RIYADH, 10 April — An all-female advertising agency, the first of its kind in the Kingdom, has been launched from Riyadh for establishing better rapport with women’s organizations and beaming the right message from a woman’s perspective.

“By studying the Saudi market we realized that more than 50 percent of the decision-making in the matter of purchases or family matters is done by women. As women, we believe we are in a better position to understand her psyche when we try to reach her out through the media hype,” Celia Himadeh, manager of Eve Advertising and Marketing Agency, told Arab News.

A graduate from the American University of Beirut, Himadeh worked for five years at the British Embassy before taking up a career in advertising and marketing. She has over ten years’ experience in the Gulf market.

She said the decision to launch Eve stemmed from the realization that there was a gap in the advertising market, since the conventional male-dominated ad agencies and women’s organizations were not on the same wavelength when it comes to dealing with women’s psychology. “We hope to complement the work of these agencies in our operations,” Himadeh said.

Their office, located in the Diplomatic Quarter, has a feminine touch in terms of decor and ambiance. The work force consists of Saudis and other nationalities — working as artists, copywriters, translators and accounts executives. The ads are produced both in Arabic and English.

Asked for an assessment of the Saudi market from a female perspective, Himadeh said the prospects were improving. Quoting statistics from the Riyadh Chamber of Commerce and Industry, she said although 49.5 percent of the Saudi population is female, only 5.8 percent of them are employed.

According to the RCCI, over 80 percent of Saudi women employees work as teachers. A little over nine percent are employed as doctors or paramedics and one percent of them are engaged in social services. The rest run their own business establishments. Eleven percent of women workers are absorbed by the private sector.

Himadeh pointed out that there were some 3,000 Saudi businesswomen in Riyadh, Jeddah and the Eastern Province owning jewelry shops, boutiques and beauty parlors in addition to training centers and women’s health clubs. They are also working as jewelry designers.

The scenario, as far as the women are concerned, is changing. “The Saudi woman does not want to be seen as  just a housewife. She is playing responsible roles as a teacher, doctor, business executive, bank official, social worker etc. All these considerations have to be taken on board while producing the copy or design of an ad. We at Eve believe we are in a better position to understand her feelings and sensitivities compared to others in the advertising agencies.”

Himadeh stated that the ability to recall the message of an ad was much more pronounced among women than in men. The reason is that since she is not in the driver’s seat, she is in an advantageous position to observe outdoor ads and absorb their message. Women have greater awareness of TV and magazine ads than men, she pointed out.

Eve’s clientele is growing steadily. The agency maintains a calendar of events to keep track of business opportunities.

“Also, we have a network of more than 500 women from various socio-demographic origins on the Internet where  we exchange ideas, discuss products, and pre-test creative concepts. In other words, we try to get a pulse of the market and the feasibility or otherwise of the concept,” Himadeh said.

She continued: “We started from the simple belief that good research is the foundation of good advertising. We then looked around and saw a market with poor research due to cultural restrictions. The solution was obvious: ride the Internet wave. That, in a nutshell, symbolizes Eve’s philosophy — to blend fresh data with creative juices.”

Himadeh said more Saudi women would be hired as accounts executives as part of their business strategy. “Thus, it will help them adopt a new approach in addressing women bearing in mind their hopes and aspirations and their vision of a promising future,” she added. “It is against this background that Eve forges ahead, secure in the belief that its future has already arrived.”