THE LONE RANGER (NOT)
Well wonders never cease. I fight for you the public, or at least the public with a gram of sophistication who deserve, demand and wish for better media. I dream of the day when the masses will discern the difference between absolute crap and get what you pay for. I take a lot of criticism and according to some I even take considerable risk in this warm, closed society for there still remains some of the old small time “I HATE GEG HOPKINS” brigade out there. Those very same people who in their intimidated bigotry created more and more interest in me.
When all is said and done, I do it alone……… or do I?
Good or bad – stupid or proud – let me just say that I/we have NEVER gone out to sell a single thing in our entire existence. EVERYTHING I/we have ever done has come by recommendation and we work in many countries with very little now if anything in Bahrain. However, so very many approaches never come to fruition and it is always to do with money. It is disappointing flattery, but an honour to be recognized as among the best in the first place. Yes, the phone goes regularly as someone flicks through the Yellow Pages looking for a facility. NEVER ONCE – can I remember one of those enquiries coming to anything. They are simply walk-ins ringing around for the cheapest. We never hear from them again.
IMPOTENT INCOMPETENCE:
Because of plagiarism, we deliberately took down the company web sites for now. My peers constantly try and stop me sounding off, simply because it intimidates the bundles of incompetence within the industry – strangely, that would be those who get all the jobs then? Hence the; ‘Don’t use that nasty bastard Geg Hopkins, besides he is too expensive’ retorts.
Going for the cheapest is a terminal disease – that my dear friends is the crux of the matter – ‘the cost’ – and lack of any perception of something being professional or creative. In other words; being good is pretty much irrelevant. Even if your life depended on it, such as some health issue. If you can get it cheaper………… Hence the Chinese invasion of just about everything from chocolate bourbon biscuits to huge telecom switches such as Huewai.
As I have stated before – ” Upstarts – Have computer (with pirate Windows) and Gold Wave (also pirate) or Adobe Premier (pirate) – anyone can do’ …… and to verify that, bedroom jobbies are everywhere. They too are quick to tell everyone that I am expensive and it rubs off. Amazingly, more often than not, no perception management in huge corporations hire more incompetence making them responsible for ‘image’, advertising or setting up Call Centres and so on. Of course there is talent out there and more to the point, there are very capable people who might not be artistically talented, but have the nous to know where to go to get it and thus recommend it, but then the client generally goes and rejects quality against cost without an iota of awareness or shame that their public image is damaged because of it. Ah, but not if it is something they can touch, feel and see, such as a Mercedes.
So what am I saying; ‘Large companies NEVER go for the cheapest’? Indeed they don’t! They so cunningly go for the quote/tender one up from the cheapest which is the entire extent of their awareness or desire to protect their public image. The ironic ridicule is that almost all are still ‘tendering’ for art, which is and the the number one sin in this business. You tender for hardware or physical accomplishment – Art is ‘pitched’ for, not tendered. OMG!
THE BUSINESS PLAN (NOT):
Well here’s the rub; 30 years ago and until perhaps 10 years ago, I was somewhat ‘the word’ in production. So for example a professional radio ad produced/directed/recorded by me costs say $300 (it doesn’t); opportunists and deluded Spielbergs see it as easy money because they know the client’s mentality and that so many do not perceive a difference between shit and shit shit! So we get upstart ‘B’ setting up down the road charging only $250. They just record verbatim the written words of the now bright spark marketing master’s interpretation of what they think is simply magic. Crap voice, no discerned direction and endless clichéd dirge – just pap basically. Same with video which can physically be seen, so there are now TWO DIMENSIONS so we have even more instant experts……WOW!!!!!! Furthermore, it is in colour and we can add so many built in effects, which now gives them Oscar nominations.
Scenario: The bottom feeders set up. Operator ‘B’ is making a killing at $250 a pop and walk-ins flying in his door now with only him and the more expensive me to choose from. I maintain my solid, discerning, long time, will never change, quality customers who pay for what they get. What Op ‘B’ fails to realize is that problems will arise because there are far far far far more deluded Spielbergs and opportunists out there than professionals. Suddenly, further down the road a deluded Spielberg ‘C’ sets up and they only charge $200 because they know that ‘B’ charges $250, and they want the business. ‘B’ is starts to suffer badly now and low and behold feels even more shitty to discover that ‘C’ happens to be one of the guys who ‘A’ or ‘B’ set up in the first place. Again, it is the client’s mentality and lack of judgement which lets these guys continue to ride high. Soon ‘D’ and ‘E’ think there is nothing to this crap, so they set up and the price is now around $80 and the whole market is now devoid of any semblance of sophistication. The Lebanese – even the Indians in Dubai produce ‘third party’ cheap, but never charge that cheap! It becomes a swamp and this my dear reader is what you hear on radio and see on TV, or listen to down awful telephone lines.
So basically, to make millions here in particular, ‘incompetence’ rocks and rules. Could be a law, I dunno – just take the money and run and say nice things about the client; who incidentally thinks he or she is a fully fledged expert in anything radio, TV or print anyway
I guess it applies to any business really, but abstract offerings are really hard hit. I mean, how many folk are going around trying to rent or sell real-estate these days? Yes, it is a job when one has nothing else, but that is not the only draw. Like art, it is perceived as a ‘no qualifications required’ job. The higher you sell, the more commission and many want that get rich very quick for nothing opportunity. Now going back to our opportunists; the very sad thing for ‘B’ upstart was their business plan. It had flaws. (Oh the tears of sympathy are drowning me). Having no creative talent to speak off and indeed don’t perceive the difference themselves, to them the biz is money for old rope, so each a deluded instant expert. So ‘B’ opportunist should have charged $299.99 while the going was good, because those same ignorant clients would have felt so magnanimous saving 1 cent. There is no way they would have come to me being the more expensive. Thus ‘B’ potentially lost $49.99 on each of the thousand or so chronic jobs they managed to con in.
Similarly for example; each time a new ‘expatriate focused’ bar opened in Bahrain it has heydays for about 6 months until another ‘copy cat’ comes along and the crowd start going there, leaving a deserted hole. Make the money while you can. Same for anything really.
I DON’T VONT TO BE ALONE
Go here and read this: I have to say that going through this blog is like turning myself inside out because so much of what is written is said by me – and those in my loop know it well. I’m not talking just about the Radio Bahrain rant, but other frame of mind tantrums. Those who think it is me disguised as a Bahraini – THINK AGAIN ! I don’t know who it is, I cannot read Arabic very well, but I’d sure like to meet the blogger, because he/she gets far far far more response than I ever did or probably could. All I get is phone calls, the odd sympathetic nod here and there; ‘Geg you are so right, I/we agree and why don’t you write about……….” NO! Why don’t you comment or blog it.
The only thing withheld on here is your email address. Even then, most folk bang up a false one. Do I care who you are? I don’t even care what you say, but obviously others do, so we have to watch our steps. As I said many times, I don’t tell any untruths which is a politer way of saying; ‘Others tell lies’.
So, until I read the blog I speak of above, I rarely hear of or see anyone else speaking out in print about the absolutely dreadful state of radio and television here or anywhere for than matter, so it continues with no shame, although fear not, I have a real go on Face Book at least twice a week. Mahmood’s den has a good go now and again and he seems to be back in full vigour and I adore him for it, even if I don’t quite share his enthusiasm with some of his politics which is well beyond the scope of this site. To say the least, he has balls! Although, some of his followers printed a lot of crap about my company web sites with such conviction. Web sites that don’t exist. Howz that for Internet credibility?
(More rant…………….in a few weeks – look out for it)
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3 Responses to “THE LONE RANGER (NOT)”
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Impotent incompetence indeed. Couldn’t have said it better myself. It would seem that we are truly of the same mind, and now that my crusade is less lonely, I shall consider posting some more rants. For some reason, I feel I owe you a beer.
Do not abandon all hope. Being better than the worse is not a compliment, but it means that there are those who are worse, far, far worse. The reason that this continues to be the case eludes me.
DoooooooooooD! Good to hear from you. Do they allow beer in the slammer because that is where some folk think we are headed. But that would be very anti Islamic because I believe the absolute truth shouts volumes louder than the deafening silence the best gags can accomplish.
I guess we are all looking for that element of sophistication to lift standards in all areas, as you indeed blog about.
You seem to have a good following and even contributors. My readers are mostly clients looking for samples and hit on the blog bit, some of who back off quickly when they read it. But most die hards are colleagues in the industry who agree but slide to caution and refrain from too much comment. But they are there as I can see by the stats.
From tell-tale reaction I even get read a lot by the very folk I refer to and it makes them boil a bit, but oddly they perceive ME as crap and in the wrong. I even had the head of one agency contact my clients and old partner (he thought it was my sponsor) and insisted that I be removed from the Island. I never attacked him personally, only the media his agency were paid millions for.
It is down to the masses mate – I’d swear that most couldn’t GAF.
Arabic will follow the English and if the English is shit, then what can be expected?
The early 80s were better when there was a certain amount of sophistication in the expatriate community which appreciated good media and off set the trash. However, as the 80’s ended costs over ruled and the ‘pay peanuts – get monkeys’ rules took hold. The island is now swamped with that level, so media really doesn’t stand much chance until someone is given the opportunity to re-create an interest or a new culture attuned to it.
The old addage; ‘Bahrain cannot afford to be professional’ has become a fashion.
Keep going – You know my number.