Advertising in Saudi Arabia (page 3 of 3)

There are certain cultural restrictions, but depending on the message and the way it is framed, it is a more liberal market than one might think."

One of the most influential foreigners in Saudi advertising is Bill McCune, originally from Belfast, who is creative director at Promoaction DDB - widely regarded as one the country's most creative outfits.

He comments: "It's true that this market is very different from Lebanon, for example, where the outlook is quite European. This is an Islamic culture, and it is important to bear that in mind. Even though people from many countries live here, our target market is predominantly Arab and we respect certain traditions."

In fact, McCune believes that advertising in Saudi Arabia is still too Western in tone. "I think our anxiousness to do the right thing makes us cautious," he says. "I would like us to understand the culture to such an extent that we can play with it, use double meanings and irony. At the moment it's still a pretty straightforward sell."

McCune has detected an improvement over the past few years. "As more Arab people enter the industry, the ads are evolving - more jokes are making it in, they seem less forced. There has also been a change in the way the ads are made. Previously the entire crew would be foreign, and the ad may have even been shot in Europe.

Although we still can't shoot in the kingdom, due to the red tape involved, there are good production facilities in Dubai and Beirut, and we have access to local talent. This has made our work more convincing."

Both executives agree that the rise of satellite television has made advertising more liberal, and yet at the same time more fragmented. Soubra says: "The strongest channel remains Saudi-owned MBC, but stations like Orbit and Showtime from Lebanon are also popular, and they show unrestricted, uncensored, Western-style programming. In fact, the average viewer has access to between 30-50 channels from all over the world. This has made it harder to target the Saudi viewer efficiently."

McCune says that while his agency buys slots on unrestricted foreign channels, this has not tempted him to break unwritten cultural rules. "Whatever programs the channels are showing," he says, "our target audience is still predominantly Muslim and we respect that."
One of the things the Irishman says that he likes about Saudi Arabia is that he is constantly learning.

"The longer you stay, the more you discover," he says. "I have been in this business for many years, but working here has rejuvenated my career. Now I am looking forward to passing on my wisdom to a new generation - a local generation."