J. Walter Thompson Casablanca have made Cannes Lions history this year by winning the first ever Lions awarded to any agency in Morocco with KitKat “Break The Speed” campaign for Nestlé Tunisie Distribution, at the Cannes Lions Festival.  This evening the agency picked up a Gold Lion and a campaign Silver Lion in the Industry Craft category, only the second and third Lions ever awarded to work by a Moroccan agency. Last night the agency also won a campaign Bronze Lion in the Outdoor category marking the first ever Cannes Lions award for creative work in the market. The four executions in the awarded campaign are called “Street”, “Factory”, “Office” and “Metro Station”.  

A Cannes Lions award is considered the global benchmark for creative excellence, honoring the best work and brightest thinking in marketing communications today. The Outdoor Jury primarily looks at the strength of the creative idea and its execution. 

The “Break The Speed” campaign tackled the fast world we live in today, visually demonstrating that with a KitKat, no matter how fast the world around us might be, we can always make time to stop and have a break.  Illustrating speed through a stop-motion type technique, the treatment exposed the subject and their environment in full detail across one segment of the billboard. The remaining space was treated as background, with the character’s spatial scenario bleeding left and right into a visually arresting representation of speed lines.

Commenting on the wins, Hazem Kaddour, Managing Director of J. Walter Thompson Casablanca said, “Break The Speed created a lasting impression due to its relevance in peoples’ everyday lives. The fascinating way the KitKat story was told - simply yet beautifully – makes us even prouder. I am also extremely proud of how JWT’s adaptability and agility meant the client’s needs were met by a team in Casablanca. The historic wins - first ever Gold, Silver and Bronze Lions for Morocco – is something the entire nation can be proud of.”

“Break The Speed” was specifically designed for Tunisia, where KitKat is not as well-known as in other markets around the world, yet the pressures of everyday life meant all Tunisians could relate to the brand’s proposition.  

JWT Casablanca’s creative director, Mohamed Oudaha explained, “Pushing creative boundaries for relevance with consumers is something we are always trying to do. Our markets deserve work that is not only creative but also award-winning. A Moroccan agency’s first lions, plus a Gold, is a great moment for everyone:  KitKat, Nestlé, JWT and Moroccans. It means we have finally put Morocco on the creative map and represents everything to the agency team.”

Ramsey Naja, Chief Creative Officer for J. Walter Thompson in the Middle East and Africa added, “I love it when offices box above their weight. Tiny team, huge ambition, and a relentless determination to bring fame to our brands – that’s JWT Casablanca for you. Their enthusiasm is infectious and their ability to push the envelope frankly inspiring. What a great bunch.”

J. Walter Thompson’s partnership with Nestlé began some 85 years ago, and the agency’s work for KitKat has played a significant role in the brand being named one of the most influential candy bars of all time, by Time magazine.

Ogilvy has announced the findings of the 2018 Global Media Influence Survey at the Cannes Lions Festival, which revealed trust in traditional media as a source for news has declined 22 percent since 2016. The survey of over 350 journalists worldwide found that these shifts will likely lead to more collaborations between traditional and social media in the coming years, as both confront ongoing challenges to consumer trust. 

“Traditional news outlets are alive and well, but their partnerships with social media will have to continue to evolve,” said Jennifer Risi, Worldwide Chief Communications Officer at Ogilvy. “It is increasingly clear that traditional media will have to collaborate across channels, and those integrations with social media will be key to their ability to drive authentic, transparent communications going forward.” 

Trust in traditional media has declined overall from 72% in 2016 to 50% this year. The survey also found that an overwhelming majority of journalists (68%) believe it is the responsibility of both the news industry and social media giants, like Facebook, to combat media “echo chambers.” By contrast, only 24% of those surveyed believe it is the individual responsibility of consumers to diversify their news sources. 

This is the 5th edition of the annual survey of 363 reporters and editors around the globe, conducted by Ogilvy’s Media Influence team members in 22 offices across North America, EMEA and Asia Pacific (APAC).

Additional key findings: 

•In North America, traditional media is followed by social as the most trusted news source at 17%, an increase from 12% in 2017. In EMEA and APAC, owned content such as company websites and press releases are the second most trusted at 34% and 24%, respectively, compared to 10% and 11% for social media.

•The number of journalists expecting to see more collaboration between traditional and social media moving forward increased to 38%, up from 24% in 2017. This exceeds the belief that consumers will grow more willing to pay for their news from verified sources (26%).

•Respondents in North America and EMEA believe social media giants bear the most responsibility for combatting media echo chambers (35% and 33%), while APAC journalists believe the news industry should rethink its for-profit business model (47%). 

•As traditional media continues to adapt, more than 6 in 10 journalists believe online news will surpass TV as the number one news source within the next 5 years. North American respondents believe it will take longer (3-5 years) than EMEA and APAC (1-2 years). 

•When asked to look five years ahead, journalists said they predict Artificial Intelligence will be the most adopted media innovation [51%] more so than augmented reality [37%].

Now in its fifth year, Ogilvy’s annual global media survey is quickly becoming an indispensable industry resource. Ogilvy will announce results from the second half of the survey later this summer.

Francesca Ciaudano, one of the most valued and known marketers in the regional automotive industry, has recently joined Nissan’s Middle East Headquarters in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

With a career spanning over 15 years, Francesca has been appointed as the General Manager of Marketing Communications for Nissan Middle East. She will report directly to Juergen Schmitz, Nissan Middle East’s Managing Director.

“Nissan continues to excel and reach new heights globally and regionally. We take pride in our efforts and achievements and are constantly exploring methods to amplify the work we do here in the region, which largely contributes to Nissan’s business growth and brand reputation. We’re excited to have Francesca join the team, and are confident that she, armed with her extensive industry experience, will be fundamental in narrating Nissan’s story within the community,” says Juergen.

Nissan Middle East has taken great strides in its contribution to the region, with its recent appointment as Official Automotive Partner for Expo 2020 Dubai, allowing it the opportunity to accelerate the electrification of mobility in the region and showcase Nissan’s expertise in electric vehicles and next generation cars featuring advanced technologies.

“Francesca will oversee and be responsible for all of Nissan’s regional marketing communications activities. Her successful journey in the marketing and automotive industries to date makes her a valuable addition to the Nissan workforce,” added Juergen.

Speaking about her appointment, Francesca said, “I am a firm believer in constant innovation and in creating memorable brand experiences for consumers. I am therefore excited to join Nissan and become part its successful journey in the region, as it evolves its Intelligent Mobility strategy. My position covers the full spectrum of marketing communications activity and, throughout all the different aspects of my role, I will be dedicated to driving innovative, personalized and customer-centric marketing communications.”

Francesca, with a Bachelor (honors) in Marketing and Business Communication and a Masters in Marketing Management, brings with her over 15 years of experience and a passion for success. She was recognized as Marketer of the Year by the EFFIE MENA in 2014. Francesca joins Nissan from Infiniti where she joined the brand in 2007. Francesca held the position of General Manager – Marketing & Public Relations in the Middle East before shifting to her current role at Nissan Middle East.

LinkedIn, the world’s largest professional network has announced the launch of carousel for Sponsored Content, a new way for a brand to tell its story and to interact with its target audience on LinkedIn.

In a single carousel ad, marketers will be able to feature a swipeable series of up to 10 cards and can customize each card. With this additional space, businesses have the flexibility to share more content and create higher-quality interactions with their audience. Because carousel ads are interactive and have eye-catching visuals, they stand out in the newsfeed - the stories become tangible and encourages the target audience to engage with the brand on both desktop and mobile.

According to a LinkedIn study, 75 percent of beta advertisers said they will use carousel ads in their next Sponsored Content campaign, largely because they are seeing increased engagement and click-through rates. “With B2B marketing manifesting itself in online platforms, marketers have been limited to get their ad-derived messages across through a single post. However, the native carousel ads are the next step in the continued evolution of LinkedIn Sponsored Content to help businesses humanize their B2B marketing efforts and foster a deeper connection with their audience,” said Ziad Rahhal, Head of LinkedIn’s Marketing Solutions in MENA. “Marketers understand that success depends on the ability to prove ROI. In addition to the standard metrics, like click-through rates and number of leads for an ad unit, with carousel, marketers will also be able to see clicks and impressions by individual card.”

With LinkedIn Carousel Ads, marketers can:

Tell a complete brand story

In a single Carousel Ad, users can feature a swipeable series of up to 10 cards and customize each card. With this additional space, users have the flexibility to share more content and create higher-quality interactions with their audience. Further, carousel ads enable users to tell a deeper story, showcase multiple offerings at once, feature a single offering in depth, and share industry insights.

Command the attention of a professional audience

Carousel Ads are interactive and have eye-catching visuals, which makes them stand out in the newsfeed. Stories become tangible and encourage engagement with the brand on both desktop and mobile.

Drive results for business goals

Like all LinkedIn marketing products, Carousel Ads allow advertisers to leverage LinkedIn’s robust targeting and reporting capabilities, so they can better understand the ROI of their campaigns. In addition to the standard metrics, like click-through rates and number of leads, marketers can measure for an ad unit and see clicks and impressions by individual card. The feature currently offers downloadable reports.

Since its beta launch, over 300 advertisers, like Hewlett-Packard Enterprise, RBC, and Volvo Canada, have used Carousel Ads to create fun and informative campaigns to tell stories about their company, products and services, industry, and more. Seventy-five percent (75%) of beta advertisers said that they will use Carousel Ads in their next Sponsored Content campaign, largely due to seeing increased engagement and click-through rates. Carousel Ads for Sponsored Content is now available to all businesses.

The second edition of the IMD World Digital Competitiveness Ranking 2018saw a slight improvement in the global ranking of the UAE, allowing it to reach 17thplace, and lead its Arab neighbours in the report. 

The IMD World Digital Competitiveness Ranking 2018 studies 63 economies. This year the majority (29) of countries in the study experienced an improvement in their level of digital competitiveness. About 40% of the sample (26 countries) show a decline while only eight economies remain in the same position. These changes are not geographically focused. Improvements and declines occur across continents.\

The UAE’s improved ranking in digital competitiveness comes as a result of the country’s continued developments and increase adoption of digital strategies in various projects and initiatives implemented across UAE. 

The country ranks 1stglobally in Business Agility, a subfactor of the “Future Readiness” indicator, and 3rdglobally in Regulatory Framework, a subfactor of the “Technology” indicator. The UAE also ranks 4thglobally in Talent, a subfactor for the “Knowledge” indicator. All of which are major factors in the application and widening of the use of digitalization and in determining a country’s future readiness, which in turn reflects on the way we work, live, and the way we do business. 

ProfessorArturo Bris, Director of the IMD World Competitiveness Center, notes that“The UAE improves its overall digital ranking in 2018, to reach 17th place. Although this is a slight increase, we see some good performance in various sub-factors included in the report. By strengthening aspects related to Scientific Concentration and Training & Education the UAE ranking will improve in the long-term.”

“In Business Agility and Regulatory Framework, the UAE ranks high. These two sub-factors are crucial for improving digital competitiveness”, he added.

Globally, despite challenge from Asia, "The West" leads in digital - US, Canada and seven European countries in top 10. The USA leads the IMD World Digital Competitiveness Ranking, followed by Singapore, Sweden, Denmark and Switzerland. Rising from the 3rdspot, the USA overtakes Singapore and Sweden to top the ranking. 

Regionally, the IMD World Digital Competitiveness Ranking 2018 shows a pronounced gap in the digitalization of the region. The UAE is the highest-ranking country (17th) in the region, it slightly improves (one ranking) mainly due to progress in all components of the technology factor in particular in the technological framework sub-factor. While the digitalization gap widens slightly between the UAE, and the second ranking economy in the region, Qatar at 28th, it sharply broadens with the fourth, Saudi Arabia at 42nd. Qatar remains stable in the overall ranking but gains in the availability of relevant talent and business agility; whereas Saudi Arabia declines largely because of downturns in training and education, technological framework and all the components of future readiness. Jordan ranks the lowest in the region despite greatly improving from 56thto 45th.

Results show that several countries are experiencing an “adaptive imbalance” or a mismatch between high levels of training and education, and the attitudes toward embracing digitalization; among these economies, we note Austria, Malaysia and Russia. For instance, while in training and education Austria ranks 7thand Russia 12th, their performance in embracing new technologies (25thand 39thin adaptive attitudes) is relatively low.  

In the overall ranking, Singapore drops from 1stto 2nd position. It reaches 1stplace in the knowledge and technology factors, and 15thin future readiness. Seemingly, despite Singapore’s high level of training and education, and an environment conducive to digitalization, society’s attitudes toward the adoption of technologies and the agility of business to take advantage of digital transformation, are relatively low (20thand 18threspectively). 

In 3rdplace dropping from 2nd, Sweden shows a balanced scorecard. At the factor level, it ranks 7thin knowledge, 5thin technology and 5thin future readiness. The rather low performance in some of the knowledge components may be at the core of Sweden’s decline in the ranking. It ranks 20thin higher education achievement (down from 18th) and 23rdin the percentage of graduates in sciences (down from 20th). Denmark improves its overall digital position from 5thto 4th. It ranks 8thin knowledge, 10thin technology and 1stin future readiness. The country boosts its performance (or remains stable) across eight of the nine sub-factors only dropping in adaptive attitudes (from 1stto 5th). Its highest rank is in training and education (3rd) and its lowest in capital (22nd). Switzerland joins the top five reaching 5thplace from 8th. This improvement comes on the back of an advancement in the future readiness factor, increasing from 13thto 10thplace. The country, however, experiences some declines in the knowledge and technology factors (from 4thto 6thand 8thto 9th, respectively). Norway, Finland, Canada, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom complete the top 10.

Introduced for the first time in May 2017, the ranking quantifies the rapid technological transformations that countries are undergoing, providing a tool for decision-makers in the public and private sectors to interpret and address these changes. 

The objective of the digital competitiveness ranking is to assess the extent to which a country adopts and explores digital technologies leading to transformation in government practices, business models and society in general. In addition it provides firms the ability to find better opportunities to strengthen future value creation. The ranking draws upon 50 selected indicators divided into three factors: Knowledge, Technology and Future Readiness. The knowledge factor refers to intangible infrastructure, which underlines the process of digital transformation through the discovery, understanding and learning of new technologies. The technology factor assesses the overall context through which the development of digital technologies is enabled (technology-friendly regulation, availability of capital for investments and the technological infrastructure). Finally, the future readiness factor examines the degree of technology adoption by government, business and society in general.

‘Hard’ data such as number of patents grants in high-tech sectors and smartphone usage are weighted twice as much as the ‘soft’ data from our Executive Opinion Survey that measures the business perception of issues such as technology regulation and use of big data and analytics in companies.

The IMD World Competitiveness Centeris a research group at IMD business school in Switzerland with 30-years of research expertise in the field of country competitiveness.

On 20 June, the IMD World Competitiveness Center will present the IMD World Digital Ranking 2018 on the occasion of the Digital Competitiveness Summit 2018, hosted at IMD with digitalswitzerland. 

Luxury automotive brand Genesis is expanding its partnership with Great Big Story by renewing its exclusive yearlong sponsorship of the Origins channel and the creation of a fellowship program dedicated to supporting and showcasing emerging film-makers.

This unique partnership began its quest back in 2016 with Genesis serving as the launch partner of Great Big Story’s Origins channel of micro-documentary films, which explore the unexpected history of things from design, to food, to pop culture. Since then, the Genesis brand has been associated with over 50 Origins videos from Great Big Story delving into topics from Comic Sans: The Man Behind The World’s Most Contentious Font to Brewing Korea’s Favorite Drink from a 300-Year-Old Recipe as well as branded content about Genesis’s own origin story and how it draws inspiration from Korea’s legacy and heritage.

The expanded partnership created by CNN International Commercial (CNNIC) sees the Genesis brand integrated into Origins over the next 12 months, featuring as sponsor on all Origins editorial films. Two branded content videos produced by CNNIC’s global brand studio Create will delve into Genesis and what it stands for.  All content will run across Great Big Story’s platforms and social accounts reaching over 10 million fans around the world and targeted to Genesis’s key audiences.

In addition, the partnership sees the creation of the Genesis Student Film Fellowship - a programme offering two college students $20,000 grants to support the production of their very own micro documentaries, which will premiere before public audiences at select international film festivals Fall 2018. The fellows selected from the University of Texas Austin and the Korean National University of Arts will grow their filmmaking skills and experience through professional mentoring and project oversight from dedicated Great Big Story producers.

“Genesis is a long-standing partner of CNN’s, and we are committed to build on this robust partnership to align the DNA of the luxury brand with the immersive storytelling from Great Big Story. Building on the success of Origins, our collaboration this time is powered by in-depth audience insight and tailor-made to deliver tangible benefits through a smart combination of branded content across Great Big Story platforms along with the exciting addition of the Genesis Student Film Fellowship” said Sunita Rajan, Senior Vice President, Advertising Sales, Asia Pacific, CNN International Commercial.

“In the first year of partnership with Great Big Story, Genesis unfolded stories of diverse cultures and values,” said Manfred Fitzgerald, Head of Genesis Brand. “In our second year of this partnership, we are very excited to endorse a student fellowship program. As a brand that values culture and lifestyle, we are hoping that Genesis and aspiring filmmakers can open new doors to discovering remarkable stories.”

The success and popularity of the Origins channel is directly attributed to our fans’ desire to see the world from a different perspective and Great Big Story’s uncanny ability to satisfy that desire through cinematic cross-cultural storytelling,” said Uyen Tieu, SVP and General Manager of Great Big Story. “Whether you are a native English speaker watching from Western Europe or a Spanish-speaking South American, you’re likely to identify with an Origins story because of its uniqueness, quality and ability to leave a lasting impression. It’s no surprise we see engagement rates for these stories hovering between 70-80 percent, on average.

The U.S. screening of the Student Film Fellowship projects will take place at the Rollins Theatre during the 25th annual Austin Film Festival (October 25 – November 1), followed by a filmmaker Q&A to discuss the Fellowship projects with attendees. Additionally, a special screening for the fellows will take place in South Korea at the Busan International Film Festival (October 4 – 13). 

The latest mobile phone innovation by Infinix is poised to hit the Middle East and Africa later this month at a glamorous unveiling event at Dubai’s Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building.

Infinix, the TRANSSION Holdings premium smartphone brand, will partner with Google to deliver a “Beyond Intelligent” device. The all-new Infinix Note 5 is part of Android One program, designed to deliver the best Android OS experience powered by artificial intelligence.

More than 200 guests are invited from around the region to join Infinix and Google in celebrating the launch of Note 5 with an unprecedented mobile experience. With the new device, users will be able to experience AI through applications like Google Assistant and Google Lens.

Following the brand’s debut in 2013, Infinix has gone from strength-to-strength in the region. Commenting on this success, Benjamin Jiang, Managing Director of Infinix Mobile said: “We believe that advanced technology with stylish look and feel is the perfect combination for customers eager to shape the world’s trends. Alongside Google, we are excited to share our latest product and journey at the launch event next week. We are committed to continue pushing the boundaries of innovation and allow users to enjoy and utilize the most advanced technologies available.”

During the launch event, guests will get an exclusive hands-on experience of the latest device before the official market release.

Executives think platforms should do more to combat fake news, are increasingly sceptical of social media and blame brands for adverts placed alongside inappropriate content – but they increasingly see news brands as a source of trusted content, according to a survey published today by Reuters Plus.

The third annual Tomorrow’s News survey, based on a new survey of 1,587 global executives, reveals that 87% of respondents think Google and Facebook should do more to control fake news, while 81% believe that Google and Facebook should be held accountable for content.

The survey – commissioned by the branded content studio of the world's largest international multimedia news provider – also finds that three out of four executives claim to have seen brands advertising alongside unsavoury or objectionable stories or videos, and 77% agree that advertising next to inappropriate content can damage the perception of a brand. Furthermore, brands are held responsible for where adverts are placed: 62% agree that “brands have full control over where their advertising appears”.

The research – conducted by Synergy Research and Consulting – reveals that executives are growing increasingly sceptical of social media as a source of news: they are less trusting of news shared on social media (24% trust the source of news stories shared compared to 28% last year), share less (38% actively share news vs. 49% in 2017) and are concerned about fake news (85% say fake news has made them doubt news stories shared on social media).

Executives are also keen to burst their “filter bubbles”: 76% say personalisation narrows their views and 88% want to see a balance of content they like and dislike.

While the findings of the survey may present challenges for platforms and advertisers, there are encouraging results for news publishers. 80% of the executives surveyed agreed that “a news brand is a mark of quality on a story” and an increasing number believe that their news consumption will continue to grow (66%, up from 50% in 2016).

96% prefer factual and impartial news content. Executive are also more likely to turn to online news brands over social media for “opinions from respected anchors, reporters or journalists” (80% v. 17%) and to “obtain in depth analysis and opinion of a news story” (88% v. 12%).

Munira Ibrahim, Reuters SVP for Sales and Content Solutions, said; “Advertising agencies and tech companies alike are having to pay more attention to good governance and integrity. Executives are looking for factual and impartial content in a trusted environment and the findings of this research highlight the enduring importance of trusted brands in an era of fake news.”

Key findings also include:

77% agree that misplaced ads can damage the perception of a brand

62% think brands have full control over where their advertising appears

Two thirds of global executives are more likely to notice an advertiser if it appears on a trusted news site

87% think Google and Facebook should do more to control fake news, while 81% believe that Google and Facebook should be held accountable for content

Those who know only a little about some of the world’s more weird and wonderful magazines, will be aware that Grow Magazine is the most ‘quintessential cannabis horticulture magazine’ in the world, available in all 50 US states, and Canada. This does beg the question: why did Facebook decide to give its first official magazine the same name? More pertinently, why did the social media platform, which insists it’s not a publisher, decide to put out a magazine at all?

The launch issue of Grow, “a quarterly magazine for business leaders” - by Facebook - quietly made its appearance in business class lounges at Heathrow and a few more exclusive spots in and around London in early June. Simply labelled as ‘Issue one’ the large format magazine runs a white on black cover image of Swedish retail “guru” Oscar Olsson, who is - according to the magazine’s cover line - “H&M’s millennial whisperer”.

Nicola Mendelsohn, CBE, Europe, Middle East and Africa vice president of Facebook, writes in her forward note that Grow “started life at a small event in the English countryside about a half year ago”. The event she refers to was an off-site gathering organised by Facebook in an idyllic Soho Farmhouse in rural Oxfordshire, a private members club set in 100 acres of rolling countryside. The two day offsite, which combined conferences and presentations with activities and fine dining, was the second annual event of its sort. During this particular one they decided to launch a print magazine.

The first magazine, explains Mendelsohn, explores niche brands - “one of the most interesting business stories of the past couple of years”

Financing the magazine, the print-run, distribution policy, target audience and future editorial themes seem to be a tightly guarded secret. When approached to shed more light, editor-in-chief Kate Maxwell, former group editorial director at Soho House & Co, said Facebook’s “comms team… need to approve this (information).” They did not.

Grow exists in a digital format as well, described as “a thought leadership platform that shines a light on people, companies and trends challenging the status quo”, although the digital destination is pretty hard to find. Consider the url you need to reach it: facebook.com/business/m/grow. If we attempt to find it via Google, chances are you’re more likely to find information on how to grow your own cannabis. There is no mention of the print magazine on the digital platform.

Facebook is not the first huge digital platform to dabble into print. Home rental platform Airbnb launched Pineapple Magazine as far back as November 2014. At the time publisher Christopher Lukezic declared that “print is still the best medium for telling stories in words and photographs.” This magazine was also named after a weird and wonderful existing one. Wait for it - Pineapple Magazine: the “leading cannaculture lifestyle resource exploring issues of hemp, health, and happiness”. 

At the time the rationale for Airbnb’s print product was “to inspire existing customers to travel and explore more, while also bulking-up the Airbnb brand. ”Published in-house and also free of advertising, it was self funded. Only one issue appeared, reportedly because the budget was slashed to focus on other marketing initiatives. However, industry insiders said sloppy editorial focus was a huge contributing factor.

Airbnb executives - very soon after the publication of the 128-page glossy Pineapple - started talks with Hearst to launch Airbnbmag. The massively more modest new 28-page magazine took 18 months to launch (in November 2016) but is still in existence. You can even subscribe to four annual issues at $15. 

While some of the editorial content in Grow is interesting, like how “the world's largest spirits producer learned to think small”, some features seem to be insignificant, like Paris’ start-up scene, which is - apparently - in “a battle with London for the European tech crown”. Or an article with child-like illustrations about the “Recipe for the perfect disruptor” referencing vague ingredients such as ‘vigour’, ‘pasion’, ‘clarity’ and ‘grit’, that might wing it front-of-book in an EasyJet inflight magazine. Even the cover story lacks form and focus, although the photography is excellent (and looks rather costly).

Will Facebook’s launch issue also go up in (cannabis) smoke, or survive? There are some who are particularly excited about it. On observing the “supersize” magazine on “massive display bookshelves” at Heathrow Airport, Juan Señor, president of Innovation Media Consulting and visiting fellow at the Reuters Institute, Oxford University, exclaimed via his social media plaforms: “When the world’s biggest digital social media platform wants to associate its brand with credibility, it launches a print magazine… but wait… isn’t print dead? Didn’t Facebook kill it off?”

Certainly not. As for Facebook’s foray into print publishing, questions remain. How was it funded and who signed off on it? Crucially, what does Mark Zuckerberg think of it? Considering, he’s the one who maintains Facebook is not a publisher.

Source: FIPP

With online advertising investment reaching an all-time high, it is important that brands tailor their digital strategy this year to better address their customers' needs.

Ramadan is the most sacred month of the year for Muslims, and is a period during which Muslims fast every day from dawn to sunset.  It is also a period during which consumers spend more money on regular household items such as food, drinks, and groceries. According to the 2016/2017 YouGov research, 53% of customers in the UAE, KSA & Egypt were reported to have increased their overall spending during the month of Ramadan. The industries benefitting the most include FMCG, Entertainment, and Travel & Tourism.

Traditionally brands would push TV advertising heavily during Ramadan, but the evolution of online advertising has disrupted this pattern. Consumer behaviour shifts during Ramadan with a significant increase in time spent online. With online advertising investment reaching an all-time high, it is important that brands tailor their digital strategy this year to better address their customers' needs. 

Below are a few tips from Naguib Toihiri, Head of Marketing at RBBi on how brands can run impactful campaigns. This includes: 

1- Empathizing with users by localising content

Arabic is the 4th most used language online and it’s one of the 10 most searched languages globally. When it comes to e-commerce, users prefer purchasing in their native languages. Unfortunately, Arabic represents less than 1% of the content published online, creating a gap with the user’s expectations.

Brands must localise their content by using formal Arabic or choose the appropriate dialect.

One way to localise content is to ensure high-quality translation from native speakers that fits the cultural context of Arabic users. For example, the word “tomato” can be localised in four different versions for the UAE (طماطم), Lebanon (بندورة), Egypt (أوطة) and Morocco (مطيشة).

With more than 173 million Arabic users online, brands can have a competitive advantage in the region by localising their content. 

2- Increasing visibility by optimising a website for mobile use

Mobile devices have a very high penetration rate across the Gulf States. 77% of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states’ population are mobile users.

According to Google, during the month of Ramadan mobile searches account to approximately 5% more than the average mobile search conducted across other months. This means ensuring websites are mobile friendly is even more important in this region. 

One way to optimise websites for mobile is to improve the page load time by reducing the size of the website images. A mobile-friendly website offers a better user experience and will allow users to engage more with the content.

3- Maximising user engagement through quality video content

Consumers watch a wide range of content during Ramadan, especially around entertainment, food and lifestyle.

Moreover, working hours are shorter during Ramadan, so users spend more time online watching videos. YouTube studies in Saudi Arabia report an increase in viewership during Ramadan (by 6% in daily watch time), while TV experiences an overall drop (by -37% in daily watch time).

Ramadan represents a real opportunity for marketers to engage with their customers in the region. 

One way to optimise video content online is to provide quality content that engages a user. Instead of placing increased focus on brand promotion, it is important that more focus is placed on providing relevant information that adds value (e.g. recipes, culinary skills and cooking tips for FMCGs).

The use of rich content such as video is an opportunity for brands to improve engagement during the holy month of Ramadan.