Advertising Business

Plagiarism in the Middle East on the rise

Sat, 2007-06-09 22:51 - By

Advertising Business, Advertising, Creativity, Farrukh Naeem, Plagirism

Farrukh Naeem writes: We the creative people in advertising – the creative directors, copywriters, art directors, graphic designers – take great pride in producing original ideas. At least that’s what we claim.

Then we see from amongst us, creatives being caught for copying not just a treatment or idea but entire sentences, phrases, tag lines, layouts with the fonts and visuals. The lack of self respect when one simply lifts someone else’s concept and execution is one of the reasons why we the advertising people have earned ourselves the notoriety of being in one of the least respected professions in the world. We have brought this upon us. Some of us just can’t help lifting stuff from advertising awards books. I have seen it happening so much, it has almost become an industry norm. Sad.

I remember one creative who kept the awards book he copied from, safely tucked in his drawer. So that no one will ever know where his ‘inspiration’ came from. His best idea was traced back to that book in his drawer. Perhaps it’s the pressure of winning awards. Perhaps it’s the lack of confidence in some people about creating something world class with their own mind.

This post is about an unethical and unflattering practice that I feel does disservice to our advertising profession. It’s about two buttons on our keyboard - ‘Ctrl’ and ‘C’. Let’s not use them too much.

Have you met people in the profession who say it’s cool to copy as long as one doesn’t get caught? Have your ideas and ads been lifted by other creatives who don’t have what it takes, but are faking it?

If you are a brand manager or marketer, would you hire a self-professed ‘global creative director’ who’s been caught stealing ideas from others and passing them as his own?

Social network advertising in the MENA region to grow by 34%

Thu, 2012-02-09 11:36 - By

editor

Advertising Business, Advertising News, Analysis, Digital Media, Report, Research, Advertising, Media, 34%, Centre for International Media Assistance, grow, Leo Burnett, MENA, Raja Trad, Social network advertising

According to experts at the Digital Media Forum, social network advertising is expected to grow by 34% in the MENA region in the coming years. A study by the Centre for International Media Assistance (CIMA) has also revealed that about 100 million Arabs are expected to be online by 2015, and Arabs under the age of 29 will represent 75% of Facebook users in the region. “Today one can reach a global audience with the click of a button. The advent of digital technologies is providing a wealth of opportunities in consumer choice and this will drive innovation in technology,” said Raja Trad, CEO of Leo Burnett Group.

Facebook and Twitter struggle with mobile ad challenge

Wed, 2012-02-08 16:35 - By

editor

Advertising Business, Advertising News, Digital Media, Media Business, Advertising, Media, Facebook, Initial Public Offering, IPO, MediaPost News, Mobile Ads, Twitter

Facebook’s IPO filing has diverted attention to its lack of mobile advertising, despite the social network boasting a mobile audience of 425 million, which is almost half its total user base. Facebook will now scramble to launch its mobile ad business before going public this spring, while Twitter could find itself in a similar situation if it decides to go public a year from now.

Facebook ads growing at faster pace than search marketing

Tue, 2012-02-07 07:54 - By

editor

Advertising Business, Advertising News, Analysis, Digital Media, Media Business, Report, Research, Media, budgets, Facebook, Facebook Ads, MediaPost, Search Marketing

According to Kenshoo Social, budgets for advertising on Facebook continue to grow at a faster rate than paid search. Analysis of more than 100 billion ads served on Facebook worldwide through Kenshoo Social found digital marketing agency's clients spent 109% more on Facebook in the fourth quarter of 2011 compared with the prior quarter.

However, researchers are left wondering whether budgets for Facebook are growing faster because companies want to join the social media trend, or whether marketers have actually figured out how to calculate ROI from Facebook campaigns.

Viacom profits drop 65% due to weak ad sales

Mon, 2012-02-06 11:08 - By

editor

Advertising Business, Advertising News, Announcement, Media Business, Media, profit drops, The Los Angeles Times, Viacom, weak ad sales

Viacom's profits plummeted 65% in the fourth quarter due to lower advertising sales at its cable television networks. The media company depends almost entirely on its cable channels, including MTV, Nickelodeon, BET, VH1 and Comedy Central, for its income.

A second blow to Viacom's earnings came from a $383-million payment to former shareholders of Harmonix Music Systems, the company behind the Rock Band video game franchise. Viacom has had a long-running legal dispute with the company after a failed attempt to get into the video game business.

77% of CMOs unsure where to reach consumers

Sun, 2012-02-05 07:49 - By

editor

Advertising Business, Analysis, Digital Media, Report, Research, Media, CMO's aren’t sure where to reach customers, Facebook, Marketing Capabilities for the Digital Age, MediaPost, study by The Boston Consulting Group, Twitter

According to a study by The Boston Consulting Group, 77% of CMO's aren’t sure where to reach their customers. The study entitled “Marketing Capabilities for the Digital Age,” questioned marketing executives at 31 major corporations in Asia, Europe, Latin America and the U.S., and found that 96% use Facebook and use 83% Twitter. However, 55% said they have only “minimal or informal metrics to measure the impact and return on investment of digital marketing efforts.”

Research In Motion launches 'Be Bold' campaign

Sat, 2012-02-04 14:37 - By

editor

Advertising Business, Advertising News, Announcement, Electronics & Technology, Media, Be Bold, Blackberry Blog, ITProPortal, launch, Research In Motion, The Bold Team

Research in Motion has introduced a group of superhero characters called 'The Bold Team' as part of their new advertising campaign. The characters are Gogo Girl (the Achiever), Max Stone (the Adventurer), Justin Steele (the Advocate) and Trudy Foreal (the Authentic), all of whom appeared on the company's BlackBerry Blog last week. The campaign is all part of Blackberry's plan to 'reposition and fortify the image of the company in the minds of the users'.

Microsoft Advertising launches ad contest that highlights its consumer channels

Wed, 2012-02-01 09:52 - By

editor

Advertising Business, Advertising News, Digital Media, Advertising, Media, marketingvox.com, Microsoft Advertising

Microsoft Advertising is launching a global digital advertising contest that will highlight the company’s diverse consumer channels. The company is inviting marketers from 30 countries to submit a digital media plan for a brand, using Microsoft Advertising technology such as MSN, Mobile, Windows Live, Xbox, and Messenger. The winners will get a trip to the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity 2012.

Saudi Arabia accounts for 45% of Gulf ad spend

Mon, 2012-01-30 16:33 - By

editor

Advertising Business, Advertising News, Interview & Opinion, Advertising, Abdul Rahman Al-Hazaa, gulf advertising market, RapidTVNews, Saudi Arabia

According to the Saudi Arabia's Undersecretary for Information Abdul Rahman Al-Hazaa, the kingdom accounts for 45% of the advertising market in the Gulf, which is now worth S$2.2 billion in total. "I expect that the Kingdom will soon rank 43 in the global advertising market, with a total volume of over $2 billion," said Sami Raffoul, founder of the Pan Arab Research Centre.

Local mobile advertising in the US to reach $24 billion by 2016

Mon, 2012-01-30 10:26 - By

editor

Advertising Business, Advertising News, Analysis, Report, Research, Advertising, Media, $24 billion, 2016, Gordon Borrell, Local mobile advertising, MediaPost Mobile Summit

According to media guru Gordon Borrell, local mobile advertising is set for steep growth as budgets are allocated to mobile advertising. While speaking at the MediaPost Mobile Summit, Borrell said desktop ad budgets will shift to mobile in the next five years, propelling U.S. local mobile ad revenue to increase from about $2 billion this year to about $24 billion by 2016. Borell estimates that 88% of all local online advertising will be delivered on a mobile device.

According to Borrell, that growth will come directly at the expense of the desktop, where ad spending will decline by 76% in the next five years.