Why advertising in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, UAE does not have more UAE nationals…

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There’s something missing in UAE’s advertising.

Local flavour.

When was the last time you looked at an ad produced in the UAE and chuckled at the local touch in it? Never?

If a country doesn’t have its own homegrown talent in its ad agencies, how do you expect its advertising to have a uniquely local flavour? (Think Piyush Pandey of Ogilvy and street language.)

I have always felt that we need to have more and more young locals, meaning Emiratis, writing and designing ads in the UAE. If we can have a cartoon like Freej set in Satwa – why can’t we have ads celebrating UAE life?

In one of my earliest blog posts, I had a Creative Director of a large multinational company saying that UAE locals aren’t inclined towards advertising as a profession because of its overworked, underpaid culture compared to the other career options they have. That’s been the assumption in most ad circles I suspect.

But then, what if there are talented and willing Emirati youngsters eager and passionate to prove their creativity in advertising, like the rest of their global counterparts?

Should they not be given a chance? I’d say we should welcome them into agencies with open arms.

Here’s Ms UAE National (name withheld for privacy), a reader of my blog and someone really really passionate about advertising. She wrote to me about her experience as a UAE local in the local ad industry.

It was an eye opener.

And it broke my heart to see such passion not being acknowledged by the powers that be.

Here’s what she wrote:

Dear Farrukh,

I know you don’t know me, but I have been following your blog. I came across your blog when I was a student researching things on advertising here. I am probably the only national who is insane enough to be extremely passionate about advertising. (I haven’t met anyone with a similar ambition yet, and at the rate things are I am assuming I won’t for a very very long time) I don’t know why I am sending you this, but I guess I want a professional’s take on this given you’ve been in the industry for years. I would greatly appreciate your advice.

I am very frustrated because advertising has failed me. I believed in advertising more than anything. I studied it, graduated with honors, the first in my college, I love it infinitely. I landed an internship with [name of multinational agency brand] in 2007.

They were so fascinated with the fact I am a UAE national that does art direction, understands & thinks advertising and is very conceptual. The feedback I got from people there was great and it felt really like I have found my true calling. Some people even mistakenly took me for an employee.

I was the only national in the building, but I proved many stereotypes wrong. I really never wanted to leave that building. Towards the end of my internship, they offered me a job, but since I hadn’t graduated yet, I couldn’t accept it, as my university was a full-time institution.

After graduation, I contacted them again for a junior art director position, but for a while there were none.

I tried with other agencies and not a single response.

In any case, eventually I needed to accept a job. So, I worked as a graphic designer with a very prestigious multicultural real estate company.

I never stopped asking [name of multinational advertising agency in Dubai] if they had any vacancies though, kept in contact, and tried with other endless agencies. After almost two years, it seemed that the GD job wasn’t where I wanted to be and there was nothing more to learn. I resigned in hopes of finding an agency job.

I am well-aware of the economic crisis and have seen its impact first hand while in the company. However, I believed that if a man opened up an agency during the great depression, then there’s hope and miracles could happen.

Things have picked up since I was relentlessly trying last year, as we were unfolding a crisis. I have seen few openings at agencies, I have had initial responses, very few.

Only two, out of the lists I have contacted.

I filled every annoying web application and found out every possible vacancy that exists in Dubai.

However, I am afraid there’s more to it than that…

It’s not the crisis- no vacancies-no jobs excuse anymore. Obviously, they won’t be posting if they weren’t hiring. I think agencies are scared of hiring a national or worried or blinded by the negative stereotypes. Perhaps agencies assume nationals aren’t used to the hours, or the pressure, or the deadlines…or..etc.

I don’t know what it is, but it’s killing me.

Many agencies claim on their websites that they are  equal-opportunity employers, but I came to realize that if they really really were, there would be more diverse nationalities at agencies than we currently have here. People would be represented better and the quality of ideas wouldn’t be as biased and from a single source or mindset.

I know that everywhere there’s discrimination and preferences based on nationalities, or gender especially in this region. It’s unfortunate, but I believe we’re all human though.

In any case, I know it’s not the ideal time to be looking and hoping for an agency job. But, I won’t be young, willing, and able forever. I tried waiting, but it only pushed my dream further away… until someday.

I don’t appreciate those who complain about nationals not being too into this business, because now I know why even if they wanted to, it seems near impossible. I know, impossible is nothing. I majored in creative advertising because I saw a gap and hoped to be able to make a difference, I knew it wasn’t easy, but I never seemed to like easy things. I was prepared for all that the job would bring, except the fact that it would never come in the first place to bring with it anything for me to be up against.

I am at a crossroad again. I have a few offers with non-agencies for a design or a regular media job. Somewhere ordinary, doing ordinary things.

I have zero potential offers with agencies.

Those initial responses turned into deliberate ignores after I sent over my CV & portfolio. So, I am really trying to decide whether I should continue believing in advertising or abandon my dream & stop planning my life around it?

I dream of becoming a CD one day, the first national who have ever made it in ad land. I dream of achieving, teaching, and writing on all things advertising.

I don’t know why I chose to write this ridiculously long email and feel extremely idiotic, but perhaps it’s my SOS before this dream dies away with time, frustrations, and failed attempts. Maybe it’s because I don’t want to eventually be another talent the industry fails to see.

Thanks for your time.

Sincerely,

Ms UAE National

So, here’s someone challenging the notion that UAE nationals do not want to work in advertising. But who’s going to give her a chance to prove it? Your comments invited…