was not only a great adman, strategical genius and co-founder of historically one of the most successful advertising agencies in the country (Intermarkets), he was also a visionary: anticipating globalisation ten years before the term was even heard of, opening up to the region whilst others were still coming to grips with what advertising was, and initiating almost every major multinational presence in the country, and the region, today.
In every sense of the word, Erwin Guerrovich was a prince. Be it in terms of character, integrity, loyalty, know-how, and relationships with colleagues, media, and other agencies, he was a royal example. He was also a good friend, and a great listener and counsellor. Erwin was a great advocate for professional advertising. He set high standards when there were still none. He was an example to all who wished to achieve, and maintained the ethical conduct he believed in so fiercely.
Not only co-founder of Intermarkets, Erwin was also chairman since its inception. In this capacity, he created and successfully positioned a 'school of thought' which insisted on high professionalism, strong client relationships and brand building. These are pretty obvious, well-used words in the industry today, and again, this is thanks to him.
In fact, many of the high powered executives and giants of advertising in the region started with Intermarkets. His clear, pure philosophies have, in one way or another, been imitated, evolved and adopted in the region.
Erwin had very broad and deep international relationships. He acted as correspondent for a number of years for various international agencies. Throughout his advertising career, he worked extensively with them, introducing them to the country, and ultimately the region, and more importantly encouraging them to invest in it.
In various instances over the years, he was approached for equity in Intermarkets by Lintas, BBDO, Leo Burnett, Ogilvy & Mather, Young & Rubicam, J. Walter Thompson, and TBWA, to name a few. In all cases, things did not work out. At the time, he said that all these offers were not answering the objectives of the company, which were: A true commitment to the region - as opposed to coming to the area because of a client requirement, or to put a sign on the door; support of international know-how towards better professionalism; and a chance to be really part of the international community, hence providing greater scope to their own executives who he strongly considered the "breed with potential for international responsibilities".
Ironically, many of those executives whose interests he strove to protect by refusing to budge on his ethics, did prove him right by going on to form relationships with these multinationals and become international players themselves.
I mention this multinational situation because it is so Guerrovich. The decisions he made regarding them are becoming prophetic. It is only very recently that the industry is coming to terms with how unity is going to be the one and only solution to save the industry from complete destruction, if it is not already too late.
ArabAd would like to take this opportunity to say thanks to Erwin Guerrovich. For seeing long before others the dangers and pitfalls of selling ourselves short and slowly dissolving our entity. For positively influencing all who had the chance to work with him. For offering good advice and direction.
But mostly for being a friend. A princely friend.
A profile
Erwin Ladislas Guerrovich (1936 -2001)
Advertising executive, son of Ladislas Guerrovich (General Manager of Company) and Marie-Germaine Caporal.
Married on 15 December 1965 to Miss Viviane Brenas, two children: Yan and Stephanie.
Education: Lebanon, College de la Salle, College du Sacré Coeur, Davies School (London).
Diplomas: French Baccalaureate, English Lower Certificate, Proficiency of Cambridge.
Career: Assistant Pharmaceutical Promotion Khalil Fallal & Fils (1957-58); Advertising Department, Khalil Fils(1958-61); Director of Marketing & Advertising Services (1961 -67); then Chairman and Managing Director (1968-70); Co-founder of Intermarkets S.A.L. and Chairman. Managing Director of this company since its inception; Co-founder in Bahrain of Burson Marstellar Intermarkets (1979);
Member: International Advertising Association
(ArabAd)