As the countdown to 2019 nearly comes to a close, Arabian Marketer takes a final look at some of the comments and remarks made in the year gone. Some of these advices will continue to hold true, and some of these learnings will be of importance in shaping 2019 as well.
“Given that the media and other disciplines such as education connect at a root level, Mr Al-Abed asks if enough is being done with educational institutions to encourage children and young adults to investigate, to study and to examine. “In other words, not just take scraps of information from social media but actually investigate further. I am not shifting the responsibility from media companies but saying that there is a larger responsibility towards media today.”
Advisor to Chairman, National Media Council, Ibrahim Al-Abed
We Have A Collective Responsibility Towards Media: Ibrahim Al Abed
“Our consumer drives our marketing strategy. We take the backseat. Our aim is to change push marketing to one that would attract, engage and resonate with the consumer. The role of content gains more ground in the final work but the process itself has to be entrenched in research. Everything must be research led and data driven, ,without compromising the risk taking ability that comes with intuition.”
Executive Vice President, Brand & Corporate Communications, du, Abdulwahed Juma
The ‘Du’er: How Du Is Redefining Its Marketing For Max Impact
What Global Chiefs Expect From MENA
“I am focused on WPP’s future. Ever since Andrew (Scott) and I have stepped in as COOs, I have been spending my time talking to clients. Our operating companies have strong leadership. We have people like Roy Haddad (Director, WPP MENA) to represent us in important regions. It is all of this that is really important to us and makes me very positive about the company.”
CEO, WPP, Mark Read
“I Am Focussed On WPP”: Mark Read
“Marketers are asking for change, and we are ready for it, driving it even. All our clients love the Village stories. They are telling others to do what we are doing, and all I can say is that others are now playing catch up”
Chairman & CEO, Havas Group & Chairman, Vivendi, Yannick Bolloré
Integrate, Re-Specialize, Pivot: Yannick Bolloré
It is a good year for TBWA\Raad but it is not always that things have gone their way. They just never gave up and that is what I love about the team. The accounts they have added, such as du or Careem, speak volumes for what we want to stand for. We refer to ourselves as the cultural engine for the 21st century business, and these are the companies that are driving that future. They are disrupting the world, and for us to partner with them is an awesome place to be in.”
Global President & CEO, TBWA, Troy Ruhanen
“In A Good Place & Will Get Better”: Troy Ruhanen
“MENA ad spend has been shrinking since oil prices fell in 2015. 2017 was the toughest year yet, with regional ad spend down 19 percent. However, this will be the worst year for the region, and we expect the decline to moderate progressively over the next few years. ROI+ is giving Zenith the edge in the region, enabling us to help clients transform and to play a key role in driving brand growth. And we have clear examples of this is in the region, with clients such as THE One, BMW Group, Bel Group and new business such as Nestle Middle East.”
Global Brand President, Zenith, Vittorio Bonori
10 Qs To Zenith’s Global Brand Prez – Vittorio Bonori
“The Facebook Creative Shop played a major role in a Hack for Good with Save the Children, an international NGO, to celebrate the talent of young Arab creatives, while also directing it towards a major social issue in the region. The Hack for Good competition took place during Dubai Lynx International Festival of Creativity, where UAE-based students were invited to develop a Ramadan themed campaign that fits Save the Children’s advertising needs. We also built a made-for-mobile campaign for Souq.com in Saudi Arabia, which was new for Souq. A young female director was hired to shoot the campaign, which challenged gender stereotypes as it, cast a woman versus a man in the character of a boxer, further positioning Souq as a fresh, modern brand.”
Chief Creative Officer, Facebook, Mark D’Arcy
Quick Five With Facebook’s CCO Mark D’Arcy
Interviews With The Local Heroes
“We see opportunities when most people see competition. That openness to work together allows us to plug and play, to create solutions that enable our growth”
Managing Director, FutureTech, Boye Balogun
From Media Anthesis To Beyond: The FutureTech Story
“When we launched MEDPUSH, many were not even clear on what media audit meant. Our task therefore was twofold — educate the advertisers and establish a new trend,”
Founder & CEO, MEDPUSH, Samir Ayoub
Meet The Media Conduit: MEDPUSH’s Samir Ayoub
“The overall trends prevail. Digital is growing consistently by 20-25 percent. We continue to see further shifts towards Facebook, Google and Snapchat. Snapchat had a phenomenal year especially in Saudi Arabia. TV is facing major headwinds and will record a double-digit drop this year. The good news is that the fall in print advertising is slowing and next year promises more stability. The other two major media –– radio and outdoor –– are stabilizing as well. If you see overall, this is not that bad.”
CEO, Omnicom Media Group MENA, Elie Khouri
Industry Must Regain Confidence: Elie Khouri
“When clients talk about transparency, they need to appreciate that this is a two-way street. If they expect to measure the outcome of a pitch purely from a procurement standpoint, it means that they are not walking the talk, and ultimately, they are not measuring on business results.”
Regional Managing Director, Havas Media, Dany Naaman
Marketers Must Measure Agencies On Results: Dany Naaman
“You need to appreciate our resilience, that even after nine years, we have continued with our efforts. This is because we sincerely believe that the regional industry needs to make this happen.”
IAB GCC Board Member & COO, DMS, Michel Malkoun
When Industry Benefits, Community Participates: Michel Malkoun On IAB GCC
“We can’t afford internal barriers anymore, especially at a time, and in a region, where clients are facing an incredible amount of pressure,”
CEO, Memac Ogilvy, Patou Nuytemans
What Ogilvy’s ‘Next Chapter’ Means For Middle East Ad Land
