Investment in the tech company will help to revolutionise the restaurant sectors across the world and accelerate world-leading technological developments

Technology companyDeliveroo today announced that it has raised $385 million of new funding. This values the company at over $2 billion dollars - making it the fastest growing UK tech company and one of Europe’s biggest tech success stories.

The funding is led by funds and accounts advised by T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc. and Fidelity Management & Research Company, investment managers who have previously backed global technology companies including Facebook, AirBnB and Tesla. Existing investors DST Global, General Catalyst, Index Ventures, and Accel Partners are also making follow-on investments, increasing their positions in the company.

This new funding will allow Deliveroo to invest heavily in enabling more people to order great local restaurant food - quickly - to their front door. The company has three priority growth areas in which it will focus investment:

First, rapid growth in Deliveroo’s Editions programme of delivery-only kitchens which allows partner restaurants to expand without any of the traditional upfront costs, whilst increasing food selection for customers and optimising delivery times.

Second, growth of its technology team, who will focus on continuing to make improvements to Deliveroo’s world-leading real-time logistics algorithm and artificial intelligence systems while improving riders’ working experience and continuing to develop Deliveroo’s products for restaurants and consumers.

Third, rapid expansion into new towns, cities and countries. This will allow more people to order great food quickly to their door from their favourite local restaurants.

Will Shu, founder and CEO of Deliveroo, said: “I remember how excited I was carrying out our first delivery. I hoped that people would love being able to order great food from their favourite local restaurants straight to their front door. I am proud that just four years on, millions of people use Deliveroo in over 150 cities around the world. This is all thanks to the hard work of our riders, the great restaurants that we work with and our brilliant customers.

So I am extremely pleased that our new investors share this vision and have decided to make such a significant investment in our future.

With this funding we will invest further in our delivery-only kitchens Editions, in developing our technology and in taking Deliveroo to more towns and cities. This investment will take us to the next level and allow our riders to deliver ever more great food directly to people’s doors.”

Henry Ellenbogen, portfolio manager at T. Rowe Price New Horizons Fund said: "Deliveroo has built an impressive service that is providing fast delivery of high quality food in over 150 cities across the world. We believe they have a world class team, strong technology capabilities, and the right business model. We are excited to see this capital put to use to build out their Editions concept and expand their geographic footprint."

"Deliveroo is a global innovation leader in technology, logistics and food", said Tom Stafford, Managing Partner at DST Global. "We are excited to continue our partnership with Will and the team at Deliveroo as they build the future of food delivery."

Anis Harb, General Manager of Deliveroo GCC, commented: "Deliveroo is already proving extremely popular in Dubai and the UAE and this new funding will allow us to improve our service through ever better technology and more customer choice once we launch Editions here in the UAE. It’s great news for restaurants too who will be able to access new customers via Editions, and it means more work for more riders too".

Apple and Google hold the top two spots, while Ferrari, Netflix and Salesforce.com enter the list.

Interbrand has named Apple, Google, and Microsoft as the three most valuable brands in its 2017 Best Global Brands ranking, with technology as the dominant sector. Now in its 18th year, this report’s theme is Growth in a Changing World, and examines three key components: People, Technology and Brands.

This year, the list features three new entrants: Ferrari at #88, and Netflix and Salesforce.com, who make their first appearance on the list, at #78 and #84.

“We are living in one of the most exciting periods of change¬¬—societal, technological, industrial—that impacts every aspect of commerce and life,” said Jez Frampton, Global Chief Executive Officer of Interbrand. “In this ever-shifting context, growth becomes more challenging, which is why businesses need brands more than ever. The Best Global Brands understand that brands are the platform for growth.”

For five consecutive years, Apple and Google hold the top positions. Apple’s brand value grew by 3 percent to USD $184,154m, as Google’s brand value by 6 percent to USD $141,703m. Microsoft jumps into #3, as one of sixteen brands with double-digit percent growth. Following Coca-Cola at #4, sits Amazon,Samsung, Toyota, and Facebook, which breaks into the Top 10 for the first-time at #8.Mercedes-Benz, and IBM round out the Top 10.

Commenting on the theme of the Best Global Brands 2017, Ashish Mishra, Managing Director, Interbrand India said “Growth in a changing world’ is best exemplified by the Indian market. We are one of the fastest growth markets as well as the one that is undergoing maximum change. The upward mobility, democratization and technology are the forces that will drive change which in turn will drive growth, which will further drive change thus creating a virtuous upward spiral. Within this future, Brands will have to make that “meaningful demand driving connection” between people and technology. Forging stronger connections in the world’s most populous nation will also be a happy fillip to its celebrated heterogeneity and drive the evolution of society at large.”

The five Top Growing Brands include Facebook (48 percent growth) who leads for the second year running, Amazon (29 percent), Adobe (19 percent), Adidas (17 percent), and Starbucks (16 percent).

More than half of the Best Global Brands came from four sectors: Automotive (16), Technology (15), Financial Services (12), and Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (9). Retail is the top growing sector in percentage terms (19%), followed by Sporting Goods (10%), Technology (8%), Logistics (7%), and Financial Services (6%).

Egypt Tourism Authority is embarking on a new global brand partnership with CNN to raise awareness of the country’s appeal to travellers from all over the world. 

The advertising and sponsorship campaign, established by CNN International Commercial (CNNIC), spans CNN TV and digital platforms and is powered by data targeting and insight to ensure that creative content solutions reach Egypt Tourism Authority’s key audiences. The campaign is primarily tailored to reach younger adults and CNN audiences with children who would be drawn to the wide range of leisure, cultural and culinary experiences of visiting Egypt. 

The partnership starts this month with Egypt Tourism Authority sponsoring the high-profile Weather Watch report airing on CNN International’s EMEA feed throughout every day. Brand exposure around this key segment for CNN’s travel audience includes iconic images of Egypt being featured plus the logo for the country’s brand campaign Egypt, Where it all Begins. The sponsorship extends to CNN Digital, with Egypt Tourism Authority being the exclusive advertiser on the Weather Watch digital page outside of the US.  

Building on this exposure, CNNIC’s branded content studio Create will travel to Egypt and produce a bespoke commercial to air on CNN International later in 2017 as well create tailored assets to run across CNN Digital. The digital advertising and sponsorship will be targeted to reach audiences interested in Egypt and particularly those with families and young children.  

"Today’s announcement is another solid step in our journey to build on our foundation in markets abroad, through a trustworthy reputable media establishment such as CNN," said H.E YehiaRashed, Egypt's Minister of Tourism. “This partnership will help us fully achieve our international promotional strategy by giving us an innovative outlet with a reliable foundation, in a modern diverse market."

“Egypt Tourism has been a trusted partner for many years, and we are delighted to welcome the country back onto CNN with this unique campaign,” said Rani R. Raad, President, CNN International Commercial. “This highly strategic sponsorship and branded content campaign is timed to take place as Egypt tells the world it is open for business as a diverse and appealing tourism destination. It also demonstrates smart brand alignment, positioning the country alongside Weather Watch, a key moment in the CNN schedule and digital site where our audiences are particularly engaged in looking at destinations from around the globe.” 

A first-of-its-kind for UAE 

App rewards college students for not using their mobile devices in class  

Lock&Stock, a mobile application aimed at enriching the education experience for students, was launched today in the UAE as a free download on the Android platform and will shortly be available for download on the iOS platform. At the time of launch, Lock&Stock is available at more than a hundred colleges and universities in the UAE, covering over 120,000 students.

The app, which was conceptualized by UAE-based Craig Fernandes and Ian Fernandes, is designed to work within university campuses and switches off student's social media feeds allowing them to concentrate during class. The more time spent offline and disconnected allows students to accumulate points which can then be redeemed at partner outlets.

Speaking about Lock&Stock, Craig Fernandes, co-founder and CEO of the company, said: "Social media sites have become such an integral part of our lives that millions of people are finding it hard to stay disconnected. This problem is especially evident in our classrooms. Through Lock&Stock, we aim to provide students with a positive incentive to put their phones away and actually pay attention. We hope that this will lead to improved attendance levels and better academic performances among students in the UAE."

"The app is in line with the UAE government's vision on developing the education sector in accordance with the latest world standards to make its education system one of the best educational systems in the world by 2021," added co-founder Ian Fernandes.

How Lock&Stock works?  

When students enter the classroom, they open Lock&Stock and lock their phones (from within the app). This blocks the users' notifications (from all social media platforms). The longer a user's phone is locked, the more points he or she earns. To prevent non-students from using the app, Lock&Stock is programmed to only work on college and university campuses. Users can then redeem their points for offers and promotions from Lock&Stock's partners.

Lock&Stock, which provides a first-of-its-kind service for the UAE, has already teamed up with more than 50 partner brands, spread across the fashion, food, entertainment and wellness industries, all of whom will be offering tailor-made discounts which will be targeted at students on the Lock&Stock platform.

Although there is a plethora of discount marketing options available in the UAE, Lock&Stock is unique because it not only provides its partners with a platform to target the coveted student demographic, but also is a force for educational improvement.

Apple celebrated the 10th anniversary of the iPhone with both updates to its existing product lineup and the opening of the Steve Jobs Theater in Cupertino, CA on its new campus with the much-anticipated doughnut or spaceship building.

Apple generates its revenue from selling hardware or products with most of the revenue from iPhones. Convincing consumers both to upgrade and adopt new products is challenging. Moreover, experiences with products are ever more dependent on its ecosystem of partners for content and services. Apple (as always) did an outstanding job of showcasing the experiences consumers can have with its products. It also dropped the price on older (yet still very new) devices to make them more affordable.

Here’s my take on Apple’s three big product announcements of the day:

Series 3 Watch: The Apple Watch has already overtaken the Rolex as the number one selling watch in the world. With the Series 3, Apple continued to build out health and fitness capabilities, and this year’s enhancements focused on the heart – the monitor, EKG’s and more. The combination of fitness apps, GPS, waterproofing, seamless syncing with apps and more makes this a compelling fitness device. Apple also added a cellular radio to the Watch to allow consumers to make/receive phone calls, use Siri, and access the Internet to stream music, for example. The Watch will share a phone number with the iPhone. What isn’t yet clear is if it will demand extra service charges from the carrier.

The Watch keeps getting better and the fitness enthusiast in me can’t wait to get the Series 3. I’m completely hooked on the magic of the existing use cases such as paying, tracking speed and swim laps, getting notifications and more. I look forward to leaving both my wallet and smartphone at home. However, these experiences are unlikely to offer a compelling enough experience that the Watch crosses the chasm from “nice to have” to “I can’t leave home without it” for the vast majority of consumers. Apple needs that to happen to turn the Watch into a substantial revenue stream.

AppleTV: The new AppleTV will have 4K including apps for live sports with personalization features. Apple will also upgrade users’ content libraries free of charge. Apple experiences depend more and more on the quality of content and services from its ecosystem partners. Consumers will be more willing to pay for content whether it is an app, music, video and more if they can use it seamlessly across their own ecosystem of devices in the home, car and on-the-go. The more components or devices a consumer owns, the less likely they are to switch brands. The open question will be the role of apps and how ubiquitous they become across platforms. In addition to Google, Apple competes against Amazon as well as both content and service providers in the home.

iPhone X: The updates to the iPhone 8/8S was the appetizer – and everyone in the audience knew it. After discussing the usual updates, Tim Cook then announced the ‘future of the smartphone’ and key new features weren’t far from the press leaks. Apple’s iPhone X new features include more advanced cameras, FaceID, an AI chip to make the magic happen on the hardware, and more gesture or swipe-based controls. These features will have the most impact on how consumers use the phone for photography (the technology will make us all look like professionals), communication (Animoji), finding/opening apps and gaming. I’m in love with portrait-mode photos and selfies – now portrait-mode selfies – killer. And, finally, Apple introduced its users to wireless charging.

Each time the price increases on the smartphones, we question whether consumers will ante up for new devices. Is there enough new there? Apple has a loyal base of users who will – its customers are accustomed to paying a premium and appreciate the quality of the experience and the seamless integration with other devices they own.

Apple excels at demonstrating the experience consumers can have with its devices. Getting consumers to upgrade devices isn’t easy, and experience improvements will be more subtle as we go forward and are more dependent on AI. Consumers won’t pick up the new iPhoneX necessarily and think it is so much better, but in 2019 they will look back at the iPhone7 and earlier models and think to themselves, “This experience is so much better than the one I had before.”

Written by Julie Ask,Vice President, Principal Analyst at Forrester

These days, brands in all shapes and sizes are posting actively on social media sites, trying to get their market’s attention. If you’re launching a new brand or business, you need to prepare to fight for some of the social user’s precious browsing time. Get ready to use your digital space the right way.

Social media marketing goes far beyond sharing photos, streaming live videos, or posting news. Even a combination of brilliant timing, insightful knowledge, and sharp wit cannot always guarantee success. So, if competition is tough, careful planning is necessary. 

Here are five of the most common misguided marketing practices on social media today:

Misunderstanding Your Target Market

Take the case of Dove’s marketing team, for instance. They thought it would be a good idea to ask women to pick the right shape of soap bottle that matches their body type. The campaign drew a lot of flak from social media users. Dove misunderstood its market, because it failed to consider what women don’t want: being categorized and labelled.

The same thing applies in social media marketing. Knowing the market demographics means barely scratching the surface of your market profile. It is necessary to study your targets market’s principles and goals. Understanding your market means knowing what they value and why.

Sharing Fake News

It’s bad enough that the internet is teeming with fake reports and alternate facts, but we live in a world where social media users are too lazy to verify the accuracy of a ‘shocking’ news before spreading it out.

If you have to share news and current affairs, do it methodically. Run a bit of research. Study the reputation of the publication that originally published the story. You will lose your market’s trust if they cannot trust you to sort fact from fiction.

Redundancy

Your Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat and other accounts are probably followed by the same readers. So, instead of posting the same thing across all channels, think of ways to make your post unique for each platform.

Some digital advisers would even advise against having accounts in all the social media channels. For your market to stay close to you, you should really focus on them one social channel at a time.

Flooding

If there’s a developing story (say, you’re reacting to a live broadcast or a big news), your series of relevant tweets and status updates would be acceptable to some extent. On normal days, however, stick to a minimum of three posts a day, with a maximum of six.

Social media users generally log on to their social accounts around brunch, lunch, and dinner time. These are great timings for posting new updates. Even if you’re posting just three items a day, your reach will be good enough as long as you follow the right schedule for posting stories.

Poor Support Communication

Being on social media does not only mean you would be promoting your brand. It also means you will be opening your door to anyone who can leave a comment on your page. Make sure you can reply to the comments right away.

Should you receive some form of complaint on your page, make sure you could address the issue in a calm and professional way. This way, other followers could see that you are able to handle concerns in a professional and timely manner.

Written by Manish Agarwal, Brand Head at Zee Entertainment Enterprises and a Digital and Social Media Strategist from IIM Calcutta.

To establish a formidable partnership in Middle East retail

Leading international retail franchise operator to list leading apparel, health & beauty and home & lifestyle brands on Noon’s e-commerce platform

Investment underlines Alshaya’s commitment to e-commerce and Noon’s focus on becoming the digital platform of choice for regional retailers

Leading international retail franchise operator M.H. Alshaya Co. has acquired a strategic stake in Noon, the region’s new e-commerce platform. As new investors in Noon, Alshaya joins forces with other prominent Gulf investors. Additionally, Alshaya will become a seller on Noon’s marketplace platform, listing a portfolio of international brands covering the fashion, health & beauty and home & lifestyle categories.

Alshaya becomes the latest large retailer to list its products on Noon, which serves as the value-added digital platform for retailers to reach a wide and fast-growing base of online customers in the Middle East.

Noon’s partnership with regional retailers underscores its unique value proposition. Noon offers its suppliers market intelligence, single brand sourcing, authentic products, and fast delivery to customers.

Mohammed Alshaya, Executive Chairman of Alshaya, said: “We see great value in our partnership with Noon, which complements our existing online channels. We are impressed by Noon’s capabilities, and we are excited to partner with the Noon team to present a winning value proposition for the region’s online shoppers. We are focused on delivering a multichannel retail experience for our customers and creating added value for our brand partners. Our partnership with Noon will allow us to expand our customer base, reach new market segments, and participate in the next level of growth in regional e-commerce.”

Mohamed Alabbar, founder of Noon, said: “It is our privilege to partner with Alshaya and give our customers access to Alshaya’s leading international brands. Noon brings a new business model for e-commerce, developing a strong supply chain that benefits regional businesses. We will work with the region’s leading brands and retailers to help them grow their business through Noon.”

Set to launch later this year, Noon will offer an extensive range of international brands, covering categories that are popular among youth, families and children.

Noon will deliver sought-after brands that enjoy strong regional customer patronage through its retail partnerships. With the region’s most diverse catalogue of products, a platform that is optimised for mobile – increasingly the first point of customer engagement – and an intensively trained, locally-based customer service team, Noon is set to become the region’s favourite e-commerce destination.

Noon will use its advanced technology, fulfilment infrastructure, captive payment gateway and final-mile delivery systems to provide a world-class experience that will surprise and delight all types of customers including: sports fans, fashion shoppers, book lovers, adventurers and new parents. Every product segment has been carefully curated to fulfil the needs and aspirations of the region’s customers, especially its tech-savvy young population. 

Apple’s iPhone X is now a reality rather than the subject of rumor and, yes, it now has facial recognition, an all-screen design and a significantly faster processor. While commentators debate whether the iPhone X really is the “biggest leap forward since the original iPhone” it seems clear to me that the primary objective of the launch is to set a new price benchmark for the iPhone range.

Price anchoring is a well-known cognitive bias by which people’s perception of value for cheaper options is influenced by the highest known price. In my book Brand Premium I noted the use of this anchoring effect on VW’s Golf. The introduction of a limited range of R32s at a substantially higher price point made the price of the GTI look that much more acceptable. (I should note that the R32 has now been replaced by the R with a 2 liter TSI engine rather than the 3.2 liter V6 but the anchoring effect is the same.)

As noted in the Marketing Week article Apple is also introducing the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus, which are essentially updated versions of 2016’s iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, and lack the all-screen design of the X. This takes the iPhone range to a total of 8 available models. The iPhone X anchors the range at the top end at $999 and the SE is the most accessible offering at $349. This is a textbook strategy (if Brand Premium can be considered a textbook) of ensuring that a brand is as accessible as possible (without undermining margins) and will no doubt stand the iPhone in good stead in India and China.

While the difference in features and functionality between the X and SE are obvious I do wonder whether the trade-offs between the intervening models is clear enough. A key principle of branding up or down is to make sure that people are giving something up by opting to buy a cheaper model. Is wireless charging going to be enough to separate the 8 from the 7? (Yes, I know the chip is different, but unless Apple can make that difference tangible I suspect it will not be enough to swing a sale for the more expensive model).

I am sure that many people had high expectations of the iPhone X, this year’s BrandZ data finds that compared to the average brand ‘excited to see what they do next’ indexed at a massive 152 in the UK, 150 in the U.S. and 135 in China. Even if the new features are not enough to justify the $999 price point I suspect that the availability of the cheaper models will keep many potential buyers in the iPhone fold instead of jumping ship to Samsung.

Written by Nigel Hollis,Executive Vice President and Chief Global Analyst at Kantar Millward Brown.

WPP announces that its wholly owned global digital agency Wunderman has acquired a majority stake in Pierry, Inc. (“Pierry”), an industry-leading marketing software integration and solutions company specializing in optimizing campaigns on the Salesforce Marketing Cloud.

Pierry’s revenues were US$14.5 million for the period ended December 31, 2016. Clients include LifeLock, Louisiana Tech University, Major League Soccer team the San Jose Earthquakes and YETI Coolers. Pierry is based in Redwood City, CA, with offices in New York City, Kyoto and Boulder, CO. It employs approximately 100 people and was founded in 2008.

A recognized leader in creating technology-driven consumer experiences using Salesforce Marketing Cloud, Pierry’s mission is to help companies optimize their digital marketing initiatives through a unique combination of technology expertise and creative excellence. Utilizing its proprietary MaaS™ (Marketing as a Service) approach, Pierry helps clients design, develop and execute customized marketing programs that dramatically improve efficiency, impact, and increase ROI. Pierry is a Salesforce Platinum partner and was ranked #6 in the “2016 Fastest Growing Companies” by the San Francisco Business Times.

The investment continues WPP's strategy of focusing on three key areas that differentiate the Group's offering to clients: technology, data and content. WPP's digital assets include companies such as Acceleration (marketing technology consultancy), Cognifide (content management technology), Conexance (data cooperative), Deeplocal (innovation studio founded as a spin-off from Carnegie Mellon University), Marketplace Ignition (Amazon-focused ecommerce), Medialets (mobile ROI measurement), Salmon (e-commerce), The Cocktail (digital consultancy) and Hogarth (digital production technology). WPP also has investments in a number of innovative technology services companies such as Globant and Mutual Mobile, as well as ad technology companies such as AppNexus, Celtra (creative management platform), comScore (data investment management), mySupermarket, Percolate, ScrollMotion and Within Unlimited (VR/AR).

The Group has invested in digital content companies like Russell Simmons' All Def Digital, Fullscreen, Gimlet, Indigenous Media, Imagina (a content rights and media company based in Spain), MRC, Mic, Mitú, Refinery29, Uproxx Media Group and VICE. WPP's roster of wholly owned digital agencies include AKQA, Blue State Digital, Essence, F.biz, Mirum, POSSIBLE, Triad Retail Media, VML and Wunderman. 

The Emirates Woman, Woman of the Year Awards is the region’s most prestigious, glamorous and inspiring annual event. The awards were held at The Westin Dubai Mina Seyahi, where 350 guests gathered to celebrate the achievements of women in the business, arts and culture, philanthropic and visionary fields in the UAE. 

The esteemed event celebrating its 13th year, and the 36th anniversary of the magazine, saw a total of six awards presented during the evening. More than 12,000 votes were cast resulting in Jumana Abu-Hannoud being crowned the Emirates Woman, Woman of the Year 2017.

The event’s guest of honour and Emirates Woman September cover star, Mariah Idrissi, spoke on stage about opening the door to diversity and how she became the first hijab-wearing model.

Editorial Director, Gina Johnson, said: ‘Emirates Woman was the first magazine in the region for women and these awards were also the first of their kind celebrating female game changers. With a combined audience of more than half a million people every month, Emirates Woman is proud to offer a significant platform to champion the achievements of women in the GCC. The nominees, the category winners and Jumana herself are an inspiring example to all women of what is possible. Sponsors: Tory Burch, 55 Fifty 7, Grand Optics and Volvo.

FULL LIST OF WINNERS

·ACHEIVER AWARD – SHAFEENA YUSSUFF ALI

Shafeena Yusuff Ali is the CEO of Abu Dhabi-based business Tablez. Since its launch, the food and beverage company has successfully brought several home-grown brands, such as Peppermill and Bloomsbury’s, and internationally renowned food concepts like Famous Dave’s, Genghis Grill and Sugar Factory, to the GCC and India.

·ARTIST AWARD – LAYLA KARDAN

After completing a Master’s degree in business and working in the corporate world for 13 years, Layla Kardan quit her job to follow her dream of being a singer/songwriter. Despite the social stigma of being a female performer in the region, Layla has an EP in the works and wants to be the first Middle Eastern female crossover artist in the electronic soul/pop genre globally.

·HUMANITARIAN AWARD – JUMANA ABU-HANNOUD

As the Managing Director of the Gulf area office for SOS Children’s Villages International, Jumana Abu-Hannoud is responsible for developing strategies, mobilising resources and spreading awareness of children’s rights and healthcare issues. Prior to this role, Jumana worked alongside H.R.H. Princess Haya for five years implementing national, regional and international strategies around education, peace and health. 

·VISIONARY AWARD – SHABANA KARIM

After seeing a gap in the Middle Eastern beauty market, Shabana Karim launched The Nail Spa (of which she is CEO and Founder) in 2002. In the 15 years since, the company has expanded to also include Marquee hair salons, with over 16 locations across the UAE that provide one-stop pampering for the women of the region.

·YOUNG TALENT AWARD – SAIMA KHAN

Saima Khan is the 18-year-old CEO and Founder of Dubai-based social club Step Up, which serves as a platform for the region’s youth to be exposed to social and humanitarian activities. She is also a delegate of the United Nations Youth Assembly, a breast cancer awareness ambassador and the recipient of the prestigious International Diana Award.

·EMIRATES WOMAN, WOMAN OF THE YEAR AWARD – JUMANA ABU-HANNOUD