"This Is Egypt" campaign ditched

[newcastle]

Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism will not be renewing a multi-million dollar contract with global advertising agency J. Walter Thompson, reported Enterprise on Thursday citing government sources.

According to Enterprise, the Egyptian government will not be renewing the $US 66 million contract with JWT, which is set to expire on 17 September 2018.

Instead, the Tourism Promotion Authority, an Egyptian government department, will be signing an agreement with local advertising agency Synergy Advertising.

No explanation was provided to Enterprise as to why JWT, which was behind the #ThisIsEgypt campaign, has been abandoned. However, Enterprise reports that there had been tensions over the past year between the Egyptian government and JWT over payment.

The #ThisIsEgypt campaign by JWT won a number of global awards and the hashtag continues to be widely used.

JWT, which boasts more than 200 offices worldwide, was responsible for promoting tourism to Egypt across 27 tourism markets around the world.

Synergy, however, does not have the global reach of JWT. Not much is known about Synergy apart from the fact that it is owned by the Egyptian Media Group and has both an advertising arm (‘Synergy Advertising’) and a film production arm (‘Synergy Production’).

Synergy Production is a mammoth in the film industry and was founded by Tamer Morsi, who is currently the Egyptian Media Group. Synergy Production is very well known and reputable in the film industry.

According to the Egyptian Media Group’s website, Synergy Advertising is only a few years old and offers a range of advertising services. Unfortunately, Synergy Advertising’s website appears broken or non-existent, and therefore it is difficult to find a portfolio of their work.

https://egyptianstreets.com/2018/09/13/ ... sm-report/

Reading between the lines.....I guess JWT were deemed too expensive.

The fact that the tourism minister has gone for a cheaper nonentity with a broken/non-existent website speaks volumes.

[Who2]

JWT the Yankee company that made Coca Cola & Pepsi a worldwide household name + fat kids....
Perhaps Egypt was just a step to far................
be honest!

[Major Thom]

A lot of advertising was done by this Company on US TV Stations and the US people at one time flooded the stations with complaints about human rights etc. CNN World Weather for one was sponsored by Egyptian Tourism. I have family in the US who told me a long time ago how people were upset about this advertising in the US, especially following the Twin Towers incident, where the terrorist flying one of the planes came from Egypt, Mohamed Attar....

Just in case you don't know Trump is considering cutting aid to Egypt at the moment by 50%, citing the aid money is not going on what it should.

[newcastle]

Just in case you don't know Trump is considering cutting aid to Egypt at the moment by 50%, citing the aid money is not going on what it should.

What's your source for that "information"

The US recently released embargoed military aid so I assume you're referring to the relatively modest non-military aid budget?

[Hafiz]

Who2 you are right about liver. kidney and sugar problems. Diseases Egypt loves well and leads the world in.

What you miss is that flying Hawass around in 1st class was a big part of their mad campaign. Another big part of it was ignoring the two biggest growth markets - India and China. J Walter failed but the Supreme Touristes who selected their mad campaign revealed themselves in the choice - they are idiots. Their next choice is unlikely to be any better than their last - small 'gift' suitcases excepted.

Heroin addicts or the intellectually disabled will always make the wrong decision.

Its simple. Tourism is essential to Egypt but the government can't even choose a sensible company to do an effective job to make the country money.

At the same time the Supreme Touristes have 200-500 overseas staff based in Embassy's and consulates promoting tourism - doing nothing. Of course they are all the lazy sons of insiders whose last enterprising idea was 100 years ago. Nearly all are based in elegant locations - not in India or China or anywhere where money is to be made with hard work. The flights from these locations is unbelievably small - entirely a government decision.

Australia is the end of the earth, expensive to get to, expensive to travel in. We gross 5+ times Egypt with tourists spending 6-7 times the Egypt amount per day. A lot of Chinese and India's No1 overseas destination - lucky us, polite people who aren't drunks. This is on a population 1/4 Egypt so you need to multiply the gross to 20 times to get a measure of the impact. Of course we could have gone for 20 million cheap beach tourists a year - and been poor as a result - but we didn't.

We don't want tourists we want their money - lots of it.

I've looked at the tourist marketing campaigns of others and will try and post when I get time.

[Hafiz]

I missed something.

The Egyptian Media Group is owned by a so-called venture capital firm called Eagle Capital which is run by a former and failed Minister Dalia Khorshid who is the wife of the very, very dubious Governor of the Central Bank Tarek Amer. She has no relevant skills except boot licking and winning skills in that very competitive race for the worst living example of a botched Cairo facelift.



Eagle Capital is owned by Military Intelligence who have been on a buying spree in the last 18 months in buying TV stations, advertising and marketing companies and film/TV production companies. We are talking about huge amounts the source of which is a state secret as is my mentioning that they own it. Any attacks or criticisms of it or indeed any commercial disputes with it are subject to military law. It is exempt from all broadcasting laws and all corporate and competition laws.https://www.madamasr.com/en/2017/12/21/ ... elligence/

Any profits are tax free as are land taxes. Inputs to it are VAT free. Overseas purchases of film equipment are tariff free. Unions are illegal. Whether civilians working for a military enterprise are tax free I'm not sure.

With some of what they now own they previously had stooges as fronts - like the flake Hashima (source of wealth unknown) who has a barely concealed infatuation with a Portuguese soccer player and a rather disastrous and short-lived private life with a Lebanese bimbo. I think tossing Hashima out was a clear statement that they wanted the normal - complete and absolute control. These people aren't good delegators. There are other but hard to confirm reports of several years of astounding military presence in uniforms in a number of media work places. One assumes as a form of intimidation/we are in power not you.

Its fair to assume that the old ways - threats, inducements, money, seizures, charges and the rest on the owners and workers in the media weren't working so they have moved to a new stage the effects of which seem pretty clear. Detailed, total control, no criticism and get rid of dissidents. It might work for a while - if Military Intelligence have any skills. On the other hand the Military has never lacked 'intellectual', upper and upper middle class 'collaborators' in any of its ventures.

The lack of western comment on this development is astounding.

I had intended to post on this general spend up and maybe will do in the next week.