Saad El Zein, CEO, The Network Communication Group, on what’s the best and worst thing that can happen in 2016, and his mantra to make it through the year.
What’s the best thing that can happen in 2016?
The best thing would be to avoid what we went through in the last two quarters of 2015. It would be good if we were able to reverse the current situation, have more stability and better, wiser people around us who can focus on building the economy and growing, rather than focusing on the problems.
Even though the situation is gloomy, I am trying to be optimistic. When you’re reaching a bottleneck, there has to be an outlet, so there is some hope. We are reaching the peak of the problem in the Middle East, so it has to blow up – and I hope that it will be positive.
What’s the worst thing that can happen in 2016?
The year 2015 started on a good note and ended on a very low note. This trend is continuing in 2016, with instability and cuts in advertising and marketing budgets. People in this part of the world live on this industry. There are many graduates coming out of advertising and communications courses – or even newcomers from outside the region. Until now, in the Middle East, it was the GCC countries that were absorbing workforce. However, if the downward spiral continues in 2016, I am afraid that there won’t be any [employment] opportunities. It’s not just that we will be affected as an industry with lower revenues, income and opportunities – my real fear is that graduates and newcomers who want to come here won’t find work opportunities.
Mantra: Be positive, creative and innovative no matter what the situation around. Positivity is always looking at the glass half-full so we can be motivated and motivate those around us. Creativity is not just about the output; it’s a culture and thinking process… it’s about finding creative solutions for everything from expenses to client solutions. Innovation is not just about technology; it is about the means and ways of our industry. The ad industry is evolving very fast and if we’re not innovative in our solutions we will lose momentum and our reason for being. To sum it up, positivity is an attitude, creativity is a thinking process, and innovation is a solution.
