Should agencies advertise the joys of Saudi Arabia, ruled by contentious Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), home to public executions, responsible for dismembering a troublesome journalist (officially a ‘mistake’) and much disastrous meddling in the horn of Africa?
Money talks of course and Saudi has more of it than anyone else, chiefly via the giant Aramco oil producer. And everyone else takes their money, after all.
Here we have BETC Paris (owner Havas is no stranger to controversy with its Shell account) for Saudi Tourism. It’s a big place so plenty of room for BETC to skirt around the “issues.” With a female perspective, natch.
“A few months ago, Saudi Tourism opened the door of its country and we decided to walk through it. Since then, it has been a profound journey. We discovered more than a destination, we discovered l’Arabie” says BETC president Bertille Toledano in a release, among much praise for his excellency this and that (Saudi has a lot of them.)
Beautifully done, as you’d expect, but makes you a bit uneasy.
MAA creative scale: 4.
I’ll drink to that… Oooops!!!