IAS AR 2004 - Institute of Advertising Singapore

S i n g a p o r e A d v e r t i s i n g L e c t u r e 2 0 0 4
Rageh Omaar
Accidental War Correspondent
His name translates to ‘one who
comes late’ but Rageh Omaar
was right on time to deliver his
talk on ‘Marketing Risks in An
Age of Terror” at the Ritz Carlton
Millenia Hotel on 29 th April.
Organised by The Institute of Advertising,
Singapore, BBC’s Man in Baghdad presented the
living reality of dicing with (and defying) death
daily as he reported news bulletins and filed
dispatches daily from his hotel rooftop, his
steadfast courage, calm delivery and boyish good
looks earning him a worldwide fan club of
admirers. The New York Post dubbed the British
citizen “SCUD STUD”, especially after his success
with his two book deals, but the 36-year old is
unfazed. He prefers to leads a quiet life in London
with his Occupational Therapist wife, Nina and
their two young children.
“Living dangerously is exciting, terrifying,
compelling, but it’s made me a better journalist.”
He insists he’s not a war correspondent and
never set out to be one, but just grew into it
because he was already familiar with the
territory within the war zone and was
regarded as an expert on Iraq, having
reported on the scene there for six
years.
Among his darkest memories, he
recalls many days of terror filled with
uncertainty. “I was less than half an
hour away from the centre of the action
– in fact, strong blasts of explosions vibrated
throughout the 18 storey hotel where I was staying.
The reality of it all is that however careful you
are, however good or strong the support system is,
luck does run out at some point. Three of my
colleagues died on 7 th April and yet the rest
survived. Many awful things I saw up till May
last year made me terribly angry, but I had to
walk away. I try and see beyond those terrible
images, visualise the bigger picture – that the
world is changing everyday.”
After 8 to 9 years covering the war scene,
he doesn’t attempt to hide or bury those painful
images anymore, just accepts that it’s happened.
Almost as a form of therapy, he penned his
deepest feelings, thoughts and memories of
war-torn Iraq in his first book, Revolution Day,
based on extracts faithfully recorded in diaries
he kept while in Iraq.
Published in March, his epilogue reads,
“Anything less than a thoughtful and determined
course of action for a new Iraq will mean that the
legacy of Saddam Hussein’s brutal dictatorship wil
linger for many years to come.”
He is not optimistic about Iraq’s future, as
his Iraqi friends tell him that they worry about
the general chaos and spate of kidnappings
post-Saddam’s regime. He himself hopes to
return to Iraq soon (by the end of summer)
but admits he’s rather nervous at facing the
post-war chaos he expects to be confronted
with. He’d rather be in less volatile and more
peaceful surroundings, like within the four
walls of his West London terrace house
watching his two young children grow up, and
putting the finishing touches to his second
book, tracing his Somalian and East African
roots.
The Singapore Advertising Lecture and Gala Dinner 2004
“President’s Opening Address” delivered by James Yip
“Why a lecture
Shouldn’t industry
gatherings like this be
about recognition…..of
great talent, great work,
of effectiveness and
creativity”
Immediate Past
President IAS
James Yip addresses
the issue as he
eloquently delivers the
President’s Opening
Address at the 5th
annual Singapore
Advertising Lecture
2004
Advertising industry professionals, IAS
Charter Members, IAA Singapore Chapter
Members, the IAS Council and all
Members,Commercial Sponsors, Guests, Friends,
Ladies and Gentlemen…it gives me great pleasure
to wish you a very warm welcome to this….. “The
Singapore Advertising Lecture 2004”
Tonight is a highlight in the annual
advertising industry calendar. Launched in 2000,
this is the 5 th such annual Advertising Lecture.
Tonight’s event celebrates the commitment,
the collaboration and the collective spirit of the
advertising industry here in Singapore. Judging
by the quality of those attending tonight,
representing all elements and specializations of our
profession,it is clear our industry is quickly
maturing and gaining momentum.
You may be asking “Why a lecture”
“Shouldn’t industry gatherings like this be
about recognition…..of great talent, great work,
of effectiveness and creativity”
The truth is the advertising industry already
has plenty of awards.
Some say, we should spend more time
thinking & planning ahead to improve the quality
of business, consumer & strategic insights, rather
than celebrating victories of what David Ogilvy
described as “The slippery surface of irrelevance
brilliance”!
Importantly we all need INSPIRATION and
STIMULATION. This is the singular aim of the
annual IAS Advertising Lecture. And as many may
admit, the best sources of INSPIRATION are
often found outside of one’s own area of
specialization.
Some criticize the advertising industry as
being overly parochial, obsessed with creativity
and out of touch with commercial reality!
Tonight is very tangible evidence that the
Singapore “ad industry” the Institute of
Advertising Singapore, its Charter Members
and the IAA - Singapore Chapter, are all
seriously focused on today’s hard realities.
Clearly all of you who decided to attend this
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