Dubai: With its unrivalled status as a career of choice, advertising has never found it difficult to rope in the bright, young ones. And it is very much the case in the UAE’s ad industry, with the ranks of the big and small agencies manned by twentysomethings, seemingly more so than is the case in many other sectors.
But the president of the UAE Chapter of the International Advertising Association (IAA) is not quite satisfied with the status quo. Hani Gorayeb wants to catch them younger still, so much so it has become one of the key initiatives for the board of directors that he heads.
“We are planning to reach out to the universities in the UAE and work on ways to convince students to take on advertising as their career choice,” said Gorayeb.
“The next generation of advertisers have to come out of these places, and that’s what IAA has prioritised. Curriculum and tailored courses — such as those for digital marketing — have to be created that directly address the needs of the ad industry in what it wants from new recruits,” Gorayeb said.
“Within our region, Lebanon has already done it and it’s time the UAE’s academic scene followed suit. That’s also the only way the industry can attract young UAE nationals, who now make up way below 5 per cent of the overall workforce in advertising and related services. We are losing out on talent and that has to stop.”
The IAA is not conceiving its plan of action from scratch. The spadework of the strategy has already been done, via an extensive survey that was conducted among young industry professionals earlier in the year.
In the ‘Truth and Dare’ survey, a sizeable 38 per cent identified the need for “leadership summits for youth by industry leaders and innovators”, while 40 per cent suggested that scholarships were needed to nurture raw talent and “help youth go beyond their day-to-day”.
In keeping with the generational shift that the respondents represented, 19 per cent wanted the industry to promote “innovation/time-off days so people can go away and come back with ideas”. And 43 per cent made the call to “make the industry more truthful and promote ethical practices”.
IAA’s been listening in to what the young want. At the recent Dubai Lynx forum, there was a dedicated session for the ‘Young Guns’. A competition is on — ‘YOUth Roar’ — to pick four young creative individuals who then get to fly out to Cannes in June for a key industry summit.
A ‘shadow board’ made up of young professionals has also been set up to assist the senior board on projects and, where needed, come up with recommendations.
“The current IAA UAE board of directors will serve a two-year term, and it’s my belief that we can make concrete progress on achieving our youth-focused agenda,” Gorayeb said.
“For a vibrant industry, and more so in the case of advertising, the youth have to have [their] own voice. They have to be seen and heard. We are making that happen.”
