66 publishers showcase 5,000 titles at six local and regional cultural events,generating more than AED 60,000 in sales

For centuries, culture has played an important role in building bridges and connecting people together. The exchange helped transfer knowledge across geographical borders enriching people’s lives and provided a window to rich and diverse cultures. Building on that truism the Emirates Publishers Association (EPA) has been on a mission to introduce the creativity and accomplishments of authentic Emirati culture across the world, through a pilot initiative called ‘Manassah’ platform.

Launched in January this year, the ‘Manassah’ platform has given EPA’s members the opportunity to take part in several international book fairs held around the world, through a dedicated section showcasing their titles to international publishers and visitors at EPA’s pavilion.

Although only a few months old, the platform has already been presented at six local and regional cultural events, representing 66 publishers who participated with 5,000 titles. Through the ‘Manassah’ platform, publishers were able to generate AED 61,350 in sales. In the next few months, the platform is scheduled to participate in the Al Ain International Book Fair and Amman International Book Fair. This is a result of the association’s keenness to support publishers and promote their work at various events around the world and introduce people to the rich heritage of the country.

Rashid Al Kous, Executive Director of EPA, said the association was keen on presenting Emirati publishers and their creative output at international platforms, whether they were physically present or not.  He noted that the ‘Manassah’ platform opened a window to learn about Emirati culture and exchange expertise, which ultimately was the goal of the association in promoting local publishers at regional and international venues. 

“Through the platform, we introduce intellectuals around the world to the huge strides taken by the publishing sector in the country. It is an opportunity to connect with peers and forge partnerships with international counterparts which will contribute to advancing and diversifying the content,” said the Executive Director.

Supported by Tilal Properties, the platform is designed to boost the representation and outreach of EPA member publishers who published 20 titles or less due to the high cost of participation at top literary events and exhibitions. The Manassah platform plays an important role in expanding to new markets and generating more sales for the local publishers, which in turn contributes to the development of the UAE’s publishing sector.

Since its launch, the ‘Manassah’ project has given local publishers the opportunity to participate in the Casablanca International Book Fair, Muscat International Book Fair, Al Riyadh International Book Fair. Locally, it assisted publishers in presenting their creative outputs at Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival, Abu Dhabi International Book Fair, and the Emirati Book Fair.

EPA was founded in 2009 under an initiative by Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi, Vice President of the International Publishers Association (IPA), who has led the efforts to advance the publishing industry in the UAE. The organisation is dedicated to serving and developing the publishing sector and advancing the role of Emirati publishers through training and mentorship programmes. EPA represents the interests of professionals in the UAE’s publishing industry by working on advancing their rights and has a remit to improve the conditions of the profession and its related laws in coordination with concerned authorities locally and internationally.

Nielsen launched continuous diary measurement (CDM), with the first data delivery in five of the 46 audio markets converting to monthly reports effective with the July 2019 survey.

CDM positions radio on a level playing field with other media such as digital and TV, and it will allow clients to maintain a competitive edge with the ability to react more quickly to marketplace changes. CDM will also help reduce “bounce” in the ratings with rolling samples designed to provide a more consistent and stable view of the market.

In June of this year, Nielsen announced that iHeartMedia Inc., the No. 1 audio company in the U.S., agreed to support CDM in Nielsen Audio’s four book markets. Additional broadcasters have signed for CDM, including Univision, Midwest Communications, Tyler Media, QueenB Radio, Southern Stone Communications and Bahakel Communications.

“With monthly Nielsen ratings in these diary markets, radio is giving its advertisers the most timely and relevant information possible and will have more stable and actionable insights for how audiences are engaging with our content,” said Brian Kaminsky, President of Revenue and Data Operations at iHeartMedia.

“This is a transformative day for the audio advertising industry when, for the first time, clients in these 46 markets will be able to transact on data monthly,” said Brad Kelly, Managing Director, Nielsen Audio. “There is no doubt that continuous diary measurement is a big step forward for the audio industry. With CDM, very large advertisers that rely on marketing mix models will be able to use the most current data available to get a better read on how radio drives sales results—the ultimate measure of ‘attribution’.”

“Advertisers demand current data and continuous diary measurement finally puts radio on a level playing field with digital and TV,” said Jeffery Warshaw, Chair of the Nielsen Audio Advisory Council and Founder/CEO of Connoisseur Media. “This upgrade in measurement is a terrific demonstration of the progress we can make when the industry comes together and works with Nielsen to improve the service for our clients.”

The July data for the balance of the 46 markets will deliver between Aug. 14 and Aug. 23. Effective with the launch of CDM, 94 Nielsen audio metros will have monthly reporting (48 PPM markets and 46 CDM markets) representing ~80% of radio’s ad spend and population in Nielsen audio markets.  

Consumers today are connected 24/7. They have the ability to tap into news, entertainment and information whenever, wherever and in whatever format they want. Thanks to technology, the connection with radio continues – into the workplace.

In the past year-and-a-half, the number of adults who listen to audio entertainment while at work has grown across nearly every age group.

The latest study by our firm, NuVoodoo Media Services (we do research and marketing for broadcasters), shows at-work listening increasing in nearly all segments – and impressive percentages among 25-44’s – based on a sample of over 3,000 respondents, ages 14-54 across all PPM markets.

Competition for at-work listening has never been more fierce. In this new study, the percentage of at-work users relying on broadcast radio streams grows to 15% of the total at-work listening pie. While digital pureplays continue to play a role in at-work listening, the combination of broadcast radio and its streams is strong.

It would be wrong to conclude that people never come back to broadcast once they find their way to digital pureplays at work. It is important to remember that the pureplays aren’t perfect listening experiences. They can deliver unsatisfying music selection and repetitive commercial inventories. Many of those who listen to digital pureplays at work today recognize the additional benefits of FM radio: people they like, the local community connection and, of course, no cost.

Radio’s advantages are clear. Listeners appreciate the value of broadcast radio: its emotional, personal and local connection. These at-work listeners can also provide an incredible opportunity for advertisers to share information or promote deals about products/services available in the local area. Radio works … while listeners are at work.

Written by Leigh Jacobs, EVP Research Analysis, NuVoodoo Media Services

In 2018, we saw consumer behavior and technology trends align with marketplace forces in a way that suggests 2019 is going to be a banner year for programmatic audio. Let’s take a look at the confluence of forces and the recent industry advances that suggest that 2019 will be the year of programmatic audio.

The Stars Align

The volume of available streaming audio content, across music and spoken word, has seen astronomical growth in recent years. Most people continue to stream audio on their mobile devices, but the rise in smart speaker adoption and new in-car integrations has made streaming audio even more ubiquitous. People can and do listen wherever they are, whenever they want, throughout the their entire days.

This shift has certainly piqued the interest of major industry players. In 2018, moves by the industry’s biggest names added validity to programmatic audio as a prime platform for reaching target audiences at scale. Pandora entered the programmatic audio space on the sell side, adding its impressive inventory to the already-impressive mix from providers like Spotify, TuneIn, as well as the many radio stations working with aggregators like TargetSpot.

Meanwhile, on the buy side, Google introduced the ability to buy programmatic audio ads through its DSP. With the strength of Google combined with others in the space—including The Trade Desk, Adobe and MediaMath—there’s now a high likelihood that advertisers who want to reach their audiences via audio can do so using the same platform that they use to purchase all of their other programmatic inventory.

The Audio Appeal

With proper supply and demand rapidly falling into place, the benefits of programmatic audio are too strong to ignore. Key attractions for buyers include:

Quality and Trust: Today’s programmatic audio inventory represents a premium environment with a very low risk of fraud and a high degree of transparency.

Control: Many premium sellers, like Spotify and Pandora, operate only via private marketplaces, enabling a high degree of control and ensuring a good user experience.

Share of Voice: Unlike display environments, most audio environments—particularly on mobile devices—offer brands 100 percent share of voice in a one-to-one setting.

Data-Driven Creative: The rich data assets streaming audio providers have on their subscribers, coupled with emerging dynamic creative solutions, provide advertisers with the opportunity to craft compelling, targeted narratives that follow users throughout their days.

Perhaps most importantly, the power of audio ads within a cross-platform buy are becoming evident. In a recent case study from The Trade Desk and Spotify, audio ads were found to boost ad recall by more than 150 percent—and by more than 200 percent when combined with video and display elements.

Challenges Overcome

In addition to accelerating marketplace forces and growing awareness of the value of audio ads, two major challenges within the programmatic audio space greatly diminished in 2018.

For one, there was a notable shift in the responsibility for buying programmatic audio, from broadcast and analog radio teams to programmatic and digital media teams. This trend will only continue into 2019.

In conjunction with this shift, much-needed progress was made around the standardization of audio creative. Previously, there were two primary methods for delivering programmatic audio creative: DAAST and VAST. If an audio campaign’s assets were built in DAAST, the campaign would be limited to DAAST inventory—the same being true with VAST. Fortunately, the IAB sunset support for DAAST with its ratification of the new VAST 4.1 protocol,enabling audio to be transacted across a single standard template so that more audio inventory can move into the open marketplace.

2019: The Market is Tuned Into Audio

2018 has set the stage for what will be a big year on the horizon for programmatic audio, and Rubicon Project is well-positioned to facilitate this marketplace boom for buyers and sellers alike. Our omnichannel solution ensures that buyers can include audio as part of their wider campaign mix and that sellers are able to offer a comprehensive premium programmatic strategy across all of their media.

So after a brilliant year of activity in 2018, we’re standing on the rooftops shouting out ‘programmatic audio is ready to go.’ Bring on 2019

ZEE5 Global has kickstarted its partnership with LuLu, the top retailer in the Middle East, by powering their bi-annual Indian-themed festival “Celebrating India” rolling out across its stores in the UAE, coinciding with the Indian Independence Day.

The week-long festival will highlight food, offers, cultural shows and celebrity visits from 14th to 20th August 2019.

The festival was inaugurated by H.E. Navdeep Suri, Indian Ambassador to the UAE, alongside Archana Anand, Chief Business Officer of ZEE5 Global, the official partners of this promotion, Saifee Rupawala, LuLu Group Chief Executive Officer and other top officials and government authorities at LuLu Hypermarket Al Wahda Mall, Abu Dhabi.

H.E. Suri shared: “This is a wonderful initiative by LuLu in showcasing the rich culture and food heritage of India. I am looking forward to welcoming the residents and citizens of UAE to come and explore the delicious flavours of India. I am sure these products will be highly appreciated not only by Indian nationals, but also the local and other expat communities residing here.”

Commenting on the partnership, Archana Anand said: “With a huge demand for Bollywood and Indian content from not only the South Asian diaspora but also mainstream audiences, and a highly conducive digital and payment ecosystem, the Middle East is an extremely exciting market for us. As the largest retail conglomerate in the Middle East, LuLu has an extremely strong presence in the market and our partnership with them will help us reach our fabulous content bouquet to audiences in this market. I’m thrilled to be here today at the inauguration of the Celebrating India Festival, which marks the first step of this partnership.”

Powered by ZEE5, the global entertainment app for the best of Bollywood movies, Indian TV shows and more, LuLu gives customers a chance to join and win a free annual subscription of ZEE5 for every AED 50 purchase. LuLu customers will also have access to the latest movie releases exclusively on ZEE5, and a chance to meet with their favourite stars.

Speaking on the occasion, Rupawala said: “We have always taken pride for showcasing the beauty and diversity of Indian culture through a festival like “Celebrating India”. This is our humble tribute to the glorious tradition, food and offerings of India, which have been widely popular and embraced by the UAE population with more than 200 nationalities residing in it. More than 5 Million shoppers are expected to experience India through this festival. Other than the wide product range that we offer in store, this is our initiative to bind together all communities for a common interest.”  

Facebook’s Spark AR platform is moving out of its Instagram publishing closed beta. Now anyone can create and publish their own Spark AR effects on Instagram. You can now visit spark.facebook.com to download Spark AR Studio and get started, or join the Spark AR Community Facebook Group to connect with creators, find inspiration, and see what others are building.

Through photo and video, augmented reality (AR) lets people customize those moments they share with the people who matter most at the touch or swipe of a screen. Facebook’s Spark AR platform already gives people the tools, inspiration, and resources they need to add new layers of meaning to the world — and Facebook is working to make it even better.

At this year’s F8, plans to move out of Spark AR’s closed beta on Instagram and give the entire community of Spark AR creators the power to publish their effects on Instagram were announced.

Now, starting today, anyone can create and publish their own Spark AR effects on Instagram. A new Effect Gallery is also being introduced, which includes niche AR effects from up-and-coming artists, making it easier for people to discover unique effects from the creator community.

To discover and try on new effects yourself, simply “Browse Effects” at the end of your effects tray in the Instagram Camera. More than 1 billion people have already used AR effects and filters powered by Spark AR on Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and Portal.

Whether you want to add a new layer of fun to an event like a wedding, birthday party, or graduation with a custom filter or you’re a professional who wants to continue to hone their craft, Spark AR Studio has everything you need to get started.

And, with Instagram Stories being used by over 500 million users daily, there’s no better place to express yourself with your own AR effects — or simply share the ways you’re using them with your community.

The brand’s latest TV advert has had the largest cut through in terms of Ad Awareness amongst KSA residents

Samsung has a track record of creating advertising that achieves strong cut-through globally and it’s no different in KSA. Back in April, YouGov MENA reported that Samsung’s Galaxy adverts created the largest cut through in KSA and now Samsung has successfully done the same for their electronics brand.

In July, Samsung had the largest uplift in Ad Awareness scores (whether someone has seen or heard an advert from a company in the past two weeks) from all 500 brands tracked in KSA by BrandIndex, YouGov’s daily brand perception tracking study.

Their latest advert for the Samsung QLED 8K Televisions has registered a 9.3-point uplift in Ad Awareness in the Kingdom during the course of July.

BrandIndex also shows that in Saudi Arabia, Samsung’s Word of Mouth exposure score (whether someone has talked about the brand with friends and family in the last two weeks) jumped up 5.1 points during the course of July, with more people talking about the brand by the end of July than at the start of the month. Moreover, Consideration for the brand, (whether people would consider purchasing a Samsung product the next time they are in the market to purchase an electronic product) had a statistically significant increase of 7.1 points over the same time period.

With these results, Samsung can be confident that they are creating campaigns that succeed in generating awareness of their other products as well as consideration to purchase them. What remains to be seen is if the major Unpacking (Samsung Galaxy Note 10) from this tech giant, due on the 7th of August, crowds out their own July adverts. With BrandIndex, we’ll be able to track this throughout the month of August.

Lessons from the 2019 global WARC Awards 

WARC, the global authority on advertising and media effectiveness, has today released the Effective Innovation Report 2019, highlighting key themes from some of the world's most original marketing thinking.

Drawn from the winners of the Effective Innovation category of this year's international WARC Awards, a global search for next-generation marketing effectiveness, the report includes opinions from judges, and showcases ideas that have transformed a business or disrupted category conventions and delivered results.

WARC's Lucy Aitken, Managing Editor, Case Studies, comments: "Following our analysis of the winning entries, we see that there's a shift away from marketing via algorithm towards real human insights that can power effective communications, as well as desirable products and services for consumers that offer genuine convenience and solve problems."

WARC's Effective Innovation Report highlights three key trends within marketing innovation that provide valuable lessons to the advertising industry:

Effective innovators need real human insights

Human and cultural insights can power innovation. Jury member Jem Fawcus, Group CEO and Owner, Firefish, comments: "A brand has to add value to lives by understanding the culture that people value and incorporating it not just in communications, but in the product itself."

Fawcus cites examples like SOK Media's 'Block Wish' for Alepa, a Finnish convenience store that asked its customers what they wanted to see stocked on the shelves; and 'My Line' by MullenLowe SSP3 for Colombian Ministry of ICT, a simple but effective campaign that successfully provided 99.3% of Colombians with internet access via feature phones.

Personalisation can transform innovative communications

Personalisation continues to obsess brands and combining it with innovation has led to great results.

Stand out campaigns include 'The Woman Behind the Veil' by FP7 McCann Riyadh for Al Rajhi Bank in Saudi Arabia, which circumnavigated advertising regulation and won favour with women by using mirrors in outdoor sites.

Hannah Mirza, Media Programme Lead, Diageo, and member of the jury, comments: "Data and technology have empowered the potential of marketers all over the world. The creative interpretation of how to implement personalisation is what is differentiating the innovators in its application.

"Brands that are thinking beyond the screen and into consumer utility through personalisation are having the breakthrough moments. This leads to growth and brand salience as not only fit for purpose but useful to consumers' lives."

Voice is becoming more integrated

Voice, and other manifestations of AI, is gradually becoming more integrated as brands use them more cleverly to increase brand recognition and capture attention.

Jury member Federica Bowman, Managing Director, Digital, FirmDecisions, says: "With AI at the heart of business transformation, the impact on the cost of products and services, as well as the return on marketing investment to drive sales, is a potential game-changer."

Juha Halmesvaara, Media Innovations Director, Carat Finland, added: "Voice commerce will be worth over $40bn by 2022, and it is where the strongest and most top-of-mind brands will win big."

The judges were particularly struck by Australian pay TV brand Foxtel for which Mindshare created the truly game-changing campaign 'Monty' to encourage people to pay for a product they'd previously enjoyed for free; and DDB Group New Zealand's 'Re:scam' for Netsafe New Zealand which used chatbots to divert scammers away from actual people, helping to curb cybercrime.

InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG®), one of the world’s leading hotel companies, has expanded its relationship with WPP by awarding it the global public relations business for its Mainstream and Upscale brands.

The global consolidation of PR responsibilities will now be handled by Ogilvy, Hill+Knowlton Strategies and BCW (Burson Cohn & Wolfe) and will be led out of Ogilvy’s New York office. WPP will provide PR counsel and support for Holiday Inn® Hotels & Resorts, Holiday Inn Express®, avid™ hotels, Staybridge Suites®, Candlewood Suites®, Crowne Plaza® Hotels & Resorts, EVEN Hotels ® and voco™ Hotels in key markets around the world.

Emma Corcoran, Vice President of Global Corporate Communications at IHG®, said: "With some of the world’s largest and well-known brands, such as Holiday Inn and Crowne Plaza, each of our hotels provides guests with a unique travel experience. Partnering with WPP to tell engaging stories that drive greater awareness and preference among consumers is an important part of how we differentiate ourselves in the industry.”

Mark Read, WPP CEO, said: “It is always gratifying to win business from existing clients, particularly from such a strong global brand as IHG®. It shows that clients are reacting positively to our efforts to simplify our offer and make our talent more accessible.”

Jaime Prieto, Global Client Leader for WPP Team IHG®, said: “IHG® has a diverse and impressive portfolio of brands, and we are proud to be deepening our relationship with them globally.”

This marks an expanded partnership between WPP and IHG, who have worked together in select regional markets since 2012.

Since Dailymotion’s official launch in Korea last July, the audience has significantly increased by 7 times mainly due to the onboarding of premium content and new channels from partners such as MBC, CJ ENM, YTN and MBC Sports Plus as well as OTT set-top box service provider, DLive.  

With recent advances in the Korean market, the industry has observed a shift from paper to digital media. Among 11 major nationwide daily news publishers, more than 90% have started producing their own video content, compared to only one publisher back in 2007. This transition from text to video content is supported by Dailymotion with its technical know-how and cutting-edge video solutions. Acclaimed publishers like NBA G League, L'Équipe, Paris Saint-Germain, ABS-CBN, YAN News and more use the Dailymotion video solution to enrich their websites and maximize revenue.  

TV Chosun, one of the most established Korean broadcasters, has also partnered with Dailymotion to use our video solutions. Each day in the global news section of their website and mobile application, TV Chosun hosts more than 100 pieces of fresh news content from Dailymotion’s network of international publishers such as Al Jazeera and France 24.  

Dailymotion’s premium video catalog has grown over 140%, with a majority of those views coming from outside Korea which shows how well Korean content is consumed globally.  

From partnerships with top broadcasters and digital studios to providing notable local publishers ownership of their video strategy, Dailymotion is committed to continue its investment in the Korean market and working together with the industry.