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September 27, 2020
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POWER ESSAYS 2020
GET READY FOR LYNX LIVE 5–7 OCTOBER LYNX Live is a digital education, inspiration and networking experience with three days of MENA focused content from 5–7 October. Aired on LIONS Live, the programme will include masterclasses, inspirational talks, messages from the community, debates, interviews and roundtables. Free for everyone. Explore the programme and speakers at lionslive.canneslions.com/lynx-live
September 27, 2020
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MBC to replace Choueiri Group with in-house advertising and sales unit MBC Group, the largest media company in the Middle East & North Africa (MENA), has announced it will be launching MBC Media Services, an in-house commercial advertising and sales unit, in partnership with Engineer Holding Group (EHG), a media and investment group which owns the Al Arabia out-of-home business in Saudi Arabia. The move signals an end to the relationship with MBC’s long-term partner Choueiri Group. MBC Media Services will be majority controlled by MBC Goup and will begin operations at the start of the new year. MBC has taken a minority stake in Al Arabia. The broadcaster says the new approach will allow MBC to work more closely with its clients, which include many of the world’s largest consumer brands, their marketing and advertising companies and media buyers. MBC will no longer outsource its advertising and sales business from January 2021, after the current contract with Arabian Media Services (AMS), a Choueiri Group company, ends this year. That relationship has lasted for more than 15 years, and the relationship between MBC and
Choueiri Group almost since MBC1 first launched in London in 1991. MBC moved its headquarters to Dubai in 2002. In 2017, MBC chairman Waleed Ibrahim was among about 200 leading businessmen, princes and politicians arrested under the orders of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and held in the five-star Ritz Carlton in Riyadh. Al Ibrahim was released in January of 2018. Many of those held were released after handing over assets to the state. In May 2018, MBC issued a statement that said: “It’s worth noting that Waleed Ibrahim retains his original stake in MBC Group, continues to act as its chairman and enjoys management control.” Waleed bin Ibrahim Al Ibrahim, chairman of MBC Group, said: “The media industry has witnessed remarkable changes over the past two decades, driven by technological advancements and the rapid adoption by consumers of social media platforms and mobile devices. We want to move faster to address these market forces, and by establishing our own dedicated in-house commercial business unit we will be able to offer better
MBC is the largest media company in the Middle East
integrated solutions across our television, digital and OTT platforms. I am delighted that we will be partnering with EHG, which owns Al Arabia, one of the best known outdoor advertising specialists in the kingdom. I would like to thank AMS and the Choueiri Group, who have been great partners, and acknowledge
their commitment and service over many years.” Abdulelah Al-Khereiji, founder and chairman of EHG, said: “We are very proud to be partnering with a prestigious institution like MBC, which has played a leading role in the development of the media sector in our region.”
Discovery closes MEA operations
BUGLES CRUNCH TIME Bugles wanted to start building the same loyalty and brand-love they get from older generations with Generation Z in Saudi Arabia. Digital agency Socialize figured the best way to tap into this new audience was with a new approach to content, one that only Gen Z could understand. Socialize created a TikTok-first hero video packed with deep-fried memes, random visuals that changed every second and a new dance move set to infectious music. TikTok is a new platform for the brand, but made complete sense for this campaign as it is massively popular with the Gen Z audience in the region. It’s the #1 downloaded app in KSA, with 12.5 million users on the platform.
US-based media company Discovery has announced the merging of several of its operating markets in EMEA “to improve strategic focus and enable further investment in its D2C businesses”. As a result of a wider restructure of Discovery’s business in EMEA, Amanda Turnbull will leave Discovery as GM for the Middle East and Africa business. The MEA business will be combined with Russia and Central and Eastern European regions, as well as the EMEA Pay-TV brands, under GM Jamie Cooke. “We are working systematically to rationalise our operation and find synergies and efficiencies across our EMEA business,” said Kasia Kieli, president and MD, Europe. “We have come a long way over the years and with this restructuring we have defined a clear path towards a leaner operating model.”
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September 27, 2020
UAE and Egyptian agencies win Pencils at D&AD Awards in virtual ceremony from UK institution By Sofia Serrano The 58th D&AD Awards ceremony took place virtually, and four Black Pencils – the most prestigious creative accolade at the UK event – were awarded. Designed by Studio Dumbar and hosted by D&AD President Kate Stanners, the virtual ceremony was an opportunity for the creative industry to come together, celebrate great work and have the platform it deserves during an exceptionally challenging year. This year only two countries from the MENA region made it to the D&AD Awards winners list: the United Arab Emirates and Egypt. The UAE came 21st in the country ranking, and Egypt 39th. VMLY&R won a Yellow Pencil, the only one for the region. VMLY&R Dubai won a Yellow Pencil for “Mothers Smile Strong” for Colgate in the category Photography: Portraits. Leo Burnett Dubai won a Wood Pencil for the campaign “Secure Your Account” for Emirates NBD in the category Sound Design & Use of Music: Adapted Music. Impact BBDO Dubai received several recognitions for its “The New National Anthem Edition” for An Nahar newspaper. The campaign won a Wood Pencil in the category PR: Reactive Response and was shortlisted in the two categories
VMLY&R Dubai took home the region’s only Yellow Pencil for ‘Mothers Smile Strong’ for Colgate
Impact: Advertising-Brands and Direct: Direct Response-Ambient. FP7 McCann Dubai was shortlisted in the category Direct: Direct Acquisition, for the “Astronomical Sales” campaign for Mastercard. TBWA/Raad Dubai was also shortlisted for “Napkinized” for KFC in the category Branding: Brand
Expression in Print. The Egyptian agency Matter Branding won a Wood Pencil for the campaign “Mega Ice Cream” for Froneri, in Branding: Logos. The four Black Pencils were awarded to INGO Stockholm-David Miami-Publicis Bucharest in PR, Family Type in Typography, FCB
Chicago in Book Design, and FCB/SIX in Digital. The President’s Award, reserved for “true industry heroes”, was awarded to Yuya Furukawa, CCO at Dentsu. The United States was the most awarded country at this year’s D&AD Awards, followed by the United Kingdom in second place and Japan in third.
PAMPERS HOPE IS BORN
EMARAT EXPECT THE EXPECTED
After the devastating blast that tore through Beirut on August 4, and right in the middle of the mayhem, a little baby was born. And with him, hope was born again for an entire nation. George’s mum went into labour moments before the explosion, and even though the hospital had been destroyed, he was determined to make it – delivered under the lights of nurses’ telephones. George’s story was an inspiration that needed to be shared. So Pampers created a film to welcome him not just as a baby, but as a symbol of promise. After all, babies are born every day, every minute, but this little baby’s birth was a message to the people of a devastated Beirut that even in times of adversity, there is always a ray of hope.
To celebrate its 40th anniversary next year, Emarat has launched a brand refresh campaign. ‘Expect the Expected’ explores the rich history of the Emarat brand and its businesses from the time the company was established by the UAE Government in 1981 up to the present day. Championing local talent from the region, Emarat enlisted acclaimed Emirati director Ali Mostafa to bring the brand’s story to life in film, while UAE-based photographer Waleed Shah captured striking imagery of Emarat’s core services. His photos will be featured on billboards and in print media.
Agency Leo Burnett ECD Malek Ghorayeb Regional CD Betty Francis Copywriter Alisar Daher Art director Rami Rikka Production house Studio 1505 Director Jad Rahme DOP Ziad Chahoud
Lead creative agency House of Comms Production agency Boomtown Director Ali Mostafa Photographer Waleed Shah
September 27, 2020
Fun Asia Network takes over Shock ME frequencies, launches new stations US-headquartered Fun Asia Network, which acquired 106.2 Big FM from Zee Network in January this year, has now added two more popular frequencies – 107.1 and 97.8 – to its portfolio. The FM stations, previously operated by Shock Middle East, have been rebranded as Luv and Beat, and will be headed by well-known radio veteran Digby Taylor. Beat 97.8, formerly known as Dance 97.8, will remain a dance music radio station, with the brand position ‘#1 For Dance’. The radio station is the only platform in the region that hosts top international DJs such as Robin Schulz, Lost Frequencies and Sam Feldt. Beat 97.8 also promotes dedicated content from local talent Mark Shakedown, Jake Gray, Apollo Breach, Cliff Townly and Soul Ninja. Programme director Digby Taylor said: “It’s a great feeling to know that Beat 97.8 and Luv 107.1 are in safe hands with the Fun Asia Network. I was lucky enough to get the best talent in the country back on air with these stations, and am Luving the challenge of getting the best Beat!” The majority of Beat 97.8’s listeners are Western and Arab expatriates, followed by Asians and Emiratis. The audience is multilingual with English as a first or second language. The presenters are from the UK, Lebanon, Philippines and the US, and
The FM stations have been rebranded as Luv and Beat
speak English, Arabic and Tagalog. Luv 107.1, with the brand position ‘Luv Music’, was formerly known as Heart. It is a ‘hot adult contemporary’ (hot AC) station playing a variety of 90s and noughties hits throughout the day. The station is a heritage brand and claims to be the top adult contemporary station in the UAE. Luv 107.1 provides a roster of shows from 6am, including BBC Minute News and live performances. The
channel also has several giveaways planned as part of its shows. With its selection of on-air talent, content and music, Luv 107.1 targets international travellers and UAE residents with high disposable incomes. The Fun Asia Network has also announced plans to expand into London with three radio stations.It is part of Thakkar Group, whose interests include real estate, food, finance and tax consultancy.
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Jake Thomas to head Snap UAE
Snap Inc has appointed Jake Thomas as head of the UAE. This comes as the company rapidly expands its local partner ecosystem and seeks to deliver more opportunities to consumers and brands. Based in Dubai, Thomas comes into the head of UAE position having joined Snap three and a half years ago as one of the first hires in the MENA region. He has played a key role in building the Snap MENA business, working with local and regional agencies and brands. He has been in the MENA region for the last eight years, previously overseeing the marketing solutions business in MENA for LinkedIn. Prior to that, Thomas was instrumental in driving digital transformation with Telegraph Media Group, based in the UK. Since Snap launched its regional headquarters in Dubai in early 2017, the UAE has been a crucial launchpad for Snap, said the company.
MINI MIDDLE EAST #THEMINITHINGS
SPOTIFY LISTENING IS EVERYTHING
One story, alternate endings, three times. Parking mindfully can make someone’s day. Waiting before honking is the right decision. Being considerate to pedestrians can be rewarding. The films, shot in a modular way, can show the audience simultaneously how the outcome can be good or bad; see the difference, and choose the right way.
Today, listening is more important than ever before – it’s how we connect with each other, get perspective and discover more about ourselves. With this in mind, Spotify is introducing its hyper-localised version of its “Listening is Everything” global campaign. The campaign is the biggest of its kind from Spotify and lands in Saudi Arabia and Egypt with the insight that listening to music brings new layers to life and makes you feel better. Listening is Everything includes a series of digital videos featuring artists from the iconic Warda to rising star DJ-MK, and highlights how there is music for every situation. The campaign will run across social, digital and geo-targeted OOH, with song titles that depict relatable life situations and local cultural nuances. Listening is Everything includes a series of short digital videos where engaging characters turn to music to rise above relatable yet awkwardly funny moments. The agency is FP7 McCann.
Agency ServicePlan Middle East ECD Akilesh Bagri Director Edoardo Lugari Executive producer Rula Bevilacqua Production house Tomorrow Film
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September 27, 2020
LYNX LIVE PREVIEW Together we can use creativity to drive genuine progress, writes Thea Skelton, festival director
‘‘AS ORGANISERS OF DUBAI LYNX, WHAT WE KNOW IS THAT SO OFTEN IN TIMES OF CONSTRAINT, CREATIVITY ACTUALLY FLOURISHES.”
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he effects of the pandemic continue to be felt across the world. Every business, discipline, touchpoint and revenue stream has been affected, and the creative communications landscape has seen rapid and substantial change. Now, more than ever, we need creativity, in its many guises, to help us navigate these unprecedented times and drive progress, and what our community has told us is that they need a place to come together – to tell their stories, offer inspiration and collaborate to problem-solve together. With Lynx Live, our aim is to offer exactly that; it’s for everyone who believes in creative possibility, and it’s available for free. The figures and forecasts reflect a market that’s been dramatically hit by the pandemic. Global advertising expenditures will shrink by 9.1 per cent in 2020 to $572bn, according to Zenith’s Advertising Expenditure Forecasts, and while the WARC Global Ad Spends predict that the MENA region will not be as severely affected by Covid-19 as other regions, adspend in the Middle East is still set to fall 15.1 per cent ($1.8bn) to $10.4bn in 2020. Moreover, advertisers are expected to slash spending by 20 per cent across the region. There’s no doubt that this is a gloomy outlook to be faced, with but as organisers of Dubai Lynx – a
festival that exists to champion the power of creativity – what we know is that so often in times of constraint, creativity actually flourishes. At Lynx Live we’ll hear personal stories from some of our greatest storytellers and creative stars who will share their creative journeys, lessons and secrets to help inspire and move us forward. We’re also bringing the region’s most diverse thinkers to share thoughtful and provocative future scenarios – based on science, data, insight and their own ideas on what will matter most in the years to come. Alongside this we’ll hear from some extraordinary brands, agencies and people who will deliver ‘Industry Shorts’, a collection of surprising and original films showcasing some of the region’s finest minds. We’re a region that has for some years now been demonstrating our creative excellence on a world stage. Last year at Cannes Lions, BBDO Dubai took a Grand Prix for An Nahar’s ‘The Blank Edition’, and J. Walter Thompson Cairo was awarded the most elusive trophy of all in 2015 – the Titanium Grand Prix – for ‘Abla Fahita’. Winning on the world stage in this way is no mean feat, and it’s reflective of a region that understands creativity’s power. I hope that Lynx Live will fuel and supercharge MENA’s creativity, and offer some hope at a time when everyone needs it most. We know that great things can happen when our community comes together, and so I for one have great expectations for Lynx Live because collectively we can use our shared belief in creativity as a force to drive progress, transform businesses and create change. Dubai Lynx takes place online on October 5-7. To find out more, visit DubaiLynx.com
MEET A SPEAKER VIDYA MANMOHAN I am a rarity in this region, a female executive creative director. During my session at Lynx Live 2020 I’ll be addressing the creative community of the MENA region to witness the perils of getting out of comfort zones and sharing my experiences – those that I believe have shaped me and made me what I am today. To put it concisely: I’m known for having travelled off the beaten track, across all these years. I walked out of the medical school campus to pursue a career in advertising. Mid-way through a successful career in art direction, I switched my expertise to copywriting. What’s more, this mom of a 19-year-old decided to go back to university this year to pursue a master’s whilst launching my own company. Over more than four decades in the Middle East I’ve witnessed sand dunes transform to skyscrapers. Born in India and raised in the Middle East, I can proudly say, “I’m made in Dubai.” My work reflects the pop culture around me and has bagged international awards, not only in the print and outdoor categories, but also in radio, design, integrated and advertising for good. I’ve also been on the jury list of most advertising award festivals, including the Cannes Lions, New York Festivals, Clio, Adfest, Lisbon Advertising Awards and the Young Guns to name a few. My Lynx Live session, ‘Beware of Comfort Zones’, will see me share my personal creative journey as well as lessons from (and secrets behind) a long-lasting career in creativity. Vidya Manmohan is the ex-executive creative director of Grey Dubai and the founder and creative chairwoman of V 4 Advertising.
September 27, 2020
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HUMOUR: THE SMART SHORTCUT TO BRAND FAME Making people laugh is one of the most powerful ways to connect and can make your brand distinct from the competition. But, asks WARC’s Lucy Aitken, can it actually generate business results? And is now the right time to be funny? BY LUCY AITKEN, managing editor – case studies, WARC
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n four years of the WARC Prize for MENA Strategy, we’ve seen up-close the region’s warm and witty advertising. And some of that work has hit the sweet spot: it’s been genuinely funny while also being highly strategic and effective. This year, a quarter of shortlisted case studies used humour as a creative strategy, often in commoditised sectors like telecoms. Etisalat’s Hekaya tariff enabled Egyptian customers to talk to their families without worrying about the cost; the campaign dramatised a Hekaya-free family communicating in a staccato style. This funny treatment, through FP7 McCann Cairo not only grew awareness, trust and brand equity, but it was also imitated in spoofs and memes: the sincerest form of flattery. Standing out as a quick-service restaurant brand is also an evergreen challenge. Burger King’s light-hearted Saudi campaign, through Wunderman Thompson KSA, focused on Arab pronunciation difficulties with the word ‘burger’. It spawned a nationwide conversation that got the brand noticed and lifted sales. LIKEABILITY AND AUTHENTICITY Humour, writes Grey MENA’s head of strategy, Shagorika Heryani, in the latest
edition of WARC’s MENA Strategy Report, is a “shortcut to likeability and authenticity. Brands that get it right are catapulted into shaping the zeitgeist and being a part of pop-culture vocabulary.” That status, in turn, gives brands a stronger chance of being successful in meeting their business objectives. Marketing effectiveness authority The Ehrenberg-Bass Institute scrutinised more than 300 ads for 60 brands across
‘‘BRANDS THAT GET HUMOUR RIGHT ARE CATAPULTED INTO SHAPING THE ZEITGEIST AND BEING A PART OF POP-CULTURE VOCABULARY.”
four consumer packaged goods categories and five different markets. It identified a strong correlation between ads that use humour and effectiveness: of the 29 per cent of ads that used humour, 45 per cent were “good” performers in driving sales. IS IT STILL OK TO BE FUNNY? Yet, given such turbulent times, is it still advisable to use humour? Grey’s Heryani thinks it is. “Humour saves the day,” she writes. “It is our individual and collective coping mechanism.” Kantar has been tracking the use of humour over 20 years. While it fell out of favour during the Great Recession, there’s now a growing appetite for it, especially among younger people. This is particularly relevant in MENA, where under-24s account for nearly half the region’s population. Despite – or perhaps even because of – the current extraordinary circumstances, humour should be a key tool in the creative strategy toolbox. So keep it light. And whatever happens, don’t lose your sense of humour. Lucy Aitken will be delivering a keynote speech Humour: the smart shortcut to brand fame as part of Lynx Live, October 5-7, 2020.
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September 27, 2020
As part of the Lynx Live Masterclasses, “My Creative Journey”, Ali Rez – regional ECD at Impact BBDO – will speak about how harnessing courage to cross the line helps spark creativity and builds better work BY ALI REZ, regional ECD, Impact BBDO
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hat do Julius Caesar, a cricket shot, a border crossing and a brief for a Thanksgiving turkey ad have in common? A large part of creativity is recognising that moment when you develop the audacity to transition from the uncreated to the created: the aha, the Eureka, the let-me-write-that-down-beforeI-forget-it. This is the moment when you cross a line, and nothing is the same ever again. It is a moment that is deeply overwhelming, and often fraught with fear, doubt and uncertainty. But big things don’t happen until you do cross that line of mental paralysis that holds you back from creating. Sometimes these moments will be thrust upon you, and other times you must take the decision to cross yourself. A few years ago, I was at the Wagah-Attari border between India and Pakistan, and, while standing on the thick white line painted between the two countries, I realised what a tremendous weight it carried – this immense burden of a cataclysmic history manifested into that weather-resistant paint that I was now standing astride, one foot in each country. Physically, easy to cross; mentally, not so much. And right there I decided that we would do something that was never done before: have children play a cricket game in the no-man’s-
land between the two countries. Immediately, a mental line had been crossed as well. It’s the same when confronting a brief to solve a business problem: Where do you think the line is? And how do you decide to cross it? How do you bring yourself to step into the never-before? Often it’s instantaneous: Somebody like Yousuf Karsh knew how to do it. Famously pulling Churchill’s cigar right out of his mouth gave him one of the most celebrated – and honest – portraits of all time. Dick Fosbury knew the line well too, and decided to cross it by turning his back to it. We had to do something ridiculously crazy to win our first Gold Cannes Lion – all sorts of lines were crossed: physical borders, personal safety, the complications that scale brings. But at all points during the campaign, we were aware of the lines we needed to cross. These lines are all around us, drawn between misconceptions and acceptance, between the safe and the mad, between control and letting go. In this upcoming masterclass session as part of the Lynx Live “My Creative Journey” series, I’ll share what I’ve learnt from my career about recognising them, and – of course – crossing them.
‘‘A LARGE PART OF CREATIVITY IS RECOGNISING THAT MOMENT WHEN YOU DEVELOP THE AUDACITY TO TRANSITION FROM THE UNCREATED TO THE CREATED.”
September 27, 2020
Dubai Lynx brings LYNX Live to MENA Creative Industry L
aunched in June this year, LYNX Live is a digital education, inspiration and networking experience that will culminate in a three-day virtual broadcast held from 5-7 October 2020. Now, more than ever, the importance of creativity is fundamental. LYNX Live is for anyone in the MENA creative communications industry who believes in creative possibility and seeks to move forward.
LYNX LIVE VIRTUAL
From 5 - 7 October, Dubai Lynx is presenting LYNX Live Virtual, an immersive digital experience hosted on Cannes Lions’ global platform, LIONS Live. Over the course of the three days, LYNX Live Virtual will host creative conversations, debates, intimate interviews and forecasts on the future for MENA’s creatives. This curated content is available to everyone, everywhere, for free.
WHAT TO EXPECT FROM LYNX LIVE VIRTUAL My Creative Journey, sponsored by Anghami MENA’s greatest storytellers and creative stars share lessons from, and secrets behind, a long-lasting career in creativity.
Industry Shorts
Extraordinary brands, agencies and people talk about creativity. Surprising and original, these films showcase some of the region’s finest minds and the sharpest thinking in the industry.
The LYNX Live Debate
Industry leaders come together to figure out what’s next. We tackle a hot topic affecting MENA’s creative community, with perspective from important people across the business of creativity.
MENA, What’s Next?
Diverse thinkers share thoughtful and provocative future scenarios – based on science, data, insight and their own ideas on what will matter most in the years to come. Talent announced so far:
Vidya Manmohan, Ex-ECD – Grey MENA, Founder & Creative Chairwoman, V 4 Advertising
‘Beware of Your Comfort Zone’ LYNX Stories - My Creative Journey
Zainab Salbi, Humanitarian, Author, and Media Personality
MENA, What’s Next?
Christine Harb, VP Marketing CEMEA, VISA
‘Marketers From MENA: Christine Harb, VISA’ Marketers From MENA
Kalpesh Patankar, Chief Creative Officer, VMLY&R, MENA
‘Ain’t No Rules’ LYNX Stories - My Creative Journey
broadcast on Anghami, the bi-weekly podcast has been providing news and insightful views from industry leaders. So far, the podcast has discussed important topics such as mental health in the creative industries and the power of music in evoking storytelling and emotion in creative campaigns.
Ali Rez, Regional Executive Creative Director, Middle East and Pakistan, IMPACT BBDO
‘Cross the Line; My Creative Journey’ LYNX Stories - My Creative Journey
Ghassan Harfouche, Group CEO, Middle East Communications Network
‘LYNX Live Debate’ Keynote
Patou Nuytemans, Chief Executive MENA, Chief Digital Officer EMEA, Executive Partner Worldwide, Ogilvy
‘LYNX Live Debate’ Keynote
LYNX LIVE MASTERCLASSES,
in partnership with Snap Inc. Taking a step back from Powerpoint slides and metrics, the LYNX Live masterclass programme has been offering unique opportunities to see what drives and inspires creative leaders. The recent ‘In the Jury Seat’ masterclass provided university students with the unique opportunity to become Jury members and award four categories of work based on case films, background information and the Unstereotype Alliance guidelines.
LYNX LIVE WEEKLY
Each week in the run-up to LYNX Live Virtual, a top-rated Dubai Lynx talk will be shared to the LYNX Live audience along with a curated Anghami Playlist from one of the region’s creatives. In the latest LYNX Live Weekly, Matt Eastwood, Global Chief Creative Officer at McCann Health (Previously Worldwide Chief Creative Officer, J. Walter Thompson), explores the idea that “the memory is the message.”
LYNX LIVE PODCASTS
Hosted with Campaign Middle East and
JOIN LYNX LIVE VIRTUAL
LYNX Live Virtual is free and registration can be done via https://www.dubailynx. com/lynx-live. The line up of speakers and information about their content sessions is now available at https://lionslive.canneslions.com/ lynx-live.
“LYNX Live is for anyone in the MENA creative communications industry who believes in creative possibility.”
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PRODUCTION HOUSE GUIDE
September 27, 2020
T
he last few months can’t have been easy for production houses. Or the past few years. The days of earning their keep shooting exclusively bigbudget TVCs are over, and the houses are doing more fast-turnaround content for social and web. The work is there but the margnins are not. So the nature of production has changed – just look at the wide skillsets the houses listed here now boast of. Then came Covid-19. Suddenly the archetype of production – getting out and shooting on location – was shattered. But of course production houses are resilient. You don’t earn a living managing all those moving parts – permits, talent, crew, budgets, equipment and so on – without learning a thing or two about flexibility. In the early days of the pandemic I heard stories of crews shooting commercials dressed in full PPE. And of agencies shopping around the world for production
houses in geographies where the rules about working outside allowed filming to take place. Of course, on-set is not the only place where magic happens. Animators, I suspect, have been having their day in the sun. And those post-production wizeards have been casting their spells over stock footage. Content will get out regardless. On the following pages you will find a list of the companies that make that happen. The production houses vary in size from one or two people to dozens, but few come close to the size and scale of, for example, the network creative agencies they regularly partner with. They are sleek, nimble and resourceful. It’s in their job description. They are experts in scaling up and shapeshifting to execute a job, then moving on to the next challenge. In good times or bad, the quality of regional production speaks for itself. By Austyn Allison, editor, Campaign Middle East
PRODUCTION HOUSE GUIDE
September 27, 2020
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1505 Studio
Bigfoot Films
Founded: 2018 Headquartered: Beirut samer@1505.studio; jad@1505.studio +961 3 489 348
Founded: 2011 Headquartered: Cairo, with an office in Dubai www.bigfootfilms.tv info@bigfootfilms.net
1505 Studio is a boutique multimedia production company. In 2018, producer Samer Fleihan and director Jad Rahmé teamed up to create marketing and storytelling content for global and regional brands. 1505 is dedicated to working with the best talent, carefully curated to fit the desired needs and challenges of our partners. Whether it’s a TV commercial, documentary, photography or digital content, our work reflects the stories and values of our corporate and creative clients.
Bigfoot Films is one of the region’s leading production houses. Founded in 2011, we are currently listed as the MENA region’s most awarded production house. Whether for a television commercial, a music video, TV programme, documentary or online content, our aim is to cater effortlessly to the needs of our partners, in a quest to create award-winning films and quality content that stands the test of time and leaves an indelible mark on the industry. Our success has never dimmed our enthusiasm and determination to improve and evolve, and only encourages us to stay focused on providing an exceptional service, which helps our talents thrive and achieve their artistic and creative potential.
KEY CLIENTS: Always, Facebook, Ariel, Trident, Pampers, Nestle Waters, Vox Cinemas, Ocean Spray, L’Oreal Paris
AFP-Services Founded: 2010 Ownership: AFP Regional headquarters: Beirut Number of staff: 52 mena@afp-services.com SPECIALISMS: Content production, pre-production, scripting, editing, postproduction, distribution KEY CLIENTS: Coca-Cola, Perrier, Auditoire, El Gouna Film Festival, UNICEF
Air 3 Creative Founded: 2011 Headquartered: Dubai www.air3.tv +971 4 454 2729 Air3 Creative is an independent content-creation agency that brings global storytelling to the UAE. Fluent in every form of visual media, Air3 is here to help your business ideate and execute its next TVC, snackable social or digital promo, corporate video, animation, VR experience, 360-degree video, event shoot or documentary. SPECIALISMS: Air3 creates engaging video content from social media through to high-end commercials
Camouflage Production Founded: 2018 Headquartered: Dubai, with an office in Lebanon Number of staff: 9 +971 4 422 8480; +971 54 345 6082 executive@camouflageproduction.com www.camouflageproduction.com Camouflage is a boutique production house founded by a collective of filmmakers whose love and passion for filmmaking crossed paths throughout our professional years, blending into each other’s lives and striving to always raise the standards of our productions with no compromise. KEY CLIENTS: Etisalat , Mars, Nestle , Nissan, Reckitt Benckiser
Central Films Founded: 2005, Dubai; 2000, UK Regional headquarters: Dubai Centralfilms.com Karen@centralfilms.com Ian@centralfilms.com SPECIALISMS: International service facilitation and local clients; we specialise in cars but we do a whole load of other work too. KEY CLIENTS: Apple; Jaguar Land Rover; Hyundai; Toyota; Save The Children; Korea Telecom; Uniqlo; LG; Sunrise Insurance; BBC; National Geographic
Big Kahuna Films Founded: 2007 Regional offices: Dubai, Beirut www.bigkahunafilms.com hello@bigkahunafilms.com +971 4 432 9399 (Dubai) +961 1 201 334 (Beirut) Big Kahuna Films is a commercial production house that has been working regionally and internationally since 2007. It has offices in Dubai and Beirut, each being run by a full-time production and post-production team. The two offices complement each other, but both work independently, catering to different markets. With a great reputation of crafting great content, we are proud to have been awarded the Dubai Lynx Golden Palm Award in 2019. SPECIALISMS: Producers of high-end advertising films, creation of digital content, events management and brand activations. AWARDS: Ranked 3rd Best Production house in Middle East & Africa at the Loeries awards in 2015; awarded Best Production House of the Year, Golden Palm at the Dubai Lynx 2019
CM Creatives Founded: 2017 Headquartered: Dubai charles@cmcreatives.com CM Creatives is a new video-content-driven boutique. We specialise in showcasing human stories into a visual medium, capturing expressions and converting them into a reel format. Our journey started in 2017 in Dubai, and we promise to bring happiness to every brand’s story to reach out in the digital world. SPECIALISMS: Digital content films and production; equipment rental (UAE and Beirut); social media content videos; explainer videos; event coverage; TVC production; line production (UAE, KSA, India); live streaming broadcast; UAE and KSA fixer services; post-production (editing, animation and graphics); OTT content KEY CLIENTS: BBC Worldwide, Sony Networks, Star Network, Dior Middle East
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PRODUCTION HOUSE GUIDE
September 27, 2020
LEADERSHIP PANEL
Founded: 2000 Headquartered: Dubai, with affiliates in Cape Town and London letschat@boomtown-productions.com www.boomtown-productions.com +971 4 390 3970
Shane Martin
Dan Kilalea
CEO and Director
Executive Producer
Boomtown is a multi-award-winning, director-led, creative production company, super experienced working across all formats and channels. We produce relevant, memorable and successful visual communications for most of the major clients and enterprises active in the region. Boomtown’s production ethos is to put the idea first. SPECIALISMS: TV commercials, online content, broadcast documentaries and corporate communications. In-house creative production capabilities and the latest camera equipment and post-production tools. We represent some of the finest international directors and are the UAE partner for the Production Service Network (PSN), so have access to more than 40 production companies worldwide. KEY CLIENTS: ADNOC, Expo 2020, Emirates, Netflix, VW, Lincoln, Shell, DTCM, DCT Abu Dhabi, ENOC, Emarat, Masdar, Sky News Arabia, National geographic Arabia and Global. MBRSC, Aldar, Oman Aviation. LG Electronics. Ministry of Culture. RSA Films, Moxie Pictures, Czar Films. PARTNER AGENCIES: AAB, Impact BBDO, Memac Ogilvy, M & C Saatchi, Face to Face, HS AD. Leo Burnett, GTB, Focus Advertising
Rory McLoughlin
Mannu Singh
Director
Post and Director’s Producer
PRODUCTION HOUSE GUIDE
September 27, 2020
LEADERSHIP PANEL
Founded: 1994 Headquartered: Beirut Number of staff: 9 www.cityfilms-lb.com +961 133 2267/8/9 +961 331 3040
Marc Hadife
Joyce Hadife
Owner
Executive Producer
You don’t have to be in front of the camera to smile. To us, filmmaking is not just an industry. It is an art, a craft and a journey in itself. At CITY FILMS, we work with a curated team of the most passionate producers, and a pool of talented local and international directors, building a consistent track record of creating quality productions across the Middle East. More than 20 years of unparalleled experience in filmmaking and production have allowed us to be selective and choose projects that stimulate creativity and inspire us to push boundaries. Boundaries that are ever-evolving with time, and that we progressively challenge as we look excitedly towards the future of bringing great ideas to life.
Nadine Checrallah
Carla Dib
Head of Production
Head of Creative Dpt
SPECIALISMS: Production company, production services KEY CLIENTS: OOREDOO, Almarai Company, Nissan, Etisalat, QNB
LEADERSHIP PANEL
Dia Hassan Managing Partner
Founded: 2016 Ownership: Create Media Group Offices: Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Riyadh Number of staff: 10-person film crew as part of a wider team of 80+ hello@createproductiondxb.com createproductiondxb.com/ +971 4 442 5674 People crave content in today’s mobile society. If you’re not delivering it to them, your competitors will be. As part of Create Media Group, one of the leading digital agencies in the region, we understand social consumption like few other production houses, and can create the content you need to get your message seen, heard and remembered.
Tom Otton Managing Partner
SPECIALISMS: Cinematography; 4k video; drone filming; storyboarding; animation; design; concept; social media content production tailored for mobile consumption; live event coverage; live streaming large-scale events (including Red Fest DXB); AR development; 3D motion graphics KEY CLIENTS: Visit Dubai, Emirates Airline, EXPO 2020, Coca-Cola Arena, Audi Middle East, Red Bull, Visa, EMAAR, EGA, W Hotels, Qasr Al Hosn, REEL Cinemas, Nespresso, Accenture
Luke Morris Head of Production
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PRODUCTION HOUSE GUIDE
September 27, 2020
Crisp
Dubai Film
Headquartered: Dubai Founded: 2019 +971 52 639 5592 (Jacopo); +971 55 872 1193 (Maddy) hello@bagofcrisps.com www.bagofcrisps.com
Founded: 2014 Headquartered: Dubai www.dubaifilm.ae +971 4 328 5276
SERVICES: (Creative) Brand consultancy; identity design; copywriting; scriptwriting; storyboarding and illustration; (Production) Directors & DOPs; photography; (Post) Editing; colour correction; voice-over; sound design KEY CLIENTS: Volkswagen, Virgin Megastores, Hyundai, Aldar, Tashkeel
SPECIALISMS: Equipment rental (cinematographic lenses; cinematographic cameras; broadcast cameras; tracking vehicles; helicopter aerial gimbals; drones). Full production facilitation capabilities; film permits; bespoke aerial stock footage library. We specialise in state-of-the-art equipment that is completely customisable as per the vision of the filmmaker. With the sole aim of taking filmmaking to the next level, our team of dedicated experts is constantly striving to turn the impossible into reality. From small projects to large productions, we have you covered. Be it land, water or air, no location is inaccessible for our troop of professionals. AWARDS: Digital Studio Awards Best Live Action 2016 and Best Content Capture 2017
Dejavu Founded: 2007 Headquartered: Dubai, with offices in Mumbai and Beirut www.dejavu.ae +971 4 375 7410 SPECIALISMS: Production and post-production for feature films, commercial and digital content
Epic Films Founded: 2012 Headquartered: Dubai Number of staff: 6 info@epicfilms.me SERVICES: Production servicing, feature film facilitation
LEADERSHIP PANEL
electriclimefilms Founded: 2015 Offices: Dubai, Singapore, Sydney Number of Staff: 20 across all offices chaza@electriclimefilms.com (Dubai Senior Producer) +971 50 383 9544 www.electriclimefilms.com electriclimefilms is a boutique film house with offices in Singapore, Dubai and Sydney, bringing an expression of art to commercial film through innovation and vision. The film house represents emerging international directors and directors of photography from diverse artistic disciplines and has worked on global client and agency campaigns.
Chaza Said Senior Producer
Michael Ahmadzadeh Partner/Executive Producer
SPECIALISMS: Director representation, film production, post-production (offline, online, colour, finishing, audio mixing) KEY CLIENTS: TBWA, M&C SAATCHI, DDB, Dentsu, GTB AWARDS: Finalists Ad Stars 2020, Finalists AOTY Singapore 2020
Damiano Fieramosca Director
PRODUCTION HOUSE GUIDE
September 27, 2020
Filmworks
Giga Works Virtual Reality Film Studio
Founded: 1998 Headquartered: Dubai, with offices in Abu Dhabi, South Africa and Jeddah www.filmworksgroup.com +971 4 457 3132
Founded: 2013 Headquartered: Dubai, with offices in Beirut www.gigaworks.ae +971 50 350 2735
Filmworks produces US studio features, TV commercials, TV series, documentaries and digital content. A full-service production entity respected locally and internationally for its professional teams and ability to deliver a quality product on time. SPECIALISMS: Production of TV commercials, feature films, documentaries, corporate videos, TV series, digital content
FLC Models & Production Founded: 2009 Headquartered: Dubai Number of staff: 7 talk2us@flc-me.com SPECIALISMS: Casting; models; talents;, locations; production (print and TVC, domestic and international); event management and production KEY CLIENTS: Apparel Group, Landmark Group, P&G, Nestle, IFFCO
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Giga Works is a VR film studio offering 360-degree content capture and storytelling and virtual reality experiences. We have undertaken many virtual reality experiences across the UAE and worldwide since 2013. SPECIALISMS: 3D and 360-degree video content capture; VR content creation; VR post production; VR apps and games production; VR Cardboards production KEY CLIENTS: Daimler, Red Bull, MAF, Emirates, Jumeirah, Dewa, GDFRA, Tecom/DIFF, Etihad Rail, DP World, TS&S, Strata, YahSat
Hanzo Founded: 2017 Regional headquarters: Dubai www.hanzofilms.com yanny@hanzofilms.com +971 55 138 6461 Hanzo is a boutique production company based out of Dubai, making awardwinning content across live action and animation mediums. Since its inception in 2017, Hanzo has produced some of the region’s most awarded and globally watched campaigns, including work for Emirates NBD, IKEA, Apsara Pearl and Samsonite. SPECIALISMS: Live-action and animation films AWARDS: Dubai Lynx, New York Festivals, Loeries
LEADERSHIP PANEL
Offices: Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Riyadh, Dammam Contact: heather.mcdonald@filmmastermea.com www.filmmastermea.com +971 4 445 8530 +971 54 322 7384 At Filmmaster MEA Productions, our highly experienced multi-disciplinary team are masters in the art of filmmaking, offering an all-round award-winning service from creativity through to production and post-production. Our agile structure, widereaching freelance network and global Filmmaster Group family allow us to respond effectively to every challenge. AWARDS: Effie Mena Awards 2019, Gold Lynx 2019, and 29 Cannes Lions across the group over the last five years.
Heather Mc Donald
Anna Domaneschi
Head of Production
Senior Producer
Batoul Amhaz
Ilde Di Benedetto
Producer
Production Manager
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PRODUCTION HOUSE GUIDE
September 27, 2020
Joy Films
Lightblue Media
Founded: 1995 (UK); 2008 (Dubai) Headquartered: Dubai, with offices in Lebanon joyfilmsme.com +971 4 435 6019
Headquarered: Dubai, with offices in Los Angeles hello@lightblueww.com
Joy is not a name. It’s an experience. It is about the magic of the moment. Since it was founded in 1995 in London by Mehdi Norowzian, Joy Films has won many awards, including an Oscar nomination for the short film Killing Joe. We stand for creativity because it makes a difference and it also makes perfect business sense. Joy Films is unique in having in-house, experienced creative resources with a thorough understanding of the strategic needs of clients. SPECIALISMS: Commercial productions; online content development and production; film production services; photography production
Lightblue Media is a full-service creative production house, crafting engaging and effective content for the world’s largest and most prestigious global brands. We love the power of storytelling and collaborating with our partners to tell human-driven narratives. We’re a team of award-winning filmmakers, from all parts of the globe and united with a passion for crafting unique stories through the medium of film and technology. SPECIALISMS: High-end film production; digital /social content; event capture; animation & motion graphics; immersive technologies; live-stream & broadcast KEY CLIENTS: Estée Lauder Companies, Mastercard, LVMH, Burberry, PlayStation
Liwa Advertising K Kompany Headquartered: Dubai Number of staff: 15-20 Founded: 2010 info@kkompany.com SPECIALISMS: Video; television; audio; store music KEY CLIENTS: NFPC, Unilever, Fine, Agthia, Friesland Campina
Founded: 1987 Headquartered: Dubai, with offices in New York, Colorado and Mumbai info@liwa.tv With focus on video content for eight years, we were the first in the region. As a specialist video marketing agency, we strategise, write and produce video content to create engaging communication. We create more than 1,000 assets a year to help institutions tell their stories, explain products, assist customers, edutain and drive engagement. We manufacture videos in five to six days. We are specialised in creating engaging video content that entertains and educates audiences . These videos are consumed through websites and social media. KEY CLIENTS: Emirates NBD Bank, Dubai Electricity & Water Authority, Smart Dubai, Dubai Customs, Eagle Hills
LEADERSHIP PANEL
Founded: 2016 Ownership: GP&K Offices: Dubai, Cairo, Beirut, Athens Number of staff: 12 Info@goodpeople.film +20 100 251 2085 www.goodpeople.film Let’s put it this way: We have about 78 awards that we could put on display but we’re the kind of people who would rather use that space to store snacks. Or hide bodies. Of clients. We’re digressing. All jokes aside, Good People is really just a group of good people who are in love with what they do. Our producers would donate blood (and, if needed, sweat) to get the camera rolling on time while our directors are as eclectic as they get. But hey, don’t take our word for it. Ask the crazy people that made us Agency of the Year for three years straight. We’re a production house that says ‘Amen’ to solid work and invites great briefs and money-owning-film-loving people to our dinner table. Creatively, we keep it fresh and solid. Always. Until you come get your fingers orange on some Cheetos when you visit us, have a look at our work. It’ll do the talking.
Ali Ali Director
Maged Nassar Director
SPECIALISMS: High-end film production across eight different markets. KEY CLIENTS: Amazon, Diesel, Google, Pepsi, Spotify, Uber, Coca Cola, Du, Vodafone, Etisalat, STC, Zain AWARDS: Production House of the Year 2016,2017,2018 Dubai Lynx; Cannes Lions 2019; The One Show 2019; A&AD 2018; Cleo; NY ADC
Khaled Zaki Executive Producer
PRODUCTION HOUSE GUIDE
September 27, 2020
Lizard
Magnet Connect
Founded: 2013 Headquartered: Cairo Head of company: Karim Mira, founder lizardvfx.com cairo@lizardvfx.com athens@lizardvfx.com
Founded: 2012 Headquartered: Dubai Holding group: N2 Media ishani@magnetconnect.com magnetconnect.com
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SPECIALISMS: Editing; colour-grading; VFX
SPECIALISMS: Creative; film; photography; facilitation; talent; post-production; locations
KEY CLIENTS: Bigfoot Films; Excuse My Content; Rhino Productions; Nojara Productions; DéjaVu; JWT; Impact BBDO; Leo Burnett; FP7; Kairo
KEY CLIENTS: Jumeirah; Emirates; TBWA; Emaar; Etihad; Hogarth; Memac Ogilvy; Dnata; Atlantis
Magic Beans Founded: 2013 Regional offices: Cairo, UAE www.mbeans.tv Hello@mbeans.tv +20 111 600 0006 Having been created with creativity, passion and team work, Magic Beans has succeeded in establishing its own territory in Egypt over the past six years. Its scope of work is not restricted to TV commercials; Magic Beans has coproduced more than six TV series and more than three TV shows. In addition, Magic Beans co-produced one of the most trending TV Shows in the Middle East, SNL Arabia. Furthermore, Magic Beans produced the Gouna Film Festival, 1st edition. SPECIALISMS: Production for TV commercials, feature films, short movies, TV series, documentaries, TV programmes, music videos, digital content
Meraki Founded: 2015 Headquartered: Dubai, with offices in London www.merakiproduction.com +971 50 559 0558 Meraki is a production house based in London and Dubai, with more than 10 years’ experience in the industry. At Meraki we specialise in photo and film production in Europe, the Middle East and Asia. We’ve produced for clients including Wunderman, Y&R, Havas, Horizon FCB, BMW, Nike, Samsung, Rimmel, Max Factor, Bourjois, Wella, Saatchi & Saatchi, Ogilvy, Hogarth, Porsche, COS, Dior, P&G, Publicis, Commonwealth, Audi, Momentum, MullenLowe, Linkedin, M&S, Warner Bros, McDonalds and many more.
KKDD Film Production Founded: 2004 Owner: Kinjal Jagdish Tanna Headquartered: Dubai. Number of staff: 5 kinjal@kkddfilms.com kkddfilms@gmail.com +971 4 396 6999 (Dubai) +971 50 2460999 +91 961 999 0000 (Mumbai) www.kkddfilms.com
LEADERSHIP PANEL
We are a creative content production house based in Dubai since 2004 with two post suites, two audio suites and a colour-grading suite in-house since 2010. We have shot commercials across all genres in FMCG, automobiles, retail, food, etc. for brands including Jeema, Dettol, Kelloggs, Dabur, Toyota, Colgate, Fanta, Eveready, Noor, Blackberry, McCain Foods, Domex and Zain. KKDD Films has been set up with the intention of servicing our client base in the Middle East and Africa. SPECIALISMS: TV commercials, digital films, documentaries, OTT content, service production, line production, radio commercials, dubbing, post-production, animation
Kinjal Jagdish Tanna CEO/Producer
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PRODUCTION HOUSE GUIDE
September 27, 2020
Mile Studios
Motivate Connect
Owner: Leo Joseph Headquartered: Dubai Number of staff: 18 Founded: 2011 info@milestudios.tv; leo@milestudios.tv
Founded: 1979 Headquartered: Dubai www.motivatemedia.com connect@motivate.ae
SPECIALISMS: Videography; photography; location sound; digital imaging technicians; event coverage; live streaming; specialised in post-production services such as editing, colour grading, sound design and 2D & 3D animation KEY CLIENTS: Environmental Agency Abu Dhabi, Mubadala, Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, International Fund for Houbara Conservation, Imperial College London Diabetes centre
Misfits Content Creators Headquarters: Dubai Founded: 2015 nader@misfits.ae SPECIALISMS: Marketing strategy; creative campaign platform ideas; film scripts; directing; editing and grading; VFX; audio
From conception to distribution, Motivate Connect delivers! We help brands tell their stories through bespoke content creation across any media platform and device. From ideation to multi-lingual scripting and storyboarding, videography, photography, drone filming, animation and design and editing, our services cover every stage of the production process. Our specialised 360-degree approach integrates within your content strategy, and our distribution network extends the reach of your content across the Motivate Media Group portfolio including online, social media, influencer marketing, cinema and our partnerships with Emirates ICE and Discovery MENA feed. Through our partnership with Intermedia, your brand message can reach new television audiences with key distribution in households across the MENA region via the local Discovery feed.
Moving Stills Founded: 2015 Founder: Sadanand Chhatbar Headquartered: Dubai Number of staff: 6 sadanand@movingstills.me SPECIALISMS: Video and photo production and post-production, TV commercials, corporate films, social media videos, 360-degree videos, timelapse, 2D animation, 3D walkthroughs, cinemagraphs, parallax animation, stills photography
LEADERSHIP PANEL
Dev Vaswani
Founded: 2009 Ownership: Milkshake Media Headquartered: Dubai Number of staff: 8 www.milkshakeme.com dev@milkshakeme.com +971 4 457 2021/2; +971 50 469 2267 Milkshake Media is a creatively grounded content creation and production house, offering directors and writers to suit any budget and style. In-house post capabilities help craft stories. With a discerning eye and deep understanding of budgeting, we work hard to delight our clients. Some of these are: Mubadala, Landmark Group, Unilever, Adidas, GSK, Bosch, Samsung, Subaru, Jotun Paints, Majid Al Futtaim, Amazon, National Geographic and P&G, to name a few.
Managing Director and Executive Producer
Wijnand Ott Animator - Total Post Production Wizard
SPECIALISMS: We specialise in production of commercials, visual content, stills photography and animation AWARDS: MENA Cristal Best Film (Dubai Islamic Bank), Best Use or Integration of Experiential Events (Lipton Green Tea Fit Cart); Loeries Best Film (Samsung Kalima Lock); D&AD Creative Excellence (Samsung Kalima Lock); Dubai Lynx Best Content (Lipton Green Tea Fit Cart); Digital Studio Excellence in Post Production (Ikea Shadows)
Tom Gattos International Marketing Director and Creative Head
PRODUCTION HOUSE GUIDE
September 27, 2020
Odeum
Rahbani Productions
Founded: 2019 Headquartered: Dubai, with an office in Riyadh Holding company:Augustus Media Holding weareaugustus.com hello@weareaugustus.com
Founded: 1977 President and CEO: Marwan Rahbani Offices: Dubai and Lebanon Number of staff: 20 marwan@rahbaniproductions.com
Odeum, the in-house content studio of Augustus Media, owners of Lovin’ Dubai, Lovin’ Saudi and Smashi TV, is powered by data and insights, designed to produce new media formats, in real time for clients that live across our brand channels. We connect brands with communities and culture.
Rahbani Productions is the leading creative source in the Middle East in the world of theatre production, feature films and events. The company produces and organises mega events for the Arab and international world.
SPECIALISMS: Video; social; written; content; events; audio; online advertising
SPECIALISMS: Theatre production; feature films; TV programmes; events; TV commercials; corporate/documentary films; music videos; music composition and design; graphics and animation; dubbing; subtitling; in-flight entertainment
Phenomena Founded: 2018 Founder: Pirlanta Toubba; partners: Hiam Salibi, Karam Tabbe Offices: Dubai hello@phenomena-productions.com www.phenomena-productions.com Phenomena is a film production house and creative studio representing emerging talent locally and internationally. We are a third-culture team with a shared passion for film, music and culture. We take on projects as early as the development phase and drive them home for delivery. . SPECIALISMS: Production for TV commercials; digital content; music videos; short films KEY CLIENTS: Dubai Design District, Masdar, GMG
Red Stone Films Founded: 2011 Principal partner: Mohammad Irfan Dar Number of staff: 7 full-time; 20-member floating team of cinematographers, animators and directors. you@redstonefilms.in; irfan@redstonefilms.in SPECIALISMS: Creative research and strategy; video and film production (brand films, digital spots, explainers); animation (2D, 3D, projection mapping); post-production services; visual storytelling workshops. KEY CLIENTS: Microsoft Corporation, International Centre for Research on Women (ICRW), Ashoka University India
We believe in being brave. Whatever the brief, whatever the subject matter, we guide and inspire our clients to make content that stirs emotions.
Films by Nomad Founded: 2012 Ownership: Nomad Media Headquartered: Dubai Number of staff: 20 abudhabi@filmsbynomad.com dubai@filmsbynomad.com +971 4 551 5368 www.filmsbynomad.com Founder and director: Philip Griffiths Founder and director: Zoë Griffiths Managing director: Tim Swain Country Head - UAE: Gallien Chanalet-Quercy
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We believe in trust. We trust our people, we trust our ability, we build working relationships on trust. When trust is your foundation, you can achieve great things. SPECIALISMS: Nomad is a multi award winning creative agency that makes high end moving image campaigns, specializing in scripted and factual storytelling. KEY CLIENTS: ADNOC, Dubai Tourism, Disney, National Geographic, Discovery Channel, Emirates Airlines, ENBD, Emaar, Jumeirah, ESPN, ENEC, Mubadala, Arla, Chrysler, EY, Under Armour, Jaguar Land Rover, Adidas AWARDS: Broadcast Pro | Production House of the Year Broadcast Pro | Best Long Form Production of the Year MENA Digital Awards | Best Use of Social Media & Best Use of Digital Digital Studio | Best Live Action Capture SPIA | Best Sports Event of the Year
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PRODUCTION HOUSE GUIDE
September 27, 2020
Seven Production
Tomorrow Film
Founded: 2011 Offices: Dubai, Riyadh 7production.net pierre.tabet@7production.net
Founded: 2018 Headquartered: Dubai Number of staff: 4 www.tomorrow.film antonio@tomorrow.film; rula@tomorrow.film
SPECIALISMS: Video production; film and broadcast services; studio facilities KEY CLIENTS: MBC; Al Jazeera; Imagic; OSN; Dubai Media; Abu Dhabi Media; TwoFour54; BeIn Sports; IEC In Sports; Studio Vision; Talpa
Stoked Founded: 2013 Headquartered: Dubai, with offices in Lebanon www.stokedfilms.com +971 58 566 3247; +971 58 537 7393; +961 3 824 192 rita@stokedfilms.com; charbel@stokedfilms.com; info@stokedfilms.com Stoked is a creative production company with main offices in the UAE and Lebanon. We produce and facilitate commercials, TV and digital content, short films, documentaries, photoshoots, activations and feature films across the Middle East. SPECIALISMS: Creative production; film production; post production; audio production; TV and digital content; documentaries; photoshoots; feature films KEY CLIENTS: UN-WFP, International Committee of the Red Cross, Médecins Sans Frontières, Greenpeace, Nestle AWARDS: Since 2013, Stoked has won awards including 6 Cannes Lions, 14 Awards at the Dubai Lynx including 4 Grand Prix, and 2 Awards at the Loeries including 1 Grand Prix and 1 Gold.
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Tomorrow Film is an audacious, quality-driven and no-compromise production house founded by Rula Bevilacqua and Antonio Sabatella in 2018, after a decade spent acquiring top-notch experience in the UAE and the Middle East. Since we started this amazing journey of Tomorrow, we have quickly achieved a reputation among clients, directors and crew as a reliable and flexible production hub, able to empower the vision behind each project and to push quality and creativity further. SPECIALISMS: Production and post-production of TV commercials and highend digital content KEY CLIENTS: Mondelez, Emirates NBD, Netflix, Centrepoint, DTCM
Truffle Founded: 2017 Headquartered: Beirut www.truffle.film +961 1 321 455 Truffle was founded by Michel Abou Zeid and Cynthia Chammas with the aim of producing world-class work and setting a new standard in the market. Truffle has received accolades from regional and international shows including The Loeries, One Club for Creativity, MENA Cristal, Lynx and Cannes Lions. SPECIALISMS: Production house focusing mainly on TV commercial productions
The Studio96 Founded: 2014 Ownership: Blurred Lens Films and TV Production Headquartered: Dubai Number of staff: 12 +971 4 284 6503; +971 55 508 5572; +971 52 722 2122 www.thestudio96.com Patrick@thestudio96.com; Alex@thestudio96.com The Studio96 is more than four years old and is specialised in video production at various levels including short films, films for CSR campaigns, corporate commercials, etc. We create stories and we believe stories create movements and brand-building, and ultimately change the world SPECIALISMS: Production of commercials and corporate films; CSR campaigns and content creation
Two Tales Founded: 2018 Owners: Farah & Sami Joe Headquartered: Jeddah, with office in Riyadh Number of Staff: 5 Hello@twotales.film; Farah@twotales.film; Samijoe@twotales.film www.twotales.film +966 56 075 4883 SPECIALISMS: Full-fledged production house KEY CLIENTS: RSA, Quad, Al Agosto, Deja Vu, Truffle Films, Big Kahuna Films, VIP Films
KEY CLIENTS: Emirates NBD, Centrepoint, Kioxia, Rabdan Academy, Diovid-Vidimed, Jacky’s, Berger Paints, Ikea
The Talkies Founded: 1988 Ownership: Talent Holding Headquartered: Beirut, with branches in Dubai, Cairo and Casablanca Number of staff: 22 info@thetalkies.com SPECIALISMS: Studios; casting; set building; post production KEY CLIENTS: Leo Burnett, Cheil Worldwide, BBDO, FP7, JWT
Viola Producers Founded: 2001 Holding group: Viola Communications CEO and board member: Ammar Sharaf Headquartered: Abu Dhabi marketing@viola.ae Creatively inspired, we develop and deliver meaningful corporate communications, specialising in high-quality video production, 2D and 3D animated videos, virtual reality videos, interactive media, branded assets, CSR, health and safety, events and theme videos.
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PRODUCTION HOUSE GUIDE
September 27, 2020
VIP Films
LEADERSHIP PANEL
Founded: 1972 (Beirut); 2001 (Dubai) Owner: Rafic Tamba Offices: Dubai and Beirut Number of staff: 10 hello@vipfilms.com +971 4 391 4789 (Dubai) +961 138 3453 (Beirut) www.vipfilms.com VIP Films is passionately dedicated to the way we treat every film, every story. We produce advertising films and TV commercials, social media content, digital and online content, and pretty much anything you throw our way. We adapt. We create. We find solutions. 20 years in UAE. We forge ahead. AWARDS: ADSports TV idents – Promax BDA Europe 2016 Gold; Dubai Lynx 2015 Shortlist – Film Craft Achievement in Production; Sharjah Tourism Film – International Tour Film Fest Bulgaria’s Special Award of the Team 2016; Toyota TRD – Dubai Lynx 2015 Shortlist, Film Craft, Cinematography; QNB Achievers – Dubai Lynx 2015 Shortlist; Beirut Aftershave – Golden Cesar Award for Best Short Feature, France; Fnac Award in Clermont Ferrand France; Nominated for Best short feature at Cannes; Mabrouk Again (short feature) – more than 10 awards for Best Film in international festivals; Ksara Wine – IAA Awards, Lebanon; Exotica ‘Pencil’ – IAA Awards, Lebanon (Silver); Asthma Awareness – IAA Awards, Lebanon; Chevrolet Trailblazer ‘Kung Fu’ –IAA Awards, Dubai (Gold); DDIA ‘Invest in Dubai’ – IAA Awards, Dubai (Silver); MBC television –IAA Awards, Dubai; Nissan Patrol ‘Conquering the City’ – Sword Awards, KSA (Silver); Cadillac Escalade ‘The Chase’ – IAA Awards, Dubai; Al Wasat Magazine – IAA Awards, Dubai; Toyota Corolla – IAA Awards, Dubai; Dubai Sports Bumpers – Gold Award at Promax BDA Arabia 2011, Dubai; Mention D’Honneur web award at the 2011 FICTS, Milan.
Rafic Tamba
Paula Tamba
CEO
Executive Producer
Martha Nassar
Jana Barnard
Regional Producer
Producer
Dubai, thank you for your support
BY VIP FILMS
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e have all been severely affected by the Covid-19 lockdown. While we all had to adhere to severe restrictions for the greater good of all, it created a big financial impact on our industry, as on so many others as well. With the slow return to a “responsible normal”, we now find some clients are still very cautious. Nobody is able to predict what lies ahead. Clients require plenty of risk assessment calculations for various Covid-19-related scenarios affecting productions. There is a feeling of trying to be prepared for whatever might lie ahead before taking a decision on proceeding or not. Business is clearly picking up, with plenty more pitches and productions in the market. Our shared, continued efforts to take on this new way of conducting business in a responsible manner is key in ensuring our industry stays afloat. We still need to deliver excellent films and high-standard productions, but with masks, frequent sanitising and social distancing in place as well. It does slow things down during prep and on-set, and with reduced crews people need
to take on more and more tasks in order to compensate with less hands on deck. Clients are also shrinking their spend on advertising, conservatively feeling out the water during this time, which is adding strain on the whole process. So yes, work is picking up after the complete lockdown we went through, but certainly not like before. Everyone is very careful about spending money and very conscious about the implications of cancellations due to possible new regulations coming out. VIP Films resumed shooting as normally as possible thanks to the support of the Dubai Film and TV Commission, who are very supportive when it comes to issuing permits. Directors are now flying in normally and we are able to get to work in a way that resembles pre-Covid-19 times, to a degree. VIP Films also resumed servicing for other countries who have difficulties shooting in their own country, and with the help of live streaming we can offer great solutions for them. It certainly is a challenge, but one that we are ready to take on. Thank you.
PRODUCTION HOUSE GUIDE
September 27, 2020
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Wild Media
Zia Creative Network
Founded: 2013 Owners: Hattie Bowering and Dalia Penzik Headquartered: Dubai Number of staff: 4 hello@wildmedia.com www.wildmedia.com
Founded: 2009 Offices: Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Halifax Number of staff: 15 info@zianetwork.com
SPECIALISMS: Digital content, documentaries, commercials, campaigns, exhibitions, corporate films, events
KEY CLIENTS: Ministry of Interior, Dubai Police, Jaguar Land Rover, Abu Dhabi Pension, ADNEC
SPECIALISMS: Video production; photography; advertising; PR and communications
KEY CLIENTS: Louvre Abu Dhabi, Dubai Tourism, Abu Dhabi Tourism, Saudi Arabia Ministry of Housing, Burberry
Zooxel Founded: 2013 Holding group: Aidem Media Headquartered: Dubai info@zooxel.com
Wonderful Productions Founded: 2009 Offices: Lebanon and Dubai Number of staff: 5 paul.sabbagh@wprod.tv
SPECIALISMS: Commercial and feature film production; 3D Animation; cinematics; virtual production
SPECIALISMS: TV commercials, corporate and music videos production
KEY CLIENTS: Abu Dhabi Government, Sharjah Government, Daimler, Microsoft
LEADERSHIP PANEL
Founded: 2012 Offices: Dubai, Abu Dhabi. Number of staff: 14 action@salukimedia.com +971 4 375 2435 +971 50 103 9117 www.salukimedia.com We’re Saluki Media. Storytellers and moviemakers. Creative, agile, impactful and diverse. From documentary to TVC, from live action to animation… from safe face-to-face to virtual content creation… Whatever the medium, we craft emotional, cinematic stories. It has been a year beyond description. And we know we’re all still in the thick
of it. But we’ve got your back. We’re up for the challenge. Proud to stand with you and create. Because the audience deserves it. SPECIALISMS: Documentaries; corporate films; aerial cinematography; animated content creation; episodic television; event coverage; foreign facilitation; opening ceremony films; virtual event creation and administration; TVCs KEY CLIENTS: ADNOC, DMG Events, Majid Al Futtaim Group, Vox Cinemas, Masdar, National Geographic, Image Nation Abu Dhabi, CNBC, NBC Universal, Abu Dhabi Media Company AWARDS: Winner of 2018 Transform Awards MENA
John Sammon
Bashir Wagih
Director and Executive Producer
Creative Director
John Haddad
Ema Chacar
Director
Producer
A NEW AGENCY CONNECTING WORLD-CLASS TALENT WITH BRANDS
September 27, 2020
TIKTOK HIVE HOSTS TIKTOK T FOR BUSINESS VIRTUAL OPEN DAY More than 1,300 attended the online event, which boasted a keynote, breakout sessions, a DJ and more. By Sofia Serrano
he video-sharing platform TikTok recently launched its corporate arm, TikTok for Business. TikTok for Business is the platform’s offering for brands to develop their image and unleash their creativity, to raise their voice and find the right audience among a young and engaged TikTok community. Following the trend of virtual events during the pandemic, TikTok for Business gathered an online community for an Open Day at the TikTok Hive – a virtual conference centre. When guests logged in, an enthusiastic man in a unicorn onesie welcomed them to the platform before leading them to an interactive Reception, the “homepage for the day”. In the Reception – a virtual hall adorned with cushions, virtual personas and TikTok videos – visitors had access to different spaces including the Auditorium, the Directory Hall, the Exhibition Hall, the Lounge and the Resource Centre. They could also download a virtual goody bag of wallpapers, PDF brochures, graphics and other conference-style freebies. The event started in the Hive’s Auditorium with introductions and the keynote speech by Shant Oknayan, the head of global business solutions for MENA and Turkey. Oknayan explained how TikTok’s full-screen, sound-on format encourages high engagement, and emphasised that “engagement then drives strong business results”. He demonstrated TikTok’s engagement rates through multiple examples of third-party data. Oknayan shared metrics and consumer behaviour trends on TikTok and its value as a platform for brands to expand their identities among a community of fully engaged creators. The conference, which had more than 1,300 attendees, continued with breakout sessions accessed through the Directory Hall. TikTok for Business team members discussed topics including an Arabic introduction to the platform’s new services and topics such as “The Power of Creation”, “Building Great Partnerships”, “Get your SME started on TikTok”, “Branding Solutions Crash Course”, and “The Evolution of Consumers”. In “Brand Building through Authentic Content”, Jovana Jovanovich, creative
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‘‘ONE NEEDS TO GO BEYOND GETTING THUMBS-UPORIENTED ENGAGEMENT.” agency partner at TikTok, presented insights about how TikTok thrives on the “three Cs” of content, community and consumers. To that list brands can add a fourth C – commerce – if they learn to “make TikToks not ads”. The talks emphasised the commerce aspect of TikTok and the opportunity it presents for brands. The attendees Campaign chatted with in the Lounge (as TikTok’s head of video and creative Rami Zeidan played a DJ set of old-school hip-hop) were enjoying this unusual event. Beverney Shane from AKQA said: “The event was refreshingly different compared to other online events, and a nice break from the usual Zoom and BlueJeans conference calls. Super sick to see a more positive and entertaining push on the direction of content that agencies should aspire to create. What I’ve learned is that people need to find their voice and be creative with it. One needs to go beyond getting thumbs-up-oriented engagement.” Business growth specialist Ayman Itani said: “As an active member on TikTok, I felt that the #TikTokHive event format was structured in a way where it covers the different needs of the attendees: statistics, downloadable files, knowing who the TikTok team is, where to get started, and entertainment.” The event’s resources will continue to be up for some time, so don’t miss your chance to dig into the insightful material and watch any videos you might have missed on the day. Additional reporting by Austyn Allison (partner content)
PARTNER CONTENT
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September 27, 2020
Samsung’s got talent The mobile phone manufacturer tapped into Arabic TV star Ahmed Helmy’s Facebook and Instagram popularity to launch its S20 Ultra handset to a socially distanced audience
C
ovid-19 has put certain limitations on new product launches, with most physical events being out of the question. Brands wanting to showcase their latest tech offerings to consumers have had to find ways to give a hands-on experience without getting any hands on the product itself. This was the challenge that faced Samsung’s Middle East team when the Korean phone manufacturer wanted to launch its new S20 Ultra handset. Luckily for Samsung, it has a secret weapon. In April it signed a partnership with Egyptian TV star, comedian and influencer Ahmed Helmy, who has 32 million followers across his social media channels. It was the first time Samsung had produced content with a local celebrity. As well as being a much-loved judge on the television show Arabs Got Talent, Helmy is a goodwill ambassador for Unicef, the UN World Food Programme, and for Arab Hope Makers in the UAE. It’s fair to say he’s well known. Samsung used its partnership with Helmy to launch its flagship S20 Ultra in July. Under his contract with the brand, Helmy agreed to make two Instagram posts and two Instagram stories, with two Facebook posts reposted from Instagram. Helmy will also be integrating the product twice a month into his own posts under the sponsorship agreement. Helmy unveiled the phone with a rap. In a shift from the normal phone-launch clichés of lots of product shots, Samsung let Helmy’s words explain the product while the visuals of his post concentrated on the influencer and his user experience.
After Helmy had posted about the phone, Samsung amplified his posts over its own channels, including on Facebook and Instagram. The campaign went live on July 2. By July 5, only three days (and one post) later, the results were already impressive. Helmy’s Facebook video had racked up 77,000 likes, 4,400 comments, 4,100 shares and 706,000 views. On IGTV he had reached 221,000 likes, 6,900 comments and 1.5 million views. Over those three days, 332 conversations started about the S20 Ultra thanks to Helmy’s posts. Monitoring firm Crimson Hexagon calculated 87 per cent of those conversations to be positive, 12 per cent neutral and only 1 per cent negative. The main buzzwords in the conversations were “Samsung” and the Arabic for “amazing”. Fans were mimicking the Helmy’s lyrics and rapping back without even being asked to do so. Crimson Hexagon found the key winning insight was: “Content strength falls in subtle product key selling point integration with a creative that reflects the persona of the celebrity to secure authenticity.” Within 72 hours Helmy’s launch rap had also been picked up by Arabic TV magazine ETV, where it had garnered 3,180 views. And the Jeddah College of Advertising asked its social followers to vote whether the campaign was “amazing” or they had “seen this idea before”. “Amazing” got 87 per cent of the vote. The results weren’t only reflected in social conversations and likes; in Saudi Arabia the campaign had a measurably positive effect on the brand too. Ad recall rose by 15.8 points; preference rose by 1.9 points and purchase intent went up by 2.4 points.
“Content strength falls in subtle product key selling point integration with a creative that reflects the persona of the celebrity.”
PARTNER CONTENT
September 27, 2020
Prihan Farrag – Senior Marketing Manager, MENA, Samsung “As Samsung Mobile, we will always strive to bring our fans innovation in everything we do – not just products but also consumer marketing. We are keen to keep them always entertained with our latest technology and future storytelling.”
Anas Charif – Senior Digital Marketing Manager, Samsung KSA “Innovation is at the heart of everything we do at Samsung, whether it’s creating cutting edge products or delivering meaningful experiences to our consumers. The results of our S20 Ultra campaign reinforce the importance of tackling local consumer insights to build relevant content that resonates.”
Ahmed Helmy introduced the S20 Ultra with a rap
Austyn Allison, editor of Campaign Middle East “During lockdown people are looking for entertainment and are perhaps more open to influencer marketing. Ahmed Helmy has one foot in the world of aspirational celebrity and the other in the role of relatable influencer, so has a wide reach. Launching a phone just as lockdown was ending must also have appealed to consumers looking for a ‘revenge purchase’, when they can finally treat themselves to a new phone.”
Agency: Leo Burnett Director: Tameem Youness Media agency: Starcom Saudi
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PARTNER CONTENT
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September 27, 2020
New strategies Snap’s Antoine Challita looks at how to align purpose, context and reach throughout the consumer journey
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t’s no secret that 2020 has been a turbulent year for regional economies and communities. This has in turn affected the way brands engage with their customers, deliver value and measure their marketing ROI. Within the Middle East, the conversations we are having with brands are also evolving. More and more, these conversations are not only about the scale and reach that Snapchat has in the region but, more importantly, about the context and the value of audiences that brands are trying to engage with. That is why it is important to introduce products that enable marketers not only to leverage upper- and mid-funnel activities, but also to really push the needle to ensure that conversions are happening based on the intent signals that brands are capturing throughout the consumer journey. Recognising this, new media strategies have had to come into play. The fundamentals of brand building are actually the same. However, the avenues of connecting with audiences are evolving, and the way brands are leveraging these avenues should be optimised to make their investments more productive and effective. Mobile-empowered consumers are making more decisions on the go, researching on the go, discovering on the go, and I think organisations that are conscious of growth need to be very mindful of that and seize the opportunities accordingly. The other side of this conversation on media strategies is the value of audiences. It’s all about reflecting on where future growth will be coming from. Acquiring new consumers and tapping into Gen Z has been at the forefront of many of our partners’ thinking. Thankfully, we are in a very strong position, considering our scale across the region, as we reach 90 per cent of 13- to 34-year-olds in KSA and more than 60 per cent of 13- to 24-year-olds in the UAE. Once brands truly know their audience, it is imperative for them to define a brand purpose that is relevant to those audiences, and that the organisation can commit to. I recall when one of the social groups shared a video about the ads
that are being created by brands during and for the pandemic. Everything was looking the same, and differentiation between brands was lost. Alex Edmans published a book recently called Grow the Pie, where he explores how companies can do good and do well at the same time. When brands and businesses have a purpose, partners are generally more willing to engage and collaborate, and employees are now more willing to mobilise and are more productive. Brands that have a relevant purpose – and that are committed to it – can really differentiate themselves. Again, it is possible for you to do good and do well on the bottom line. Profitability and growth are outcomes and are driven by fulfilling the value that brands have set themselves to achieve. This relationship at times has been confused and separated the successful organisations from the struggling ones. Of course, having a clear brand purpose is easier said than done. Businesses today are hungry for innovative ways to differentiate themselves and to communicate their brand purpose. For example, we have seen how virtual try-ons and our creative tools – powered by AR – have enabled businesses to maximise their sales by driving both awareness and consideration while consumers had restricted mobility. Taking this all into account, I do think it’s worthwhile to come back to the point about an increasingly mobile consumer. Mobile penetration and time spent on mobiles are incredibly high in this part of the world, and with technological progression this will only grow. As a mobile-only platform, we know how valuable and immersive content experiences can be when they tie back to brand purpose. It is perhaps why 90 per cent of our users in KSA, for example, access our lenses on a daily basis. On mobile, you have a consumer that is leaned-in and attentive. By appreciating the context and the value of audiences, sticking to a clear media strategy and aligning that with brand purpose, brands have ample opportunities to expand their visibility across the consumer journey.
“Once brands truly know their audience, it is imperative for them to define a brand purpose that is relevant to those audiences, and that the organisation can commit to.” By Antoine Challita, Head of CPG in MENA, Snap Inc. and corporate member of The Marketing Society
September 27, 2020
MATTER OF FACT
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NOW IS THE FUTURE
News, views & trends from across the spectrum
Many terms are redefined or reformed to match the zeitgeist of the prevalent lexicon and maintain relevancy in any given period. However, very few, if any, have transcended across the years to adopt a more powerful meaning with every age that they are used in. From exceptional writers and orators to digital savants whose understanding of modern technologies and platforms is palpable to an intrinsic degree, influence is no longer just the means of affecting someone’s choice; it is the compass that is guiding the new era. Where once the reins were explicitly in the hands of marketers and communication professionals, they are now in the control of people who have adapted to the tools in their hands and used them to garner influential dominance over others, for better or for worse.
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Ahmad Itani is a passionate educator and entrepreneur who is the founder and CEO of public relations consultancy Cicero & Bernay.
VS
YOU HEARD IT FIRST Word of mouth is still the most influential channel across industries
The third-person effect in the retail industry of social media influence vs the actual statistic
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Millennials who consider social media posts from their close friends to be their primary reference, followed closely by Generation X at 61%
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Responders across generational categories who identified social media as the reason behind their travel choices
THE YOUNGER THEY ARE The younger the respondents, the more likely they were to be influenced by social media
Source: instituteforpr.org
GAME CHANGER Things have changed exponentially over the past months, and people have introduced innovative ways to celebrate. The Indian Institute of Technology Bombay held an online graduation ceremony that took the world by storm. It wasn’t just remote; an avatar was generated for each student and faculty member, granting the event a true virtual feel.
B R E A K I N G T HE NE T Oneya Johnson is 22 years old. He is homeless, living in his car, and amassed one million followers on TikTok on his first day on the platform. Why? His unique way of spreading positivity. The story here is not of this young man, however. It’s that no matter what, people are still looking to share and spread love against all odds and challenges, and celebrating those who do.
#N OT Novak Djokovic, the number-one ranked tennis player in the world, was disqualified from the US Open for inadvertently striking a line judge with a stray tennis ball. The internet has been vocal over this matter, with some decrying his dismissal and others calling the decision, though justified, a blow to tennis fans who now have nothing to look forward to in this Grand Slam. Moral of the story? Don’t give in to frustration and always keep your cool.
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September 27, 2020
A VIEW FROM
Alex Malouf
TECH TIPS
Kundera
WE’VE GOT TO GET PR PROFESSIONALS BACK TO WORK: WE NEED INDUSTRY CERTIFICATION
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ack in 2008, I was lucky. I was in Saudi, and the global hit to the financial market didn’t dent the country’s economy. That wasn’t the case for my friends and colleagues in Dubai, many of whom lost jobs as sectors such as real estate collapsed. I never thought anything would be as bad as 2008 and 2009. I was wrong. 2020 has been a disaster for nearly all of us. Everyone is letting people go, both agencies and clients. And it hurts to see so many good marketing and communications unemployed. The question is: How do we get experienced people back into work? We’ve always been an open industry. There’s no single route to becoming a communications or public relations executive. In some respects, it’s a strength. The diversity makes us more dynamic, open to different opinions. However, there’s also no way to rate a communicator. You’ve got a CV, and that’s it. And that’s a weakness right now. We need a way to find out the experienced professionals from those who aren’t. We need a universally accepted certification that will help people who are hiring understand what level a person is at. You have to remember that most people who hire for communications really don’t have much of an idea what we do or how we do it. If we’re to get the best of us who are out of work back to what they’re best at, then we need to go forward as an industry and adopt a standard certification, be it that advocated by the CIPR, IABC, the PRCA or any other global association. We need people who are accredited, who have invested time in their
Alex Malouf is corporate communications director MEA at Schneider Electric
development, and who can say, “I know my communications theory, and this is how I can prove it.” Any funds raised from a certification could go back into the industry, to support those who are out of work (the CIPR does this with iprovision, which provides grants to members to help with care and respite costs). And it would also prove the commitment of those communicators and public relations people in work to support those people who need our help. A certification won’t just help people understand the difference between an experienced communicator who knows about a host of issues such as measurement, digital, ethics and the like. It’ll also help others get what the function is all about. Many of us will work tirelessly for our brands, but we’re awful at doing public relations for what we love and what we are good at. There are not enough people out there, particularly among the C-level crowd and within human resources, who actually know what communications is about. As an industry we have to spend more time educating our peers, so that they know what we do and the value of our work. I’m going to end by saying everything has changed, and we have to change as an industry too. We’ve got to try new things, we’ve got to look at what we can do better. I want our profession to be respected, to have a seat at the table, and to be strategic. And I want those experienced people who are out of work back in work. We’ve got to look at how we can best do this, and, for me, certification is one of the better answers out there.
Motivate Publishing Group Head Office: 34th Floor, Media One Tower, Dubai Media City, Dubai, UAE. Tel: +971 4 427 3000, Email: motivate@motivate.ae Dubai Media City: Motivate Publishing FZ LLC, Office 508, 5th Floor, Building 8, Dubai, UAE. Tel: +971 4 390 3550, Fax: +971 4 390 4845 Abu Dhabi: Motivate Advertising, Marketing & Publishing, PO Box 43072, Abu Dhabi, UAE. Tel: +971 2 677 2005, Fax: +971 2 677 0124, Email: motivate-adh@motivate.ae London: Motivate Publishing Ltd, Acre House, 11/15 William Road, London NW1 3ER. motivateuk@motivate.ae www.motivatemedia.com EDITORIAL Editor-in-Chief Obaid Humaid Al Tayer Managing Partner and Group Editor Ian Fairservice Editor Austyn Allison Editorial Intern Sofia Serrano DESIGN Senior Art Director Olga Petroff Art Director Sheila Deocareza Junior Designer Thokchom Remy ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES Tel: +971 4 427 3000 Chief Commercial Officer Anthony Milne Group Sales Manager Nadeem Ahmed Quraishi (+971 50 6453365) Group Marketing Manager Anusha Azees PRODUCTION General Manager S. Sunil Kumar Assistant Production Manager Binu Purandaran HAYMARKET MEDIA GROUP Chairman Kevin Costello Managing Director Jane Macken
The publishers regret that they cannot accept liability for error or omissions contained in this publication, however caused. The opinions and views contained in this publication are not necessarily those of the publishers. Readers are advised to seek specialist advice before acting on information contained in this publication which is provided for general use and may not be appropriate for the readers’ particular circumstances. The ownership of trademarks is acknowledged. No part of this publication or any part of the contents thereof may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form without the permission of the publishers in writing. An exemption is hereby granted for extracts used for the purpose of fair review. Campaign Middle East includes material reproduced from the UK Edition (and other editions) of Campaign, which is the copyright of Haymarket. Campaign is a trademark of Haymarket and is used under licence. The views and opinions expressed within this magazine are not necessarily those of Haymarket Magazines Limited or those of its contributors.
Locally produced AI writer launched Dubai-based start-up KF Solutions has announced the launch of Kundera, a locally developed mobile application that will enable individuals and businesses to research and generate articles in minutes. The mobile app and web platform for enterpris, was launched earlier this month in English, with Arabic due to roll out in early 2021, and further languages in the following months. AI solutions are virtually integrated within all industries, whether used to boost technical functioning or crunch massive data sets. Kundera’s creators say businesses in the region can use it to empower their Kareem Farid workforce to be more Founder and MD, productive by saving KF Solutions time and enabling faster, more accurate decision-making underpinned by insight and data. The app is the brain-child of Kareem Farid, a former journalist and comms professional, who says he plans to “move the region beyond digital transformation and address the need to provide smart solutions to help businesses run more effectively as we accelerate the pace towards becoming a digital-first nation”. He says he aims to disrupt daily life by providing the latest in AI solutions that integrate into everyday operations.
September 27, 2020
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A split that will reshape media
T
he biggest break up in 21st century regional media has happened, with Saudi-owned broadcasting giant MBC announcing it will no longer be represented by Choueiri Group’s Arabian Media Services. The split with Choueiri Group marks and end to the most influential partnership in the industry and is sure to have huge implications in the coming years. MBC launched in London in 1991 and transformed the regional media scene. It provided international programming via satellite to a Saudi audience desperate for more scintillating content than that produced by its national broadcaster. Industry veterans have told me the apocryphal story that, before MBC1 arrived, the highest viewing figures in the kingdom came at midnight, when Saudi TV would show all the TVCs it had sold in one halfhour block. Saudis were so keen to see content from beyond their borders they would tune in just to watch the adverts. MBC gave them international quality, and a less conservative approach to programming than the Saudi state might have tolerated, were the channels to be broadcast domestically. MBC because Saudi’s window to the world, and its ad slots quickly became the hottest currency in MENA media. Enter: Choueiri Group. The Lebanese firm soon came to an agreement to represent MBC’s media sales. Both MBC and Choueiri moved to Dubai, but although the UAE was the regional centre of media, it was agencies born out of the Levant that were buying air time to reach Saudis. That meant buying MBC through Choueiri, and within regional media agencies careers have risen and fallen depending on the quality of relationships between buyers and their counterparts at Choueiri Group. On an institutional level, the concentration of media money through one player has meant Choueiri has often led the way in introducing media technologies and influencing the way business is done across other channels as well as its own.
Choueiri has other interests, and over the past decade has been actively diversifying its media portfolio, most actively in the online space with its Digital Media Services division. DMS represents numerous websites and platforms and has been one of the key players in leading the Middle East’s digital evolution. Choueiri also represents other broadcasters, including Dubai Media, and has an outof-home division, Arabian Outdoor. Editor Much media spend is moving online, and away from traditional channels austyn.allison@motivate.ae such as print and television, so Google @maustyn and Facebook arguably have more clout now than MBC, and the migration of money is set to continue. But MBC is moving hundreds of millions of dollars of spend to run through its own in-house division, based in Saudi Arabia. MBC itself will be moving its headquarters to Riyadh within the next few years, a sign both of the kingdom’s liberalisation under Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, and also of the tighter control ‘MBS’ is exerting on economic and social assets. This means the axis of media power is shifting from Beirut and Dubai towards Riyadh. I’d be surprised of we don’t see media agencies building up their presence in the kingdom as soon as travel and relocation are possible. Creative agencies and the rest of the industry will also follow the money. An era has ended. It will be fascinating to see what the next one brings.
AUSTYN ALLISON
Clarity means responsibility I
A VIEW FROM
DAVE TROTT
Dave Trott is the author of Creative Mischief, Predatory Thinking and One Plus One Equals Three
n 2002, a Russian airliner was flying to Barcelona. It had a very experienced crew, plus 15 adult passengers and 45 children on board. A DHL 757 cargo plane with an English and a Canadian pilot was also in the air. They were at the same height and would both reach the same spot at exactly the same time, and crash. There were two systems in place to prevent this: human and automatic. The human system was Air Traffic Control (ATC) and consisted of a man watching a screen. The automatic one was Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) with no humans involved. That night, the human controller at Zurich was Peter Nielsen. When he saw the planes were getting close, he told the Russian plane to descend. He didn’t tell the DHL plane anything – if it carried on, the Russian plane would go under it. But at that moment the automatic TCAS instructed the Russian plane to climb and the DHL plane to descend. If both planes had obeyed the TCAS, everything would have been fine – the Russian plane would have gone over the DHL plane. But the Russian pilot had been told to descend by the ground controller, so he obeyed him.
The DHL pilot had been told to descend by the TCAS, so he obeyed that. The conflicting advice made sure that the planes arrived at exactly the same place at exactly the same time. The tail of the DHL plane sliced through the body of the Russian plane – both planes crashed and all 71 people on board died. The problem was communication: a lack of clarity concerning the two systems. In the training manuals, it said: “TCAS is a back-up to the ATC system.” Which suggested that human instructions should take precedence. But elsewhere in the manuals, it states “TCAS is an additional aid”, then contradicts itself by forbidding any manoeuvres “contrary to TCAS”. So who should the pilot obey: ATC or TCAS? That lack of clarity in communication cost 71 lives. Actually, it cost 72 lives. One of the parents of the children tracked down the controller and stabbed him to death. Vitaly Kaloyev was an architect who lost his wife Svetlana, his 10-year-old daughter Konstantin, and his four-year-old daughter Diana. Air-traffic control offered him 60,000 Swiss Francs for his wife, and 50,000 for each child, as long as he
kept quiet. The callous way they dealt with the deaths was matched by the laziness and incompetence with which they had dealt with their jobs. They weren’t sure which system should take priority, so they fudged it. They hadn’t made a decision, so they couldn’t communicate one. Consequently, no-one knew which system had priority so, in truth, neither did. And that’s how most of us do our jobs: decisions are difficult, no-one wants to be held responsible, so we don’t make them. We know in a crowded marketplace only a single, simple communication can work. But that isn’t going to make us popular, so we pretend we can do everything. Is it market share or market growth? Is it current users or triallists? Is it brand or product? The answer is we want it all and we don’t want to take a decision between them. So we ridicule clarity by calling it binary thinking. And yet, as David Ogilvy said: “Strategy is sacrifice.” We dodge responsibility by ignoring reality. And by pretending we can do everything, we end up doing nothing.
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September 27, 2020
Unilever… ‘Strikes the balance between pragmatic ends and empathic means.’
Burger King… ‘Someone at Burger King Arabia aced their psychology 101.’
Visa… ‘The execution doesn’t seem to be as thoughtful as the idea.’
Visit Dubai… ‘For a MENA destination campaign, something was missing.’
Lebanese Army… ‘I can’t decide if the campaign is confusing or confused.’
September 27, 2020
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Private View REEM FAHD
Unilever
Title: Face Mask Anthem Agency: Impact BBDO Singer: Shehzad Roy
Bilingual copywriter and KSA content consultant
Burger King
Brands are not always a welcome passenger on the wagon of current events. Still, some brands figure out how to endear themselves to us well; some lose themselves in the attempt, and some… they just make things weird. UNILEVER’S PAKISTAN NATIONAL DAY (1) campaign is one that effortlessly strikes the balance between pragmatic ends and empathic means in the face of the coronavirus pandemic. The scenes of Shehzad Roy and his chorus, singing with muffled voices from behind their masks, adds a new dimension to the simple act of wearing a mask, and new shades of meaning to the anthem itself without a touch of fluff or fervour.
Another that tugs on the heart’s strings, while avoiding the pitfalls of unsavoury virtuesignalling, is BURGER KING ARABIA’S PAY-CUT WHOPPER (2) campaign. Whopping discounts on ordering-in abound during the present economic crunch, and Burger King Arabia found a way to seize this opportunity by marketing with empathy vs. marketing with a vengeance. In offering to match its customers’ pay cuts with equivalent discounts, up to 30 per cent for a maximum of three months, the incentive is shifted from the enticement of an offer to the thoughtfulness behind it. Someone at Burger King Arabia aced their psychology 101. Speaking of empathy, VISA’S WHERE YOU SHOP MATTERS (3) puts a face to the small and medium-sized businesses’ struggle in the economic downturn. People might be mindful of their spending nowadays but it’s also worth remembering that the survival of SMEs in these rough times depends on our everyday consumer choices. The execution, however, doesn’t seem to be as thoughtful as the idea. The Arabic version of the campaign’s hero video, especially, comes across as an afterthought: a stream of disjointed positive affirmations, at the end of which the core message is completely lost in translation, “because you
and what you’re looking for doesn’t matter”. Then again, afterthoughts are usually never well thought through. There’s always room for more empathy in the world, if you’re wondering if there could be an empathic angle to destination marketing. After a long and lost summer spent in unpleasant and involuntary staycationing, we deserve a bit of empathy, if not sympathy. Enter VISIT DUBAI’S SEE YOU SOON (4). If there can be an upside to the Covid-created circumstances, it might be that it presents unique opportunities for brands to keep themselves top-ofmind by having friendly conversations with their audience that feel more like touching-base than selling something. But for a MENA destination campaign, something was missing. Considering Saudis are the second-largest tourist demographic that visits Dubai (756,000 in 2019) and Oman is the 5th (499,000), why wasn’t there an Arabic version of the campaign? Strategy or oversight? Non-commercial brands, especially governmental ones, deserve more leeway when it comes to missing the mark. But I can’t decide whether the LEBANESE ARMY PEACE CAMO (5) campaign is confusing or confused? It seems to be celebrating the Lebanese Army’s revamped camo, designed to morph into images of solidarity and love for the people. A genius idea! But on closer inspection you’ll notice the ominous soundtrack to the English version; the bullet-pop beats; a frame of a soldier in front of a wall with the word “Revolution” in Arabic graffitied onto it. The Arabic version plays to a more benign track. However, it contradicts its narrative by the end with an offbeat statement: “Today the Lebanese Army is confronting its families and its people in the nation’s squares. 75 years, and we’re still up to the most difficult missions.” And the graffiti? It’s still there! But flipped right-to-left, camouflaging the Arabic word “Revolution”. Which means someone was aware it didn’t fit the narrative, yet didn’t remove it. I’m not sure where our empathy is supposed to lie here.
Title: Pay Cut Whopper Agency: Wunderman Thompson Dubai
Visa
Title: Where You Shop Matters Agency: Impact BBDO
Visit Dubai
Title: We Will See You Soon Agency: Create Media Group
Lebanese Army Title: PeaceCamo Agency: TBWA/Raad
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The Spin The Spin is a tad puzzled by the message behind this advert for Porsches. Should we never postpone our dream again? In that case, why is there that full stop? Or is it saying that, yet again we should never postpone our dream? As though we are constantly postponing our dream. It’s a moot point though. Our dream is about being naked in an exam we haven’t prepared for. And we can’t afford a Porsche anyway. Dubai’s ‘Happiness Agenda’ is getting pretty existential these days. Who provides an experience? Is an experience provided or received? Do we even exist? Like most people who use Microsoft Outlook, The Spin is a technological luddite. So we’re happy to see the people behind the email app understand that not everyone is a tech geek, so couch their error messages in easy-tounderstand layman’s terms that are clear for everyone. The Spin was a little alarmed by the juxtaposition of the terms “strip searched” and “touches you deeply” in this story from the Guardian. Perhaps the sub-editor could have rethought her choice of words. The Spin recently tried to get a grip on the UAE’s Alhosn contact-tracing app. We can tell we’ve been Covid-ing for too long when we are aghast at its illustrated figures all being maskless. That’s some big fines right there.
CAMPAIGN DIARY
Marketing Mania
Lynx Live
December 6-9 Dubai World Trade Centre, Dubai
October 5-7 Virtual event
There is a new kid on the block that promises to rock your world. Marketing Mania, a creative and digital festival, is coming to Dubai this December. It promises more than 10,000 marketing, design, advertising, social and creative professionals under one roof , with competitions, activations, demo zones, performances, live art and training as well as high-profile speakers.
Dubai Lynx has launched a free, curated three-day digitally streamed experience. The festival organisers say: “From the UAE to Egypt to Saudi Arabia, Lynx Live is for anyone in the MENA communications industry and beyond who believes in creative possibility.” The event will run from 5-7 October, and will bring together talent from across the world to talk about what’s next for creativity in MENA. There will be a daily programme of original series, creative conversations, debates and interviews in a magazine show format.
For more details: marketingmaniashow.com
More details at dubailynx.com
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
September 27, 2020
INTRODUCTION
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here are a few themes that run through this year’s Power Essays. Spoiler alert: One of them is Covid-19. That’s probably not a surprise. The coronavirus pandemic and its effects are the meta-theme running through everything today, and it is valuable to have 11 leaders give their thoughts on the state of the industry together in one place. It allows us to see what common threads are weighing on those shaping policy and strategy right now. There is a big-versus-small debate here. Or perhaps more of a specialist-vs-multiservice debate. OMD’s Terry Mo exmines agency structure and compares modern agencies to those in the pre-unbundling days when agencies handled media, creative and more. Sunil John from Asda’a highlights how PR agencies are expanding their creative offerings. If ‘de-unbundling’ isn’t yet a word, it may be soon. John also points out that the lockdown hit smaller, specialist PR agencies hardest. Mo argues that while specialist agencies will maximise your investment in certain areas, they can lose sight of the bigger picture. From a non-network agency standpoint, C2 Communications’ Roy Aftimos empasises that change is in the blood of “ever-elastic agencies and creatives”, at every scale. Another debate that crops up is that of long-term vs short-term marketing. This is a conversation taking place across agencies at all levels. Clients are drawn to focus on performance marketing that is easy to measure and track. To a certain extent that’s symptomatic of every economic downturn, but many of the writers here point out that purely tactical thinking is seldom the best strategy. Jad Chababi from UM says that agencies now measure the effects of marketing on long-term brand-building using advanced modelling and data, to help their clients achieve both short-term efficiency and long-term effectiveness. PHD’s David Barnes agrees that too much focus on cost-per and ROI measurements can lead to a reduction in brand growth. Focus on effectiveness first, and build efficiency from there, he says. There is discussion around the death of the cookie and the rise of first-party data. In this area, lockdown has been a bit of a blessing in disguise. Every customer now interacting with brands in a socially distanced, contactless online way is another customer whose data can be mined for insights and targeting. But while the digital transformation has been accelerated by Covid, so has the drive towards more personal, authentic and conversational relationships with consumers. So be careful what you do with that data. Covid-19 has accelerated a lot of changes across the industry. But this collection of essays isn’t about a pandemic; it’s about the essence of marketing today. Enjoy.
04 COMPLEX STRUCTURES REQUIRE SIMPLE SOLUTIONS Terry Mo, Director of Performance and Biddable Media, OMD
05 IF NOT NOT NOW, WHEN? David Barnes, Director of Digital Data and Measurement, PHD
06 BIG IDEAS ARE NO LONGER BIG ENOUGH Mario Soufia, Head of Strategy, Digitas
07 LIFE AFTER THE COOKIE: WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU’RE EXPECTING Youmna Borghol, Chief Data Officer, Choueiri Group
09 THE PARANOID PUBLIC RELATIONS SURVIVORS Sunil John, Founder of ASDA’A BCW and President – Middle East of BCW
10 NEXT TO NORMAL Roy Aftimos, Managing Director, C2 Communications
13 THE WAY FORWARD TO THE NEXT NORMAL Avni Ved, Media Manager, Fusion 5
15 I BELIEVE; THEREFORE, I BUY Kavita Ramrakhiani, Rain
16 ARE WE FUTURE-READY? Jad Chababi, General Manager, UM UAE
17 DESIGNING FOR PEOPLE IN THE ERA OF CULTURAL MARKETING
AUSTYN ALLISON
Alex Jena, Business Director, Carat MENA
EDITOR, CAMPAIGN MIDDLE EAST
18 1918. NOW Matthew Butterworth, Managing Director, MENA, MullenLowe
Motivate Publishing Group Head Office: 34th Floor, Media One Tower, Dubai Media City, Dubai, UAE. Tel: +971 4 427 3000, Email: motivate@motivate.ae Dubai Media City: Motivate Publishing FZ LLC, Office 508, 5th Floor, Building 8, Dubai, UAE. Tel: +971 4 390 3550, Fax: +971 4 390 4845 Abu Dhabi: Motivate Advertising, Marketing & Publishing, PO Box 43072, Abu Dhabi, UAE. Tel: +971 2 677 2005, Fax: +971 2 677 0124, Email: motivate-adh@motivate.ae London: Motivate Publishing Ltd, Acre House, 11/15 William Road, London NW1 3ER. motivateuk@motivate.ae www.motivatemedia.com EDITORIAL Editor-in-Chief Obaid Humaid Al Tayer Managing Partner and Group Editor Ian Fairservice Editor Austyn Allison DESIGN Senior Art Director Olga Petroff Art Director Sheila Deocareza Junior Designer Thokchom Remy ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES Tel: +971 4 427 3000 Chief Commercial Officer Anthony Milne Group Sales Manager Nadeem Ahmed Quraishi (+971 50 6453365) Group Marketing Manager Anusha Azees PRODUCTION General Manager S. Sunil Kumar Assistant Production Manager Binu Purandaran HAYMARKET MEDIA GROUP Chairman Kevin Costello Managing Director Jane Macken The publishers regret that they cannot accept liability for error or omissions contained in this publication, however caused. The opinions and views contained in this publication are not necessarily those of the publishers. Readers are advised to seek specialist advice before acting on information contained in this publication which is provided for general use and may not be appropriate for the readers’ particular circumstances. The ownership of trademarks is acknowledged. No part of this publication or any part of the contents thereof may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form without the permission of the publishers in writing. An exemption is hereby granted for extracts used for the purpose of fair review. Campaign Middle East includes material reproduced from the UK Edition (and other editions) of Campaign, which is the copyright of Haymarket. Campaign is a trademark of Haymarket and is used under licence. The views and opinions expressed within this magazine are not necessarily those of Haymarket Magazines Limited or those of its contributors.
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ISSUE 283. POWER ESSAYS 2020
campaignme@motivate.ae
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By Terry Mo Director of Performance and Biddable Media, OMD
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e work in a complex agency landscape, increasingly populated by boutiques with a narrow focus and the promise of deep specialisation. In theory, a blended model of generalist and specialist agencies should have all bases covered in addressing the ever-increasing range of client needs, driven chiefly by the complex digital and tech space. In reality, devising, matching and managing the right models has become an at-times overwhelming challenge for our industry and, in the search for efficiencies, has become a deeply inefficient beast with implications on us and our clients. We see agencies tangling themselves in a world obsessed with matching the right structure to the needs of today’s shape, be it matrix, circular or triangular. Clearly, the answer is not black and white and the nature of our industry means that a best-practice standard is unlikely ever to be devised. If our landscape is complex then we owe it to ourselves and our clients to find workable solutions. While we know our promise of deep specialisation has its allure, the real power comes in cross-functional collaboration, integration and a true understanding of the client’s problem. This is a natural reaction to the increasing complexity of the landscape and tech ecosystem; after all, managing a customer-relationship-management (CRM) and customer-data platform (CDP) is a vastly different skill set to understanding search algorithms or social listening. In this environment, deep specialisation no doubt has its allure, but there is a hidden cost – the power of cross-functional collaboration, integration, and a true understanding of the client’s problem. Instead, our response to the complex landscape needs to be a similarly complex solution, but one contained within a single, accountable, futurefocused agency partner. As we enter a new decade, more businesses are making this shift. At a macro level, we see better integration and collaboration between creative and media as a must-have. At a micro level, niche specialisations are disappearing – pureplay searchengine-optimisation (SEO), retargeting and similar agencies are needing to take a wider view or become obsolete. We are collectively beginning to recognise – or recognise again – the power of an integrated approach, with all the moving pieces in advertising under one roof and working towards a single goal. After all, before the unbundling of the 1980s, this was the approach that worked. Take the rise of the digital agency. The value proposition 20 years ago was
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COMPLEX STRUCTURES REQUIRE SIMPLE SOLUTIONS simple – digital is the future, so split out your investment and put it in the hands of an agency that lives and breathes this new reality. As digital normalised and digital buying became just another aspect of media buying, we saw this value proposition pivot – performance agencies or growth agencies became the new kid in town. The message shouted from the rooftops was that if you need a better return on advertising spend, or cost per lead, or cost per acquisition, then hire a specialist. It’s a simple, attractive message that hides a concerning subtext – they will maximise your performance investment, with no accountability for long-term brand building. This is exactly the thinking that Field and Binet warned against in
The Long and the Short of It. It’s what Mark Ritson has rallied against in his keynotes on ‘Bothism’. It’s the driver behind Simon Peel’s transformation of Adidas. Yet the implications go beyond the simple either/or, or long-term vs short-term. When we normalise specialisation and give each agency its own remit and KPIs, we no longer have a single agency partner that is accountable for holistic, sustainable business growth. The most obvious frontline example of this sits with search and the myth of paid search cannibalisation – that is, the idea if you are ranking with organic search then you don’t need to pay for paid search on the same keyword. It’s a claim that typically originates in SEO communities, but now and again takes
root with otherwise capable marketers. Where did the myth come from? The optimist in me says that it comes from SEO professionals taking the very real concept of keyword cannibalisation (penalties for targeting the same keyword from multiple sources) and then mistakenly applying it to paid search. The pessimist says that without the paid search agency, SEO ROI goes through the roof, justifying an expanded retainer. The concept itself is flawed, but invisible without collaborative analysis between SEO and SEM. Evidence from OMD internal studies show us that the best business performance actually comes with a unified search strategy – increasing visibility through both paid and organic together. As another example, we can look at social media. There is absolutely no denying the value of a solid content strategy, and many readers undoubtedly have this in place. We have never-ending conversations about building social media followings and driving social engagement. At the same time, algorithm changes have eroded organic reach to less than 1 per cent – so to maximise your content dollar, you should also be supplementing with paid reach. This is where the lid to Pandora’s box starts to creep open. Who defines the audience – the creative agency charged with content, or the performance agency tasked with optimisation? Who decides on budget allocation – the agency tasked with content, or the agency optimising in real-time? If performance falls apart, where do we need to focus our efforts – content or optimisation? Truthfully, these questions should be irrelevant. The real question is: “How do we impact business performance?” In a world where multiple agencies are working independently, it is very difficult to catch sight of the big picture. This is partly a specialisation issue – as in the search example, where a specialist cannot make a judgment call on something which falls outside of his or her niche. It can be an issue of ownership – like the social example; when specialisations overlap, which party takes precedence? What does the other party do when they need to act with one hand tied behind their back? Most importantly, it is an issue of accountability – if each agency is only accountable for their piece of the puzzle, then who is advising on the big picture? Clients need a media agency offering both generalised and specialised insight that spreads the breadth and depth of the landscape. Someone who can handle, juggle, and seamlessly collaborate across disciplines to maximise their brand equity. Someone capable of delivering a media solution that is not just responsible for a small piece of the puzzle, but boldly accountable for the complex whole.
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IF NOT NOW, WHEN? By David Barnes Director of Digital Data and Measurement, PHD
‘‘THERE HAS NEVER BEEN A GREATER OPPORTUNITY TO PAUSE AND RE-ASSESS YOUR BRAND’S FUTURE.”
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to search for one positive from this situation it would be that we’ve had a chance to stop and take stock of what we are actually trying to achieve and think about how our brands can offer customers what they want. Data and technology play two key roles here: firstly, ensuring we are capturing actionable customer data; and secondly to uncover invaluable insights on customer trends. Taking the first point into consideration, it is not only the pandemic that has shifted the goalposts, as we also have Google killing off the cookie and Apple’s Identifier for Advertisers (IDFA) agenda. The relative quiet that we are experiencing with media spends should open the door to brands putting serious consideration into ensuring that their first-party data strategy is set up to capture and engage their audience. We know that e-commerce and screen time continue to grow, but how do we make use of this? Essentially, we need to make sure that our brands are either owning the entire direct-to-consumer (D2C) journey, or as much of it as possible, and that the data architecture is primed to capture everything along the way. Looking at three brands that have achieved success post-outbreak,
it is clear that the drive for first-party data has become a key part of media strategy. Starbucks modified its app to allow customers to order before arrival and then pay with contactless. Nike updated its digital ecosystem to include not only e-commerce but also an app dedicated to workout content. Even Heinz, not a traditional player in the D2C arena, launched Heinz to Home boxes, allowing customers to purchase bundles. To the customer this indicates that these brands are catering to their need for convenience; however, they also facilitate the capture of crucial first-party data for brands to listen, learn and activate for business growth. The second key use of data relates to understanding consumer trends. The most effective brands are those that know how to make the leap and keep up to date on shifts in consumer behaviour. Brands that have spotted and acted on emerging trends have tended to be most effective. Think Burger King with its new spicy menu
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campaign “Who Said Men Don’t Cry”, tapping into the need for humour, or Guinness’ “Saint Patrick’s Day Message”, harnessing the drive for communal care, or Nike’s “Play Inside, Play for the World” message, which built on the need for unity. These campaigns were all built on data and insight to tap into what people wanted, and they ultimately delivered that disproportionate attention through effective advertising. The message here is clear: If not now, then when for your brand? We all know that media is a 24/7, fast-paced world, and rarely are we offered such an opportunity to pause and think. The brands that come out of this successfully will be those that have used this time to focus on their data strategies and used data to understand their customers’ needs, not those who revert back to what they were doing before and hoping for the best. Remember, Apple came out of the Great Recession by launching the first iPad; how have you spent the last few months?
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have actually become extremely efficient, but that is because they have focused on the outcome first (effectiveness) rather than the methods of execution (efficiency). So, how do brands achieve this today? Relating back to the notion of fixing your roof whilst the sun is shining, there has never been a greater opportunity to pause and re-assess your brand’s future. If I was
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e all know the adage about fixing your roof when the sun is shining. While recent times haven’t exactly been sunny, there is still a lot we can take from this proverb when we address how we adapt and drive growth for our clients today. Without using the term ‘new normal’ again, as it has quickly become background noise, it is undoubtable that people’s behaviours have changed and that brands need to acknowledge these new traditions to succeed. Whilst we all immediately became Zoom pub quiz experts, downloaded HouseParty and banged pots and pans on our balconies, these are not long-term shifts that need concern us. Instead, we must use this relative downtime to ask ourselves when we last thought of a brand and why it made us peel our eyes away from our phones? The sunny period is the chance for everyone, and brands especially, to take a breath, understand the situation and uncover the opportunities not just to survive but to thrive. Most MENA markets continue to suffer economic hardships that make identifying new strategies for growth vital for brands. While some have successfully navigated this, it has become an all too familiar scenario seeing some immediately jump back into churning out exactly what they were doing pre-lockdown. Just ask yourself: Are you behaving the same way now that you did pre-lockdown? I expect the answer is no, so why should a brand go back to behaving in the same way that it did last year? The effectiveness-versus-efficiency debate rumbles on and the current trend appears to be an even bigger focus on efficiency within the industry. It is natural during economic downturns that marketers will get dragged towards cost-per and ROI metrics; however, there is a danger that too much focus on these could lead to an inadvertent reduction in brand growth. Looking at brands that have challenged and succeeded recently, we often see certain commonalities, namely that on the face of it they appear to be extremely inefficient. Generally, the brands that have challenged the market and seen success have done so by focusing on generating disproportionate attention, rather than being bogged down by campaign ROI. In time these brands
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BIG IDEAS ARE NO LONGER BIG ENOUGH By Mario Soufia Head of Strategy, Digitas
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e have welcomed the digital era with open arms for the opportunities it seemingly provides, so why haven’t the world and our respective industries become easier to navigate? We spend 10 hours a day looking at screens, yet it’s tough to hold anyone’s attention for more than a few seconds. On average, brands have to manage 23 different channels at once, which causes them to resort to reach and retargeting technologies to try to catch consumers’ eyes. These initiatives are sometimes successful, but most of the time they are not. We have now reached the era of distraction advertising, in which users are practically developing amnesia across interactions. And too often brand actions don’t match their professed values. We know that people want, even demand, a different relationship with brands: “Meaning over distraction.” Seventy per cent of us say we expect contextualised engagements based on previous interactions, and 63 per cent believe brands should recognise us across touchpoints. This means that we need actions, not ads. This calls for connected ideas— because big ideas are no longer big enough. The idea of signature moments assumes that consumers stay “wowed” each time they repeat the experience. It assumes that the idea is unique, and that competitors can’t copy it. It assumes that the market stays static. We’re all fighting for the micro moments of digital behaviour, yet we’ve neglected the pivotal moments in our consumers’ daily lives. Consider the biggest brands in the world. They operate with the mindset that consumers crave relationships in which brands view them as individuals, and behave accordingly by targeting them in more
‘‘AGENCIES NEED TO REBUILD THEIR COMMUNICATION MODEL TO APPLY A USER EXPERIENCE FRAMEWORK BASED ON INDIVIDUAL CONSUMER TRUTH.”
transparent, personal ways than ever before. Big ideas, big stunts and big activations are great but, no matter how you look at it, they generalise. They generalise that all consumers are the same – that they’re all ready, and that they’ll all have an identical relationship with our brand. But we know better. We know how to capture the nuance and variation of the consumer-brand dynamic. We know that there are 19 different consumerbrand relationship archetypes that represent the consumer’s voice. And we know how to use this information to get results. The digital social world moves rapidly, and we’ve all had to create our own ways of meeting consumers acting now and in the moment—at the “speed of social”. But this comes at what cost? We’ve left less than 10 per cent of our focus and attention for the long-haul planning, which is how we create deep-rooted relationships that can be passed on to the next generation of consumers. This is beyond data usage, data infrastructure and a single customer viewpoint – it’s time to connect all of our activities under a unified strategic platform that allows us to digest, understand, move, and grow consumers beyond the next sale. Agencies need to rebuild their communication model in order to apply a user experience framework based on individual consumer truth. Communication to out-of-market, in-market, and current brand consumers must be connected to convert an impression to a lifetime of advocacy. To do this, we must adopt an approach with consumer-centric values and commitments at its heart. We have to keep reminding ourselves of the consumer and their daily pivotal moments as we push through our daily time-consuming efforts to generate business. Take a look at Jeff Bezos, the founder and CEO of Amazon: Bezos is famous for leaving an empty chair at the conference table and letting people know it’s occupied by “the most important person in the room” – the consumer. And, of course, Amazon continues to rank in the top 10 for the Temkin Experience Rating. Demographic targeting, interests targeting, psychographics targeting, socio-economic targeting, and even behavioural targeting – these days are over, or at least should be. It’s time to put the consumer in the driving seat of our communication, cater to their wants and needs, and let the digital capabilities of our modern world co-pilot us home. No, it’s not easy. Yes, it is complex. It will take time, and you will need resources. But if we don’t make the transition now, then when? We’re here, and we’re ready. Are you?
September 27, 2020
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LIFE AFTER THE COOKIE: WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU’RE EXPECTING OD
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new era has dawned for digital advertising. Stricter data protection laws coupled with browsers’ anti-tracking policies are fueling the drive for privacy-first strategies in the cookie-less world. Following Chrome’s ‘Cookie Apocalypse’ in January, Google’s plans to phase out support for third-party cookies in the next two years, as well as Apple’s recent IDFA (Identification for Advertisers) opt-in overhaul, are expected to have a significant impact on advertising businesses. As they scramble to imagine an entirely new ecosystem, here are three key things to expect: THE RISE OF FIRST-PARTY DATA First-party data will continue to capture the primary focus and investments of marketers and
publishers this year, as they respond to privacy regulations and strive to mitigate the risk associated with reliance on third-party data. In an effort to drive better customer experiences, there has been an accelerated, industry-wide emphasis on collecting, managing and activating first-party audience data. Recent Winterberry Group research found: 60 per cent of marketers have already increased their spending on first-party data for targeting, aiming to obtain more value; 36 per cent increased investment in third-party data management capabilities and resources; and 33 per cent onboarded or began the process of onboarding a new customer data platform (CDP). The shift in focus towards firstparty data collection is at the centre of the publishers’ fight for survival in this new ecosystem. As marketers
move from the data management platform (DMP) to the CDP, publishers are hitting the reset button and abandoning first-generation DMPs for next-generation DMP technologies in order to restore scale to their segments. By leveraging the golden opportunity they have as primary owners of valuable firstparty data, publishers are growing addressable audience pools, improving campaign performance and increasing revenue. Consecutively, direct partnerships between advertisers and publishers are on the rise. Owning both user relationships and inventory, publishers provide a content service for users who in turn interact with the service, generating a wealth of valuable first-party data. When third-party cookies disappear and Apple’s IDFA restrictions are enforced, advertisers will have no choice but to turn to publishers for first-party data. MULTIPLE IDENTITY SOLUTIONS ARE VITAL As the market evolves, identity will continue to be a vital part of marketers’ efforts to build deeper connections with their consumers. 37 per cent of marketers confirmed that first-party data is being used alongside thirdparty identity resolution solutions to provide advertisers with better accuracy, reach and scale to create audience segments, deliver targeted campaigns and gain data-driven insights, the Winterberry Group found. Over the last two years, the identity landscape has evolved greatly, its current state influenced by the challenges of the privacy-first, post-cookie world and the inevitable changes it has brought about in both identity resolution and identity graph creation. Three significant developments have occurred: The recognition that privacy-by-design and consent are key elements for identity. Identity providers are leveraging an ever-growing list of practices to resolve the privacy challenges associated with first-party data such as clean rooms, bunkers, differential privacy and other environments designed to provide data security.
The existential crisis of shared IDs and solutions based on third-party cookies. The IAB Tech Lab had to shut down DigiTrust back in July due to the ongoing decline of third-party cookies. The development of unique identity resolution applications independent of third-party cookies. For authenticated solutions, the challenge remains scale, with no clear winner or solution in sight just yet. What remains clear is that multiple ID solutions will be required and, in order to achieve their goals of consumer engagement and acquisition, marketers will have to apply a mix of approaches based on the availability of privacy-compliant identifiers as well as the suitability of approaches for specific channels and touch points. In parallel, publishers and other media owners will have to support multiple ID solutions based on their scale of first-party data. PRIVACY IS NO LONGER A CRITICAL CONCERN Data specialists continue to remain on top of consumer privacy measures and customer data regulations, yet the anxieties surrounding new regulations (which dominated the marketing landscape in 2019) have faded. The ‘threat of data privacy’ regulation dropped steeply on the list of challenges this year, with only 18.9 per cent of respondents identifying data privacy regulation as a top concern. Rather, the decline of cookies, as well as the business impact of Covid-19, have surpassed privacy as the top concerns for 2020. SILVER LINING: CHALLENGE BREEDS INNOVATION Over a year ago, the top priority was being GDPR-compliant, but now the subtle echoes of data privacy can only be heard in the distance, with first-party data and identity resolution taking centre stage. Of course, many questions remain about the future of measurement and targeting. Will row-level data disappear? How will we evaluate performance and optimise spend for results? Will identity solutions only solve for certain aspects? The list goes on, and only time will tell. And, while uncertainty is a part of life, opportunity exists when we can adapt and innovate in the midst of it.
What do 200 million Arab youth have to say about their future?
Find out on Tuesday, October 6, 2020 3 PM UAE / 2 PM KSA / 1 PM Egypt
Join us online for the launch of the 12th Annual ASDA’A BCW Arab Youth Survey 2020
Confirm your participation at: ays@bcw-global.com
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September 27, 2020
THE PARANOID PUBLIC RELATIONS SURVIVORS By Sunil John
Founder of ASDA’A BCW and President – Middle East of BCW
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‘‘OUR SECTOR HAS BEEN BUOYED UP BY THE FACT THAT PR MATTERS MORE NOW THAN EVER.”
n July, with the benefit of insights gained at the helm of our agency after four months of the pandemic, I urged communicators to adopt a healthy paranoia. To tear up and reinvent our playbooks to take account of a series of seismic shifts. Today, as I survey the emerging landscape, I believe that our paranoia has served us well, compared with other marketing disciplines, as we deftly navigated through economic and social uncertainty. Several firms have been forced to take harsh measures. We have all battened down and drawn in our sails. Many are riding out the storm, bucked by budgets cuts and cancelled projects.
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However stormy the outlook, many agencies have nonetheless stayed afloat and proved their resilience. Our sector has been buoyed up by the fact that public relations, as a communications function and marketing service, matters more now than ever before. A transformation is sweeping through the economy, reshaping communications and the role of public relations, and revealing the ‘True North’ for the days ahead. Relevant and continuous communications in a downturn results in disproportionate rewards as the market resumes The experience of the 2008-11 global financial crisis and oil price slump of the past decade taught us that brands and organisations that stay the course, investing in relevant and meaningful communications during a downturn, are disproportionately rewarded as the markets come back. When consumer spending returns the continuous engagement driven by public relations results in enduring equity, protecting value. Diversify your offer with the right talent The agencies that were most impacted in the current crisis were the ones that focused on niche sectors such as tourism and hospitality, which unfortunately were also the most seriously hit. A diversified range of practices focused on multiple sectors is critical. Interestingly, new mandates related to corporate purpose, employee engagement and business continuity and internal culture have gained traction. Most of these truly integrated campaigns need top-of-the-line digital, content and creative skills. PR agencies now are leading the way in growing their ranks with a range of creative and digital talent to meet changing client needs. Forget the giga budgets from giga projects For years now, big-ticket campaigns in the region have been driven by massive infrastructure
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investments, huge mixed-purpose developments, entertainment complexes and massive malls, all of which had a trickle-down effect on the economy. Today, on the back of the oil price slump, with governments facing massive budget deficits (to the tune of $180bn this year and $490bn by 2023 in the GCC region alone, according to Standard & Poor), we face a new economic reality. And that means relooking at agencies’ business and operating models – being nimble and efficient, fast and flexible. There is a need for PR agencies to present their value in a whole different way. Deliver expert data analytics to drive communications Every organisation, whether in the public or private sector, is now a data organisation. But data has been siloed into new digital services such as performance marketing, focused on the attention economy driven by the big tech platforms. With the advent of the value economy, now is the time for public relations to leverage the power of big, medium and small data to drive brand reputation and business enhancement. The scale of large agency networks, with their ability to leverage network investments in artificial intelligence and advanced technology, position them as natural partners for smart clients. Shared and owned, with earned media at the core Coronavirus has destroyed vast swathes of the economy. Alongside tourism, hospitality and aviation, the traditional media sector is fighting for survival. In an amazingly short time, a handful of media outlets and tech platforms have become the dominant players in the world of editorial. Earned media just became way harder, and way more specialised. Communications is now shaped as much by shared media driven by content and influencer marketing, and owned media driven by web assets. But earned media will always remain at the core of PR campaigns. The PR agency business is no longer a numbers-game. It is no longer about how big your revenue is or the number of offices and people you have. It is about how relevant you are to meet the revolution in your clients’ needs. Despite all these headwinds, I am optimistic and hopeful that PR will continue to remain in high demand by clients who need support to keep their brands meaningful and their reputations resilient. We now live in a world where we work from both our offices and homes; we will seldom fly out for business meetings; we educate our kids differently and shop online for all our needs. In this world where governments and businesses are desperately looking to keep the virus at bay and also stimulate the economy, PR provides real value helping get ready for the rebound. Our work matters the most during these times.
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September 27, 2020
September 27, 2020
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September 27, 2020
By Avni Ved
Media Manager, Fusion 5
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FOLLOW THE CUSTOMER TRAIL As the world joins forces to contain the current Covid crisis, all businesses are concerned only with consumer optimism. Two foundations of customer loyalty are trust and confidence, and by putting your brand’s customer interests first, this can be the time for your brand to lead. The new digital consumer is constantly connected, app-native and everdemanding. Agencies must be able to enable their brands to be perspicacious and light-footed to be able to scale, innovate and stay engaged with their customers. Needs as well as the means to achieve those needs have evolved and are changing rapidly; a deep-rooted understanding of the consumer journey, identifying content that resonates with
THE WAY FORWARD TO THE NEXT NORMAL
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e have always heard, “it’s a fast-moving world”, but now it seems as though the luxury of time has completely disappeared. There’s no denying the fact that the Covid-19 pandemic has altered our lives, our mindsets, our routines, and might have altered our behaviour for many more years to come. Businesses that used to map their overall strategy for months to a year maximum are now racing against time to plan and execute new initiatives within a few days or weeks. The hastening of this process has been evident across all sectors. Be it healthcare providers moving into telemedicine, restaurants being propelled to offer contactless deliveries, supermarket giants acquainting their client base with online ordering or educational institutions pivoting towards e-learning, the list is endless and has been a thorough learning process for one and all. Every crisis plays out over three timeframes: Respond, Recover and Thrive. We currently are in the middle of the Recover-Thrive loop. While all organisations and brands are striving to Recover (to learn and emerge stronger), Thrive is where we will prepare and shape-up for the ‘next normal’. Operating in the advertising and marketing industries these days has become a tough affair owing to the constant uncertainties and vulnerabilities within the market, ranging through behaviour of the consumer, the client’s business model, economic fluctuations, and so on. Most importantly, our ways of working had been totally disrupted. Today, we stand at a truly unique position. As agencies, it has become imperative to rethink how to operate and service clients in order to avoid sliding downhill in the year to come. A new modus operandi for the ‘next normal’ is the necessity of the hour, and this remodelling should be done following a few key mandates as the baseline.
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modelling capabilities, better data interoperability and greater availability of tools and computing infrastructure are closing the chasm between the physical and digital worlds. Using data as a pathway to the consumer’s mindset as well as to access the brand-related conversations will be the enabler to a successful marketing campaign. Jump on the bandwagon, if you haven’t already. BE PROACTIVE, RATHER THAN REACTIVE There is no better time to be proactive, and to put that into real action, than now. Only considering the media consumption of a specific target group or consolidating a 360-degree mix for your brand are old-age phenomena now. It’s imperative to wear the ‘Client Hat’ to find unique growth opportunities for your client’s business and constantly keep identifying how you can employ innovative media solutions to tackle these opportunities and win within the marketplace. As an agency, we need to be a one-stop shop for our clients’ dilemmas, be they business growth, boosting sales figures or decoding a market-entry problem. Being proactive will enable one to retain that client’s business to thrive in the upcoming times. We must ensure we constantly monitor the fluctuations within the market space, be it consumer behaviour, competitive activity or market regulations. With that research-oriented mindset, coupled with creative leadership and agile innovative solutions, you surely will add value to your clients’ business, making them always come back to you for more. That we fail to adapt until the need is critical is as old as humanity. But now that need is upon us, and it is providing the strongest incentive possible to change our brand strategies, our risk perceptions and our fundamental ways of working. Covid-19 has provided an unprecedented learning opportunity, and it might be a fleeting one. Don’t let businesses tell you what they need. Take up the mantle, get ahead of this rapidly shifting landscape and tell them what they will need to be better equipped for the post-crisis recovery and the next crisis (God forbid there never is one).
‘‘AS AN AGENCY, WE NEED TO BE A ONE-STOP SHOP FOR OUR CLIENTS’ DILEMMAS.”
September 27, 2020
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It started as a simple button to support others, but today ‘Like’ represents validation. It is a measure of how important people’s thoughts and ideas are to others. It showcases their interest or the lack of it. It is a tool to belong and it defines who people choose to include in their world. It’s no surprise that ideas, movements and brands sink or swim thanks to their likes tally This button introduced a new measure for a brand’s relevance: how much it is liked. Today’s consumers can choose to express their interest in what brands are selling through this one button. ‘Like’ defines relevancy. So, the choice is simple: Do you want to be a brand that sells to people or are you a brand that is people’s choice? The latter automatically means brands have to work relentlessly and be committed to align to people’s idea of being liked and, therefore, relevant. Two of the biggest audience groups today, millennials and Gen Z, have clear definitions of what that is. These two generations have been shaped by crisis, and now a major pandemic. They are ‘woke’ and, with their unique ability to sift through BS, they demand honesty – to focus on purpose more than profits. Their values will continue to evolve to reflect a desire of optimisation of self and the community. With the focus on joy and greater good, they expect brands to align and create meaning. Earlier, brand loyalty was defined through the lens of long-term association. This is outdated and old-fashioned today. The choice-rich world has redefined loyalty, the basis of which is a solid relationship. This relationship has put brands and people on a level platform. Brands can definitely sell, but they first have to align with people on the nature of the relationship. In today’s world it is authenticity. In recent times the one example that sticks is the open letter that Levi’s wrote in the wake of ‘Black Lives Matter’. Here is a
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e lived in this all-important bubble called marketing, where we prided ourselves on being in the driver’s seat of aspirations and experiences that consumers could achieve. We dictated what and how people would buy. As brands we were channels for people to get access to worlds that were usually assumed to be beyond their reach. We created and told stories, and consumers were part of these narratives. But today, when I look back, every fundamental I knew and learned in marketing has been turned on its head. The only thing that remains constant is its purpose: to influence the buying decision of consumers. What changed? A simple fact: people. And they aren’t interested in being part of a brand’s world. We now have to ask to be part of theirs. People reside in a new world, where they create and narrate the stories and they decide the role a brand has to play. And it’s not always the hero; sometimes it’s a little less significant than their pets. We referred to them as consumers because it highlighted our importance as marketers in their lives. But today ‘people’ are consumers of content, of life, of changes in the world, of global crises and not just brands. That’s our playing field. In the new rulebook, the two fundamentals that brands relied on – relevancy and loyalty – now need to be looked at from a whole new perspective. Let’s start with building relevance, which has been core to a brand’s need to differentiate or even exist. Something which was traditionally understood as creating functional and emotional resonance or defining a brand’s reason to buy. But relevance in today’s world is based on one single button – ‘Like’. A feature that slipped into our lives and changed the mechanism of how the internet operates. Every platform, be it Instagram, Twitter or even Amazon, has a variation of it.
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I BELIEVE; THEREFORE, I BUY
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brand that openly acknowledged the black representation among the corporate staff was less than 5 per cent and decided to change immediately and made its measures public. It also set the ball rolling on a perspective – it’s OK for brands to admit to shortcomings because it goes a long way to cement authenticity with people. So, when a relationship decides loyalty, there is no telling what it can open up – something far greater than just convincing people to buy. It may seem like things are changing too fast and we may have to unlearn and relearn. Yet there is a fundamental truth that defines us , as observed by MlamboNgcuka, executive director of UN Women, at Cannes Lion Live: “This is an industry that knows how to influence people’s thinking and choices.” It’s how we use this strength that will define our success in the new world. Will we continue to arrogantly believe that people need brands, or will we partner brands to use their power of influence to end divisions, to be more authentic, to be liked? Because this, today, is a prerequisite to buy.
‘‘DO YOU WANT TO BE A BRAND THAT SELLS TO PEOPLE OR ARE YOU A BRAND THAT IS PEOPLE’S CHOICE? ” By Kavita Ramrakhiani, Rain
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September 27, 2020
ARE WE FUTURE READY? By Jad Chababi
General Manager – UM UAE
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brands have over-invested in short-term performance at the expense of longer-term brand-effectiveness. For this reason, balancing investments across different parts of the marketing funnel will help achieve both business and brand objectives. And it is possible. We have done it. We developed a methodology to measure the full-funnel impact of media. Through advanced modelling, we can attribute not just the direct impact of media on sales, but also the indirect
‘‘70 PER CENT OF BRANDS HAVE OVER-INVESTED IN PERFORMANCE AT THE EXPENSE OF BRANDEFFECTIVENESS.”
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admit, it hasn’t been easy. It still isn’t. We started the year with hopes that the economic situation in the region would pick up; especially that Christmas was coming early this year with Expo 2020, G20 and other international events we were so eager to host. Instead, the world had different plans – ones that made us relook at every aspect of our business, reconsider some of the practices we once believed were sustainable and confirm that being an agile organisation is key to managing surprises. This disruption further emphasised the importance of tackling the never-ending question of what the ideal “agency of the future” looks like. In other words, directing all questions to one: Are we future-ready? To answer this, we need to establish a fact: We are as future-ready as the solutions we offer our clients. So, the question should be: Are we gearing brands to be ready for the future? Acknowledge change and act now The world is moving at an unprecedented speed. At the turn of the 21st century, Kurzweil’s Law of Accelerating Returns stated that over the next 100 years we will witness 20,000 years’ worth of progress. That’s an average rate of 200 years of innovation and change every year. At this pace, businesses that were slow to catch on to changes in the market would face extinction. Fast forward 20 years, and the Covid-19 pandemic has reinforced the message, with a twist. For some brands, near-term survival has been the only agenda item. But from now on, adapting to change will not be enough to guarantee a brand’s success. Despite the fog of uncertainty ahead, the brands that will emerge stronger are the ones that are not simply looking to ‘return to normal’, but rather trying to anticipate ‘the new normal’. Agile adaptation has brought us this far, but it is a continuous forwardlooking vision that will ensure a brand’s success in the long run. And no matter where a brand is on that journey to the future, there is no time like the present to take the first step. Plan both short- and long-term growth With the constant pressure of delivering on sales and business KPIs, brands find themselves focusing their efforts on short-term gains. With performance media constantly showing attribution accuracy, it was only normal for advertising investments to pour into it. While this does drive lower-funnel metrics, it took the focus away from what matters in the long run: brand equity. As a matter of fact, a study by WARC shows that 70 per cent of
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contribution as a result of shifting the needle on key brand health metrics – hence really making every dollar count. This further solidifies our role as agencies in providing the right guidance to brands on where and how to invest their funds. Such a mindset shift, however, is necessary from both advertiser and agency; it’s the type of skillset businesses should have in their organisations and should affect the priority they place on investing in tools and research. In short, a transformation where we focus on how to build more digitally mature brands that can – I stress again – balance between short-term efficiency and long-term effectiveness. Understand people, not targets Amidst all that transformation, it is imperative we never lose sight of what matters most: our consumers. Continuously seeking better ways of understanding them will separate those who become commoditised from those who gain prominence as consultative partners. For instance, as the pandemic spread around the world and advertisers halted their budgets, our analysts were able to build a model that predicted the direction of search trends as a proxy for consumer demand for an upcoming window of six weeks. This offered our clients a clearer vision of what the future looks like, allowing us to plan with better confidence when we should get back on air to capture recovering consumer demand. This abundance of real-time data is what allows us to become better at predicting the future of what consumers want and need. With the next disruption expected with the death of the cookie, we must build relationships by capturing better first-party data about our consumers. Knowing them up-close and personal will allow brands to prioritise which are our highest-value audiences; those who will help grow the business now, and in the future. Plan for the next, now Consumers’ appetite to connect through media is showing no signs of waning. But they are becoming much more selective and sensitive to how brands are engaging with them. There has never been a better time for all stakeholders in the industry – advertisers, agencies and platforms – to join efforts to deliver a better experience for these consumers, as they will be the drivers of brand growth now and in the future. It will never be easy, but brands that are agile and consumer-centric will be able to grow sustainably, regardless of disruptions. This is what it takes to be future-ready.
September 27, 2020
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By Alex Jena
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et’s cut down the obvious intro: The new normal was approaching, but the last six to eight months just got us there faster. Whether you’re working in a company that’s now thriving, surviving or adapting, we will soon be able to look back at 2020 and give thanks to our belief in experience design, obsession for performance data and ability to embrace agile working. This trifecta served as the industry’s triple vaccine to a virus of human disconnection and complex user journeys that had become inherent in our field for many years. Data, attribution, KPIs… these now all take more of a front-and-centre stage within marketing organisations, and the once-feared 150-slide report is now accompanied with popcorn and PJs over Zoom. So where does that leave the emotionally charged and inspirational side of our craft that we’re equally obsessed with? What happens when people haven’t flicked on their ‘active consideration’ switch?
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‘‘FOR US, DESIGNING A COMMUNICATIONS EXPERIENCE FOR PEOPLE IS INHERENT IN OUR PLANNING DNA.” culture movements burgeoning in the Middle East, but allowed the brand to actively “run the street” by launching its new model, “Suede”, representing the disruptive and growing youth of the region. Maintaining these lofty ambitions for our efforts as we adjust to new parameters of marketing will arguably bring greater challenges, but it will also bring greater rewards if we are able to harness the gaps in our go-to suite of real or virtual-world culture.
DESIGNING FOR PEOPLE IN THE ERA OF CULTURAL MARKETING When we’re out of category we’re very much into culture and more of us have an expectation that brands should play a more meaningful role in society than they currently are (certainly a nuance of GenZ, but that’s a different essay). To quote a fellow adland shepherd, good brands appreciate the culture of their audience, better brands aim to mirror it in their marketing efforts, but great brands aim to shape it. Media’s influence over the sphere of cultural marketing is rapidly multiplying as our ability to truly understand people and bring them closer to brands evolves. The most consumed platforms also serve as the canvas for where people’s passions are played out – don’t make ads, make TikToks, right? For us, designing a communications experience for people is inherent in our planning DNA and it commands an understanding of human behaviour and cultural context to deliver a better and more impactful experience. It starts with a brutal self-
assessment of the brand in question – taking apart its purpose, its over-arching mission, the charisma with which it carries itself and the positioning of key rivals. The aim of the game here is to determine the sweet spot and intersection between the cultural need of an audience and the ‘white space’ territory where the badge has a legitimate licence to be. This is the advertising nirvana where value, purpose and meaning can be found and impact delivered beyond the conventional advertising journey. So, who’s getting this right? Who’s aiming to build value for an audience beyond a click? Chevrolet UAE – In celebrating 100 years of trucks, the brand fused commercial thinking with storytelling that followed the restoration of a 1967 classic (that would itself be the retail incentive to buy). The content was rooted in the local passion for car restoration, which manifested in the storyline, talents used, and all the way down to the colour, styling and interior stitch patterns of the car’s fabrication.
Stella Egypt – With an ambition to modernise and shake off an ageing identity, the brand needed to feel young, progressive and contemporary. Stella identified Mahraganat (a rebellious hybrid music of local chaabi and EDM) as the most exciting genre of underground music that was giving a voice to the youth of the nation, especially through challenging economic times. The brand invested in this subculture through partnerships with production studios, boosting the content of the rappers and building a full platform supporting the scene – mass events, guerilla placemen, street graffiti and even its own fashion line. PUMA ME – Staying true to its ‘Changing the game since 1948’ tagline, the iconic sneaker brand activated the crossing of streetstyle and creativity. The Suede Guerillas platform is designed to both support and co-create with DJs, producers, photographers, artists, chefs and other inspiring talents from the region. The project not only turned the spotlight on fashion and street
Perhaps in-home entertainment is the next white-space opportunity? You can look for inspiration outside the region in e-sports and gaming, for instance. Brands like Dell and Vodafone are at the forefront of the scene, while Ikea is teaming up with Asus to create custom gaming furniture. Or perhaps in the indie and local film scene, where the injection has ranged from partial (Piaget, Wendy and Lucy) to full (Eurostar, Somers Town) funding through to IWC’s backing of film festivals and awards for emerging filmmakers. Particularly relevant as the Middle East’s short film scene continues to flourish. So, to wrap it all up. People are in culture when they’re not in category. Your brand might have the ability to make a positive impression in a part of their life that they care about more than advertising. Find the sweet spot, stress-test it and scare yourself with the possibility of how much value the ‘10’ could create on top of the ‘70’ and the ‘20’. Need a hand? See you on LinkedIn.
September 27, 2020
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History does indeed have a habit of repeating itself In the early 19th century, the world was in a very similar place to where we are today. The advent of the Industrial Revolution marked a major turning point in history; almost every aspect of daily life was influenced in some way and it changed society. People struggled to adapt to mass manufacturing that was being introduced. A huge urban mix of workingclass societies and socialism spread because of this fear of change. The horse was replaced by the car and all of a sudden humans were having to deal with a new reality, societal change and product innovation, which was fundamentally changing lives but also at the same time developing new opportunities. Then, just when people started to adjust… the Spanish Flu epidemic hit. Sounds familiar? Today we are amidst the fourth industrial revolution. We stand on the brink of a technological and data revolution that will fundamentally alter the way we live, work and relate to one another. In its scale, scope and complexity, the transformation will be unlike anything humankind has experienced before. We do not yet know just how it will unfold, but one thing is clear: the response to it must be integrated and comprehensive, involving all stakeholders of the global polity, from the public and private sectors to academia and civil society. However, just as we were starting to adapt to the fact that data is here to stay and a source for good in the developing world, we now realise that it should then also be used as a check on the abuse of power that entrenches inequality. The recent Netflix documentary The Social
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he idea of floating around on a hoverboard as Michael J Fox did in 1982 in Back to the Future was something we could never have imagined 38 years ago. Today, now that science fiction on our screens has become a reality, we see Lexus today selling hoverboards to the general public. We sometimes have the misconception that technology is so far away that we hear the mantra, “It will never happen in my lifetime.” However, as we are seeing, nothing can be further from the truth. Technology and Dataism is here to stay and advancing quicker than we ever imagined. The issue is that while it progresses at an exponential speed, our most basic human instincts, emotions and behaviours stay the same. I decided I would take a look at the most common of human behaviours and identify what parallels they have with the past.
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1916. NOW ‘‘WHAT WE ARE SURE TO SEE IS CREATIVITY GOING BACK TO ITS OLD ROOTS, AUTHENTIC AND REAL.” By Matthew Butterworth Managing Director, MENA, MullenLowe
Dilemma and the Cambridge Analytica debacle have forced us all to rethink and evaluate what is right and wrong and where we are being manipulated. Just as mass manufacturing in the 19th century led to a rise in socialism and the rights of working people to be respected and get equal pay, free education for their children and fair working hours, data and the moral principles around its use are now being questioned by society in terms of ethics and fundamental human rights. And like the Spanish Flu, Covid-19 has taught us one thing, that the human spirit is still alive and that out of any tragedy,
creativity, innovation and new-found freedom of expression always flourish. Between 1916-18, more than 50 million people died and 500 million were infected. After two years of lockdown, men and women took to the streets and celebrated their new-found freedom. The Charleston dance craze was born and a whole new music phenomenon went viral. Women were permitted to vote. General Motors created the first massproduced affordable car and Disney was born with a new form of entertainment for children. Today we have the advent of user-created content and platforms such as TikTok, which is a proof point of people expressing their renewed sense of hope and freedom. Looking back, we now understand that none of these ideas, past and present, would ever have happened without creativity being authentic and collaborative. Today our passion and capacity for collaborative creativity will become ever more powerful because the opportunities to engage with others in creative interaction are expanding through the opportunities that data provides. The next generation will innately grow up with these ways of thinking and will have as their philosophy the Descartes quote, “I think; therefore, I am.” New creative communities post-Covid will provide and drive individuals with what they value most. In a time of crisis, humans introspectively look at themselves to be more real, more authentic and be of a benefit to society. This pattern is repeated through history, with people being recognised for what they are contributing towards society and the real value of their ideas and the skills of their trade. What we are sure to see is creativity going back to its old roots, authentic and real, because in a time of crisis we need a touch of reality to remember what is important in life. This brings me to my concluding point: Real and meaningful connections are created with authenticity at their heart, and in a time of genuine tragedy we will always look towards a sense of relief, fun and celebration, that we are alive and well, and can still bring new meaning and contribute positively to the world in which we live. Our renewed creative sense of exploration forced on to us by this pandemic will do just that. It will become a platform to acknowledge the good in each of us and the fun that is meant to be in the world. Sometimes we need something terrible and disastrous to kick-start a new wave of creativity and innovation. Human behaviour and instinct will always remain the same.