Combined Company to Deliver Premium Content with a Robust Consumer Experience across Platforms

Synergies between SPNI & ZEEL to enhance the Combined Company’s Content Creation Capabilities and Drive Digital Platform Growth

Sony Pictures Networks India Private Limited (SPNI) and Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd. (ZEEL) today announced that they have signed definitive agreements to merge ZEEL with and into SPNI and combine their linear networks, digital assets, production operations and program libraries. The agreements follow the conclusion of an exclusive negotiation period during which ZEEL and SPNI conducted mutual due diligence. After closing, the new combined company will be publicly listed in India. The closing of the transaction is subject to certain customary closing conditions, including regulatory, shareholder, and third-party approvals. 

Under the terms of the definitive agreements, SPNI will have cash balance of USD $1.5 Bn (assuming an INR:USD exchange rate of 75:1) at closing, including through infusion by the current shareholders of SPNI and the promoters (founders) of ZEEL, to enable the combined company to drive sharper content creation across platforms, strengthen its footprint in the rapidly evolving digital ecosystem, bid for media rights in the fast-growing sports landscape and pursue other growth opportunities. 

SPNI is an indirect subsidiary of Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. (SPE). Under the transactions contemplated by a non-compete agreement, SPE, through a subsidiary, will pay a non-compete fee to certain promoters (founders) of ZEEL, which will be used by such promoters (founders) to infuse primary equity capital into SPNI, entitling the promoters (founders) of ZEEL to acquire shares of SPNI, which would eventually equal approximately 2.11% of the shares of the combined company on a post-closing basis. After the closing, SPE will indirectly hold a majority 50.86% of the combined company, the promoters (founders) of ZEEL will hold 3.99%, and the other ZEEL shareholders will hold a 45.15% stake.

Mr. Punit Goenka will lead the combined company as its Managing Director & CEO.  The majority of the board of directors of the combined company will be nominated by the Sony Group and will include the current SPNI Managing Director and CEO, Mr. N.P. Singh. On closing, Mr. Singh will assume a broader executive position at SPE as Chairman, Sony Pictures India (a division of SPE) reporting to Mr. Ravi Ahuja, SPE’s Chairman of Global Television Studios and SPE Corporate Development.  

The combination of ZEEL and SPNI is expected to achieve business synergies and given their relative strengths in scripted, factual and sports programming, respective distribution footprints across India and iconic entertainment brands, the combined company should be well-positioned to meet the growing consumer demand for premium content across entertainment touchpoints and platforms. The seamless blend of rich expertise in content creation, deep consumer insights and success across entertainment genres is expected to drive the combined company’s ability to accrue higher shareholder value. Under the stewardship of the Sony Group, a global leader in consumer technologies, gaming and entertainment, the combined company is expected to be able to better compete with the world’s largest streaming players.  

As part of the definitive agreements, the promoters (founders) of ZEEL have agreed to limit the equity that they may own in the combined company to 20% of its outstanding shares. This construct does not provide the promoters (founders) of ZEEL any pre-emptive or other rights to acquire equity of the combined company from the Sony Group, the combined company or any other party.  Any shares purchased by the promoters (founders) of ZEEL, must be in compliance with all applicable laws including any pricing guidelines.  

Commenting on this development, Mr. Punit Goenka, MD & CEO, ZEE Entertainment Enterprises Ltd. said, “It is a significant milestone for all of us, as two leading media & entertainment companies join hands to drive the next era of entertainment filled with immense opportunities. The combined company will create a comprehensive entertainment business, enabling us to serve our consumers with wider content choices across platforms. I am immensely grateful to the teams at ZEEL, SPE and SPNI for their efforts, that swiftly led us to this point within the stipulated timelines. This merger presents a significant opportunity to jointly take the businesses to the next level and drive substantial growth in the global arena. I look forward to working with the guidance of the esteemed members of the combined company’s board to unlock the potential of this merger, and I wish N.P. Singh all the best in his new role at SPE. His contribution to the Indian media & entertainment industry has been invaluable. I am most certain that our collective wisdom, rich experience and expertise will lead to a more value accretive and exciting company for our shareholders and employees, and a more engaging one for our customers and partners.”

“Today marks an important step in our efforts to bring together some of the strongest leadership teams, content creators, and film libraries in the media business to create extraordinary entertainment and value for Indian consumers,” said Mr. Ravi Ahuja, SPE’s Chairman of Global Television Studios and SPE Corporate Development. “I want to thank Punit and his team at ZEEL and the small army of people at SPE and SPNI who have worked so hard to get us to this point.

I especially want to thank N.P. Singh, who presented us with the idea to explore this merger well over a year ago.  N.P. has done extraordinary work building SPNI to what it is today, and we look forward to continuing our work with him in his new role after closing.” 

MD & CEO, SPNI, Mr. N.P. Singh, added, “This merger will create a company that’s best in class and will redefine the contours of the media and entertainment industry. As a representative of SPE on the Board of the new merged company, it will be my endeavour to provide strategic guidance and support to the company’s operating team in achieving our vision. I am also excited at the opportunity of being appointed, Chairman, Sony Pictures India, to oversee SPE’s investments and craft a wider footprint for Sony in India.”  

SPE was advised on this transaction by Morgan Stanley, KPMG Corporate Finance, and Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co. ZEEL was advised by KPMG, JP Morgan, Trilegal and Boston Consulting Group.

As shoppers face short supplies and shipping delays, the final days of the holiday season can often be the most dangerous. In an effort to purchase gifts in time, many consumers are willing to compromise and interact with untrusted sources.

With experience in identifying and analyzing the entire cyberthreat landscape, Cisco Talos shares its advice for consumers to stay secure during the remainder of the festive period and beyond.

Common Tactics by Cybercriminals and Recommendations from Cisco Talos

Emails, URLs and Pop-ups

Internet users should avoid clicking on links in unsolicited emails, considering whether they previously subscribed to any marketing emails from retailers before opening them. Many cybercriminals masquerade themselves via emails seeming to come from common local and international retailers. Users should watch out for different use of language, hover over the sender to read the full email address and manually type the website name into a browser rather than just clicking a link.

As a standard practice, ad blockers should be installed on any Internet browser across all devices. These will help deflect malware advertising campaigns which aim to capitalize on shoppers looking for deals.

Promotions, Giveaways and Acting on Impulse

Phishing scams via email typically advertise a brand name and merchandise, offering unheard of, bargain prices. In some cases, they sell counterfeit goods, while in others, the consequences can be more serious.

Cybercriminals prey on people looking for a good deal during the festive season, often promoting ‘one-day only’ and ‘last minute’ sales. Fraudsters use this approach to encourage browsers to act impulsively, so as to not miss out on an opportunity. Increasingly, this tactic is also being deployed via social media advertisements.

Users may also receive emails and direct messages regarding giveaways and contests they never entered, but are now somehow the winner of. Internet users must always evaluate the likelihood of a situation, and whether there is potential that they are being led astray.

Popular Applications

Some malicious apps will try to masquerade as a legitimate version of the one that the user is searching for. Signs of these apps include poor spelling and grammar in app descriptions and interfaces, lack of high-quality performance and a developer contact that uses a free email service (such as @gmail.com).

Users should only download apps from trusted and official app stores like the Google Play store and iOS App Store. They should also look out for apps which ask for suspicious permissions, such as access to text messages, contacts, stored passwords and administrative features.

Additional Layers of Protections

Where possible, users should try to use payment services such as Google Pay, Samsung Pay and Apple Pay. These services use tokenization instead of the “Primary Account Number” (credit card number), making transactions more secure.

Although seemingly obvious, users must also deploy complex passwords that are unique, per site. In many instances, the same passwords are used across multiple platforms – increasing the likelihood of cyberthreats. Attackers commonly reuse passwords to compromise multiple accounts with the same username.

Consumers can also benefit from utilizing multi-factor authentication tools, such as Cisco Duo, to log into their email accounts securely and avoid unauthorized access.

In this month’s episode of Marketplace Middle East, CNN’s Jomana Karadsheh and Salma Abdelaziz explore how airlines in the Middle East are recovering from the effects of the pandemic and how the industry is aiming to return with a focus on sustainability.

The Covid-19 pandemic has been one of the biggest challenges the airline industry has faced. As new variants threaten the steady recovery of the sector, CNN finds out how the Middle East’s regional carriers are pivoting their strategies and coping with the ‘new normal’.

Emirates President Tim Clark discusses how the omicron variant is impacting travel in the region, “I was actually very concerned about the effect that [new variants] would have particularly on the Emirates inbound loads to Dubai and the UAE in this month and in January, which are very, very strong. In my view, these variants are going to keep popping up. I’m one of the people that believes that the variants will dissipate in their effect over time as the global population becomes more immune.”

At the Dubai Airshow, CNN meets Sheik Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, CEO of the Emirates Group. The 2021 airshow was the biggest edition since the event began in 1989 and Al Maktoum is hopeful that this is a positive sign for Dubai, “When we are talking about the recovery, I think continuing with the program to continue to ensure that people coming to this place… they will be safe. They will be healthy. We care about them. That’s the most important, and that really has given the confidence for a lot of people to come to Dubai.”

Despite the pandemic setbacks, Al Maktoum is hopeful for Emirates’ future, “I can say going into the second month of the end of the year, we are into profit. So I hope the world will continue. I hope that this is the worst is over. And now we're looking forward, ready to start again and reach the number of passenger and revenue that we used to do.”

Istanbul Airport in Turkey is projected to become the world’s busiest airport when expansion work is completed. Here, Karadsheh meets the airport’s CEO Kadri Samsunlu who says international cooperation is key to restarting the travel sector, “We still lack a bit on the harmonisation of traveling requirements. Every country is still imposing their own conditions, which makes traveling difficult. And if you don't know if there are all certain certainties around your travel arrangements, you may consider staying at home or staying in your own country and travel there.”

Samsunlu credits a strong domestic air travel market, Turkey’s fast reopening to foreign tourists, and close coordination with hub carrier Turkish Airlines, with helping the airport get through a tough year. He hopes that new variants will not delay this progress, “If we panic every time a variant emerges this road is going to be very bumpy. But what I would recommend is basically we, the remedy – we have the vaccine – let's promote vaccination. Anything beyond that… let's not go back to 2020.”

As the industry prepares to bounce back, many are looking for more sustainable ways to operate flights. From light-weight cutlery and plant-based water bottles, to engines and route planning systems which optimise take-off and landing, Etihad Airways is exploring many sustainable options. Etihad CEO Tony Douglas speaks about how the pandemic has accelerated the implementation of these sustainable practices, “I think what we're going to see is an acceleration of adoption. I think we'll see a number of people off the back of the pandemic trading up to more modern aircraft types. I do believe we'll see the availability of sustainable aviation fuels accelerate and as a consequence, a reduction in the cost.”

Etihad has partnered with Boeing to test the latest technologies, including using sustainable aviation fuels (SAF). While Douglas praises the benefits of using SAF, he cautions that there are still drawbacks at this time, “The availability of it is a massive challenge. It's also three times more expensive. So even if you can get it, it's not commercially sustainable. Because it's not a one or the other conversation. You can't be sustainable or profitable. You need to be sustainable and profitable.”

Marketplace Middle East airs on

Sunday 19th  December at 2215 GST

Wednesday 22nd December at 2045 GST

Saturday 25th December at 2145 GST

Thursday 30th December at 0030 GST

Source: CNN’s Marketplace Middle East

Dubai Opera guests will be treated to an unforgettable night of laughter on 19 January as Jack Dee takes the stage after six years

GME Events, in conjunction with Dubai Shopping Festival, Dubai Calendar and Dubai Opera, have announced that UK Comedian Jack Dee will perform a headline show at the Dubai Opera in January as part of his ‘Off The Telly’ International Tour.

Star of TV sitcoms Bad Move, Lead Balloon and Josh, Jack also hosts the UK’s BBC Radio 4 show I’m Sorry I Haven’t A Clue. He also presents some of the UK’s leading Comedy TV shows such as ‘Live At The Apollo’ & ITV’s Saturday Night.

Known for his ‘grumpy’ way through life, Jack previously performed in Dubai over 6 years ago and fans are in for a treat for his one-night-only show in January.

‘In these difficult and uncertain times, people need hope – a ray of sunshine to brighten their day. And that’s very much where I come in!’ says Jack.

Tickets are immediately available from Dubai Opera, Platinum List & Virgin Megastores priced from AED195.

Wasta is an invite-only platform that helps founders, entrepreneurs, and investors build stronger connections.

Founded in June 2021, by second-time founders Shyam Visavadia (CEO) and Lalita Chopra (CTO); Wasta is a start-up that uses Artificial Intelligence (AI) to curate a one-on-one introduction between founders, investors, and entrepreneurs that share the same goals, interests, and objectives.

Wasta is a 'super connector' that helps share and explore mutual social and professional interests, whether it’s helping find a co-founder, fundraising, accessing resources, or finding talent. Wasta is truly building a network designed to reflect the multifaceted nature of what people need to move forward in their entrepreneurial journey. 

Shyam Visavadia, CEO at Wasta says “The pandemic continues to change how people interact. Face-to-face networking events have been scaled back, business meetings are moving virtually, and an increase in remote working has opened opportunities for virtual collaboration that transcends regional boundaries. Traditional networking events are cumbersome, time-consuming, and for some inaccessible. This leaves most people polarised and increases inequality in accessing opportunities. Current online professional networking platforms such as LinkedIn and Lunch club are lacking in personalization and relevance”.

Wasta is currently free to join, applicants are verified before they join the community. Once the applicants become a part of the community, they receive a weekly opt-in reminder, Wasta then introduces the members to their respective matches. Members can either organize a virtual call or face-to-face meet. After the meet, Wasta requests feedback to improve its matching algorithm.

“Our goal is to make meeting people more relevant and meaningful. Wasta takes away the things we hate – constant self-promotion, likes, inbox spam, and small talk. We’re building a community that really supports first-time founders, solo founders, professionals with side hustles, and women entrepreneurs. Our matching algorithm is unique which gives way to our network moat, differentiation in terms of network curation, and consequently the impact on the quality of the community” says Lalita Chopra CTO at Wasta.

The community is rapidly expanding with over five hundred verified members in just three months and hundreds of prospects on the waitlist. 

Ahmad Kamal, Global Head of Tax SWVL says “Wasta is the smartest way to grow your network in the region”

Tara Hession, Be Spark Talent says, “Wasta has helped build my pipeline of clients across UAE & Saudi Arabia”

Ahmed Kamal, Tech Lead, AI platform at Careem notes “Wasta is a brilliant way to connect to an amazing pool of like-minded people in our new remote-friendly world”.

Wasta currently operates across United Arab Emirates, Kingdom Saudi Arabia, and Egypt but has plans to expand across GCC, India, and Africa. Wasta will also look at launching a mobile app, onboarding key hires, strengthening their corporate partnerships, and commencing fundraising.

Wasta is a smarter, more dynamic alternative to in-person networking. It represents the future of how people will make new connections as well as nurture existing relationships within their network.

Leena Nair is currently Unilever’s CHRO; She will join Chanel in January

Leena Nair, Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO), has decided to leave the company in January 2022 to pursue a new career opportunity as Global Chief Executive Officer, Chanel Limited.

Alan Jope, Unilever CEO said: “I would like to thank Leena for her outstanding contribution over the last three decades. Leena has been a pioneer throughout her career at Unilever, but no more so than in her role as CHRO, where she has been a driving force on our equity, diversity and inclusion agenda, on the transformation of our leadership development, and on our preparedness for the future of work. She has played a critical role in building our purpose-led, future-fit organisation, which is now the employer of choice in over 50 countries globally.

“I am also especially grateful for her leadership over the last two years, and how our HR teams have helped Unilever manage through the many challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic with great care, compassion and professionalism. On behalf of everyone at Unilever, I wish Leena every success in this very exciting new role.”

I am humbled and honoured to be appointed the Global Chief Executive Officer of CHANEL,an iconic and admired company said Leena on her Twitter Post

Who is Leena Nair?

Leena Nair was born in Kolhapur,in the western state of Maharashtra. In 1990, she graduated in electronics and telecommunications engineering from the Walchand College of Engineering in the neighbouring Sangli district.

Nair has been part of Unilever for over 30 years. She rose through the ranks from being a management trainee to the CHRO at Unilever.

She lives in the UK and is a citizen of that country.

AME Debuts Trophy, the NYF Tower

New Categories include Social Equality, Multicultural Marketing, Artificial Intelligence, Cryptocurrency, NFTs, and UX Design

New York Festivals AME Awards is now accepting entries for the 2022 competition.

For 27 years AME has honored innovative campaigns that demonstrate groundbreaking solutions to challenging marketing problems, proving that strategic planning and creative execution can produce extraordinary results.

"After two years of quarantine and wide-range industry disruption AME launches the 2022 competition with new categories to honor game-changing work and the debut of AME's new trophy, the iconic NYF Tower in hand-polished Gold, Silver, and Bronze."-Gayle Seminara Mandel, Executive Director, New York Festivals AME Awards

Each year the AME Awards reviews and updates their categories to stay in step with industry trends. Here's what's new for 2022.

Products & Services: new categories Cryptocurrency and NFTs will shine the spotlight on all work created by brands that utilize cryptocurrencies or adopt NFTs into their marketing mix. To view additional new categories launched in Products and Services visit HERE

Creativity for Positive Impact: AME launched Social Equality - Diversity, Equity & Inclusion to honor creative work that positively affects racial identity in advertising, ensures representation, enables underrepresented groups to fully experience and connect with brands and is inclusive and respectful of all cultures.

Best Use of Medium, new categories recognize campaigns that utilize Influencer Marketing, Social Media Community Management, and UX Design.

Best Use of Discipline salutes all methods used to deliver information creatively and effectively in service of the brand, newly added categories Artificial Intelligence, Multicultural Marketing, and Public Relations Strategy round out the roster.

Jury selection has now begun for the 2022 Grand Jury. AME's Grand Jury is recruited from 5 global regions (Asia Pacific, Europe, Latin America, Middle East & Africa, and North America). 

These strategic innovators review all entries with global knowledge and industry perspective.

The results of the 2021 Grand Jury sessions are parsed in the annual AME Report that honors and provides rankings for agencies and brands from 30 countries.

The deadline to enter the 2022 AME Awards competition is May 11th, 2022. Competition details and additional information can be found on the AME website HERE. To enter visit HERE

Snapchat is a platform where creators of all kinds can meaningfully grow their audience, build their business and entertain the community of more than 306M Snapchatters using the platform daily.

One year ago, Snap launched Spotlight to lower the barrier to content creation and shine a light on the most entertaining Snaps created by the Snapchat community, no matter who created them.

Spotlight is designed with Snap’s values at its core - profiles are private by default and all content is moderated before it can gain distribution. This is done to ensure that Snap can reduce the risk of spreading misinformation, hate speech, or other potentially harmful content.

The positivity of the Snap community is what sets it apart. Their talents, passions and unique perspectives are showcased on Spotlight every day, and it’s been exciting to see Snapchatters’ imaginations run wild while using Creative Tools.

Snap’s Cartoon 3D Style Lens, which uses machine learning to turn people into a 3D-animated cartoon in real-time, generated 2.8 billion impressions on Snapchat alone in its first week of release and on Spotlight, the Snapchatter community recreated their favorite childhood movies with them (or their pets!) as the star. In fact, over 65% of Spotlight submissions use one of Snapchat’s Creative Tools or an augmented reality Lens.

Snap continues to remain committed to rewarding Snapchatters for their creativity. Snap still makes millions per month available to creators globally for their top Spotlight Snaps.

Over the past year, more than 12,000 creators have collectively been paid over $250 million USD through the Spotlight programs.

It’s been exciting to see those spontaneous moments captured using the Snap Camera, next to some of the more performative videos the Snapchatter community creates, all combined with Snap’s creative tools - like Sounds and augmented reality Lenses - to make Spotlight an experience that feels distinctly Snapchat.

“We are in awe of the passion and creativity our creators showcase on Snapchat each day,” said Jim Shepherd, Global Head of Talent Partnerships, Snap Inc. “We are committed to meeting the needs of all creators - listening to their feedback and supporting their business and audience growth - all while keeping Snapchat a positive platform where creators can be their authentic selves.”

New metrics on Spotlight:

Spotlight creators are posting 3x as often than they were when Spotlight launched a year ago.

Over 65% of Spotlight submissions use one of Snapchat’s Creative Tools or an augmented reality Lens.

Snap is continuing to see more creators leverage its content and product offerings to meaningfully grow their audience and build their business on Snapchat, with over 25 Spotlight creators are also syndicating their show on Discover, and more to launch in the coming months.

The closest championship battle of the Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 2021 was won by Max Verstappen of Red Bull Racing this weekend at Yas Island, Abu Dhabi’s premier leisure and entertainment hub.

The 22nd and final race of Formula 1’s longest ever season was the only twilight race on the F1 calendar and ended in spectacular style.

During this year’s race, the Island hosted International partners Amsalem Tours & Travel, Intourist, Seera Group, Aristeya Ukraine, Kesari Travels, FCM Travel, First Travel Partners, and SOTC India, in addition to regional partners Webbeds, WEGO, Coral Travel, Clevertrip, White Lilies, Turning Point, Dakkak Travel as well as the Indian Ambassador to the UAE.

This year’s Grand Prix saw a return to full capacity at Yas Marina Circuit with precautionary measures in place as fans needed to present a Green Pass through the Al Hosn app and a negative PCR test within 48-hours to enter the venue. As part of the festivities over the weekend, Yas Island’s travel partners joined thousands of fans and attended the star-studded Yasalam After-Race Concerts at Etihad Park, which included performances from American R&B star Khalid, Scottish singer-songwriter Lewis Capaldi, and British Rapper Stormzy.

The race took place at Yas Marina Circuit, which is the centerpiece of Yas Island. The Island features the destination’s award-winning theme parks, Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, Yas Waterworld Abu Dhabi, Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi and CLYMB ™ Abu Dhabi, in addition to Yas Mall, 10 world-class hotels and over 165 dining experiences, as well as the newly-opened Yas Bay Waterfront as Abu Dhabi’s vibrant day to night destination.

The world has definitely changed after 2 years of pandemic. Social media and digital  marketing have become key to both big and small companies. It won’t be easy to  understand how this market will behave in the future. That is why Brazilian content  and digital marketing specialist Tiago Ribeiro – also known as Tito – has come up with  this extensive study on social media trends. Tito has kept up with the digital  transformation of several companies in Latin America and Europe. Because of the  coronavirus pandemic he had his contract terminated, and he ended up creating  PROJECT RENAISSANCE in his spare time: a free-of-charge consultancy to help small  companies in the process of digital transformation. 

In 2015, Tito started his international career. In this period abroad, he followed the digital transformation process of several companies of various segments. Before returning to Brazil, he worked as innovation director at Biederman McCann in Paraguay. He also worked as digital director of WPP Group companies, including Y&R in Peru, and as a teacher at the Miami Ad School. While in Europe, he worked for the Hispanic and global market by developing projects in Istanbul, Lisbon, Madrid, Amsterdam, and London, among other cities. Then he returned to Latin America – first in Montevideo, Uruguay, working on projects for all Latin America and the Caribbean; then in Mexico City, Mexico, and finally in Asunción, Paraguay. His portfolio includes projects created for brands like McDonald’s, Carrefour, Coca-Cola, AB InBev (Anheuser-Busch InBev), and Diesel.

Here are the six digital marketing trends Tito Ribeiro has predicted for 2022. 

1- After the coronavirus pandemic: Changes in algorithms and Social E-commerce as the main focus.

Despite the growing investments in more disruptive technologies, many executives are  worried about recovering the economic losses left by the coronavirus. Therefore, it  seems that companies will rather focus on short-term solutions. In 2022 the e commerce will be the focus of platforms, which are expected to announce changes in  their algorithms soon. Instagram might include new shopping options and build on  regular use so that its users can adapt to shopping within the platform itself.

Shopping in live streams will be a big trend in 2022 as well. Live transmissions are one  of the new features to be announced by Pinterest in the second quarter next year, for  example. Twitter is also testing a new shopping option on its platform. In China alone,  social commerce sales totaled US$186 billion in 2019 (before the pandemic), according  to eMarketer. A Research and Markets survey showed global social e-commerce  should reach US$ 600.4 billion by 2027. There are a lot of e-commerce platforms and  tools that could be used to create an impact strategy. So start working right now on  this front. 

2 - Mutual purpose - Team synergy and the importance of a good manager.

The coronavirus pandemic greatly reshaped the way we work, either through distance  working or hybrid work models. In 2022 it’ll be time for a structural reorganization.  Companies, agencies and particularly creative, social and marketing departments will  need to invest in new talents. 

Strategic leaders are indispensable to avoid the common basic errors that digital  marketing teams usually make. The teams will have to work as real gears, and only a  true leader can make this happen. Otherwise, customer loyalty won’t be achieved, and  employees turnover will increase. So, hire right and bet on experienced talents  because 2022 will be a great year for digital marketing. Listen to your clients and staff.  This will be necessary more than ever. And having a strong team focused on the same  purpose and working in synergy will be crucial. 

3 - Meet new demands - TikTok and LinkedIn are in the spotlight. 

Taking into account the high demand for video contents will be more than a basic  requirement. And such an increased demand for real time content will be a major  concern for social media professionals, especially because of new platforms such as  TikTok – a powerful tool to reach younger audiences – and Linkedin. Therefore, find a  good leader and create a good strategy to keep up this year.  

The use of QR Codes have also increased during the pandemic and is drawing attention  in markets such as Canada and Asia. Snapchat, for example, is looking to build on QR  Code as an scanning option to help users find additional information, special offers,  and other exclusive features, such as content creations.

4 - Stronger B2B marketing - The future of sales guided by technology. 

Currently, one of biggest dilemmas faced by entrepreneurs and executives is to  understand where to put their efforts and how important it is to create strong  strategies in physical and online environments. It seems simple, but to know who your  real audience is, and what are their needs and preferences, requires a lot of work. One  trend that has been of big help is to use digital resources to research, especially in  social media. 

Personalizing offers, creating new products and keeping a closer relationship with your  client, while focusing on innovation when presenting the results, will make all the  difference. In the B2B marketing, we noticed that technology and artificial intelligence  can make businesses scale exponentially. When it comes to B2C, Amazon is a great  example. The company has initiatives such as Amazon Go, a cashless payment  technology for large supermarkets that is worth getting to know through platform  "Just Walk Out". 

5 - The right way to use influencers - UGC, creating communities, and DNVBs. 

Knowing how to use influencers and content creators correctly will make the  difference. Hiring an influencer isn’t about hiring a celebrity as a poster boy, it's about  creating a community and lasting relationships.  

Both Digitally Native Vertical Brand (DNVB) and User-Generated Content (UGC) are  changing the relationship between retailers and consumers and should be discussed in  every company using Digital Marketing strategies. However, it’s necessary to define  KPI and to create a good narrative (without a good “storytelling”, working with PR and  influencers is throwing money away).  

Before hiring influencers, hire someone who is capable of creating good stories and  has the ability to build a good relationship with the communities. And remember: this  isn’t work for interns. If you engage someone with few abilities in this activity, you’re  doomed to blow it.  

It’s important to remember that according to the Manifesto do Influencer Marketing,  82% of people follow digital influencers rather than personalities and famous people.  In other words, people are more influenced by individuals that they feel closer  to. According to research by Deloitte, the active participation of consumers in the  brand’s channels can bring benefits such as a growth in engagement of about 30%.  Therefore, if you don’t work with influencers, your brand won’t sell as much. 

6 - The restart of Marketing - The end of Cookies, the start of FLoC .

We’re on the countdown to the easiest and fastest path to impact the audience,  although many specialists have already started to speculate about big data analysis in  the first-party data model. What will truly be hit by this new wave and the change in  data handling is Programmatic. For digital marketing, the end of cookies will represent  a possibility for rebirth, with strategies that enable the extraction and debugging of  first-party data to implement creative and effective end-to-end campaigns in the  purchase funnel and the establishment of audiences and communities for brands.  

Google promises to improve the experience with ads through Federated Learning of  Cohorts (FLoC), which, in practice, emerges as a new system of group data. But there  isn’t a lot of specifics on what types of groups would be created. To conclude,  professionals and companies will need to break paradigms, reinventing, innovating,  and hiring specialized professionals. 

Many other experts are betting on the creation of proprietary audiences as an  alternative to the end of Cookies.

Written by Tito Ribeiro, an international reference in social media, the Brazilian Tiago "Tito" Ribeiro is always looking for opportunities. His current field of work is new businesses in content management and digital transformation, with a focus on Latin America and the Hispanic market.