Meet the MENA Effie Thought-Leadership Program's speakers.
The pandemic has turned life and business upside down, challenged plans, and tested processes. In this context, companies need to seriously raise their game to be effective and succeed. The MENA Effie Thought-Leadership Program is your chance to Rise and Shine. Two mornings of sessions that will show you how to improve your performance and impress the Effie jury.
Leading up to the event organized by Mediaquest on May 18-19, Communicate presents a series of interviews with the speakers on what effectiveness in marketing means in 2021.
Today, meet Dewald Duplooy, Marketing Director KFC MENA at YUM. Dewald will participate in a panel discussion around "To plan or not to plan."
What has the pandemic changed in terms of marketing effectiveness?
The pandemic made it even more important to stand out, be unique, be truly original. Consumers now see through fake more than ever.
What has been a salient case of creativity and effectiveness in the last year?
Oh, quite a few actually. It's difficult to pick: Lego did some fantastic stuff on re-build the world. Expedia hit it well mid-pandemic. And State Farm, with their ESPN integration in the “Last Dance” documentary, was genius. Budweiser hit the mark on their Whassup quarantine [ad] as well. Ikea tapped into the zeitgeist nicely. All considered, I’ll pick Lego I think; they were bang on.
In a crisis, who reaps the biggest rewards and why: the brave or the cautious?
Firstly, don’t mistake simply being loud as being brave. Often that is just stupid. Or mistake seeing empathy as not brave or cautious. With that in mind… be brave, show courage. Reward lies there.
What does the new normal mean to you?
It changes daily, so don’t get used to this new normal. Today's new normal is old tomorrow. To me, it means embracing the uncomfortable and adapt…fast.
How prepared were you for the unexpected and how have you adapted to uncertainty?
Who was prepared for Covid? I want to meet that person. Luckily, where I work, freedom with responsibility is a real thing - which means fast decisions. Quick action. With little fear. The only certainty is uncertainty. Get used to being uncomfortable.
Some argue that limited budgets enhance creativity. What do you think 2021’s creative output will be like?
Hopefully, it's going to be brilliant. I have high hopes. Across the board, folks showed that, budget or no budget, they can come up with “genius.” I expect a ton of genius and I wish I did that kind of stuff.
What are the top three skills the marketer of the future will need?
Back to the future. Literally. Let me explain: 1. Be digitally savvy. Without it, you are a dinosaur. 2. Can you pause and be analytic? The original Brand Manager as invented by the “soap folks” was gone too long…diagnosis through sound logic and analytical thinking. 3. Oh…creative thinking…creative thinking that actually sells.
To attend the MENA Effie Thought-Leadership Program, book your tailored experience now.
