Tag Archives: marketing

The Need for Diverse Role Models in the Marcomms Industry

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Who are the role models for the Middle East’s marketing industry?

It’s the end of the year, and that means awards. There’s one which is always steeped in mystery, that of the individual award. Be it a fellowship or an individual merit award, the process to decide who gets what isn’t often clear. Most are nominated by a group who then choose the final name. It’s also often unclear as to what these people are being chosen for, and little information is published after the purpose. There’s little in the way of openness, transparency or understanding of why these people represent the best in the industry. What you do see is those deciding who is awarded often choosing people they know personally, or people who reflect them, or (as is often the case) there’s a financial reason for the decision.

This year’s awards were no different, with little reasoning as to why anyone was chosen. There’s also an over reliance on people based in the UAE. While I understand that the country is home to much of the region’s multinationals and regional agency HQs, it’s not representative of the wider region. Just look at what is happening in terms of development in Saudi Arabia, global events such as the Qatar World Cup, or regional media powerhouses like Egypt and Lebanon. This is but a sample or what is happening through the Middle East’s marcomms sector.

Given the diversity of the region, those behind such awards need to do much more to reach beyond the UAE’s borders and find those from the Middle East who have both achievements to their name and who can represent role models to the next generation of marketers and communicators.

I’d hope that the media and the groups behind such awards consciously consider the need to honor professionals from across the region, especially those who have major achievements to their name and who have supported the growth of their colleagues. It also needs to be clear to the audience why these people are being called out, with a transparent process.

Of course, there’s also the issue of those being awarded having upstanding values (with a focus on ethics and morality). But that’s a separate blog post…

Based on the above, who is your role model? Who would you nominate for an individual achievement award? I’m curious to hear your thoughts.

Remembering Firdaus Shariff

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Firdaus was an exemplary marketing professional, one of the best I’d worked with

Last Friday morning, I received several messages about my former boss. And I still am struggling to believe them. I keep expecting Firdaus Shariff to post something insightful on social media, or share a message about what the marketing team was up to. Firdaus was my former boss and the Vice President Middle East and Africa for Marketing, Communications and Digital Customer Experience at Schneider Electric. I’d known her from her days at Cisco , when she’d worked with my wife. My wife is a woman who is hard to impress, and yet she always had kind words to say about Firdaus and her capabilities. 

Firdaus had worked in the industry for two decades, first at Cisco, then at SAP and finally at Schneider Electric. She was driven to excel, and she always pushed the team to do more. At the same time, she believed that marketing should be both creative and fun; she wanted us to enjoy what we were doing and let loose our imagination. Firdaus didn’t settle for the average or mundane, and many of the campaigns she led were not just impactful but also some of the most engaging work I’d seen (and all of this in a B2B setting).

She also had an eye on the future, and invested heavily in technology to improve both how marketing operated and how she could measure the function. Always one to support and encourage, Firdaus was in many ways a dream to work with. She’d work with you to set the goals, give you what you needed (well, I’ll admit some of what I’d ask for), and then let you loose. Firdaus had an uncanny and rare ability to understand the different functions within her remit, including communications. While she had worked in a pure communications role, she had a sense of what could be done, including with paid media. And she also had a sense for where the industry was headed, joining SAP when the software sector was taking off and then taking the leap to Schneider Electric, a firm that is dedicated to sustainability.  

It’s easy to understate how unique Firdaus was. She was a marketing professional in her prime, who could have done anything she wanted and would succeed with anything she turned her hand to. She was able to combine creativity with technology, and manage her team in a way that would quite literally make the impossible possible. And she was devoted to her family – we’d often share stories about our girls who were both the same age. 

Firdaus is an exemplar of what the industry in our region so desperately needs. For me, that’s her legacy, an example of what we should be looking to become as both individuals and as an industry. Here’s to you Firdaus, to everything that you have achieved and all that you stood for. 

Firdaus with the team earlier on in the year

We need (much) more inspiration in our marketing this year

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Marketing has to be more interesting, more engaging and more memorable in 2021, especially across MENA, if it’s going to stick with target audiences.

Last year, everything changed. And that’s just as true for marketing. Everyone immediately put almost everything they had into digital. We were bombarded by webinars, emailers, and online advertising. It’s understandable why; businesses needed find new opportunities. Marketing was very much functional. But it wasn’t emotional. There was no inspiration.

This approach has to change in 2021, and I’m hoping we’ll see marketing that’ll be memorable. The best marketers realize that a shift needs to take place, because we have changed. Given the lockdowns and move to remote working, most of us are craving person-to-person interaction. The reactions I’ve seen from people attending events such as Gitex underline how much we need to and want to be around people again.

This realization will be acted upon by forward-thinking B2B and B2C brands, and we’re going to see more in-person activations to engage directly with customers and consumers. The best events are going to promote participation, to involve customers and make them part of a bigger story.

The second shift we’re going to see is around brand building itself, with a focus on purpose. The most memorable activities from this year have been brand campaigns about helping others. Take the example of Burger King, which has used its social media channels to promote the restaurant industry, in particular independent outlets.

These ideas have won praise globally, even from people who have probably never even stepped into a quick service restaurant. And it’s easy to see why. We want to feel hopeful, and we want to extend a hand to help one another. And we feel elated when we see brands reacting to sentiment and doing the same, especially when a global name is acting to help smaller companies.

The most purposeful brands have done more than advertise; they’ve acted based on their values. They’ve provided services for free, donated products, and helped local communities get through 2020. Take the example of Unilever, which has donated over one hundred million Euros worth of health and hygiene products. And their seminal campaign to make us see beauty differently through Dove’s tribute to healthcare professionals throughout the world.

Purpose can and should also lead to partnership. The world’s biggest issues aren’t going to be solved by individual brands alone. Just look at how the most inclusive firms have rallied to support UN Women’s global campaign about the pandemic’s impact on gender equality. Or how brands have come together to take aim at the negative effect that social media is having on societies.

Looking ahead, we’re going to see more marketing innovation around these new four Ps – participation, purpose, partnerships and people. What I sincerely hope to see is brands from the Middle East applying global learnings to come up with ideas and campaigns that make us cry, laugh and become emotional. After the year we’ve had, we all need to be inspired, and the Middle East’s bravest marketers will lead the way. Those that do take a chance will be rewarded with better brand awareness, perception and purchase intent. Let’s hope for marketing that’ll inspire people in 2021.

Getting Video Creative – five hacks to improve your media impact

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Not everyone can be a Steven Spielberg, but we all have the tools to make much better video content

I’ve been playing around with video recently, partly because I’ve wanted to and partly due to necessity (we all live and die by budgets). I wanted to share with you a couple of simple ideas that you can use in your day to day work to produce much better video. And action!

The Right Lenses

Most of us have brilliant cameras in our pockets. Your smartphones are probably more powerful than five year-old DSLR. But one area which can be improved on your smartphone is the lens itself. If you don’t have over US$1,300 bucks to shell out on the latest iPhone of Galaxy, why not buy a couple of lenses to attach to your camera.

I did that, and shelled out money on lenses from a US firm called moment. Have a look below.

These lenses are simple to mount (you also need to get a case from Moment), and you can get wide, telephoto, and also anamorphic (used for filming) lenses that add so much to your photography and videography. The lenses aren’t that expensive (you can even buy used lenses for about 70 to 90 dollars), but they really make visuals pop, especially the wide and anamorphic lenses. Moment also has a very useful camera app that gives you much more control over your picture-taking (you can set ISO, shutter speed and other wonderful stuff via the app). Check out Moment’s product range here.

Stop the Shake!

The one thing that cameras aren’t great at doing is dealing with shaking hands. But help is available, thanks to the increasing number of gimbals on the marketplace. I bought a DJI Mobile 3, a really handy device that allows me to keep a steady hand whilst filming. Gimbals can do all sorts of things these days, including shooting options such as object tracking and hyperlapse. They’re also being bundled with mobile apps that allow you to quickly edit and share the content. If you’re looking to get rid of the shake, a gimbal is the way to go. This costs about US$100 to US$130 dollars with a kit that includes a stand (which is very, very handy).

Shooting Top Down

The other big change in videography is drone filming. Shooting from the air used to cost a small fortune. Now, that’s been turned on its head, and you can buy a drone with a HD camera for about US$500 dollars. If you want to splurge, you can even now buy a drone with a Hasselblad lens (Hasselblad to cameras is like Ferraris to cars). I splurged for a second DJI project, the Mavic 2 Pro. The latest drones allow you to do a whole host of things that’ll transform your video capabilities (nothing beats hyperlapse or active track which makes the drone automatically follow a moving object).

The Editing Piece

Ok, you’ve got the content but is it going to be the final product? I doubt it! You’re going to need an editing tool. And, ideally, that tool will be on your phone. One of the best and simplest out there is Adobe Premiere Rush, an app that sits on your phone and lets you edit your content (both video and audio).

Premiere Rush offers lots and lots of benefits, including reframing your video depending on the platform and device you’re shooting for (is it vertical, 9:16, or horizontal, 16:9), graphics templates, and also a sync option so you can start editing on your mobile and continue editing on your computer.

If you’re looking for a simple video editor to start with which is initially free, then try out Adobe Premiere Rush. You can thank me later.

And Subtitles!

Last but not least, please do subtitle your videos. It’s a simple final step that adds a lot of value to your work (how many times have you watched a video and not been able to turn on the sound?). One tool I use is Veed, which is an online subtitling service that uses algorithms to automatically subtitle. You’ll still need to edit those subtitles for mistakes, but Veed makes subtitling pretty simple. And at a cost of US$20 a month, it’s affordable.

Check out Veed and see if it works for you.

A Women-Only speaker list for marketing and comms in the Gulf

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Jehan BoldTalks

A recent LinkedIn comment on an event happening in a couple of months time has led me to write this post, which I initially featured on LinkedIn and which I’m now posting here so people can find it more easily (LinkedIn, your SEO is lousy). The person asked, rightly, why the event only had two women speakers out of a total of nineteen. She could have also asked why there were no Gulf women on the speaker list. In an effort to help event organizers find these speakers and promote diversity on stage. I’m also tired of manels and mansplaining!

All the women below are exceptional in their own right, and these are all people I’ve worked with or heard speak. If you’re organising a marketing, media, communications or public relations conference in 2018 or beyond, you need to include these women in your event.

For added measure, I’m including a number of women who are based outside of the Gulf. If there’s any additional suggestions, then please do share them and I’ll add to the list. And apologies for leaving anyone out.

Jehan Abdulkarim – A Bahraini national, Jehan has worked in the private sector for over 15 years, at blue chips such as Cisco, Oracle and Accenture. She’s also worked as a journalist. She’s the most senior Gulf woman I know working in non-government, and she regularly talks on issues relating to marketing and comms in emerging markets.

Maha Abouelenein – Egyptian-American Maha has worked for a host of tech firms such as Google and Orascom, as well as agencies such as Weber Shandwick. She’s based between Cairo and Dubai, and often talks about marcomms in the tech sector, as well as issues relating to government and public affairs.

Dana Al Mubaidin Adnani – Morocco-based, Dana has over two decades-worth of experience in marketing and communications. She’s worked with a handful of the most prominent multinationals, including Uber, Microsoft, Nokia, Dow and Coca-Cola. Her latest role was the Head of Global Communications and Public Affairs for Jumia, Africa’s fastest growing e-commerce provider. Dana’s expertise includes B2B and B2C comms, crisis issues, public affairs and gender equality issues too.

Saba AlBusaidy – Oman’s Saba Al Busaidi is one of the most prominent advocates of digital and social media in the Gulf. She frequently talks about digital marketing in both languages, in Arabic and English. Saba was the first Omani women to to be certified as a Social Media Strategist. She has also played a big role in supporting local talent and small-to-medium enterprises.

Dr Hessa AlJaber – One of the highest profile government figures in the Gulf, Qatar’s Dr Hessa AlJaber has led her country’s ICT strategy for over a decade. Dr Hessa has keynoted many an event, with a particular focus on the impact of technology, and the need to promote STEM education among the region’s youth.

Hind Al-Nahedh – A pioneer in the social media space, not only in Kuwait but in the wider Gulf, Hind Al-Nahedh’s experience spans Corporate Communications, social media, integrated marketing, collaboration and blogging. Hind is often sought out to talk about social media and content/influencer marketing in the Gulf.

Princess Reema Bint Bandar Al-Saud – Princess Reema’s work across philanthropy, social purpose and business has consistently challenged gender conventions in conservative Saudi Arabia. In 2010, the marketing and PR worlds took notice when Princess Reema’s ‘Woman’s Stand’ campaign won Best in Show at the EMEA SABRE Awards. Her work in CSR and in marketing means she’s often approached to talk at events and conferences.

Fida Chaaban – Lebanese Canadian Fida straddles both the media and communications worlds. Prior to her current role, she was the editor-in-chief of Entrepreneur Middle East magazine. Today, she serves as the chief communications officer of KBW Investments. With an eye for both, Fida talks about how the two can learn from and improve one another.

Elda Choucair – As the CEO MENA at agency PHD, Lebanese national Elda is probably the most senior woman working on the agency side today in the Gulf region. Elda’s specializes in media planning and strategy. She’s also often asked to talk about how the industry can better promote/support women who want to work in the advertising & creative industries.

Ganga Dhanesh – As Assistant Dean for research and graduate studies at Zayed University’s College of Communication & Media Sciences, Singaporean Ganga is playing a key role in developing the next generation of Emirati female communicators. Ganga’s research areas are strategic communication management, corporate social responsibility and internal relations.

Mariam Farag – Marian leads CSR for MBC, the largest broadcaster in the Middle East region. She’s also worked with the United Nations. Mariam often talks about a number of her passions, including corporate social impact, storytelling, humanizing the brand and youth development.

Maria Gedeon – A destination marketing executive with over 14 years of experience, Maria heads up marketing for Majid Al Futtaim Cinemas. She’s also a board member for the Marketing Society and talks about the challenges and opportunities facing the industry.

Noha Hefny – An Egyptian national with 16 years of experience in comms roles with the United Nations, PepsiCo and McKinsey & Company, Noha talks about issues such as mentorship, social entrepreneurship, brand and corporate reputation.

Louise Karim – Living in Dubai since 2009, UK national Louise has led marketing teams at leading regional and international companies including DABO & Co, The Dubai World Trade Centre and Emirates Airlines. Today she manages mums@work, a female-focused recruitment agency. Louise often talks about the issues women face in the industry.

Eleni Kitra – As a global sales lead for Facebook across the Middle East and Pakistan, Eleni is an expert in contemporary digital marketing trends. A Greek national, Eleni has also worked as the MD for OMD Greece. She’s also passionate about mentoring.

Zaira Lakhpatwala – Zaira is the best-known female journalist in the Gulf reporting on the marcomms industry. Zaira heads up Communicate magazine, part of the Mediaquest Group, and she often moderates panels on the marketing and communications industry, on a host of subjects. If you’re looking for an expert/journalist, Zaira is your woman.

Summer Nasief – A Saudi national with a distinguished career in the private sector, Summer has led technology teams for the likes of IBM, Honeywell and Microsoft. Summer talks about innovation and how technology is changing a host of industries, including marketing and communications.

Maysoun Ramadan – Hailing from Jordan and Turkey, Maysoun is the head of Communication and Public Affairs for Roche Diagnostics Middle East. Maysoun’s passion includes talking on the issues of gender parity and female representation. Maysoun is also an EMENA board member for the International Association of Business Communicators.

Fiona Robertson – Fiona is a Senior Associate in the Technology, Media and Telecommunications practice in Dubai’s Al Tamimi & Co. law firm. In plain English, that means she knows the region’s media laws better than anyone else, and is able to knock the eyeballs of any audience out of their sockets with her understanding of legal issues.

Kindah Sais – A Saudi national with Lebanese roots, Kindah is the Global Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) Leader, for the Middle East and Africa at Boeing International. Her career includes roles at Procter & Gamble, and Ogilvy. Kindah talks about the importance of creating diverse and inclusive work places and teams for firms based in the region.

Heba Sayed – As an IBMer who works across both marketing and technology, Egyptian national Heba is often asked to talk about how technology can be better leveraged by both marketeers and communicators in the areas of customer engagement, augmented intelligence (IBM’s definition for artificial intelligence) and digital solutions.

Valerie Tan – As the VP for communications at Emirates, Valerie is one of the best speakers out there on contemporary communications practices. A Singapore national, Valerie is able to give a unique perspective on communications across the Middle East and Asian Pacific region.

The Six Essentials for Promoting Brand Building and Trust Among MENA Consumers (MEPRA/YouGov Research)

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trust-in-blue-marker

Trust is one of those intangibles which we as communicators must always focus on. Trust, that notion of one person relying on and believing in a second person, is key to changing attitudes and behavior. But how do you build trust, and what channels should you focus on? These are the questions that we need to answer to be able to do our job of building and protecting reputations. So, where should one begin when looking to build trust?

Based on research by YouGov, which was commissioned by the Middle East Public Relations Association and which included a survey of across the six Gulf states (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates), Egypt, Jordan, and Lebanon, the place to begin isn’t online, but rather face-to-face. Fake media, less impactful advertising, and third-party advocacy are also reshaping where consumers in the region put their trust.

I’ve written three blog posts on the issue which I’ve already published on the blog, to explore the findings country-by-country, but here’s the big picture headlines from the research, which surveyed 4,475 people across the region.

1. Face-to-Face with family/friends is key to influence

It should be obvious to us all, and here’s another reminder for anyone working in communications/marketing. If you want to build trust in a brand, its products and services, then look at how you can engage the public through word-of-mouth. Across the region, 85% of respondents trust product and service recommendations from their family and friends. Nothing else comes close to these positive statistics.

2. Online works if you focus on friends and family, less so on social influencers

Over the past couple of years we’ve shifted for an incessant focus on digital to idolizing anything social. As the first big finding shows, in-person interaction is still the most persuasive. Online engagement does work, but it’s not as effective; 52% of respondents trust online recommendations about products and services from family and friends (interestingly, the percentages are highest for the Gulf and lowest for the Levant).

When it comes to social influencers, consumers are conflicted – 34% do trust social influencers/people with large online followings on products and services, compared to 29% who find them untrustworthy. A lack of transparency re paid/sponsored content probably isn’t helping. What’s helping even less is a tendency for social influencers in the region to say little which is negative when reviewing products and services.

3. There’s not as much trust in the media as we PR people may think

I was surprised by how low the scores were when it came to trust in the media as a source of information on products and services. The top-rated media was a brand’s own website (which should make sense, but given how bad websites are in the region this is still surprising), which scored 46% for trustworthiness. Every other medium scored in the 30s, which is a surprise considering how much faith public relations professionals put in securing editorial coverage with media outlets (for many, it’s still the essence of their day jobs). Blogs scored the lowest, at 31% trustworthiness (they were rated as untrustworthy by 30% of respondents). Should brands invest more in their own online media? The answer would seem to be an obvious yes.

4. Advertising is trusted almost as much as the media (except when it’s online)

The research is a mixed bag for the advertising sector. Out-of-home advertising such as billboards seem to be the most trusted by consumers, with a trust rating of 36%. Television is close behind with 35% trust, followed by radio at 31%. Online comes in last, at 28%. There’s more mistrust than trust for online advertising, with 33% of those polled not believing product and services information they see when displayed as an online ad. This may be due to misleading advertising around product pricing and availability. Whatever the reason for the low trust levels (especially online), marketers need to do more to win the trust of consumers, especially with trust in advertising dropping; 61% of those polled agreed with a statement that they trust advertising less today than they did five years ago.

5. Social media is a popular news source, but it’s not trusted thanks to ‘fake news’ concerns

Social media is becoming/has become a key source of news for most people (58%) in the region when compared to five years back (and there’s no distinction either by age, which is surprising). However, there’s still a trust issue. Almost half (48%) agreed they they have low trust in social media, which isn’t that surprising given the amount of fake/incorrect information out there. Which goes to underline the need for brands to focus on their owned media channels even more so.

The research did hammer home the power of third-party advocacy. When asked if they have more trust in what a third party says about a good or a service than what a brand says about its own goods and services, 65% responded by saying yes. Brands need to focus on winning over trusted individuals/groups who can influence consumers.

6. When it comes to social media, Facebook is King

If you’re looking to find out about a product or service in the region, it seems that Facebook is the place to go. Over half (53%) said that they found Facebook to be the most useful platform as a source of information (this rose to 72% for Egypt). Nothing else came close. WhatsApp was a distant number two, at 12%, and Instagram third at 9%. There was no mention of Twitter, and it would have been good to have understood where Twitter and YouTube featured as sources of information on products and services for the public.

So that’s the big picture for you. Keep an eye on the blog in the coming few days as I put out country-by-country reports. If you need more specific information, please do reach out to me.

The Business of Influence book review: Are we ready for the Chief Influence Officer?

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Sheldrake_Influence_jkt_hi.pdf

Philip Sheldrake’s ideas on the subject of influencer marketing and social media should be standard reading for all communicators.

I’m hoping to review more literature on marketing and communications on the blog over the coming months. First up is a must-read by Philip Sheldrake, which covers a area which is need of a serious improvement by our industry – influencer management.

Philip’s narrative and clarity of thought are superb; there’s an easy flow to the book which makes reading it a delight. The book is also written to cater to those who don’t have much communications experience (many people working with influencers have little communications knowledge).

The first couple of chapters look at the theory underpinning influence. He introduces his six influence flows, which simplifies how communications occurs between different groups (the visual is below).

six-influence-flows

The book highlights the measurement trap of “we can, rather than we should,” and shows practitioners how to use influence-centric approaches (the caveat here is that there’s no one way to measure influence, and influence is a complex concept).

The first of the two big “ahas” of the book are Sheldrake’s influencer scorecard. This is a framework which he has developed, based on the balanced scorecard approach used in strategy, to make influencer marketing more scientific. What the influencer scorecard does (and you can see how it’s set out below), is enable communicators and marketers to implement measures, targets and reporting which are continuous and which feed into the business. In effect, it allows us to better show the value we are bringing to the organization through influencer marketing, using measures and goals which have a clear business impact. There’s almost forty pages dedicated to this concept, so I’m not going to do Sheldrake’s model any justice here (in other words, go and read the book).

influence-scorecard-architecture

What excites me the most about his thinking is the second revelation. Sheldrake argues that organizations will need to take influence much more seriously, and re-design their organizational structure around a new role, the Chief Influence Officer. I’ll quote from the book:

The Chief Influence Officer is charged with making the art and science of influencing and being influenced a core organizational discipline. They will be keen to network with peers in other organizations, to share best practice, to identify, refine and codify proven techniques, and to flag up unseen or unanticipated flaws in the processes described in this book… In my opinion, the role of Chief Influence Officer will be regarded as being on a par with the COO, as CEO-in-waiting.

The Chief Influence Officer will sit at the nexus of marketing, PR, customer service, HR, product development and operations. He or she will lead all communications and marketing, and be responsible for every touchpoint with the customer, with suppliers and partners. In short, the Chief Influence Officer could be the next step for the Chief Communications Officer.

I haven’t read a book with so many original thoughts for some time. If you’re working in influencer marketing and you want a dose of inspiration as to how to do things right, get your hands on Philip Sheldrake’s The Business of Influence. You can thank me later.

Expats, Localization and the Need for Balance

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The marcomms industry can and should benefit from both local talent as well as foreign expertise (image source: The Daily Telegraph)

There are some places that are so inspiring, they fill me with passion and energy. I just love working with colleagues and friends in London and New York. Their creativity and insights are exceptional. What strikes me most about these places is their ability to absorb talent from abroad, to the extent that you can’t even tell who is the native and who is the immigrant.

Whilst there’s much to admire about how the region’s marcomms industry has developed, there’s still much work to do when it comes to marrying local insights and talent with foreign know-how. For years there’s been a divide between the Gulf’s public and private sectors: the public was staffed by nationals, and the private by expats. Whilst there were exceptions, this was the norm.

There have been changes, both good and bad. The economic changes in countries such as Bahrain, Oman and Saudi, combined with the increasing number of local marketing and communications graduates, have helped to increase the number of nationals working in the private sector. An insistence on hiring nationals in both government and semi government organizations have led to there being fewer expats in comms and marketing roles in both Abu Dhabi and Doha. For many multinationals, there’s still an over reliance on expat communicators, many of whom don’t know or try to learn about either the local language or culture.

I’ve always believed that there should be more locals in marcomms in the Gulf (one such person who is an inspiration to me and who I will always be proud of is my wife, who is both a local and who heads up marcomms for a multinational across the Middle East region). However, we need to place people based on merit, and we need to have structured succession planning in place. Both are missing today, across the public and private sectors.

Let me highlight my point. I live in a city which wants to be a global hub, attracting investment and tourism from abroad. That city’s government has been prioritizing national hiring to such an extent that it’s rare to find a foreigner in a mid or senior level comms post today in either a government or semi government role. What has happened is young nationals who don’t have the necessary experience or knowledge have been brought in (or roles have been left open), and as a result the work done and respect given to the function has dropped. There’s less diversity and inclusion in these government organizations, leading to a lack of understanding of foreign audiences and stakeholders.

I’ve also come across countless multinational executives who don’t understand the importance of hiring local knowledge. To them, global strategy only needs to be translated. There’s no understanding of local insights, and an inability to communicate with local audiences because of the lack of any marketing or communications people who are from or connected to the local population. I’ve known regional comms people in the private sector who’ve never even gone to Saudi, despite it being the biggest market in the Gulf. It’s all too easy to manage issues remotely, and let the agency deal with an issue.

We’ve got to change these two approaches in the region. There needs to be a balance, an understanding that foreign expertise is often needed whilst initiatives are created to support knowledge transfer to capable locals. Rather than replacing foreign expertise overnight (which has happened in some places), let’s get these professionals to pass on their expertise through job shadow programs, teaching and mentoring. In one of my previous roles I was asked to do this, and I considered it part of my role in developing the local profession. Others should do the same.

Our region can be as diverse and as exciting as London and New York, and I don’t see why the marcomms industry should be any different. Let’s start making use of both local insights and foreign experience, and combining them to create better work. We need balance in approaching this issue. As always, I’d appreciate your thoughts on this issue.

Lessons for the PR Industry from the Dubai Lynx

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The Dubai Lynx highlighted the issues that communicators (and their marketing colleagues) will need to face up to. But is anyone listening?

It was an early morning, but the 6.30am start from Abu Dhabi was certainly worth it. The Dubai Lynx is always worth a visit for anyone working in marketing and communications. The Festival, which is organized by the people behind the Cannes Lions, has been going for over a decade. And, as the two disciplines of marketing and communications coverge, the Dubai Lynx (which billed itself this year as the MENA region’s biggest celebration of creative communications) is becoming a must-attend for communications professionals.

For me, there were two basic takeaways from the Dubai Lynx:

  1. It’s all about data, data, data: Every other word seemed to be data. The push to incorporate data – big, small or something in-between – is understandable; the marcomms industry has always struggled with the question of ROI, and data measurement, when used wisely, should help answer the question of what are organizations getting for their money’s worth. When analyzed well, data will also help marcomms professionals better understand both their audience and their impact. However, what wasn’t mentioned was ‘creativity’. Have we swung too far over to talking about data, rather than marrying data with creativity? While I’m sure there are computers and algorithms that are far smarter than me, I doubt there’s any machine which understands the human mind better than we can. Could a computer have understood why the ice bucket challenge would have gone viral? Or the success of the Chewbacca mom? I doubt it.
  2. Agency Convergence gathers steam: There’s no marketing or communications in our industry anymore, as the list of agencies offering everything under the sun grows longer. Those marketing agencies who were already one-stop shops are going further, and breaking down the internal silos to promote better integration between the various disciplines. Some PR firms are creating new roles, such as creative leads and digital heads. And then there’s the big consultancy firms, the data goliaths such as Accenture, IBM and McKinsey, using their IT know-how and their understanding of strategy to break into the marcomms industry (we’ve already seen this with Accenture and IBM, and expect to see it with McKinsey in this region following their acquisition of marketing firm Elixir). For an industry which used to be mainly focused on media relations about a decade or so ago, this is a seismic shift. Expect to see the gap between those offer an ever-expanding range of services (think creative, digital, public affairs, technology) and those who stick to old-school offerings such as media relations to grow significantly over the coming year.
  3. Marketeers are doing PR (and some of their work is exceptional): One of the best PR executions I’ve seen in a long time was from last week. It was the ‘Fearless Girl’, a statue commissioned by State Street Global Advisors and executed by McCann New York. The concept, which was timed to coincide with International Women’s Day, saw the ‘Fearless Girl’ face off against the famous Wall Street Charging Bull. The stunt symbolized the power of women in leadership and emphasized that companies with women in top positions perform better financially. Ask anyone in the business and they’ll tell you that McCann isn’t a PR agency, but rather a creative. However, much of the work which has been winning plaudits at Cannes recently has essentially been PR work executed by creative agencies.

The PR industry has gone through some remarkable change over the past decade. However, we’re going to see much more disruption over the short and medium term as creatives and consultancies move into new disciplines. Are PR firms ready to both embrace data and expand their own offerings? Or are we about to see another wave of industry consolidation over the coming five years? Time will tell.

Local Heroes: Marketing’s ‘Unconventional’ Said Baaghil

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image1You may have heard of Said Baaghil before, most likely on a comment thread where he’s thrown a literary grenade into the public on a subject related to branding in the region. An unconventional brand expert in every sense of the word (do you know any other Arab from this region who wears a bow tie, funky-design glasses  and multicolor sneakers?), Said has written extensively on branding and on brands, both globally and regionally.

I caught up with Said to ask him about his love for marketing, how the industry is changing and the advice he’d pass on to others about the industry.

Q: Said, why and how did you get into marketing?

I studied marketing in college but I realized my passion during my sophomore year. I was extremely active on campus, I was the founder of an international club to show diversity. My first passion was creative, something no one did I should do but I also realized that I needed marketing to understand the way forward. I was a below average student and kept a GPA between 2.0 to 2.2 through out my four years, I was less interested in what the professors had to say than I was interested on change and impact.

Q: How has the industry developed?

Well from the time I graduated till now, I would say tremendously. We focused on the marketing mix when my career kicked off but through the years the audience has evolved and marketing had to evolve with them. Today, we speak of brands that sum up the entire experience and not the marketing mix. While many markets evolved, our market [the Middle East] stayed stagnant. So marketing evolved globally, but everything remained as is here in the region.

Q: What’s the achievement you’re proudest of?

My son! As far as work, I have three. In my ten years in Saudi I was able to build two local brands and take them international in the consumer good and fashion retail space. I’m also proud of my brand as an Arab from my house in Khalddya who has taken on global marketing roles, both in the advisory and public speaking spaces.

Q: What would you advise your younger self to do and not do?

I’ll advise him not to follow the herd, but rather to find his purpose, follow his passion and chase his dream. Don’t fear your failures; they are just a test of time. So get up and evolve.

Q: How will the industry evolve? What trends should we watch out for?

We are in the fourth revolution, the digital revolution. Individualism in data is massive so personal brands will take off like never before. I think globalization is under threat as we see major nationalistic movements led by the U.K. And U.S.A.