CAMPAIGN 30TH MAY 2021 by Motivate Media Group

www.campaignme.com

A M OT I VAT E P U B L I C AT I O N

May 30, 2021

AED25/USD7/SR25

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May 30, 2021

WPP creative shop Grey Dubai hires Philippe Berthelot from Entourage Middle East as new managing director Philippe Berthelot has been appointed as the new managing director (MD) of Grey Dubai. He joins from Entourage Middle East. As MD there, he oversaw the integration of marketing solutions and the global development of EVE, the first 3D virtual events platform in the region. Working closely with Nirvik Singh, global chief operating officer and president, international of Grey Group, Berthelot will be responsible for deepening Grey Dubai’s creative and digital offerings and for implementing a more agile business model to deliver effective and innovative solutions and growth for clients, said the agency. He will also collaborate with Grey’s other studios to serve all client needs. Berthelot comes to the role with more than 20 years of experience with international networks including DDB, BBDO and Ogilvy across multiple regions, such as North America, Europe and the Middle East. His client experience spans many industries and includes Lipton, PepsiCo, France 24, Nestle Water and Clorox. Prior to joining Entourage, from 2018, he spent two years as MD of Ogilvy UAE. Here he led the agency’s transformation towards an integrated model under one leadership and P&L. Under his watch, the agency focused

Philippe Berthelot has worked with DDB, BBDO and Ogilvy

on its digital and social capabilities, which led to award-winning campaigns for KFC, Ikea and Expo 2020 Dubai. Berthelot began his advertising career in 1996 with DDB working on the Hasbro and Clorox accounts Paris and San Francisco. He joined Publicis Group’s creative

shop Marcel Paris in 2006. As MD, he was responsible for managing all global clients, including Nestle Water and Pernod Ricard drinks brands Stolichnaya and Ballantine’s. “Philippe brings with him a tremendous track record of success as well as deep knowledge and experience across multiple markets.

This, along with his expertise in digital and social communications, will serve our clients well. I am confident he will play an important role in further elevating our capabilities and driving new business growth for our clients. We are looking forward to welcoming him to the Grey family,” said Nirvik Singh.

Livingroom wins Emirates Post

GCC CINEMAS #BETTERATTHEMOVIES Nine cinema exhibitors across the GCC have joined forces to launch an industry-first campaign for the region to remind audiences of the unparalleled experience of going to the cinema and encourage them to return to their local movie theatre, after the cinema industry was hit hard by the global pandemic. The #BetterAtTheMovies campaign is a collaboration between the region’s top cinema exhibitors including VOX Cinemas, Novo Cinemas, MUVI Cinemas, Cinépolis Cinemas, AMC Cinemas, Empire Cinemas, Roxy Cinemas, Star Cinemas and Mukta A2 Cinemas. It was developed by creative agency Freedom.

Livingroom Dubai has won the Emirates Post business in what the Dubai-based creative agency described as one of this year’s biggest and most hotly contested pitches. The pitch covered all aspects of the organisation as Emirates Post continues its transformation. “Our recent wins of the Bahrain Economic Development Board and TDRA, as well as our 10-year relationship with the RTA, demonstrates that we understand what it takes to produce really good work on large, complex clients,” said Dani Oneisse, CEO of Livingroom. “Also, our unique offering of data-led strategic thinking with crafted creativity and performance marketing is proving appealing to forward-thinking clients.” The agency said one reason for its win is that the ability to create content continually is now a necessity and not just a nice-to-have.

May 30, 2021

MullenLowe MENA wins Agency of the Year at Campaign Tech Awards MullenLowe MENA was awarded Agency of the Year at the Campaign Tech Awards, while Unit9 won Tech Company of the Year. The Londonbased awards are organised by Haymarket, the owner of Campaign Middle East’s parent brand. The headline awards – Agency of the Year and Tech Company of the Year – are not open for entry. Instead, they are nominated and chosen by the Tech Awards’ panel of judges made up of specialists and digital leaders from across the marketing and tech industries. Interpublic agency network MullenLowe MENA was awarded Agency of the Year after displaying an impressive all-around breadth of work, having won one individual category award, been highly commended in another, and made the shortlist for five entries overall. MullenLowe MENA emerged victorious in the hotly contested Best Use of Experimental award for ProtectSet, its campaign to change gaming headsets for children in order to better protect them online from sex predators. The six-month campaign began by designing and producing 100 devices that were fitted with voice modifiers that made

children sound like adults when speaking into them. This was a “brilliant example of technology helping to solve a real-world problem. Simple but effective,” according to one judge. ProtectSet was also shortlisted for the Tech for Good category. “We are extremely proud to have been named Agency of the Year at the Campaign Tech Awards,” said Mounir Harfouche, chief executive officer, MullenLowe MENA. “Being the first agency in the region to receive global recognition is significant; it proves that we’re achieving our vision for MullenLowe MENA with our innovative work. We have a dream team, an amazing culture and – most importantly – ambitious partners. We will keep pushing for work that is meaningful and for creative quality that meets international standards. It is a great feeling to see our name among the world’s best, and credit goes to the whole team for working passionately day and night to make us the agency of the future.” Now in its fifth year, the Tech Awards champion the collaboration between agencies, brands and the technology communities, and recognises the outstanding work

MullenLowe’s Protectset makes children sound older, deterring would-be predators

produced together to drive the creative industries forward. The awards introduced new categories this year, including a prize for Tech Diversity Advocate of the Year. Kerel Cooper, chief marketing officer at LiveIntent, won the inaugural award for being a respected thought leader in the digital

advertising industry, with numerous appearances at conferences and contributions to major tech publications. There were also two categories for start-ups. Ad-Lib.io won Start-up of the Year, while Best Campaign of the Year by a Start-up went to Boldspace for “72 ways to thank the NHS”.

NAKHEEL MALLS RAMADAN IS BETTER TOGETHER

VALIU THE ENDLESS SHOPPING LOOP

As people continue to navigate the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic, many still remain separated from their families and friends. Nakheel Malls, the retail arm of Nakheel, worked with its creative agency Momentum to revive some of the most treasured moments for Omar, a UAE expat who had been yearning for a home-cooked iftar meal with his family after being away for a long time. Working with an interior designer and Omar’s family, Nakheel Malls replicated the dining room from his home in Lebanon and assembled a nostalgic table that emulated the family spirit Omar was longing for.

EFG Hermes-owned Fintech platform valU launched its new campaign, ‘The Endless Shopping Loop’, featuring Egyptian celebrity Ruby, across OOH, TV, and digital channels. The campaign went viral with more than 10.6 million views in the first 10 days on digital channels. The agency was Tarek Nour Advertising.

Agency Momentum Senior creative directors Muhammad Ali, Shahbaz Khan Zobairi Associate creative director Vishal Munyal Senior art director Jad Elchamaa Strategic planning manager Sameer Islam Media agency Initiative

Agency TNA – Tarek Nour Advertising Campaign star Ruby Directors Hamba (Ahmed Hamdallah), Sherif Doss DOP Ahmed Tahoun Production house Kay-Oh Productions

May 30, 2021

Serviceplan Group Middle East launches House of Gaming to focus on e-sports Integrated communications agency Serviceplan Group Middle East has announced the launch of a new ‘House of Gaming’ division created to harness the vast potential of gaming and e-sports marketing for its clients in the MENA region. The House of Gaming has been established to provide businesses and brands with in-depth knowledge across all aspects of gaming, from different gamer target groups to showcasing and assessing all relevant touchpoints. It will provide expertlevel guidance on developing a brand’s positioning and communication strategy in gaming and e-sports and manage the execution of e-sports marketing. To lead House of Gaming, Serviceplan has appointed experienced marketing professional and dedicated gamer Helmi Abdalhadi. As manager, Abdalhadi will be responsible for connecting brands with the massive yet quickly evolving world of e-sports marketing. He will be the lead consultant and strategist for businesses looking to venture into the gaming arena, starting from ad hoc activations, events or sponsorships, all the way to developing long-term e-sports brand strategies. Abdalhadi will lead a multi-disciplinary team. Rami Hmadeh, managing partner

Game on: House of Gaming manager Helmi Abdalhadi

of Serviceplan Group Middle East, said: “As part of our House of Communication concept, we apply a fully integrated approach to every channel of communication, combining the talents of experts from strategy, creative, media, digital and technology to find new ways to reach the hearts and minds of consumers. House of Gaming is one of the latest iterations of this concept.” Meanwhile, management

consultancy Scopernia has launched what it claims is the Middle East region’s first gaming consulting service. Scopernia Gaming is designed to accelerate the growth of organisations and enable them to be future-fit. Scopernia Gaming “empowers businesses to draw from the learnings of the gaming industry and apply best practices in their operations for higher levels of efficiency and productivity”.

Talk 100.3 radio station launches Channel 2 Group Corporation, which holds multiple audio rights to cricket (including ICC, IPL, and the T20 World Cup) and media network Fun Asia Network have announced an exclusive partnership to launch Talk 100.3, the UAE’s only South Asian sport and business radio station. Talk 100.3 will service the needs of the South Asian and international community by offering sports and business enthusiasts a platform where they can enjoy up-to-date sport and business coverage from around the world. The station will be launched on June 13, 2021 in the UAE with live coverage of the World Cup Test finals between India and New Zealand. Channel 2 Group is the exclusive global audio rights holder for ICC live events. Channel 2 Group’s analogue and digital audio rights also exclusively cover the Asia Cup and the Indian Premier League. As part of the joint venture, Fun Asia, which owns and operates Beat 97.8, Luv 107.1 and Big 106.2, will develop content in association with the Channel 2 Group Corporation, using content from sport fixtures. Talk 100.3 will also offer live shows, syndicated programmes and popular podcasts, as well as exclusive sports broadcast rights.

CHEVROLET FAWAZIR CHEVROLET

OPPO #CAPTURETHESPIRIT

This Ramadan, peak season for automotive sales as advertisements flood both your TV screens and your city streets, Chevrolet Arabia set itself apart with its Fawazir Chevrolet campaign. Chevrolet tapped into nostalgia from the ‘70s and ‘80s by bringing the famous and loved Fawazir riddle shows back to life, reimagining them with a modern and youthful twist. Fawazir Chevrolet was an exciting and riddle-filled Ramadan social campaign that, surprisingly, doesn’t show or mention a single car. Instead, Chevrolet invited viewers to guess the cars hidden within the riddles, to win extra Ramadan savings.

Technology brand Oppo’s #CaptureTheSpirit Ramadan campaign, held in collaboration with the brand’s MEA Ambassador Egyptian football legend Mohamed Salah, has seen millions of fans from the UAE and beyond flood its social media platforms. Posting creative, nostalgic photos and videos, Oppo aficionados reminisced about their favourite moments from Ramadan.

Agency Commonwealth McCann Dubai ECD Andrej Arsenijevic Copywriter Habiba Allam Junior art director Mayar Essawy Arabic copywriter Abdulkader Asfari Editor Ayman Hussein Production house Boomtown Director Ingrid Bawab

Running from April 12 until May 15, 2021, Oppo’s #CaptureTheSpirit campaign featured the Arab football superstar in a TV commercial as he shared his most-missed Ramadan memories from back home – and invited viewers to do the same. The agency is M&C Saatchi.

May 30, 2021

THE PAUSE BUTTON

UM’s Nadeem Ibrahim examines the relationship between working with technology and managing mental health

T NADEEM IBRAHIM, digital director at UM WW

he industry has taken tough measures to openly address mental health in the workplace. Different regions tackle it differently, some more openly than others. The main premise is to recognise we are all victims of some form of mental health challenge in our personal lives, with the workplace being a form of escapism. Is it really escapism? Perhaps 10-15 years ago when digital was in its infancy. Cost-per-thousand impressions (CPM) and cost-per-click (CPC) were literally the only two areas that I was expected to understand, along with an ad server, but what about now? The tech we work with today will be no better than the tech of tomorrow. That said, our ad ecosystem has evolved rapidly, requiring new skills sets to be developed, adapted, and implemented. For what it’s worth, I’m not talking about social slang, but as far as I know it stems from the evolution of technology. According to Chiefmartech.com, data is the fastest growing category by +25.5 per cent. There is a magnitude of data out there, and how we harness it in a cookieless world is another area individuals are expected to have a point of view on in the here and now. The growth in technology has been astronomical and we’re yet to see what the impact of the pandemic is likely

to have been. There’s no doubt that we live in a fastpaced, fragmented industry. First impressions can count in a fragmented industry. The excitement of entering your first client or agency sales meeting is great, until a buzzword or acronym is thrown into the mix – “erm yes, I’ll get back to you on that”, or it leads to a wishy-washy response – and suddenly there’s a sense of anxiety in the air. Trafficking your first campaign, setting up a bunch of ad groups in Ads Manager that fits a process and reaches the right standard can be overwhelming. The platforms become the root cause. They evolved metrics and acronyms (CPV, CPCV, CPCIV) and they created their own buzzwords. Buzzwords such as innovation (what exactly is innovation?), native advertising, in-stream/out-stream, and so on. Technology has the habit of enforcing behavioural change, thus applying indirect pressure to adopt and be well versed in a trend very quickly. Either way, technology is a micro-aggressor indirectly triggering an element of mental ill-health. The evolution of communication is continuous, and you only have to look at the reinvention of audio as an example. Audio social platforms have risen rapidly, with replicas soon to be released, creating a sense of anxiety and excitement for brands to be part of the trend; it’s not just humans that feel it. Audio clearly will become the new trend, opening advertising opportunities then boom a new metric, new tech, new acronyms and cool buzzwords. As much as we’ve become a caring industry, we still have all sorts of paradoxes. Workplaces have acknowledged personal mental health and it has unlocked some great initiatives to help restore individuals’, businesses’, and teams’ states of mind. The team at Twitter, with whom I have recently been working more closely, are great ambassadors in this space, insisting their businesses shut down for a range of mental health and wellbeing days. I have also seen that many other industry partners are great ambassadors, giving their teams some time off and allowing them to switch off from the craziness of technology. Organisations have the framework in place via the initiatives they deploy. However, there is the need to have a day dedicated to hitting the reset button, to switch off your tech and recognise the manual way of operating. There is the possibility that organisations will become more selective in the talent they recruit, in terms of tech enthusiasts vs advertising enthusiasts. Organisations that recognise the different generational mindsets in their workforce (baby boomers, Gen X, millennials, Gen Z) will be one step ahead of tacking the technology issue. Let’s not forget how important it is to recognise team members are not robots, and that there will be ‘off days’ (especially during a global pandemic). This is to be expected. Elite athletes have occasional bad games, and team members will have occasional bad days, yet technology will always deliver its A-game. Organisations that can acknowledge technology being a contributor to the mental well-being of their workforce will win in business in the long term.

‘‘LET’S NOT FORGET HOW IMPORTANT IT IS TO RECOGNISE TEAM MEMBERS ARE NOT ROBOTS, AND THAT THERE WILL BE ‘OFF DAYS’.”

HEADLINE PARTNER

RADIO GUIDE 2021

May 30, 2021

THE RADIO MIX

Initiative’s Safwat Abdulkhalek looks at how radio and competing audio channels fit into today’s post-pandemic media plans

he pandemic has brought along lots of ambiguity and uncertainty, but one thing is certain: It has altered consumers’ behaviours and their media consumption patterns. People developed a habit of constantly checking the news to remain informed and up to date. It is therefore safe to say that the changes reflected within the media industry have forced advertisers to be flexible and to pivot their strategies in a way that will help capture and attract emerging, highly engaged audiences and maximise their reach and profits. We know for a fact that companies have mainly increased their ad spend on digital

platforms, specifically on video content, but what about the rest of the media mix pillars? What about the audio industry? Commuting time was cut down significantly in 2020, thus decreasing car radio consumption during rush hours while travelling to and from work. Surprisingly, however, at-home radio consumption increased as people resorted to listening to the news on radio stations and podcasts from their mobiles, computers or smart speakers. According to a Nielsen study, towards the beginning of the pandemic, stay-at-home workers spent 40 per cent of their day listening to AM/FM radio stations or streaming

services. Another study by Rodero revealed that people started listening to the radio throughout the day, mainly midday and afternoons, instead of morning time as was the norm prior to the pandemic. This health crisis may have changed where and when we listen to the radio, but it was revealed that eight out of 10 people globally have been listening to the radio either more or for the same amount of time as before. Therefore, it is certain that radio is still considered an extremely important element in the media industry for several reasons, including its adaptability and credibility. People trust their local AM/FM stations

May 30, 2021

when it comes to relaying the news. This has pushed them to place their trust in radio advertising and sponsorships, as 60 per cent of people aged 35-49 consider radio spots very trustworthy and reliable, according to the Total Audience Report by Nielsen. The importance of radio, especially during the pandemic, is also attributed to the fact that listeners trust not only the information shared, but also radio hosts, since they are living the realities alongside the people. These live broadcasters give listeners the perfect mix of local news and entertainment in a highly targeted manner, which helps maintain a sense of connection and belonging to the community and creates feelings of safety and security. In other words, you can consider your local radio station as your next-door neighbour; they will always be there for you. As we zoom in closer to the UAE, a study conducted by Nielsen’s UAE Radio Audience Measurement (RAM) showed that radio listening in the region remains at an all-time high, and, during the first quarter of the year, listeners spent an average of 7 hours and 28 minutes on the radio. People also shifted their listening hours to adjust to their new daily routines. This further adds to the testimony that this medium remains a strong element in the media mix regionally. As vaccines continue to roll out and life slowly goes back to normal, radio listenership – especially in cars and physical retail stores – is expected to go back to pre-pandemic levels. All forms of digital audio, in addition to radio, have gained lots of popularity during the pandemic as a result of people wanting to alleviate ‘screen fatigue’ caused by spending long hours in front of monitors. Podcasts, for example, are known for their accessibility and the variety they provide to listeners. Apps like Spotify and Apple Podcasts have given people the chance to create customised playlists of all the different categories they are interested in and to listen to them any time they desire. This approach makes the whole listening experience more personal, convenient and on-demand, as opposed to listening to whatever is on the radio. Advertisers have been taking advantage of the rise in podcasts by investing in them through affiliate marketing and sponsorships, which have created a new stream of revenue. A main driver of the adoption of this booming audio platform is that many podcast hosts, and even radio presenters, are turning into influencers who are building a huge base of loyal supporters. The opposite is also true. Lots of celebrities, influencers, and athletes are launching their own podcasts. As a form of personality-driven media, podcasts can engage with listeners in a more authentic way, which has helped brands reach a

wider and highly engaged audience, especially during the pandemic, by leveraging the power of such influencers across various social platforms. Regionally, a study by Markettiers MENA showed that 92 per cent of listeners in the UAE and Saudi Arabia trust podcasts more than any other traditional medium. We expect to see a continuous proliferation of this medium in the near future. Streaming music, another form of digital audio, has also been on the rise, as people continue to use music as an escape from all that is happening in the world. Brands have capitalised on this by dedicating a fair share of their ad spends to music streaming platforms, such as Anghami and Spotify. We have also seen an increase in the popularity of voice assistants during the pandemic, such as Amazon’s Alexa. A study by Kantar estimates that there will be around 1.8 billion consumers using a voice-enabled device in 2021. This huge shift is due to the change in consumer behaviour, where social distancing has encouraged people to opt for touch-free controls, including voice technology, especially at home through smart devices. Such voice-enabled devices are changing the ways consumers shop and interact in their everyday lives, whether it be through improving experiences with content discovery, recommendations or personalisation. Other breakthroughs instigated by the pandemic include voice- and audio-led social media platforms, such as Clubhouse, an invite-only app where people can join live rooms of discussions spanning across a multitude of topics. It is expected that voice and audio will be a huge format of content presentation and audience engagement, as it helps brands share their stories in a more natural and intimate way. Even though brands cannot directly advertise through voice assisted technologies or through apps like Clubhouse yet, we cannot deny the impact they have exerted on brands and their advertising strategies, by allowing users to form deep connections with them. In a nutshell, digital audio is expected to bounce back from pandemic losses; however, measurement remains a concern for advertisers as they struggle with digital audio ad measurement. For many brands, it remains uncertain whether listeners convert after listening to ads on digital audio. To measure what they can, several brands are pulling out old-school tracking methods known to have significant gaps, like promoting coupon codes or vanity URLs, providing at least a small measure of ROI feedback. Despite such challenges, there is no doubt that radio remains a strong pillar in the media mix, especially for brands aiming to build reach and brand awareness in the region.

‘‘A STUDY BY MARKETTIERS MENA SHOWED THAT 92 PER CENT OF LISTENERS IN THE UAE AND KSA TRUST PODCASTS MORE THAN ANY OTHER TRADITIONAL MEDIUM.”

By SAFWAT ABDULKHALEK, media manager, Initiative

May 30, 2021

LISTEN NOW

New research from Markettiers has found a third of listeners tune into podcasts once a day. Cheryl King highlights the opportunities this growing popularity can offer brands in the region

odcasts in the UAE have been on the rise for the past few years, but now more than ever listeners are tuning into a wealth of podcasts for their news, entertainment and education needs, proving a key opportunity for brands in the region to tap into the power of audio. Our research at Markettiers MENA in 2019 showed that 16 per cent of those asked would tune into a podcast at least weekly. Now, just two years on, the listenership in the region has grown rapidly. Our latest research reveals that podcasts are becoming a part of listeners’ daily routines with over a third (37 per cent) of the UAE audience tuning in to a podcast at least once a day, if not more than once. What’s more, 31 per cent listen to podcasts at least once a week. As more people in the region download and subscribe to this form of audio content, our latest survey of more than 1,000 adults in the UAE reveals the top podcast preferences that brands need to consider based on this latest research. THE CATEGORY IS… There really is a podcast for everyone, with varying topics of conversation. But when asked what genre of podcasts is most preferred by listeners in the region, it was found the top five podcast genres in the UAE are music (57 per cent), comedy (40 per cent), technology (33 per cent), sports (28 per cent) and news and politics (27 per cent). CONTENT IS KING Almost half of those asked believe that a balance of facts and humour makes for a good podcast, showing the importance of presenting factual content in an entertaining and engaging way. It’s also important to consider the credibility and reliability of the information being shared, with 37 per cent enjoying a podcast most when they feel that the topics being discussed have been thoroughly researched. Although entertainment is a big listening factor, it’s also about education. 45 per cent of those surveyed believe a good podcast is one that teaches the listener something new. WHO’S WHO It’s not just all about knowing your stuff, it’s also about delivering this through the

right medium. When asked, 28 per cent of podcast listeners believe a likeable and relatable host contributes to their listening experience, so finding an engaging host is a must. BE PART OF THE CONVERSATION Fuelled by the pandemic, listener habits have changed and the medium is on the rise. 59 per cent of respondents revealed they now tune into podcasts more this year when compared with the same time last year. This highlights a need for creators to keep listeners updated with content now more than ever. What better time for brands to wake up to the potential of podcasts than when they have a captive audience on a daily basis tuning into audio content. It’s time for brands to capitalise on this

‘‘ALTHOUGH ENTERTAINMENT IS A BIG LISTENING FACTOR, IT’S ALSO ABOUT EDUCATION. 45 PER CENT BELIEVE A GOOD PODCAST TEACHES SOMETHING NEW.” growing trend, which will continue to gain popularity. Podcasts are here to stay and are a proven method to communicate with a targeted audience. Brands that see podcasts in their entirety and think about the whole strategy, from planning and creation to distribution and promotion, are the ones that are now reaping the rewards of a growing listenership that is consuming potentially hours of their curated content. 2021 is the year to jump on the podcast wagon. By CHERYL KING, managing director, Markettiers MENA

May 30, 2021

BRANDS ARE A BETTING ON ARABIC PODCASTS AND IT’S PAYING OFF.

RABIC PODCAST LISTENERSHIP IS BOOMING Podcasting in the Arab region is heating up. This past year, we’ve seen podcasting prove its success as media’s next frontier through listenership growth alone. As it stands, podcasts average a 20-40% growth in listenership year over year , and the global podcasting market size is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 27.5% from 2020 to 2027. The global podcast market is already sized at a $75bn opportunity. Regionally, we’re lacking growth trend and cross-country market data, but hats off to Markettiers MENA for giving us a starting point: there are 5.1 million podcast listeners in KSA and 1.3 million listeners in the UAE, listening to an average of 5-7 hours of podcasts a week. Egypt is Kerning Cultures Network’s #2 listening country, so we estimate current listenership there to be between 1-3 million. We as Arabs are huge consumers of content and a significant market to tap for any new media. We already top global usage for Facebook, Snapchat and YouTube, and we at Kerning Cultures Network are building for a future where we’ll top global listener penetration for podcasts by 2025.

Kerning Cultures’ Bella Ibrahim says her network is building for a future where MENA tops global listener penetration rates by 2025

LISTENERS TRUST BRANDS MORE ON PODCASTS As the podcasting market in the region is accelerating in scale and sophistication, brands can target their audiences through podcasts in a more engaging, powerful way. It’s harder than ever for brands to break through the clutter of social media. Meanwhile, audio is outperforming video when it comes to captivating your target audience. The attention span of social media users is shrinking with the overload of content: Facebook users spend less than 3 seconds with any piece of content and 94% of viewers skip video pre-roll ads . In contrast, podcasts are creating a deeper connection to consumers. Podcast advertising generates up to four times better brand recall than other digital ads . Podcasts have listeners’ undivided attention. Unlike TV or social media, you’re literally in their ears. Podcast advertising campaigns result in an average 10-times lift for brands relative to print, digital and TV. Brands are already sponsoring some of the region’s top Arabic podcasts, and it’s paying off. Toyota ALJ sponsored a firstof-its-kind Arabic fiction thriller podcast produced by Kerning Cultures Network. Not only did it chart #6 globally, but it proved to be a case study for strong results: Listening to Saqr’s Eclipse positively affected brand image, outperforming automotive industry benchmarks by 24%. Toyota ALJ isn’t the only automotive giant in the region interested in podcasts. GMC sponsored content by Finyal Media. Al Rahji Bank and Visit Saudi are among other brands in the region also expanding into podcast advertising and sponsorship.

AUDIO GIANTS ARE BETTING ON PODCASTS Streaming platforms are investing in podcasts as they continue to grow. Anghami, Spotify and Deezer have thrived in the past five years. Remember when we used to download mp3s? Anghami has 70 million registered users and 1 billion monthly streams , Spotify has 356 million users across 178 markets , and Deezer has 14 million monthly active users as of 2019. Spotify CEO Daniel Ek estimates that podcasts will comprise 20% of all listening. We’re seeing Podcast Originals being produced by all three audio giants, as well as significant in-app changes to bring podcasts front and centre. As streaming platforms compete for share of ear, the majority of our listeners at Kerning Cultures Network come through the OG podcast app, Apple, which recently announced that podcasters could customise paid subscription offerings to their audiences (Spotify did a quick-follow). Social media giant Facebook is jumping on the podcast bandwagon, too, announcing last month their own in-app podcast player. 170 million Facebook users are connected to podcast pages, and I imagine Facebook will roll this out with some loaded monetisation approach of audience targeting to take podcast advertising potential to the next level via their owned platform. Similarly, Spotify acquired podcast advertising platform Megaphone last year to offer granular audience targeting via streaming ad insertion. This kind of targeting is a huge opportunity for the industry, because the current capacity outside markets like the US is more general audience targeting: we know about our listeners through audience surveys, through the genre of show they choose, and our ability to geotarget. Through these new platforms, however, you can run ads targeting specifically age, gender, interests, location, and behaviour. As listenership continues to grow in the region, powered by platforms and media companies alike, it’s more strategic than ever for forward-thinking brands to take advantage of engaging with their audience on podcasts. By BELLA IBRAHIM, marketing director, Kerning Cultures Network

‘‘THROUGH THESE NEW PLATFORMS, , YOU CAN RUN ADS TARGETING AGE, GENDER, INTERESTS, LOCATION AND BEHAVIOUR.”

May 30, 2021

rowing up in India during the 80s and 90s, one could identify the production company behind every Bollywood movie through the short ident in the beginning simply from its sound. In my case, this sound pretty much dictated my decision whether to watch a particular movie because I knew exactly what to expect. Little did I know that it was my first brush with what is known today as ‘sonic branding’. For the uninitiated, the same way that a company is recognised by its visual logo, a ‘sonic’ logo creates an immediate awareness of brand identity purely through audio. Sonic branding is a great way to utilise a human being’s memory of sound to reinforce a brand or message. Over the last 18 years, I’ve been fortunate to witness the evolution of sonic branding in communication.

‘‘SONIC BRANDING IS A GREAT WAY TO USE A HUMAN BEING’S MEMORY OF SOUND TO REINFORCE A BRAND OR MESSAGE.” During the early 2000s, it was all about creating jingles for big brands like Cadbury, Britannia, and Titan watches. The 30-second jingle had a critical role to play not just to help sell a slice-of-life film script to a client but also to ensure the popularity of the commercial. The stickiness and hummability of an ad jingle were key, and the sonic note at the end was usually a derivative of this jingle. However, as advertising evolved and became more conversation-based, the reliance on jingles started decreasing. Foley sounds were used to represent the ambience, while the sonic tune was restricted to the end of a commercial when the logo was revealed. Today, as the sheer number of mediums has increased, the role of a creative agency partner includes conceptualising not only a film commercial but also the entire breadth of the brand’s touchpoints. Thus, the need to create sonic branding that works across different intervals along this journey has become imperative. The last few years have seen a significant uptake in the number of brands opening up to the possibilities of sonic branding. One of the main reasons for that is the changing landscape of media consumption. Earlier, if a brand had the budget, TV would be the go-to medium to achieve reach. But today,

with millennials and Gen Z consuming shorter content on their phone screen, the 30-second piece of music has become too long – leading to the importance of a much shorter sonic identity. The mandate of creating sonic branding includes creating a whole new gamut of sonic experiences. This includes UI/UX sonic design, creating ambient sound inside brand experiential spaces, and creating navigational on-app sonic alerts and notifications. All of these engage with the customer and enhance their experience. Today, some companies deploy a whole system to create a sonic identity that requires the coming together of brand strategy, the science of sound, and the art of music. The creation of sonic branding necessitates taking the entire catalogue of the company’s sounds – from the promotional to the functional – and offering a systemic approach to how they want to be be perceived. Since music has the power to evoke different moods in people, the first step is to understand the brand’s personality. The next step is to find the right audio fit to create a unique musical expression that matches the brand’s DNA. Here are a few classifications of different archetypes of sonic branding: REASSURANCE: The most well-known examples have to do with technology and payments, like ‘Intel Inside’. Most recently, this also includes the Mastercard sonic brand identity, where the melody would play whenever consumers used their cards in physical, digital, and voice environments. INDIVIDUALITY: Netflix and Amazon Prime’s sound mnemonics for their original content are the first ones that come to mind. These sounds evoke a strong sense of the curated content that reassures the consumer of the content’s quality. GRATIFICATION: Food delivery apps extensively use sound mnemonics to inform customers about order acceptance, delivery partners reaching the destination, etc. The mnemonic becomes synonymous with satisfaction and happiness, leading to more consumer loyalty. OCCASION: The “I’m Lovin It” sonic from McDonald’s is a good example that illustrates the ‘It’s time to have fun’ aspect by bringing people together around food. When looking at the numbers, marketers have realised that a number of significant transactions are happening behind the screen. Hence, they are willingly investing in a sonic identity that is just as instantly identifiable by their consumers as their logo and visual design. A sonic identity is not just a massive opportunity but also an effortless addition to craft a unique statement and make emotional connections with consumers. By KARTIK AIYAR, head of creative, Team Red Dot

PITCH PERFECT Team Red Dot’s Kartik Aiyar looks at the different uses of sonic branding, and why it should be ringing in the ears of every marketer

PARTNER CONTENT

May 30, 2021

The art of podcast storytelling The medium offers a unique way to connect with Arab audiences By Leila Hamadeh, Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Finyal Media

odcasts have come of age. If anything, the pandemic has been a catalyst for growth in the Arab world: most people know someone who has started a podcast during the pandemic. But whilst there has inevitably been a huge variance when it comes to quality, what it has done is push the podcasting scene further up the agenda. Like any industry receiving interest, the podcast scene is growing fast, and it’s developing at pace. Arabic music streaming service Anghami, for example, has become the first Arabic technology firm to list on Nasdaq at a valuation of $220m, while Deezer has a fast-growing library of Originals in Arabic for the region. And this is against an overall background of rising listenership both in the Middle East and on a global scale.

Connecting with the disconnected

Indeed, our own growth at Finyal Media is evidence of the growing popularity of podcasts in the region and our ability to capitalise on a gap in the market. Launching in 2019, we have come a long way in the past two years, establishing ourselves as an award-winning podcast network providing immersive experiences for Arab listeners, with hits such as 1001 Nights, Sindbad, Juha and The 40 Thieves. Before this, little existed to really connect with the Arabic youth in particular; the means of communication was outdated, and not relevant, and so we saw an opportunity to connect on a more meaningful level with fresh, original and authentic content. Acquiring seed funding to the tune of close to $1m has helped us accelerate our journey, with our audience more than doubling in size in the past year and more than 6 million downloads overall to date.

Brand-funded podcast storytelling

It was this approach that helped us understand the huge potential that exists via podcast storytelling for brands. Through this storytelling approach, which underpins our ethos, podcasts represent a hugely effective means to reach and engage audiences through a mobile-first strategy. Major brands in the region are already turning to the medium; indeed, we count Emirates NBD, Unilever and GMC as just some of our clients here, and we are creating storytelling content that connects with the listener on an altogether different level. Ultimately, we are creating brand advocacy here, as podcasts allow for the potential to target very specific, niche audiences with zero audience wastage. You are not an accidental listener; you don’t happen upon a podcast – you have to seek it out at the

point of interest – and this creates a very attractive ecosystem for brands to tap into. And by using a storytelling approach, we can create a very meaningful connection between both brand and listener.

Loyal communities

Our partnership with Unilever’s Miraa.me platform for example, saw us create a series entitled, ‫ سفن‬، ‫ ةوطخ‬، ‫( ةآرم‬A Breath, A Step, A Mirror), which features powerful stories of real women from Saudi Arabia who have each written a letter to their younger selves. The stories are filled with hope, struggle and joy, and this aligns to the values of Miraa.me, which as a digitally led platform represents the true faces, voices and values of women around the Middle East. Another partnership we forged with Deezer saw us produce an Arabic podcast series entitled, ‫ًائينه ًامون‬ (Sleep Tight), which features a collection of fairy tales to help listeners unwind and prepare for a good night’s sleep. This was the first time that an Arabic podcast had been produced that purely focused on sleep – and it was created at a time when many people were suffering from insomnia due to the pandemic, and long-term lockdowns.

Where to next?

So, although the community is still being built, the potential for brands to harness the power for podcasts is huge. Our focus on fictional storytelling and original content series is catering to the previously uncatered; it’s fulfilling a gap in the market that was otherwise empty, particularly in Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the UAE. And when it comes to brands, the audience appetite for podcasts is ripe; the trust factor is high, the engagement metrics are powerful and there’s the opportunity to speak to Arabic audiences in a way that truly resonates with them. As we now come out of these few months and some of us move back into offices, whilst others stick to working from home, one thing’s for certain: how we communicate will never be the same again. We have to think differently, we have to find solutions to problems put in front of us, and the ways of old may not always be the best anymore. We’ve shown that as a sector, we can move at pace; it may no longer be business as usual, but communicating in smarter, more efficient ways, has just forced us all to up the ante.

PARTNER CONTENT

May 30, 2021

Making a noise DMS’s Sally Makarem and Anghami’s Joubran Abdul Khalek explain how new thinking and technology are driving audio as a marketing medium

requently accompanied by the phrase “the power of” (and for a good reason), audio is undeniably the next big thing in the media industry worldwide. The digital audio boom in the MENA region – mainly driven by the adoption of music streaming, podcasts, live radio, live concerts, social audio chatting and the huge increase in smartphone penetration rates – has put audio on the map. Globally, digital audio had been steadily growing before it witnessed a massive acceleration due to the Covid-19 Pandemic. With the radical changes Covid imposed on our daily lives, both users and brands have been learning how to leverage the power of audio. According to Emarketer, digital audio ad spend is expected to reach $5.3bn by 2023 in the US alone, and the daily average time spent on digital audio is expected to reach 101.51 minutes. MENA has also been witnessing this digital audio boom from 2012, when Anghami (the leading music streaming service) introduced music streaming to the region. This has led to a streaming revolution that accentuated the power of audio. The more users streamed, the more brands started seeing value in audio as a medium. A recent report from Ipsos showed that 50 per cent of music app users stream music spending from three to five hours daily.

and footfall. It is an innovative medium: in 2020 Anghami launched ‘immersive audio’, a sound design technique that puts the listener at the heart of the action. It transports users to places, delivering on brand experiences all through the power of sound. In simple terms, it is virtual sound reality.”

Power play

Anghami’s Joubran Abdul Khalek says: “Traditionally, audio was mainly a radio format. Today, and with the digital boom, audio has truly earned its seat in the media mix. Hence why brands should be complementing radio with digital audio by using an audio-neutral planning (ANP) approach. This will allow brands to get the best of both worlds: radio audience reach and digital audio targeting and measurement capabilities, while overlaying the time aspect to have a holistic strategy. We have been seeing a meteoric rise in streaming on the go in the car, where more and more users are hooking up their phones to car play. This where ANP comes to life.”

Digital audio utilises technological advancements in personalisation, targeting, real-time reach and measurement – unlocking a wide range of innovative experiences to both users and brands. One can look at audio as a modern elevator pitch between the brand and the consumer, in an extremely personal environment. Sally Makarem, managing director, DMS UAE, says: “We do know the value that audio advertising delivers on. Audio is personal, it is a great form of one-to-one conversation with your customer based on mood, and it effectively creates an emotional connection with brands. Targeting opportunities do not stop there; the nature of streaming platforms allows for demographic, psychographic, geographic, and behavioural segmentation as well. Audio is measurable; we launched more than 20 brand lift studies in 2020 and we have seen the impact on media KPIs such as awareness, brand recall, consideration

Audio considerations

According to Joubran Abdul Khalek, Anghami’s newly appointed head of sales, “Brands have to adopt an audiocentric approach to start with. This isn’t as alien as one would think, as the industry has already moved from text to visual and from visual to video, which makes audio the next obvious evolution. “Planning for an audio campaign is quite simple. There are three main things to keep top-of-mind, which are: the ad itself, the context and measurement. “When it comes to the ad, there are three core elements: the script, which is the main campaign message; the tone of voice, which is delivered through the voice-over talent recording the ad; and, finally, the background music, which sets the tone and makes sure the audio ad is in harmony with its context and is relevant to the target audience.”

Maximising impact

DMS Sally Makarem concludes: “The audio scene is constantly evolving in MENA. With more global players in the market and the investments shaping local brands, such as Anghami – The first Arab tech company to be listed on NASDAQ – we will be witnessing a beautiful audio revolution. So, will digital audio become the next king?”

“Traditionally, audio was mainly a radio format. Today, and with the digital boom, audio has truly earned its seat in the media mix.”

May 30, 2021

2021 UAE RADIO GUIDE

May 30, 2021

Abu Dhabi Radio

Al Oula Radio

FREQUENCY: 98.4 FM WEBSITE: www.adradio.ae/Abu-Dhabi-fm PARENT COMPANY : Abu Dhabi Media MEDIA REP: MEDIASAT Advertising: mediasat@choueirigroup.com; +971 4 454 5454 LAUNCHED : 1969 LANGUAGE : Arabic BROADCAST LICENCE LESSOR: Abu Dhabi Authorities FORMAT: Sports, heritage, current affairs DEMOGRAPHICS: Arabs; 75 per cent Male; 72 per cent 20-39 years old PRIME TIME SHOWS: Studio One

FREQUENCY: 107.4 FM WEBSITE: www.aloularadio.ae MEDIA REP: MEMS: mems@choueirigroup.com: +971 4 454 5454 LAUNCHED: 2014 LANGUAGE: Arabic PARENT COMPANY: Hamdan Bin Mohammed Heritage Center FORMAT: Patriotic and traditional radio station that caters Emirati content DEMOGRAPHICS: Arabs; 60 per cent males; 75 per cent 20-44 years old PRIME TIME SHOWS: Sabah Al Oula (Salem Mohammad); Radio Al bayt (Samah Al Abbar); Lil Shabab Rai (Amal Al Mullah); Hayyak Fi Bladi (Shirina Salem)

Abu Dhabi Classic FM FREQUENCY: Abu Dhabi: 91.6; Dubai 87.9; Al Ain 105.2 WEBSITE: www.adradio.ae/classic-fm PARENT COMPANY: Abu Dhabi Media MEDIA REP: Khushbu Thakkar: Khushbu.Thakkar@admedia.ae; +971 50 616 5073 LAUNCHED: 2010 LANGUAGE: English LOCATION OF MAST: Abu Dhabi BROADCAST LICENCE LESSOR: Abu Dhabi Media FORMAT: Classical music DEMOGRAPHICS: All English-speaking listeners, with a skew towards Western expats; affluent social economic classes A & B; aged 35 and older; male and female

Beat 97.8 WEBSITE: beat978.com PARENT COMPANY: Fun Asia Network (FAN) HEAD OFFICE: Dubai FOUNDED: 2020 LANGUAGE: English FORMAT: Dance contemporary hit radio natasha@funasianetwork.com +971 4 581 7000 DEMOGRAPHICS: Male and female; 18- 35 FLAGSHIP PROGRAMMES: Beat@Breakfast with Jade and Reine; Moore Beat with Steve Moore

Big 106.2

Al Arabiya FREQUENCY: 99.0 WEBSITE: 99fm.ae PARENT COMPANY: Arabian Radio Network MEDIA REP: Jennifer Moaccadie (jmoaccadie@arn.ae) LAUNCHED: 2001 LANGUAGE: Arabic FORMAT: Arabic music DEMOGRAPHICS: 70 per cent male; 30 per cent female

Big 106.2 WEBSITE: big1062.com PARENT COMPANY: Fun Asia Network (FAN) HEAD OFFICE: Dubai FOUNDED: 2017 LANGUAGE: Hindi/English FORMAT: Bollywood chart hit radio natasha@funasianetwork.com +971 4 581 7000 DEMOGRAPHICS: Male and female; 18- 35 FLAGSHIP PROGRAMMES: The Big Breakfast show with Neeil and Pavithra; Big Chill with Ujjwal; Big Drive with Arpit

104.8 CHANNEL 4 Al Khaleejiya FREQUENCY: 100.9 WEBSITE: 1009.ae PARENT COMPANY: Arabian Radio Network MEDIA REP: Jennifer Moaccadie (jmoaccadie@arn.ae) LAUNCH: 2003 LANGUAGE: Arabic FORMAT: Khaleeji music DEMOGRAPHICS: 55 per cent male; 45 per cent female

PARENT COMPANY: Ajman Independent Studio WEBSITE: www.channel4fm.com HEAD OFFICE: Ajman FOUNDED: 1997 LANGUAGE: English FORMAT: Contemporary hit radio LOCATION OF MAST: Ajman MEDIA REP: Mohammed Jundi, network sales director: +971 4 567 0444; mjundi@ch4.ae BROADCAST LICENCE LESSOR: Ajman Government DEMOGRAPHICS: Male and female;18-40 FLAGSHIP PROGRAMMES: Breakfast with JJ & NIMI; Evenings with EVE

2021 UAE RADIO GUIDE

May 30, 2021

City

Dubai Quran

FREQUENCY: 101.6 WEBSITE: city1016.ae PARENT COMPANY: Arabian Radio Network MEDIA REP: Rohit Damodar (rdamodar@arn.ae) LAUNCH: 2002 LANGUAGE: Hindi FORMAT: Bollywood music DEMOGRAPHICS: 76 per cent male; 24 per cent female

FREQUENCY: 91.4 LANGUAGE: Arabic FORMAT: Religious

Dubai Radio Club FM 99.6 FREQUENCY: 99.6 WEBSITE: www.clubfm.ae PARENT COMPANY: Mathrubhumi Printing and Publishing Company MEDIA REP: P S Srikumar, general manager, GCC: 052 999 3442; srikumar@mpp.co.in LAUNCHED: June 2016 LANGUAGE: Malyalam BROADCAST LICENCE LESSOR: Fujairah Media FORMAT: Entertainment, information, news, songs and creative campaigns DEMOGRAPHICS: 21-45 years old

Dubai 92 FREQUENCY: 92.0 WEBSITE: Dubai92.com PARENT COMPANY: Arabian Radio Network MEDIA REP: Jennifer Moaccadie (jmoaccadie@arn.ae) LAUNCHED: 1971 LANGUAGE: English FORMAT: Adult contemporary DEMOGRAPHICS: 75 per cent male; 25 per cent female

Dubai Eye FREQUENCY: 103.8 WEBSITE: dubaieye1038.com PARENT COMPANY: Arabian Radio Network MEDIA REP: Jennifer Moaccadie (jmoaccadie@arn.ae) LAUNCHED: 2004 LANGUAGE: English FORMAT: Talk DEMOGRAPHICS: 70 per cent male; 30 per cent female

FREQUENCY: 93.0 FM WEBSITE: www.dmi.ae/dubai fm/ PARENT COMPANY :DMI MEDIA REP: MEMS; mems@choueirigroup.com; +971 4 454 5454 LAUNCHED : 2014 LANGUAGE : Arabic FORMAT: Entertainment; UAE radio station that offers pan-Arab and Khaleeji content and music DEMOGRAPHICS: Arabs; 59 per cent male; 76 per cent 35+ years old Prime time shows:Sabah Jameel (Abdallah Ismaiil); Cramel (Fatima Abed al Rahman & Ahed Afandi); Shari3 Al Saada ( Jad Chheib & Mahra Al Abdallah)

Emarat FM FREQUENCY: Abu Dhabi 95.8 FM; Al Ain 94.9 FM; Dubai and Sharjah 97.1 FM WEBSITE: www.adradio.ae/emarat-fm PARENT COMPANY: Abu Dhabi Media MEDIA REP :MEDIASAT Advertising: mediasat@choueirigroup.com; +971 4 454 5454 LAUNCHED: 1986 LANGUAGE: Arabic BROADCAST LICENCE LESSOR: Abu Dhabi Authorities FORMAT: Social, Health DEMOGRAPHICS: Arabs; 61 per cent male; 76 per cent 20-44 years old PRIME TIME SHOWS: a7la Sabah- Ma77attat Al Zouhaira- A7la Massa

Flowers 94.7 FM FREQUENCY: 94.7 WEBSITE: www.flowersfm.com PARENT COMPANY: Flowers International Group LAUNCHED: May 2017 LANGUAGE: Malayalam and English BROADCAST LICENCE LESSOR: Dolphin Recording Studios DEMOGRAPHICS: Men and women; aged 25 to 45

2021 UAE RADIO GUIDE

May 30, 2021

Fujairah FM

Hit

FREQUENCY: 92.6 LANGUAGE: Arabic

FREQUENCY: 96.7 WEBSITE: hit967.ae PARENT COMPANY: Arabian Radio Network MEDIA REP: Rohit Damodar (rdamodar@arn.ae) LAUNCH: 2004 LANGUAGE: Malayalam FORMAT: Malayalam music DEMOGRAPHICS: 80 per cent male; 20 per cent female

Gilli FM FREQUENCY: 106.5 WEBSITE: radiogilli.com LANGUAGE: Tamil

101.3 GOLD FM PARENT COMPANY: Ajman Independent Studio HEAD OFFICE: Ajman FOUNDED: 2010 MEDIA REP: Mohammed Jundi, network sales director: +971 4 567 0444; mjundi@ch4.ae LANGUAGE: Malayalam FORMAT: Malayalam music & entertainment LOCATION OF MAST: Ajman BROADCAST LICENCE LESSOR: Ajman Government DEMOGRAPHICS: Male and female: 18-40 FLAGSHIP PROGRAMMES: Morning Drive with Samira & Vysakh; Sunset Drive with Meera Nandan

Kadak FM FREQUENCY: 97.3 FM (Abu Dhabi); 88.8 FM (Dubai); 95.6 FM (Al Ain) WEBSITE : www.adradio.ae/Kadak-fm PARENT COMPANY: Abu Dhabi Media MEDIA REP: MEDIASAT Advertising: mediasat@choueirigroup.com; +971 4 454 5454 LAUNCHED: Rebranded to Kadak in 2020; previously Mirchi FM LANGUAGE:Hindi BROADCAST LICENCE LESSOR: Abu Dhabi Authorities FORMAT: Latest trends, strong Bollywood connect DEMOGRAPHICS: Asians; 80 per cent male; 78 per cent 20-44 years old PRIME TIME SHOWS: Kadak Mornings; Total Filmi; Bumper to Bumper

THE FASTEST GROWING RADIO NETWORK IN THE UAE ION REACHING OVER 2 MILL LISTENERS EVERY DAY

Office 402, Zee Tower, Dubai Media City, P.O. Box 41698, Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Tel: 04 581 7000 www.funasianetwork.com

2021 UAE RADIO GUIDE

May 30, 2021

Luv 107.1

Pearl Radio

Luv 107.1 WEBSITE: luv1071.com PARENT COMPANY: Fun Asia Network (FAN) HEAD OFFICE: Dubai FOUNDED: 2020 LANGUAGE: English FORMAT: Hot adult contemporary natasha@funasianetwork.com +971 4 581 7000 DEMOGRAPHICS: Male and female; 25-45 FLAGSHIP PROGRAMMES: Breakfast with Lorna & Faris; Luv the Drive with Aylissa Boyce

FREQUENCY: 102 WEBSITE: www.pearlfm.ae LANGUAGE: English FORMAT: Shows for parents and children

Mirchi 1024 FM PARENT COMPANY: Dolphin Recording Studio HEAD OFFICE: Dubai FOUNDED: 2011 joydeep.roy@mirchi.ae LANGUAGE: Hindi FORMAT: Contemporary hit radio LOCATION OF MAST: Ras Al Khaimah BROADCAST LICENCE LESSOR: Government of Ras Al Khaimah Email id:

Pulse 95 Radio PARENT COMPANY: Sharjah Broadcasting Authority HEAD OFFICE: Sharjah FOUNDED: 2018 WEBSITE: www.pulse95radio.com +971 6 501 1355; +971 6 501 1111 Pulse95@sba.net.ae; info@pulse95radio.com LANGUAGE: English FORMAT: Light talk-radio station with acoustic music covers LOCATION OF MAST: Sharjah BROADCAST LICENCE LESSOR: Sharjah Government DEMOGRAPHICS: Native and non-native English-speaking; cultured mature professionals and middle-class family-oriented individuals; male and female; aged 25-45 FLAGSHIP PROGRAMMES: Morning Majlis; Yalla Home

Quran Kareem FM

Montecarlo FREQUENCY: 95.3 LANGUAGE: Arabic

Noor Dubai FM FREQUENCY: 93.9 in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Northern Emirates; 102.9 in Al Ain WEBSITE: www.dmi.ae/noordubai/ PARENT COMPANY: DMI MEDIA REP: MEMS; mems@choueirigroup.com; +971 4 454 5454 LAUNCHED : 2009 LANGUAGE: Arabic BROADCAST LICENCE LESSOR: Dubai Authorities FORMAT: Social, health, sports DEMOGRAPHICS: Arabs; 67 per cent male; 71 per cent 25-49 years old. PRIME TIME SHOWS: Al Bath al Mubasher (Rashed Al Kharji “Abou Omar”); Al Salfa Wa Ma Fiha (Ahmed Al Ketbi ); Rouhak Ryiadyia (Kifah Al Kaabi)

FREQUENCY: Dubai 88.2; Al Ain 88.6; Abu Dhabi 98.1 WEBSITE: www.adradio.ae/Quran-Kareem PARENT COMPANY: Abu Dhabi Media MEDIA REP: MEDIASAT Advertising: mediasat@choueirigroup.com; +971 4 454 5454 LAUNCHED: 1979 LANGUAGE: Arabic BROADCAST LICENCE LESSOR: Abu Dhabi Authorities FORMAT: Religious DEMOGRAPHICS: Arabs; 68 per cent male; 77 per cent 20-44 years old PRIME TIME SHOWS: Yastaftounak; Sabah El Nour

Radio 1 FREQUENCY: 104.1 (Dubai); 100.5 (Abu Dhabi) WEBSITE : www.adradio.ae/Radio-1 PARENT COMPANY : Abu Dhabi Media MEDIA REP: MEDIASAT Advertising: mediasat@choueirigroup.com; +971 4 454 5454 LAUNCHED: 2017 (moved to Abu Dhabi Media) LANGUAGE: English BROADCAST LICENCE LESSOR: Abu Dhabi Authorities FORMAT: Latest trends, music and celebrity news DEMOGRAPHICS: 68 per cent males; 84 per cent 20-34 years old PRIME TIME SHOWS: Radio 1 Breakfast with Naima, Nugget and Chiara; Afternoons with Sonya Mac; Drive with Gemma

S R A E Y 4 2 E C N E L L E C X E OF RADIO IN *IPSOS March 2021 Survey

CHANNEL 4 RADIO NETWORK REACHES 3.8 MILLION* DAILY LISTENERS

2021 UAE RADIO GUIDE

May 30, 2021

LEADERSHIP PANEL

Year founded: 1997 Chairman: Abdulla Mohammad Al Murad Headquartered: Ajman (with offices in Dubai) Radio stations under network: Arabic (107.8 Al Rabia); English (104.8 Channel 4); Hindi (89.1 Radio 4); Malayalam (101.3 Gold FM) www.ch4.ae +971 4 567 0444 UAE’s first FM radio network with four radio stations reaching out to 3.8 million weekly listeners (IPSOS Mar 2021), broadcasting in Arabic, English, Hindi and Malayalam languages and offering contemporary hit music and all round entertainment 24 hours a day, seven days a week for more than two decades. In addition it also connects with listeners through social media and podcasts. SERVICES: 360-degree client solutions; branded content and best advertising packages on air and on digital platforms

Ravi P Muni Group CFO – Al Murad Group

Dr. Omer Mohamed Elamin Mohamed General Manager – TV & Radio

Mohammad Jundi

Mohit S Balani

Network Sales Director – Channel 4 Radio Network

Creative Director – Channel 4 Radio Network

RADIO INFLUENCE & IMPACT FOR OVER TWO DECADES RAVI P. MUNI Group CFO, Al Murad Group

aving celebrated 48 years in the UAE, Al Murad Group is only a year younger that the UAE itself. This symbolises our strength whilst embellishing our legacy as a business entity. Over the last five decades under the leadership of our chairman and the founder Abdulla Mohammed Al Murad, the group has diversified into various successful companies in various industries including radio and television broadcasting, television studios, real estate, shopping malls, security systems, ID card solutions, CCTV and access control solutions, non-distractive testing solutions, etc. The DNA of the group is commitment to the clients and relentless effort to achieve the best quality in everything we do. Today, FM radio in the UAE is a platform that targets the widest audience, unmatched by all the other above-the-line and below-the-line channels put together. The Channel 4 Radio Network has always maintained a dominant position in the radio market in the UAE. The Network has consistently secured a significant market share, which over the years has

shown a positive growth in revenue and profits. This is due to the combination of factors such as listeneroriented programming, excellent relationships with our clients and our capacity to provide a tailore-made creative solution to our clients based on their requirements in a very efficient manner. We have always developed our offerings to match the ever-changing trends in the industry. It gives us great pride to announce our foray into other businesses in different dimensions, including but not limited to digital content, podcasts, new radio stations and a few other undertakings in the media space. The current slowdown in the market has given us the opportunity to reflect upon ourselves and our operations. It helped us in streamlining our businesses to make them more agile. Over the years we have defined the radio space for the country with some of the most remarkable collaborations, innovative campaigns and audacious undertakings in music, sports, entertainment, cricket, events and films. We will continue to do so in the near future by opening new realms for all those associated with us. Our future holds bigger and better things not just for us but also for the industry as a whole. Our objective never was, and never will be to ‘only survive’. We as a group have always strived to make a meaningful difference – and provide value to our listeners, business partners and clients, which we will continue to do.

2021 UAE RADIO GUIDE

May 30, 2021

Radio 2

Radio Sawa

FREQUENCY: 99.3 (Dubai); 106 (Abu Dhabi) WEBSITE: www.adradio.ae/Radio-2 PARENT COMPANY: Abu Dhabi Media MEDIA REP: MEDIASAT Advertising: mediasat@choueirigroup.com; +971 4 454 5454 LAUNCHED: 2017 (Moved to ADM ) LANGUAGE :English BROADCAST LICENCE LESSOR: Abu Dhabi Authorities FORMAT: Feel-good music, lifestyle DEMOGRAPHICS: 60 per cent male; 83 per cent 35-54 years old PRIME TIME SHOWS: Breakfast with Rich & Laura; Drive with Andrew

FREQUENCY: 90.5 LANGUAGE: Arabic

89.1 Radio 4 PARENT COMPANY: Ajman Independent Studio HEAD OFFICE: Ajman FOUNDED: 1999 MEDIA REP: Mohammed Jundi, network sales director: +971 4 567 0444; mjundi@ch4.ae LANGUAGE: Hindi FORMAT: Bollywood music station LOCATION OF MAST: Ajman BROADCAST LICENCE LESSOR: Ajman Government DEMOGRAPHICS: Male and female; 18-40 FLAGSHIP PROGRAMMES: DaBang Mornings with Aseem & Shruti; Most Wanted Drive with Abhijeet

107.8 Radio Al Rabia PARENT COMPANY: Ajman Independent Studio HEAD OFFICE: Ajman FOUNDED: 2000 WEBSITE: www.alrabiafm.com MEDIA REP: Mohammed Jundi, network sales director: +971 4 567 0444; mjundi@ch4.ae LANGUAGE: Arabic FORMAT: Arabic music & entertainment LOCATION OF MAST: Ajman BROADCAST LICENCE LESSOR: Ajman Government DEMOGRAPHICS: Male and female; 18-40 FLAGSHIP PROGRAMMES: Al Rabia Wal Nas with Abu Rashid; Sabah il Kherya Emirates with Rakelle and Jad

Radio Shoma FREQUENCY: 93.4 WEBSITE: radioshoma934.ae PARENT COMPANY: Arabian Radio Network MEDIA REP: Ravi Earland (ravi.earland@arn.ae) LAUNCH: 2011 LANGUAGE: Farsi FORMAT: Farsi hit music DEMOGRAPHICS: 80 per cent male; 20 per cent female

Radio Zain 103.2 PARENT COMPANY: Ajman Independent Studio WEBSITE: www.radiozainfm.ae HEAD OFFICE: Ajman FOUNDED: 2020 LANGUAGE: Arabic FORMAT: Golden-era Arabic music LOCATION OF MAST: Ajman BROADCAST LICENSE LESSOR: Ajman Government LISTENER DEMOGRAPHICS: Male and female; aged 35+ MEDIA REP: Mohammed Jundi, network sales director: mjundi@ch4.ae; +971 4 567 0444

RAK Arabic FREQUENCY: 92.2 LANGUAGE: Arabic

Radio Asia 94.7 FM PARENT COMPANY: Dolphin Recording Studio HEAD OFFICE: Dubai FOUNDED: 1995 jaya@radioasia.ae LANGUAGE: Malayalam FORMAT: Contemporary hit radio LOCATION OF MAST: Ras Al Khaimah BROADCAST LICENCE LESSOR: Government of Ras Al Khaimah EMAIL ID: jaya@radioasia.ae

RAK Holy Quran FREQUENCY: 87.6 LANGUAGE: Arabic FORMAT: Religious

2021 UAE RADIO GUIDE

May 30, 2021

Sharjah Radio

Tag

FREQUENCY: 94.4 WEBSITE: sba.net.ae/ar/radio/channel/13 PARENT COMPANY: Sharjah Broadcasting Authority HEAD OFFICE: Sharjah, UAE FOUNDED: 1972 (re-launched in 2000) FORMAT: Arabic LOCATION OF MAST: Al-Khan, Sharjah BROADCAST LICENSE LESSOR: Sharjah Government DEMOGRAPHICS: Emiratis and Arab expats FLAGSHIP PROGRAMMES: Al Khat Al Mubashir; Al Atheer; comedy drama “Halees”

FREQUENCY: 91.1 WEBSITE: tag911.ae PARENT COMPANY: Arabian Radio Network MEDIA REP: Ravi Earland (ravi.earland@arn.ae) LAUNCHED: 2013 LANGUAGE: Filipino FORMAT: Filipino hit music DEMOGRAPHICS: 65 per cent male; 35 per cent female PRIME TIME SHOWS: Gandang U-maga (Bluebird and Keri Belle)

Talk 100.3

Sharjah Quran FREQUENCY: 102.7 WEBSITE: sba.net.ae/ar/radio/channel/12 PARENT COMPANY: Sharjah Broadcasting Authority HEAD OFFICE: Sharjah, UAE YEAR FOUNDED : 2012 FORMAT: Arabic LOCATION OF MASTS: Halwan, Al-Abar, Sharjah BROADCAST LICENCE LESSOR: Sharjah Government DEMOGRAPHICS: Muslims; Arabs and non-Arabs

WEBSITE: talk1003.ae PARENT COMPANY: Fun Asia Network (FAN) HEAD OFFICE: Dubai FOUNDED: 2021 LANGUAGE: Hindi/English FORMAT: Talk, sport, business and lifestyle natasha@funasianetwork.com +9714 581 7000 DEMOGRAPHICS: South Asian male and female; 18-45 FLAGSHIP PROGRAMMES: Talk Breakfast; Talk Drive

89.4 Tamil FM Radio

Sky News Arabia

PARENT COMPANY: Aaren World Media & Advertising HEAD OFFICE: Dubai FOUNDED: 2015 contact@tamilfm.fm; bala@tamilfm.fm LANGUAGE: Tamil LOCATION OF MAST: Dubai BROADCAST LICENCE LESSOR: RAK Broadcasting Authority

FREQUENCY: 90.3 LANGUAGE: Arabic FORMAT: News

Virgin Radio Dubai

Star FM FREQUENCY: Abu Dhabi 92.4 FM; Al Ain 100.1 FM; Dubai 99.9 FM WEBSITE: www.adradio.ae/starfm PARENT COMPANY : Abu Dhabi Media MEDIA REP: MEDIASAT Advertising: mediasat@choueirigroup.com; +971 4 454 5454 LAUNCHED: 2009 LANGUAGE: Arabic BROADCAST LICENCE LESSOR: Abu Dhabi Authorities FORMAT: Latest updates, music and celebrity news DEMOGRAPHICS: Arabs; 70 per cent males; 77 per cent 25-44 years old PRIME TIME SHOWS: Sabaho; LIVE @ 5

FREQUENCY: 104.4 WEBSITE: Virginradiodubai.com PARENT COMPANY: Arabian Radio Network MEDIA REP: Jennifer Moaccadie (jmoaccadie@arn.ae) LAUNCHED: 2008 LANGUAGE: English FORMAT: Hit music DEMOGRAPHIC: 67 per cent male; 33 per cent female

Zayed FM FREQUENCY: 97.6 LANGUAGE: Arabic FORMAT: Religious

NEWS, SPORT & CONVERSATION

THE NEW HOME OF TALK SPORT IN THE UAE

Office 402, Zee Tower, Dubai Media City, P.O. Box 41698, Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Tel: 04 581 7000 www.funasianetwork.com

2021 UAE RADIO GUIDE

May 30, 2021

LEADERSHIP PANEL

Founded: 2020 Headquartered: Dubai Head of company: Sam Thakker Radio stations under network: Beat 97.8; Talk 100.3; Big 106.2; Luv 107.1 funasianetwork.com +971 4 581 7000 Established in January 2020, Fun Asia is the fastest growing media network and entertainment provider in the region. It was founded by the Perfect Group of Companies and is owned and operated by the Thakkar family. Fun Asia offers a wide array of entertainment solutions from film distribution to digital performance, instore radio, events and radio vision, offering businesses a comprehensive platform to reach their desired audiences. The Fun Asia Network has a global reach of more than 15,000,000 people and can be found online, via terrestrial radio, smartphone apps and online streaming platforms. SERVICES: Audio production; film distribution; digital performance; in-store radio; events; radio vision

INDUSTRY SNAPSHOT

SUNNY AHUJA Head of business, Fun Asia Network

listenership, most radio stations are streaming, so if the content is of relevance, listeners can also relisten or catch up on missed content through streaming platforms, which are available on the majority of on smart phones, tablets and online. Radio, however is still the dominating medium in the UAE, giving much greater reach and value for money to advertisers.

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO MARKETERS WANTING TO DEVELOP THEIR RADIO ADVERTISING? HOW HAVE LISTENING HABITS CHANGED IN THE LAST YEAR, AND WILL THOSE CHANGES PERSIST?

In 2020 we saw a significant shift in listening habits; listeners moved listening habits away from the drive-time shows and this was primarily due to decreased commutes and work-fromhome policies. We also witnessed a shift from where audiences consume radio with a definite increase in listening at home, via apps and other platforms. However, with the return of fixed work placements we’re now seeing growth in the drive shows and a gradual return to usual listening habits.

HOW DOES RADIO FIT IN WITH OTHER AUDIO CHANNELS, AND WHAT DOES THIS MEAN TO BRANDS? Besides its conventional mode of

Our team has a wide range of marketing experience that can help advertisers create effective campaigns based on their product positioning and marketing objectives.

HOW ARE TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION CHANGING RADIO AS A MARKETING CHANNEL?

Radio and technology go hand in hand and brand messages can be easily integrated and synchronised across platforms. For instance, FAN has converted audio to visual through the integration of our OTT app, which allows advertisers to reach audiences not only through the use of radio but also through audio visual commercials (for example, TV ads) on the app. Technology supports radio and can offer a diverse range of real-time options for advertisers.

Sunny Ahuja

Sabita Rajesh

Head of Business

Sales Director

Digby Taylor

Natasha Talebli

Programming Director

Marketing Director

Exclusive paintings, sculptures and photography from award-winning international artists.

Sculpture by Freeman Lau

Photography by Baber Afzal

Painting by Almudena Angoso

PARTNER CONTENT

SAUDI ARABIA REPORT 2021

May 30, 2021

Brand: Fine Guard / Fine Platform: TikTok Creative Agency: TikTok Creative Lab Media Agency: Mindshare Fine Guard is Fine’s range of innovative sanitizing products that cover hand sanitization, fabrics and garments, surfaces, and much more. The product line boosts long lasting protection and a list of unique benefits. The challenge? Not many people are aware of the products or their benefits. And to be fair, it’s a low involvement category, so who could blame them. Our task was clear. We needed young moms on TikTok to listen, and we needed them to care. Two independent insights drove our thinking. A platform insight; people come to TikTok for joy and entertainment, and a consumer (young moms) insight;

1.9M+ REACH

13M+

moms don’t take advice from brands, they take them from other moms. So building on those two insights, we created a character. The “other mom” they take their advice from. We called her Mama Fine. She’s a bit older, experienced, sassy, cool, and modern (in her own way). And we decided she’s going to deliver the message in rap songs. We created a gangster rapping mom. We started by writing 3 comedic rap songs, one for each product, demonstrating all its USPs and uses. We then recruited one of the region’s funniest creators who is infamous for creating sketches about Arab moms; Muhannad Al Hattab. In full make-up and swag Mama Fine shined in three 15 seconder

IMPRESSIONS

20M+ VIEWS

product- focused video clips using both TikTok Top View format and in-feed boosted content. In the infamous words of Mama Fine: "Mic drop...3al ard" boom.

In a world filled with negative news and fear about the pandemic, we chose to create content that will put a smile on our consumers' faces and establish our benefits through catchy lyrics... - Hande Hitay Global Category Head Fine Hygienic Holding

PARTNER CONTENT

May 30, 2021

What is DCO? and why is everyone talking about it? Ad-Lib’s Janira Hernandez explains dynamic creative optimisation

s the digital media landscape progresses, we continue to evolve our terminology and have more acronyms to memorise. Keeping up with industry jargon can be tedious, but one term that has gained momentum and is becoming more and more common amongst marketers is DCO, or dynamic creative optimisation. But what is it? And why is everyone talking about it? Personally, I consider DCO a key pillar in the future of digital marketing.

What is DCO?

Dynamic creative optimisation (DCO) is an ad technology that creates personalised ads based on a user’s real-time data at the moment of ad serving. These ads can often use targeting signals such as demographics, location, consumer behaviour, time of day, weather, and many other data points to create a personalised brand experience. DCO utilises AI and machine learning to select the most relevant components for viewers in real-time, leading to highly optimised and creative content. As a consumer, when you first visit a webpage, you are likely shown a generic ad that may not be relevant to you in any way and is therefore not effective. Through DCO, data is collected via data feeds or gathered from data management platforms (DMPs) and demand side platforms (DSPs) the moment you land on the page, and it immediately surfaces creatives specific for each user. A recent study by Monetate found that 79 per cent of companies that incorporated a personalisation strategy exceeded revenue goals. And Epsilon research found that 80 per cent of consumers are more likely to do business with a company if it offers a personalised experience. Furthermore, according to Econsultancy, 82 per cent of companies with a structured approach to optimisation have seen improvements in conversion rates, while the same figure for those without a structured approach is just 64 per cent. We know dynamic creative optimisation lets marketers deliver on the benefits of personalised advertising at scale through using data and automation to pave the way for their customer journeys. While some brands remain skeptical, those that have trialed DCO through A/B testing have discovered that dynamic ads outperform their static counterparts by large margins, every single time. The reason is that dynamic ads are hyper-relevant to the

audiences, which creates a much larger impact for viewers. Whether it’s learning more about what messages specific audiences respond to, the personalisation of ads to increase relevance, or testing cross-channel activations to minimise disjointed messaging and strategy, aligning your media team, ad ops, creative and brand teams with a thoughtful, long-term campaign plan is the best way to get the most out of dynamic creative activation. Through DCO, marketers are able to tap into the entire marketing funnel. For example, you can improve relevance at the top of the funnel by aligning ads to triggers like weather, time of day or location. Similarly, messages can be delivered sequentially to tell an impactful story across channels to support mid-funnel engagement. Communication can also be tailored based on what products customers have left in their carts to drive conversion at the lower funnel. These are just a few use cases, but most optimal insights are generated from running many DCO campaigns and tests that measure audience, asset and media performance.

So why is everyone talking about it?

In short, the technology allows for an immediate impact and boost to the overall performance of your ad and campaigns. It allows brands a fast delivery and the ability to curate a personalised experience for consumers. With the right strategy and technology, such as that of Ad-Lib.io, marketers can benefit tremendously from serving real-time ads to their target audience while boosting sales and performance. DCO allows brands to learn through creative insights, make a change mid-flight and deliver the best campaign performance. Technology platforms like Ad-Lib.io allow brands to update assets mid-flight, which has improved our customers’ media metrics by an average of 55 per cent. For Shell in particular, Ad-Lib.io’s data-driven optimisation of creative decreased CPM by 88 per cent and improved view through rates by five times, all while automating two-thirds of the trafficking process resulting in significant cost savings as well. Ad-Lib.io makes it easy to produce, update, and align ad content to media plans without duplicate ad servers each with separate trafficking and reporting. Working with a creative management platform (CMP) to launch a DCO campaign allows you to experiment with creatives

“In short, the technology allows for an immediate impact and boost to the overall performance of your ad and campaigns.” By Janira Hernandez, Head of Client Services MEA Ad-Lib.io

and gain the most insights. For example, Nestlé created localised shopper experiences using Ad-Lib.io to rotate 24 creative variations in six sizes across 371 store locations with minimal effort. The team at Ad-Lib.io is available to support organisations to enhance their digital performance, whether the preference is to be a self-service user, leveraging our team of experts with a fully managed approach, or a hybrid of the two. To find out more about Ad-Lib reach out to janira@ad-lib.io, or visit the website at ad-lib.io for more details.

May 30, 2021

A VIEW FROM

Paul Shearer LOW-HANGING CREATIVITY

TECH TIPS

Paul Shearer is CCO of Impact BBDO

n my humble opinion, radio has always been the poor relation when it comes to the media options for creatives. It is almost an afterthought in the whole marketing process. This is something I’ve always scratched my head over. Especially when it is low-hanging fruit when it comes to winning awards. It’s obvious. Less people doing great radio means more chances of winning. I’ve always had the firm belief that radio offers opportunities to produce great work and win awards with it. This is especially true in a region that spends so much of their time in the car and where people have a love of music. I have been lucky enough to have been part of two such pieces of work that have won Grands Prix in previous Lynx awards We won with Back Off Radio, and most recently with the An-Nahar Anthem. For me the focus should always be on innovation. Radio should not just be seen as something you listen to while driving to work. The Highway Gallery from TBWA is a perfect example of such thinking. It’s one of my favorite radio executions I’ve ever seen. The use of innovation and tech is so beautifully executed in the radio category. Radio should never be seen as limiting. There is so much you can do with it if you simply treat it as an important part of your marketing mix. And brands, too, need to put radio on a higher media placing. Look at the effect of TikTok and how it uses a music platform in such an effective way. The regional music streaming service Anghami is another platform that is using radio in an effective way, and I would like to see more radio stations working in the same way as both TikTok and Anghami. I think they would open up some incredible opportunities. Radio can be the most amazing media. It is entertaining, flexible and an open book. But it does depend on moving the dial on how radio is placed in the marketing mix. So I would recommend any creative or client to take another look at radio. It could be the Grand Prix of media.

Radio can be the most amazing media. It is entertaining, flexible and an open book. But it does depend on moving the dial on how radio is placed in the marketing mix.

Motivate Media 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: SD 2-94, 2nd Floor, Building 2, 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 Senior Editor Austyn Allison Junior Reporter Sofia Serrano DESIGN Art Director Clarkwin Cruz Junior Designer Thokchom Remy ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES Tel: +971 4 427 3000 Chief Commercial Officer Anthony Milne Publisher Nadeem Ahmed Quraishi (+971 50 6453365) 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.

Twitter revamps verification process Twitter has announced that it will be rolling out its new verification application process and reviewing public applications for verification on Twitter. It is the latest milestone in Twitter’s plans to provide greater transparency, credibility and clarity to verification. The announcement follows the development and launch of a new policy shaped by public feedback in Arabic, English, Hindi, Spanish, Portuguese and Japanese. The policy is being rolled out across the platform, with the automatic removal of the verified badge from accounts that no longer meet the updated criteria for verification, such as those that are inactive or incomplete. The blue badge is one of the ways Twitter helps people distinguish the authenticity of accounts that are of high public interest. It gives people on Twitter more context about who they’re having conversations with so they can determine if the information they are seeing is trustworthy. The platform said its research has shown this leads to “healthier, more informed conversations”. With the application launch, Twitter is also introducing new guidelines for verified accounts. As always, all accounts, including verified accounts, must follow the Twitter rules. Verified accounts that repeatedly violate the Twitter rules are subject to have the blue badge removed.

To qualify for verification, people must fit the criteria of one of six categories: government; companies, brands and organisations; news organisations and journalists; entertainment; sports and gaming; activists, organisers and other influential individuals. In addition to the category-specific eligibility criteria outlined in the new verification policy, accounts must be complete, meaning they have a profile name, a profile image, a confirmed email address and a phone number. Accounts must also have been active within the last six months and have a record of adherence to the Twitter rules.

May 30, 2021

Mixed reception

t’s another bumper issue this month, with our annual Radio Guide in this, the main section of the magazine, and a collossal supplement dedicated the industry in Saudi Arabia. Who said print is dead? Radio has had a tough couple of years. It was hit hard by the Covid-19 crisis, and unfairly so from what I’ve heard. While some media, such as cinema and outdoor, had less exposure as people stayed in their homes, people didn’t stop listening to radio. They simply started listening at different times. This means that brands who were smart could use slots away from traditional drive-time. But the buyers and stations I’ve spoken to said not enough advertisers did leverage this change in behaviour. Look through our listings of radio stations and you’ll find some names have vanished. Shock, whose stations included Dance FM and Heart, closed down. However, the good news is the many of its staff, ideas and concepts have resurfaced at Fun Asia Network, which has stations including Beat, Big and Talk. Radio may get knocked down, but it will always get up again. Another victim of Covid has been the Nielsen Radio Audience Measurement programme, which is no longer publishing data. It had been an attempt to provide accurate, audited listenership figures for all radio stations in the UAE, and was financially backed and aggressively promoted and defended by one of the region’s biggest broadcast groups (while being independedntly audited by PWC). However, it quietly slipped away last year, and the broadcaster behind it wasn’t able to provide even reported listenership figures or updated station information when we approached them. A lack of reliable data will hold radio back. But it will never keep it down altogether. If radio has had a tough time, Saudi Arabia is a source of massive optimism. Our guide to the kingdom’s media, marketing and advertising industry is not our first, but it’s certainly our largest. On my desk I have a copy of our 2013 Saudi Arabia Report, which ran to only 20 pages, including

covers. It wasn’t optimistic back then. “The market is being let down by low quality work, poor insight and a lack of professionalism,” was the summary of the lead article. There followed writing about how agencies have failed to tap into a “vibrant, youthful and digitally savvy” population; on how adspend is dominated by traditional media, without social getting a lookin; a lament about how Saudi women are left out of the workforce; and a Editor contribition from actor Faisal Al Saja that complained about advertisers austyn.allison@motivate.ae not using more Saudis to produce and @maustyn feature in their work. It’s fair to say things have changed since then. Saudi is absolutely booming. Its homegrown, Saudi-run agencies are producing exceptional work. Saudis are some of the most passionate consumers of social media on the planet, and advertisers are targeting them through apps and platforms. In 2013 women were fighting for the right to drive. Now they are jumping into their cars to go to work, to go to concerts, to shoot and star in ads made by and for people like them. In his editor’s introduction for Campaign’s 2013 supplement, my predecessor wrote: “While Saudi Arabia may be viewed as the most important market in the GCC, if not the Arab world, it remains the one we know least about.” This supplement is an attempt to find out more. And I’m looking forward to carrying on that journey of discovery. Because Saudi Arabia is only going to get even more important.

AUSTYN ALLISON

Removing barriers to purchase I

A VIEW FROM

DAVE TROTT

Dave Trott is the author of Creative Mischief, Predatory Thinking and One Plus One Equals Three

n 1944, the Allies were invading Europe. They had to identify the biggest problem. The Germans had the best tanks in the world, we couldn’t fight their tanks one-on-one. So the job was defined as finding a way to remove the problem of their tanks. The Allies didn’t attack the tanks, they used their air force to attack the supply of petrol. Pretty soon the powerful German tanks had no petrol, so they couldn’t move. Their crews abandoned them and they were just so much useless scrap metal. The correct problem was identified and addressed creatively. In any top-class football game, you can see the same thinking: identify which player on the opposing team represents the biggest threat, then find a way to remove that problem – Ronaldo, Messi, Neymar, De Bruyne, Kane. Once that problem is removed, the job becomes much simpler. Problem – Solution, that’s usually the best way to address anything. You don’t put a solution into action until you know what problem it’s solving. That’s pretty basic, so why don’t we do it in our job? We address everything as if the solution was obvious.

Read any brief, it doesn’t say: “Here’s the problem we need to address.” It says: “Here’s what the ads need to say.” It doesn’t identify a problem, so no-one is doing any new thinking about the problem, the default brief is just about selling. But the best ad campaigns I’ve seen haven’t been about selling. They’ve been about removing barriers to purchase. That sounds like typical adman semantics, right? Quite the opposite – selling is delivering a sales spiel before we’ve identified whether anyone needs or wants the product. Nowadays that approach is about “brand purpose”, we just deliver it, that’s selling. But how about doing the opposite? How about finding out why people aren’t currently buying what we sell, what’s stopping them, then addressing that. That isn’t selling, that’s removing the barriers to purchase. The best advertising I’ve seen worked this way. No-one was buying Volkswagen Beetles because they were small and ugly, so they identified the problem, creatively addressed it and now they’re the biggest car company in the world. Avis was perceived as just one of a dozen small rental companies, they

identified the problem, creatively addressed it and became the second biggest in the market. Levy’s rye bread had a problem selling to Jews in New York, they identified the problem, creatively addressed it and rye became America’s second biggest bread. MTV was just a start-up, the cable networks wouldn’t even carry it, they identified the problem, creatively addressed it and now they are in 24 countries. When it works best, one person (or department) correctly identifies the problem and another person (or department) creatively addresses it. That’s how a team works, they don’t do each other’s jobs. Thinking how to remove the barriers to purchase forces us to think in new ways. It forces us to think beyond the same old tired formulas. So the brief that’s handed to the creative department is a brief noone else has contemplated. That’s how VW removed Detroit, how Levy’s removed brown bread, how Nike removed sports shoes, how Apple removed IBM, how Avis removed the competition, how Guinness, Virgin, Sainsbury’s, Audi, etc. removed their barriers to purchase. That’s what a brief should be: that’s upstream thinking.

May 30, 2021

MTV Lebanon… ‘A public health ad that doesn’t feel like a public health ad.’ (NG)

Aramex… ‘What is Aramex doing for workplace gender equality?’ (AS)

Etisalat… ‘ Clearly this Etisalat initiative benefits the autistic community, but it would be interesting to know if there is ongoing CSR work there.’ (AS)

Timberland… ‘I hope more brands jump onto the sustainability wagon.’ (NG)

Abla Fahita… ‘It’s not the first time puppet culture and Vogue have mixed.’ (AS)

May 30, 2021

Private View ANANDA SHAKESPEARE

NICOLAS GARCIA

CEO & founder, Shakespeare Communications

Senior copywriter Science & Sunshine Dubai

ETISALAT (1): While it’s great to see companies getting on board with awareness campaigns, it’s important it’s done in an authentic way. Customers can spot if a company is virtue signalling. But by championing one cause – or causes that align with a company’s brand values – it can be powerful. Clearly this Etisalat initiative benefits the autistic community, but it would be interesting to know if there is ongoing CSR work there, or if they employ any autistic staff.

As a fiercely competitive creative, I tend to judge ideas by how much I wish they had crossed my mind first. Here’s my take on some of the latest campaigns from the region.

MTV LEBANON (2): Is it the job of a private company to launch a vaccine campaign? Should we leave this to governments? I guess, in the case of Lebanon, private companies are stepping in as local government is already under strain in a country with a collapsed banking system and political turmoil. The MTV film itself is engaging through its use of humour. It’s very relatable. ARAMEX (3): Aramex has clearly invested heavily in creating an Arabic website using the feminine, referring to ‘she’ instead of ‘he’. I’d be interested to know what spurred them to do this? Was it customer feedback or simply the calendar date of International Women’s Day and a chance to create a campaign? I’d love to know how many women are using this. And what is Aramex doing for workplace gender equality? How many women sit on the board? Just one, out of nine. What policies does it have to help working mothers? TIMBERLAND (4): It makes sense for shoe and clothing brand Timberland to work with Do Epic Sh*t on its sustainability campaigns. It’s important today that brands go one step further and work with other companies that share their values. This thoughtful campaign was on message throughout production, with the company creating a ‘green set’ using recycled materials, and reducing paper waste, which proves this campaign wasn’t just green washing. However, while Timberland “has made a public commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, [it] is not taking adequate steps to ensure payment of a living wage for its workers,” according to sustainability rating website Good On You. ABLA FAHITA (5): This Netflix series sounds weirdly fun, achieving excellent results for earned coverage. It’s not the first time puppet culture and Vogue have mixed. In 2011, Miss Piggy played editor of Vogue Paris in a Muppets film. Media outlets need likes, shares and engagement to sell advertising and this worked on every level. The phrase ‘show, don’t tell’ would be wise to remember. Perhaps brands and agencies could be more creative with inspiration for content, looking beyond the next “International Day Of…” and more towards breaking boundaries – as seen with Abla.

ETISALAT – WIDER WEB (1): Useful? Check. Clever? You bet. Relevant to the brand? Absolutely. But I’d love to see what else they are doing to make sure it reaches a big chunk of the people with autism in the region. Having a brilliant idea is one thing. Making sure it’s seen by the right audience to truly make an impact is what separates brands that are committed to societal action from those who are only chasing shiny, lion-shaped trophies. MTV – #STOPTHEMYTHS (2): It’s refreshing to watch a public health ad that doesn’t feel like a public health ad. Insightful, funny and locally relevant, the campaign uses satire and humour to get an important message across and reframe the conversation around vaccines. I miss the days when advertising didn’t take itself so seriously. I miss the days when we were used to seeing more ads like this. ABLA FAHITA – DRAMA QUEEN (5): It’s fascinating to see how Netflix is transforming the entertainment industry. Not only with the content they create, but also in the way they advertise it. Gone are the days when a trailer was all you needed to launch a new movie or series. In are the fun, quirky campaigns where a fictional puppet character can become the new editor-in-chief of a famous magazine. ARAMEX – #ADDRESSHERCORRECTLY (3): I don’t fully understand the ins and outs of the Arabic language, so I might not be the best-qualified person to review this idea. But, adding a new language feature to make your website more inclusive to Arabic women sounds like a no-brainer. Like so many relevant yet simple ideas, it made me wonder: Why hasn’t anyone done it before? TIMBERLAND – #NATURENEEDSHEROES (4): I do hope more brands jump onto the sustainability wagon. I just wish they would find fresher ways to communicate their sustainable agenda than highlighting stories of real people doing their bit to protect the environment. The films are nicely shot, but they didn’t manage to accelerate my heartbeat – or make me jump out of my chair to buy a brand-new Timberland jacket.

Etisalat

Title: Etisalat Wider Web Agency: Impact BBDO Business unit director: Samer Khansa ECD: Ali Zein Creative director: Alex Rodrigues Senior creative: Martino Caliendo Digital art director: Faten Almukhtar Designer: Megan Fowles Senior copywriter: Jean Georges Prince

MTV Lebanon

Title: Stop The Myths Agency: TBWA/Raad Lebanon Production: Wonderful Productions

Aramex

Title: #AddressHerCorrectly Global marketing director: Mike Rich Global creative director: Shahir Sirry Corporate senior marketing manager: Samar Said Corporate marketing executive: Haya Talamas Digital transformation senior manager: Iyad Tabello Digital transformation lead: Mohsin Ahmed

Timberland

Title: #NatureNeedsHeroes Agency: Do Epic Sh*t

Abla Fahita

Title: Drama Queen Agency: Publicis Inc

May 30, 2021

The Spin The Spin takes issue with, well, anything that describes itself as ‘Gram-friendly’. Surely photographing things is secondary to the initial experience. (The Spin is also feeling old and grumpy.) The latest culprit is billed in a press release as, “New Gram-Friendly Dessert in Dubai: Parle-G Sandwich”, by Dubai restaurant Sthan. Actually, The Spin is starting to feel hungry now. But still grumpy. And we’d eat it, not post it. In other food news, The Spin was excited to receive a release entitled: “Parmigiano Reggiano collaborates with Razan El Moghrabi to create awareness of the unique elements of the cheese.” For those who are still confused, Parmigiano Reggiano is the Italian cheese; Razan El Moghrabi is a Lebanese actress and anchor. The release doesn’t attempt to explain the connection any further. Remember the almost poetic levels of purple prose that would accompany real-estate announcements in the good ol’ boom days?

Well, Omniyat is bringing superlatives back: “The Opus by Omniyat is a shining example of a luxury lifestyle retreat created to perfection. From a world-renowned architect to celebrity chefs and fine dining, a design hotel experience to now a limited collection of luxury residences that offer an ownership of history, this iconic property has become one of the most sought-

after destinations in the UAE. The Opus by Omniyat offers a work, live, stay, eat, play opportunity to all those entering its undulating curves.” That’s a lot to live up to. Lovin’ Dubai is perhaps the poster child of youth-speak in this town. Is Dubai a verb now? Did The Spin mention we’re old and grumpy?

Appointments CURTIS SCHMIDT has been assigned the new role of president and chief growth officer MENA at RAPP Worldwide. He has a CRM background that he has used for data insights and strategic business development that resulted in various client-side successes in North America, Europe, China and the Middle East. Omnicom Media Group MENA has appointed CHRIS SOLOMI as its new chief digital officer. In this new regional role, he will oversee OMG’s overall digital offering focusing on digital media, analytics and e-commerce. IPG Mediabrands and Kinesso have appointed AISHA SULEIMAN as the network’s first head of diversity, equity and

inclusion (DE&I), a newly created role, for the EMEA region. Suleiman will conduct the agency network’s efforts in DE&I strategy to hold the local leadership accountable to the network’s diversity commitment to foster more collaboration across the region. Sociate welcomes MALEK SHLONE as its new Arabic PR executive and social media maestro. Shlone’s passion, commendable work ethic, and enthusiastic approach to teamwork were promptly noticed, propelling him from a PR and marketing intern to a full-time role. SHAREit Group has announced MRWAN GHARZEDDINE as new

sales director for GCC operations. As a specialist in digital advertising and relationship management, Gharzeddine will assume responsibility for SHAREit Group’s regional sales projects. Performance Communications has appointed AMANDA FOX-PRYKE as its new Middle East deputy managing director, joining the leadership team for the agency’s regional operation. As part of Fusion 5’s growth plan, fueled by the digitisation of operations and the development of a next-generation operation model, a new recruitment structure has been initiated, starting with RAJI TARABAY as senior performance executive.