Sme advisor issue 127

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ISSUE 127 MONTHLY FOCUS: MEDIA SECTOR

20 In conversation with Caroline Faraj, Vice President – Arab Services, CNN.

40 Inside Instagram’s game plan for digital domination.

54 Here’s how Careem came up with its brilliant advertising campaign.

Amr Hussein's digital platform is fuelling the growth of visual artists, empowering local talent and producing compelling content

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Our partnership with NBAD helped fuel Metra’s growth.

Mohammed Eissa, Executive Vice President, Metra Computer Group

Since 1982 Metra has been connecting technology solution providers with vendors, identifying markets and technologies that shape the IT industry. Today, the company is one of the leading distributors in IT sales, marketing and logistics in the Middle East.

When Metra decided to roll out their expansion plans NBAD created innovative financial solutions to meet their demands in financing, treasury, wealth and cash management.

At NBAD we believe that the true success of a business is partnership. With our regional expertise and global reach across the dynamic West-East trade corridor, you can count on us to partner you to the next level of success.

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#TheMissingMiddle

STEP INTO THE FUTURE Cairo means business...

The setting for a world-class SME dialogue 12:00 PM, September 26th, 2016

The Ritz Carlton Hotel, Cairo

Block your diaries now - and prepare to re-write your business success SME Beyond Borders #TheMissingMiddle – it’s history in the making

SME Advisor Middle East is aimed at business owners and senior executives across the GCC. Armed with practical advice, it has been highlighting key business issues for the small and medium enterprise segment since its launch in 2005.

The magazine addresses real issues faced by business decision makers, without resorting to jargon.

We understand that often, in small and medium enterprises, specialist business decisions are made by the owners and not by an army of c-level executives. At the same time, our content is equally relevant and useful for specialist, senior executives in mid-level enterprises.

The magazine style is consumer, conversational and colourful.

Co Founder and CEO Nadeem Hood

Co Founder and COO Georgina Larsen

Head of Content Paul Godfrey paul@cpibusiness.net

Editor in Chief Rushika Bhatia rushika@cpibusiness.net

Deputy Editor Beth Burrows beth@cpibusiness.net

Relationship Director Mark O’Hara mark@cpibusiness.net

Relationship Manager Freshia Mistry freshia@cpibusiness.net

Relationship Delivery Manager Mrudula Vempuluru vem@cpibusiness.net

Creative Director Sam Birouty

Designer Solomon Arthur

From The Web

Verizon buys Yahoo’s core Internet business US telecoms giant Verizon Communications bought Yahoo’s search and advertising operations for US$4.8bn. “Just over a year ago we acquired AOL to enhance our strategy of providing a cross-screen connection for consumers, creators and advertisers,” said Verizon Chairman and CEO Lowell McAdam.

“The acquisition of Yahoo will put Verizon in a highly competitive position as a top global mobile media company, and help accelerate our revenue stream in digital advertising.”

To read more about please visit: http://www.pinsentmasons.com/pdf/Brexit-checklist-what-next.pdf

CAREEM’s US$100mn investment in R&D This investment includes growing its team in UAE and Pakistan, and opening new R&D centres in Egypt and Germany – over the next five years. The investment will accelerate innovation in transportation-related technology infrastructure for the region. “The region has witnessed a surge in technological innovation and has become home to rapidly growing technology start-ups,” said Magnus Olsson, Co-founder and Chief Navigator, CAREEM. “CAREEM is committed to continue innovating to offer the region a safe and reliable transportation option. In order to do that, we have to double-down on R&D, which is why we have announced this investment.”

To read more about please visit: http://www.careem.com/dubai/node

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32% of businesses plan to evolve their retail operations into “omni businesses” by 2018 Published By: CPI Business FZ LLC Office 111, Building 4 Dubai Media City Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Contact Details: Tel: +971 4 433 2446 Email: info@cpibusiness.net Web: www.cpibusiness.net

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© Copyright 2016 CPI Business.

All rights reserved.

While the publishers have made every effort to ensure the accuracy of all information in this magazine, they will not be held responsible for any errors therein.

KPMG’s survey of over 400 consumer goods retail and manufacturing executives from 27 countries, including executives from the UAE, revealed that companies that want to secure competitive advantage are transforming themselves into fully integrated omni businesses.

Anurag Bajpai, Partner with KPMG in the Lower Gulf and Head of Retail, commented: “Our survey suggests that unless consumer businesses are laser-focused on the consumer, using data and analytics and technology to target, serve and customise products and experiences for a highly segmented customer base, they will fail.

Digital channels are already replacing bricks and mortar outlets – both here in the UAE and globally.”

To read more about please visit: https://home.kpmg.com/ae/en/home.html

Editor’s Note

Hidden heroes Given the size and scale of the regional media sector, we decided to dedicate yet another issue of SME Advisor to address important matters within the industry. In fact, we had the great good luck to have the likes of Dubai Media Incorporated and CNN join us as guest contributors. The reality is that they aren’t just media personalities – they are industry influencers leading a new wave of change. Armed with the learnings from these conversations, we assembled a wide range of features this month, from global content consumption trends by Instagram (pg. 40) to local viewership preferences by VOX Cinemas (pg.36). Here’s a handy infographic to guide you through this issue: Industry influencers: these are movers and shakers that have their finger on the pulse and are at the forefront of the sector.

RUSHIKA BHATIA EDITOR

Caroline Faraj, VP – Arab Services, CNN on pg. 20

Sarah Al Sayegh, Senior Director of Corporate Communications, Dubai Network Channels on pg. 24

Global trends: macro-level social and economic market signals that will impact the way the sector operates

Local trends: where the UAE’s media sector is headed and what’s in store for the future

The team at Instagram sets the scene on pg. 40

VOX Cinemas shares compelling insights on pg. 36

Case-studies: showcasing the stories of home-grown businesses that are proving to be disruptive forces in their respective media verticals

Christian Eid takes us through Careem’s creative ad campaign on pg. 54

Akanksha Goel’s whirlwind journey from start-up to star on pg. 60

Comic genius Amr Hussein unveils his revolutionary platform on pg. 66

Wonder woman Daria Solovieva’s mission to change the world on pg. 72

The highlight of this issue is the series of case studies we undertook – reaching out to businesses within the media landscape and mapping the peaks and pitfalls of their journey. The media industry is a changing world, after all, and nowhere are these changes more apparent than in their stories, ideas and challenges. Essentially, these are the hidden heroes, who don’t just talk the talk but also walk the walk.

Enjoy reading this issue of SME Advisor!

Contents

The economist’s view 014/ The celebrity factor – finding the right influencer 020/ CNN: the legacy of TV’s most valuable network

VIP majlis 024/ The evolution of an empire: the ascent of DMI

Editor’s roundtable

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TV VIEWERSHIP, RADIO LISTENERSHIP AND NEWSPAPER READERSHIP HAVE CHANGED A GREAT DEAL OVER RECENT YEARS

030/ Media in the UAE: a sit-down with top experts

Talking trends 036/ The enduring appeal of cinema – VOX Cinemas 040/ A picture is worth a thousand words

Business banking 044/ How to recover from failure and financial losses

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CONSUMERS WHO USE SEARCH ENGINES TO GAIN SOME INITIAL KNOWLEDGE OF A PRODUCT ARE MORE LIKELY TO TUNE IN TO SOCIAL MEDIA BEFORE A PURCHASE. COMPANIES THAT SPEND EFFECTIVELY ON SEARCH-ENGINE OPTIMISATION CAN EXPECT TO BENEFIT FROM A GREATER SOCIAL-MEDIA IMPACT, AS WELL.

Digitally disruptive 048/ Bridging the communication gap

Infographic of the month 052/ Top trends across media segments

Top change makers 054/ Inside Careem’s creative ad campaign 060/ From start-up to star: Socialize Agency

Start-up diaries 066/ Comic genius: Amr Hussein’s revolutionary platform

Making a difference 072/ Welcome, wonder woman

Organisation and structure 078/ The power of social media

Our exclusive on the lady leading CNN’s remarkable growth in the region Caroline Faraj, VP - Arab Services

20 36

Cameron Mitchell, CEO at Majid Al Futtaim Cinemas - VOX Cinemas, shares his outlook for the dynamic sector and highlights top trends

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24 Sara Al Sayegh, Senior Director of Corporate Communications at Dubai Network Channels shares the twists and turns that have shaped DMI’s stratospheric success

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A closer look at Instagram’s global phenomenon. #nofilter #smeexclusive

If you live in Dubai, you couldn’t have missed Careem’s creative campaign plastered across the city. Here’s how they did it...

54

We map the exciting entrepreneurial journey of Egyptian entrepreneur Amr Hussein - from the Middle East to Silicon Valley

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CONTENT CURATORS Presenting this month’s portfolio of industry specialists and thought leaders, who played a critical role in producing the feature content of our magazine and ensuring that we were more topical than ever.

““ CAROLINE FARAJ VICE PRESIDENT – ARAB SERVICES CNN

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SHAMIM KASSIBAWI MENA CEO SMC GROUP

Celebrities play a huge role in modern culture and global consumption patterns. Their endorsement and creative input brings attention and credibility to a brand in a way no other type of advertising can.

We’ve seen that the multiplicity of mediums has led to a better delivery of messages and to a wider audience, which is of course brilliant!

C O N T E N T C U R ATO R S 013

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DMI takes great care to ensure that the network evolves along with the media landscape, including new features such as digital, social media and advanced interactive platforms. It continuously develops a number of social networking channels with the aim of strengthening its mark in the ever growing media industry.

SARA AL SAYEGH SENIOR DIRECTOR OF CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS DUBAI NETWORK CHANNELS

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A big focus for cinema now is to ensure cinema experiences and offerings keep progressing and improving for customers.

CAMERON MITCHELL CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER MAJID AL FUTTAIM CINEMAS – VOX CINEMAS

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In moving from a newswire journalist to new entrepreneur my life has gone from altering in seconds and minutes to weeks and months.

DARIA SOLOVIEVA FOUNDER ELLA

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THE CELEBRITY FACTOR Shamim Kassibawi, MENA CEO of The SMC Group, investigates why it’s so important to find the right influencer for your brand.

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here is no doubt that today more than ever brands are pushing their advertising across every media platform, from newspapers, to billboards, to magazines and online.

Technology and the internet has enabled brands to advertise via mobile apps, and social pages. With so much competition and investment across media platforms, it is important for brands to be distinct and build an emotional connection with consumers.

Celebrity endorsement is the new way to do this.

Celebrities play a huge role in modern culture and global consumption patterns.

Their endorsement and creative input brings attention and credibility to a brand in a way no other type of advertising can. Many consumers believe that if a product is good enough for a star, it is good enough for them.

As a region that spends much free time in

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front of a screen – be it a TV, computer or smartphone - celebrity endorsements are of particular importance to brand success.

Take the aviation industry. Abu Dhabi’s flagship airline Etihad Airways partnered with Academy Award winning actress Nicole Kidman. Soon after we saw Jennifer Aniston sign a deal with Emirates Airlines. The carriers were clearly hoping the Hollywood touch would send their sales sky high. But here’s the million dollar question: how much influence do celebrity endorsements really have on our purchasing decisions?

It’s true, celebrity endorsements can reap huge rewards for a brand. But there are numerous pitfalls that companies should consider before entering an endorsement agreement. Celebrity endorsements are only successful when deeply rooted in a brand’s business objectives. It’s important to have a clear understanding of how the relationship

will be leveraged across key divisions of the company. Over the last couple of months, SMC Group has worked closely with brands and creative/PR agencies who have invested time and resources in defining the best strategy for developing a successful influencer program.

Our findings indicate that influencer programs that that are less transactional and more prosocial build better brand loyalty. It’s about creating a long-lasting engagement with the consumer.

It is not uncommon to hear brands complaining of influencer programs that don’t work. This is a direct result of campaigns based on a poor strategy, often developed by partner agencies or consultants that have recklessly advised them about working with celebrities. It is important for brands to explore new cost-effective ways to work with celebrities. When it comes to SMEs and start-ups using celebrities, many brands don’t have the budget to attract a ‘George Clooney’ or ‘Balqees Fathi’. It is crucial to work within your means and build an influencer program based on commercial constraints.

Today, influencers are being used across every industry, including fashion, F&B, travel, beauty and even electronics. What’s even more interesting is that we are seeing more influencer campaigns on digital platforms.

This is common as most influencers, including bloggers, have colossal digital footprints. Celebrities have even bigger ones.

Working with digital endorsement allows a brand to hit multiple touch points, reaching a far bigger audience than just one media channel alone. Regardless of the type of influencer or celebrity, digital is always going to be key in any activation.

Budgets for celebrity and influencer engagements vary, but usually start at US $1,000 and can go as high as US $10 million. Pricing mainly depends on the brand’s deliverables and the social standing of the talent. Celebrity endorsements are a multi-million dollar advertising trend that every brand is keen to jump on. While

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01. Rap star Akon advertising Pepsi 02. British personality and pop star Alesha Dixon is the face of a fragrance from Impulse

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There are millions of ways to engage consumers in a campaign; just make sure you punch within your weight. We are strong believers that there’s the perfect influencer for every brand – the important thing is figuring out who yours is

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research suggests that star endorsement increases sales, we need more discussion about the relationship between customer acquisition costs and the long-term value of celebrity endorsements. Brands that decide to engage with celebrities need to ensure they partner with the right one for their target audience. More importantly, they need a properly mapped out strategy that is affordable and successful.

Here are five questions that every brand or agency should ask before partnering with celebrities or engaging an influencer: 1. How will the success of this relationship be measured?

2. How sustainable is the initiative?

3. Do we have clear and realistic objectives?

4. What are the things we are not willing to compromise on?

5. Do I have the expertise needed to create and manage a celebrity relationship?

In an ideal world brands and agencies would consult with companies, like SMC

Group, from the very beginning. By doing so brands can craft their campaign using realistic and impactful engagement touch points. How do we make things better? I think it starts with education.

Knowing who does what and why is an important part of assessing any potential match. For example, if the success of your campaign relies heavily on PR, it’s essential that whoever you engage is enthusiastic about this aspect of the project. Our job would be to review a brand’s PR history and advise on how active and effective clients have previously been.

Also, brand tick-boxes - such as the activation territories, timelines, and fees can all weigh heavy on an initial discussion between parties. We’ve encountered previous cases where everything has been progressing as planned until someone realises production dates clash, or something equally frustrating.

Whole deals can fall apart due to one small oversight or confusion on deliverables.

Providing that the necessary steps are followed, finding the new face for your brand should be a relatively smooth and pain-free process. There are millions of ways to engage consumers in a campaign; just make sure you punch within your weight. We are strong believers that there’s the perfect influencer for every brand – the important thing is figuring out who yours is. Anything that doesn’t feel natural typically isn’t a good fit, and there’s no point in settling for something that won’t bring you both short and long term benefits.

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THE LEGACY OF TV’S MOST VALUABLE NETWORK SME Advisor exclusively speaks to Caroline Faraj, Vice President – Arab Services, CNN…

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Picture this: around the year 20002001, a young woman enters the region’s most prominent media community – Dubai Media City – with the ambition to create something that would revolutionise the sector. Armed with experience and enthusiasm, she is confident of what’s to come. In 2001, she carefully selects a team of professionals, who share her passion for the industry. Shortly after – in 2002, she launches her first office. Fast forward to today: she has expanded across two major offices in the UAE and has become the face of the regional media sector.

The network in case is none other than CNN and the lady leading this remarkable journey is Caroline Faraj. “When we initially started out, we knew we were doing something big but didn’t ever anticipate it completely reshaping the sector,” Caroline smiles. “Following the successful launch of our first office, we were fortunate enough to be able to open a second office in Abu Dhabi in 2008. Even though it is an extension of our Dubai branch, its offer is quite different. For instance, they don’t offer Arab service but

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they have customised programmes such as “Connect the World” that is broadcasted five times a week and focuses specifically on the Arab region. With the closing down of our office in Iraq, due to security reasons, Abu Dhabi has now come to the forefront and is playing a key role in the region.”

Caroline had set her sights on the UAE long before the inception of her first office.

Impressed by the vision of the country’s leadership and the level of freedom it offered, she knew it was the right thing to do. “Dubai is one of most vibrant cities in the region and is leading in terms of economic and social innovation. Almost every day, you get to learn something new or come across a creative idea. More importantly, it is critical to have the freedom to work – I mean this in terms of the style of editing we use, the content we create and so on. These were the key factors that encouraged us to operate out of the Dubai Media City freezone. We were also highly motivated by the many positive messages and guarantees given by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid during his interaction with the media.

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All of this strengthened our confidence to choose Dubai.”

“There couldn’t be a bigger testament to our choice of destination than the fact that after 15 years, CNN’s continues to operate out of Dubai; we are still enjoying our freedom and are reaching new heights without any barriers or restrictions.”

Content, conversations and controversy It is common practice for viewers to blame the medium and not the message. As a result, CNN – like many other TV networks does receive criticism for some of its content.

But for Caroline, it’s all part of the job. “Look you can never please everyone. Yes, we do have a small proportion of viewers that aren’t happy with some of the discussions we air.

We, however, focus on the larger audiences that are loyal to our network and enjoy our shows. At the end of the day, we are simply a platform to disseminate information based on facts. We host experts from different walks of life that share their opinions and experiences. We do not take one point of view and build on it. In fact, a lot of research goes into every story that we work with; our team spends a lot of time exploring all the angles of the story before it goes live. We never compromise on the integrity of any of our content,” she replies assertively.

Is it this commitment to the real story that sets CNN apart from its peers? “Yes! The difference between us and others is the quality of our content. We realise that we must deal with everyone’s views freely, everyone has an opinion, which they can deliver through television or social media, “fifth power” as some call them. Anyone can express their opinions on CNN, whether it’s in our favour or against us, but this does not mean that we turn a blind eye to content that is not healthy or use different labels in order to satisfy a group of people. We respect everyone’s point of view, give them space to express their opinion as they see true and appropriate, but at the same time explain

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our point of view on the subject, and if we go wrong, we apologise.”

Traditional vs. digital It is no secret that the way we consume content has undergone a dramatic transformation. People are increasingly opting for smartphones as their preferred screens and are looking for faster ways of content consumption. Does this mean that traditional media, as we know it, is dying a slow death? “Absolutely not. Studies continue to show the importance of TV, print, etc. and we have a loyal fan base that still tunes in to watch our leading shows,” Caroline explains.

Speaking of her strategy of adopting technology to improve CNN’s offer, she adds: “Our focus is to integrate emerging technological solutions into what we are already doing to provide viewers with a more immersive experience. It doesn’t mean we are completely replacing our traditional approach. It’s essentially a healthy marriage of the traditional and digital. We’ve seen that the multiplicity of mediums has led to a better delivery of messages and to a wider audience, which is of course brilliant!”

Small companies, big ambitions SMEs are often regarded as the backbone of the economy – contributing significantly to the region’s GDP and employment. How do they fit into the media landscape? To what extent does CNN support and nurture the growth of its smaller counterparts? “Several small enterprises and entrepreneurs provide us with a raft of services, and we work with them very closely. Alternatively, we are bringing a lot of new business in the limelight – giving them the exposure they need.

Supporting the growth of the SME sector is in fact one of our corporate objectives. We also have a page on CNN website which focuses on newly established institutions, successful small businesses and entrepreneurs. Using this platform, we highlight their experiences, success stories and the uniqueness of the services they offer. I truly believe that that they add a lot of value to the ecosystem because they are nimble, agile and innovative,” quips Caroline.

“In addition, we are working on several projects with universities, as well as with media cities and private business incubators in the region and beyond. This is a great

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way to exchange ideas and know-how,” she continues.

“We also provide intensive training courses to corporate executives – giving them professional advice on dealing with media institutions, how to ask the right messages that relate to their work and so on. We cooperate with many organisations to help small enterprises to use media and other the means of social communication in a better and more effective manner.”

entrepreneurs to be innovative and to think outside the box. Even if you are looking to take ideas from the West, make sure that you put your own spin on it and tweak it to suit the tastes of the local masses. You must strive to deliver what is new and modern, or provide a service that will genuinely help make a difference. I would also add that team spirit is key – working together as a community is vital for sustainable growth!”

Parting words of wisdoms Time flies – and we’ve approached the end of our meeting with Caroline. As we get ready to leave, we ask her if she has any advice for up and coming media entrepreneurs.

After all, it’s not very often that you get an opportunity to sit down with one of the most influential personalities in the regional media landscape.

“I know this has been said repeatedly but I strongly recommend aspirational

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Even if you are looking to take ideas from the West, make sure that you put your own spin on it and tweak it to suit the tastes of the local masses SME ADVISOR

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THE EVOLUTION OF AN EMPIRE If the SMEs featured within these pages are the lifeblood of Dubai media’s industry then DMI is the beating heart. An innovator, influencer and truly inspirational organisation, we chart the ascent of Dubai Media Incorporated over the last 13 years.

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ocals and long-term Dubai residents will recall, with nostalgia, the days of Dubai 33. Back in 1977 the free-to-air station was the only English-speaking, locally-produced TV channel. Flash forward four decades and the emirate abounds with entertainment options for every audience. There are ‘edutainment’ TV shows for children, radio stations for Russian-speakers and newspapers for Filipinos. In the emirate’s media machine no one is missed out. The powerhouse behind this unprecedented growth is Dubai Media Incorporated (DMI), the official broadcasting arm of Dubai government, as presided over

by Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, and Chairman of DMI. “Years ago, when we decided to build our knowledge-based economy, media was one of the major sectors that we considered.

Today, we see the fruits of our efforts manifested in the growing media community which makes our country a regional and international media hub,” his Excellency said at a DMI meeting in 2014. A testament to the government’s foresight, today the DMI portfolio includes seven TV channels, two radio stations, two newspapers and a logistics service. Bolstered by a merger

with Arab Media Group in 2009, DMI is now the largest government owned media group in the Middle East. In its 13 years of existence the organisation has weathered a recession and, more recently, the storm of the digital revolution, all the while remaining a lighthouse for aspiring SMEs. We talk to Sara Al Sayegh, Senior Director of Corporate Communications at Dubai Network Channels, about the twists and turns that have shaped DMI’s stratospheric success.

Sculpting a sector Sayegh joined DMI in 2004, just a year after its establishment; she is the perfect person to plot its origins and ascent. “A city and brand such as Dubai requires a multimedia broadcasting arm which endorses and promotes the full scope of the Emirate’s initiatives on a local, regional and global level,” she explains. By the turn of the millennia Dubai had made its mark on the world stage across many markets, but the lack of a dedicated governmental media facility was holding brand Dubai back.

Something had to be done.

“DMI was established as a governmentowned company in 2003 to fulfil this complex need. It carries this out through the creation of educational, engaging SME ADVISOR

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506

MIn/day

The global average consumption of media by 2017

and relevant content that inspires and enriches audiences and stakeholders, achieved through the provision of a range of print, radio and TV channels under its umbrella. ” Sayegh recalls. “DMI takes great care to ensure that the network evolves along with the media landscape, including new features such as digital, social media and advanced interactive platforms. It continuously develops a number of social networking channels with the aim of strengthening its mark in the ever growing and advancing media industry in the region,” the Director continues.

Rejuvenating and innovating This evolution Sayegh mentions was never an afterthought: development is in DMI’s DNA. As soon as the organisation was established it began renovating its offerings, starting with the stalwart Channel 33. Reinvigorated with new original and syndicated content from the western world, the station was rebranded as ‘Dubai One’, a 24-hour free-toair channel targeted at the expat and modern Arab communities. The transformation was a

huge success; it is one of the organisation’s greatest achievements to date.

“DMI has had two major milestones over the past 13 years. Since its inception in 2003, DMI has thoroughly transformed the Dubai media landscape, most notably through the revamp of its main channels including the re-launch of Dubai TV as a general entertainment and news channel targeting the Arab world, and the rejuvenation of Channel 33 through its re-launch as Dubai One,” asserts Sayegh. The repositioning of the station scored DMI an early win, but the Director mentions two major milestones.

What of the other one?

Last year DMI created Dubai Channels Network, a division of DMI devoted to developing its digital signature. “DCN has introduced channel segmentation, provided newer, upscale platforms and more refined content. It has also provided an enhancement of services across digital platforms, to futureproof the network and build towards the next stage of development,” explains Sayegh. The creation of DCN could not have been better timed: the Middle Eastern appetite for media content is growing by the minute.

Keeping up with the kids We are consuming more media than ever before. According to a 2015 study

by ZeinthOptimedia, by 2017 the global average consumption of media will hit 506 minutes per day. The Middle East already exceeds that, consuming an average of 656 minutes daily. As Fatma Al Remaihi, CEO of Doha Film Institute, explains, “the Pan-Arab media industry is growing faster than the economy, at about 19 per cent per year with both online and offline channels experiencing rapid expansion. This collaborative study provides a unique and valuable insight into the mindset of this region’s most important demographic: its young people. The findings also highlight the tremendous potential for growth of new media channels, as Middle Eastern

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governments move their economies away from dependence on natural resources to developing knowledge-based economies, and media in particular is a priority sector.”

Crucially, aside from our growing desire for content, our preference on how we engage is evolving. A new report by Northwestern University (NU-Q) in Qatar, in partnership with the Doha Film Institute (DFI) found that a majority of Arab nationals – six out of ten – watch entertainment online at least once a day. The UAE leads the trend, with a staggering 96 per cent majority. Crossing the border, KSA is equally wired: it has the highest YouTube consumption per capita globally. Online is where it’s at. But how does a huge organisation such as DMI stay nimble enough to adapt to constantly changing consumer behavior?

Unknown terrain “The greatest challenge is the one that we face at the moment. There is a rapidly changing viewership with evolving media habits that stems from their usage of the latest technology available, which utilises state-of-the-art media software and applications. To address this, we dedicate a lot of resources to conducting research into how customers use digital platforms in general. Media organisations require reliable information on how they are used,” Sayegh asserts.

“Television viewership, radio listenership and newspaper readership have changed a great deal over recent years. The media landscape has undergone significant and rapid change, the upshot of which is a greater degree of empowerment for viewers.

This empowerment is resulting in a greater degree of consumer choice. This includes the emergence of many more digital based media options, such as Netflix, Apple TV and Android TV; to name a few. Furthermore there is now a greater degree of content segmentation across multiple niches,” Sayegh explains. “Despite all of this great change, the print, radio and TV mediums

are still strong. However there is now an urgent need to focus on development geared towards the trend for greater viewer choice, and by extension their habitual usage of modern media,” she continues.

Print versus online Sayegh touches on print, something some argue is good only for wrapping fish and chips.

It is interesting to take a minute to look at the figures here. Throughout the Middle East more people are getting their news online than in print. But according to the aforementioned ZenithOptimedia study UAE residents are more partial to a newspaper than most of their Arab neighbours: daily newspaper readership is highest in Qatar (32 per cent), followed by the UAE (25 per cent).

The statistics may, in part, help explain the long-running success of Al Bayan, DMI’s flagship newspaper and the longest-running daily in the UAE. In an industry and SME ADVISOR

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Television viewership, radio listenership and newspaper readership have changed a great deal over recent years.

The media landscape has undergone significant and rapid change, the upshot of which is a greater degree of empowerment for viewers

region in the throes of the digital revolution, how has Al Bayan defended its position?

“It is true that newspaper readerships are declining around the world, meaning that newspapers need to remain extremely competitive to retain their audiences.

However, I strongly believe that newspapers have an important place in modern life – there is nothing quite like the feeling of starting the day with a crisp and fresh copy of Al Bayan newspaper and a hot, steaming cup of coffee,” Sayegh smiles.

“The physical newspaper still very much has a place in modern life. However Al Bayan newspaper is also a digital and social media platform pioneer and very much ahead of other national newspapers in the Emirate. It constantly endeavours to create and improve upon a series of interactive and engaging content initiatives for all of its readers,” Sayegh explains. Despite SME ADVISOR

being a key force behind DMI’s digital drive, the Director seems certain of the ongoing contribution print will make to the Middle East. That said, she has a word of warning to publishers who build their profits around advertising.

Trend watch “One key trend we anticipate is advertisers seeking a higher degree of accountability, relevance and interactivity. This is stemming from greater pressure on traditional paid media as advertisers increasingly diversify their planning across to digital, database marketing, event marketing, place-based media and even loyalty programs. There is a greater requirement for media companies who rely on advertisements to work on a strong digital and creative presence. These trends are already here and will intensify in the coming years, becoming an essential

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19% The rate at which the Pan-Arab media industry is growing

component for media companies that wish to remain competitive,” predicts Sayegh.

The Director has other predictions and prophesies. From her enlightened position tracking the daily developments of the media machine, you might just want to take note of them. “A number of innovative upcoming technologies are emerging to shake up the media landscape. These include state-of-theart media viewing platforms, such as the now well-known virtual reality we have become familiar with. These are now delivered more effectively as segmented on demand content, which is increasingly tailored to viewer needs and preferences. ‘Geomapping’ is also being used more. It conducts geographic studies of areas to analyse age, race, gender and other demographic variables. From this information a ‘remapping’ process is carried out which studies this information to learn about the target audience and follow their preferences,” the Director outlines.

Sayegh’s last tip on how was can track and monitor consumption is pretty mindboggling. Literally. “Neuroscience is gaining more popularity as a way of measuring viewer’s emotions and interests providing us with endless and interesting insights on which we can build on. Furthermore, smart devices have an increasing impact on the viewer experience, creating what we are now calling ‘smart viewing’. Through this, users can watch at their leisure and their convenience,” Sayegh explains, a font of knowledge on the latest developments in both the media and technology markets.

Eyes on the prize In the last 13 years Dubai, along with its local and international perception, has changed beyond recognition. This is thanks, in no small part, to DMI. The organisation has worked tirelessly to support, structure and strengthen the city’s media industry.

“Being the official broadcasting arm of the Dubai Government does not afford the luxury of resting on our laurels, as many might assume. To the contrary, a great degree of

heavy investment is made in research and development, with the aim of developing a greater understanding of how the media sector is evolving and of emerging industry trends. We take seriously the need to devote efforts into qualitative and quantitative studies to ensure that content of the highest possible quality is presented to our viewers.

This is as part of our wider efforts to realise our vision as the foremost media authority in the region,” enthuses Sayegh.

DMI’s efforts have not gone unnoticed; the organisation has been showered with accolades in recognition of the great work it is doing for brand Dubai. Its digital department was recently honoured with the Social Media Excellence Award by Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Mubarak Al Sabah, Emir of Kuwait, at the 15th Salem Al Ali Al Sabah Informatics Corporation Award. But DMI isn’t just winning awards on stages; it has cultivated a home in society’s hearts too. According to the NU-Q and DFI study, two-thirds of UAE citizens agree that government oversight helps produce quality entertainment. It’s a strong testament of DMI’s commitment to serving its people in the most effective way possible; the team should feel rightfully proud of their achievements. But, as Sayegh said, there is no time for self-congratulating.

With Expo 2020 - Dubai government’s magnum opus - less than four years away, DMI has its work cut out to deliver a city-wide media strategy that will capture and promote the emirate in all its greatness. From a personal and professional perspective, Sayegh can’t wait: “This is an exciting time for media, with the emirate soon to receive the crowning glory of Expo 2020. I am honoured to be part of its success.” All eyes will be watching. But how? Long gone are the days of Dubai’s single-channel champion, Channel 33. Come 2020, we’re guessing you’ll be able to catch the coverage on nearly as many platforms.

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MEDIA IN THE UAE: GAINING MOMENTUM FROM TRANSFORMATION It’s not very often that you get five of the region’s most influential business and media personalities sitting around one table – discussing the future of the industry.

But for this month’s Editor’s Roundtable, SME Advisor had the privilege of making this possible. We present excerpts from the thought-provoking discussion…

ROUNDTABLE PARTICIPANTS: KHADIJA AL BASTAKI, DIRECTOR OF BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT, DUBAI MEDIA CITY; AFRA AL MARAR, GENERAL MANAGER, TOASTER PRODUCTIONS; JASSIM AL BASTAKI, RENOWNED EMIRATI ENTREPRENEUR, BUSINESS OWNER AND HEAD OF EMIRATI ENTREPRENEURS’ ASSOCIATION; SULTAN AL SUWAIDI, EMIRATI ENTREPRENEUR AND FOUNDER OF VIDEO TUBE; AND KAMAL SALEH, FOUNDER, CHEE TAYEB TV.

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Being at the helm of Dubai Media City, you’ve had extensive experience within the industry. What is the current shape of the media landscape?

Khadija – The UAE, represented by the National Council for Media, has been issuing legislation and laws to bring in foreign companies and facilitate their start-up process. It is important to support the entry of new companies and nurture their growth.

At the same time, we have also conducted a comprehensive study of the requirements of running a media company successfully.

We’ve looked at the possibility of providing studios with the necessary equipment they require for production and tried to improve our level of interaction with the local market.

It is our objective to offer support to media companies at every step of the way.

What is the number of media institutions located in Dubai Media City?

Khadija – Dubai Media City was founded 15 years ago. Currently, about 2900

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media organisations reside within Dubai Media City, while the estimated number of studios in Dubai Studio City is between 500 and 700, as well as 250 publishing houses and printing in Dubai Production City.

Do you think the UAE is an attractive place to do business? Are there initiatives that encourage the growth of media entrepreneurs?

Jassim: I think the laws of the country – and Dubai in particular – have evolved significantly to support existing entrepreneurs and attract new businesses.

The governmental bodies of Dubai have always had a clear vision to attract international companies and nurture their growth by offering them the necessary infrastructure. Major media organisations such as Middle East Broadcasting (MBC), BBC Arabic and CNN have their offices in Dubai – this is a reflection of the fertile business environment. That’s not all. Dubai Government is also working with Dubai

Studio City to find solutions to reduce the costs of production companies. There are many such initiatives in the pipeline.

Khadija: There are several factors that attract entrepreneurs to work in the UAE. These include: the laws and regulations put in place to support businesses; the political and economic stability enjoyed by the UAE; the existence of the law of freezones helping companies start by offering several services such as full ownership, exemption from taxes and so on. In5 has been recently launched – an initiative dealing with small and medium projects including a platform for networking, financing and supporting entrepreneurs with distinctive ideas. There are a lot of initiatives that aim to encourage entrepreneurs to be innovative and undertake creative work.

What are some of the major challenges that media companies are faced with?

Jassim: There are some media companies that still aren’t able to reach their desired production levels and create sufficient quality content for their audiences.

There is also a lack of Emirati media entrepreneurs within the industry and this could be due to the lack of a media culture in the community. We need to encourage more students to take up media and generate opportunities for fresh talent to come to the forefront. There are several families that have a reservation with their children getting into the media field – and there need to be more events to promote awareness on the subject. On the other hand we see a preference for other areas of work such as fashion, catering and food in order to get a quick buck. We, as an association, are working towards educating entrepreneurs in terms of the raft of opportunities available within the media landscape.

Afra: I faced many problems in terms of persuading my parents of the importance of fulfilling my education to pursue a career within the media field. In fact, it was

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There are a lot of initiatives that aim to encourage entrepreneurs to be innovative and undertake creative work

only after four years of my graduation that I was able to convince them to work within the media sector.

Sultan, you’ve been in the industry for over 23 years. How has your experience been? What led you to start your own company?

Sultan: My career began with an Emirati magazine that specialises in Arabesque décor, where I worked for ten years.

Following that I founded Video Tube Company and I prefer dealing with independent staff because they work on a more affordable pay scale and enjoy flexible working. After the establishment of my company, I ventured into a slightly fresh area with a new idea; it was helping companies and institutions in the creation of channels on YouTube, where we put content which would benefit the company and market its objectives. Once these channels were up and running, we filmed

the entire production of the videos to be uploaded to these channels. This concept is popular in America and Europe, but is quickly picking up within this region as well – and we wanted to be pioneers in the field.

Do you ever encounter difficulties or challenges in the field of media work in Abu Dhabi?

Afra: We have a large number of Arab professionals living in Abu Dhabi. The working atmosphere between the media companies in Abu Dhabi is dominated by the spirit of collaboration as they work as a team and not as competitors; there are absolutely no reservations at work.

As a media company, when we need something, all we need to do is reach out to our network. You will find that a lot of companies meet demand quickly by simply interacting with each other, like one community, which I think is

fantastic! This has helped build better lines of communication and mutual understanding between many members of the media sector.

What is your take on funding within the media space?

Sultan: I relied on myself for funding my business. This is a major problem facing small and medium enterprises operating in the field of media. One of the problems faced by the newly emerging private companies that rely on personal finance is delayed payments from customers for their media services which leads to a slowdown in the growth of the company.

After all, cash is king and liquidity is an important aspect that affects business success. In my experience in working with other countries in the world such as Canada, I noticed that investors enjoy working with the European countries specifically when it comes to the SME ADVISOR

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The media field is definitely evolving and the several new trends are disrupting the way we think. A key aspect that will be a priority this year is the production of specialised videos

collection of payments because they are concerned with pay checks and payroll laws, and in case of delay they are able to make a complaint to collect the required amount.

Kamal: My experience has been slightly different – I do not face problems in collecting payments because I deal with private companies in a way which provides for the receipt of fifty per cent of the cost when you begin to work, so I’m secured before I start. In the event that the customer delays the payment of the amount outstanding, they will be charged a ten per cent tax for a week’s delay.

This makes it easier to deal with private companies and gain commitment from them in terms of payment.

Are we ready, in terms of production, to compete globally? What are some of the key trends you see emerging?

Khadija: The media field is definitely evolving and the several new trends are disrupting the way we think. A key aspect, however, that will be a priority this year

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is the production of specialised videos.

Dubai, as a city, is always evolving as well.

There are several regional and international exhibitions held every two or three years to address several areas of the media landscape – from the printing industry to the packaging industry. The role of Dubai in the media space is reinforced through its participation in such large-scale events.

Companies that specialise in the field of media are also invited to participate in such events and seminars. This creates a platform for open dialogue to discuss areas such as content, socio-economic developments and so on.

The Ministry of Economy also organises several events and conferences throughout the year to help both corporates and SMEs to expand their projects outside the UAE, whether they are service-oriented firms or focused on the export of media content and printing. The government has recently worked to support innovation and creativity by hosting several policy forums. This has resulted in the emergence of creative content to compete on a global level. There are several projects produced in the UAE or in the Arab region that have been able to access the global market; these people began as employees and then moved on to create a simple company, but they were able to access and achieve success because of governmental support.

What efforts are being made to generate media opportunities for Emirati entrepreneurs?

Jassim: The greatest support for entrepreneurs was by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, wherein he arranged to meet with many of the entrepreneurs, journalists and assess their efforts and provide necessary support.

In terms of SMEs, there are clear rules and regulations, institutions and free zones that have been put into place to drive their success and nurture their growth. One of the most critical problems that they face is

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the cost of production, and as I mentioned earlier, senior officials are seeking to solve this problem by providing mentorship services. That’s not all. They are also working to connecting SMEs to the right external stakeholders provided by the governments of Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

With regards to Emirati entrepreneurs, I believe the primary challenge is the lack of media culture, and thus the most appropriate solution is to hold workshops and seminars to raise awareness among entrepreneurs and educate them to become ready to get into the field of media. This is done in cooperation between the different prominent governmental agencies including: Dubai Trade, Khalifa Fund, Mohammed bin Rashid, Dubai Media City and TwoFour54. We must develop this culture and to follow some of the steps undertaken by the developed world.

Afra: Despite the existence of state-ofthe-art facilities, we find reluctance in young Emiratis, and this can be attributed to the

lack of media culture and its absence from the UAE society, such as working as a director or producer and find the right staff. Many entrepreneurs believe that the establishment of a production company requires hiring crew action, without the follow-up work in the field, but simply sitting in the office and hiring professionals to do all the field work doesn’t get you success. As a business owner, you need to be able to grasp all the technical realities of the media world.

Khadija: When undertaking mediarelated studies at the university, I think students aren’t fully able to grasp an accurate picture of the media sector. The study of media does not just mean being a broadcaster or writing newspaper articles.

Universities should organise field trips such as taking groups of students to media studios outside the country to learn about the day-to-day operations of all crew members – right from the director to the photographer.

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As a business owner, you need to be able to grasp all the technical realities of the media world

From left to right.

Kamal Saleh Founder, Chee Tayeb TV Sultan Al Suwaidi Emirati entrepreneur and Founder of Video Tube Bassem Zein Editor in Chief, SME Advisor Arabia Khadija Al Bastaki Director of Business Development, Dubai Media City Afra Al Marar General Manager, Toaster Productions Jassim Al Bastaki Business owner and Head of Emirati Entrepreneurs’ Association

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THE ENDURING APPEAL OF CINEMA

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In conversation with Cameron Mitchell, Chief Executive Officer at Majid Al Futtaim Cinemas – VOX Cinemas…

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How effective is cinema as a medium to reach new audiences? How does it compare to other traditional forms of marketing and advertising?

Some of the world’s leading brands have been using cinema to engage with audiences for decades. A unique platform, cinema offers brands an uncluttered environment where consumers get comfortable and give their undivided attention to the big screen unlike other marketing and advertising environments.

Flexible, adaptable and targeted, cinema remains a medium that provides a focused approach for advertisers to speak to captive audiences in an already engaging setting.

Adding cinema to the media mix is proving to be an effective tool for advertisers, with scope to boost their campaign’s reach and maximise media plan ROIs.

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Can you share any trends and statistics of cinema consumption and advertising in the region?

When you look at this region’s cinema landscape, the number of screens and admissions per head of population across the various markets in the Middle East is still relatively low in comparison to the rest of the world. This means that there is still opportunity for the cinema industry to keep expanding in the region. In line with this trend, cinema ad spend shows no signs of abating in the next few years and will continue to be driven by the increasing number of moviegoers in Middle East markets.

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VOX Cinemas has announced its ambitious plans to launch 550 screens in the Middle East by 2020.

Do you believe that the regional media industry is set to experience exponential growth in the next four to five years? What are future trends you predict for the cinema segment, as well as the wider media landscape?

Since opening our first cinema in Ajman City Centre back in 1999, VOX Cinemas has grown to be the region’s largest cinema exhibitor, holding the coveted position as the number one highest grossing cinema in each of the markets we operate in. Our successful expansion and the strong growth cinemas are seeing in general across the region are in no small part due to the Middle East consumer’s growing appetite for leisure and entertainment goods and services. We expect to see continued screen growth in the region across all markets and an expansion into North Africa as the next frontier.

The cinema segment is already quite developed and we foresee some markets in the region will reach a natural cinema screen saturation level by 2020. A big focus for cinema now is to ensure cinema experiences and offerings keep progressing and improving for customers.

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QQ

Can cinemas close the gap as TV audiences continue fragmenting?

Cinema houses are making movie going an experience now, it is no longer simply about the movie being screened. From the screen size, sound systems, great F&B offerings and comfortable surroundings, movie going is a unique and captivating experience which will keep people coming back for more.

With our constant improvement of the VOX Cinemas concepts and our commitment to creating great moments for everyone, we are confident that we will see people continue to visit our cinemas and enjoy premium experiences they simply can’t get at home.

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As media spending continues to shift from print to digital, how do you see it affecting cinema advertising?

Middle East audiences have always responded well to visual storytelling and the ad industry in the region has caught on, making video ads one of the fastest growing sub categories within digital ads. TV, Cinema and digital platforms such as Instagram-ads are becoming the big players while print advertising continues to decline. There has definitely been a shift in media prioritization, ad spend is being led by digital investments now which are resonating and generating far more consumer engagement. The shift from print to digital ad spend reflects the need for brands to find more creative and video-led platforms to reach their audiences and cinema advertising provides exactly this. With premium offerings, advertisers are increasingly turning to leading cinema screens to heavily invest their ad spends in. Cinema advertising also bypasses some of the challenges faced by advertisers in other digital spaces such as ad-blocking and viewability.

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Is there a specific country within the Middle East region that has a better uptake - both in terms of number of users and advertising spend? How does UAE compare to other markets in the region?

The UAE and Oman are currently the two markets in the Middle East with the biggest uptake in terms of cinema advertising based on the 2015/2016 IPSOS MEDIACT report.

Looking at the numbers the UAE is still in the lead spending more than other GCC markets on cinema advertising in this year’s first six months from January to June 2016, 17 times more than Oman. The UAE continues to be the driver of media innovation in the region.

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A PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS Inside Instagram’s game plan for global domination…

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80% of the Instagram community lives outside the US

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ll over the world, people come to Instagram to be inspired, discover new things and connect to the things they love. Instagram started as a dream between two people five years ago. Now, it’s a global community of over half a billion people - with 80 per cent of the Instagram community living outside the US, all over the world.

Over the last five years, Instagram has evolved and innovated to give both the community and brands more creative options and flexibility. From immersive new ad formats like video carousel to help brands with their visual storytelling, to fun video apps Boomerang and Hyperlapse, inspiring creativity has been at the core of every new Instagram product.

To reflect how Instagram has grown beyond a photo-sharing site to a multimedia platform with a diverse community, it launched a new brand identity in May. It’s been an exciting 12 months! Instagram has established itself as one of the most popular and influential media platforms,

at the heart of popular culture. Whatever people are into, or whatever’s happening in the world, you can find it on Instagram, making it a powerful place for people, brands, businesses and media to connect.

For example, Instagram has revolutionised the way that people discover and experience fashion – letting outsiders in and making the industry accessible to us all. The platform isn’t just a tool for consumption and behind-the-scenes, it’s being used as a catalyst for creativity. Burberry was one of the first fashion brands to use Hyperlapse to capture their entire collection in 15 seconds, whilst Gucci found London based artist, @ unskilledworker on Instagram and now she illustrates all their shows.

Instagram’s growing user base People come to Instagram for inspiration and to discover things they care about. It is one of the fastest-growing media platforms in the world. The community has doubled over the past two years - and the platform recently announced that it has over 500 million users globally.

The community is also really engaged.

Last year it unveiled new research called the ‘Instagram Effect’. It found that when the same image is shown to people across five digital platforms, they described images on Instagram as more distinctive, more creative, and more inspiring than the same image seen on other platforms. For brands, this presents a unique opportunity. Let’s take a look at the numbers Reach • More than 500M monthly actives • Over 80% of users outside the US • Fastest growing social network in general (eMarketer) Engagement + time spent • The average Instagram user spends 21 minutes per day in the app • Over 1 in 5 mobile minutes are spent on Facebook and Instagram in the

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There are over 200,000 advertisers using Instagram to achieve real business results

• • • •

US. This is more than the next several services combined. (comScore) People upload more than 95M photos per day, with more than 4.2B likes daily Nearly 50% of people follow a business on Instagram More than 60% of people learn about a product or service on Instagram The total time people spent watching video on Instagram has increased 150% over the last six months

Sponsored vs. real content From the very beginning, businesses have always been an important part of Instagram’s community. Over the years, it has grown it’s advertising capability very slowly and deliberately to make sure it gets it right whilst listening to feedback from the community.

Now, there are over 200,000 advertisers using Instagram to achieve real business results. And small businesses in particular, are killing it. A peominent small business brand on Instagram is Shore Projects, who make watches. By using our direct response ad formats, they have grown into a global business and now ship their watches from London to over 100 countries. Whether it’s a local store or a global brand, Instagram enables all businesses to reach a captive audience. 75 per cent of people say they take action after being inspired by an Instagram post – like visiting a website, searching,

shopping or telling a friend – and 70 per cent of direct response campaigns have seen an increase in actions.

What’s next?

Instagram is constantly innovating and listening to the community. For the next 12 months, the company is focused on investing more to make Instagram work even better for businesses. It recently announced Instagram Business Tools to help businesses stand out to customers, know if what they’re doing on Instagram is working and drive business objectives on mobile – and the platform will be rolling this out globally.

75% take action after being inspired by an Instagram post

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FAILURE HOW TO RECOVER FROM

Is your business suffering from financial losses and looking to find success again? We offer top advice on the way moving forward…

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ne of the biggest barriers to growth and innovation is the fear of failure and the lack of awareness of how to recover from failure. A 2015 Boston Consulting Group survey revealed that 31 per cent of respondents identified a risk-averse culture as a key obstacle to innovation. Why is it that companies still aren’t able to fully cope with the realities of business failure? The reason is: although failure is a great learning curve for an entrepreneur, it still remains to be a traumatic experience – from a psychological point of view. Moreover, a large number of business owners fail to recognise (or sometimes ignore!) the first signs of distress.

Many entrepreneurs turn a blind eye to the need for a new strategy or a forecast that clearly shows a decline. But, no matter what the reason for the eventual collapse of a business may be, the critical part is hitting the restart button and moving on. In the following article, we present a step-by-step guide on embracing failure and getting back on the path to success.

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Dealing with the psychological impact of failure

ϭϭ Accept it and move on – Acceptance

is the first step in dealing with failure; financial loss is a part and parcel of business. As a business owner, you must know that nothing lasts forever and things will eventually turnaround.

It is in your control to takeaway positive learnings from your experience and ensure that you don’t make the same mistakes second time round.

ϭϭ Find someone that is brutally honest

with you – Concentrating on the positives is vital, but it can only take you so far.

You also need to assess the mistakes and the downfalls of what happened. Very often business owners find it challenging to take an objective view, because of their emotional closeness to the company. In such a case, hire an external specialist to walk you through the process and be extremely frank with you.

ϭϭ Get back to the basics – The key driver

for the success of any business is profitability. While entering new markets and expanding your product portfolio may seem like attractive options, put them on hold until you’ve secured a strong foundation for your business.

Recovering from losses and corporate turnaround

ϭϭ Assess what went wrong: the first step

is to conduct a thorough business review to identify the problems that caused the current financial situation.

As part of this process, ensure that you are looking across all areas of the business including strategy, operations, sales, HR and finances. It is essential to conduct this diagnosis early on in order to understand what went wrong – and more importantly to evaluate what needs to be rectified in the future. This would mean addressing hard-hitting questions such as:

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Finance plays a significant role in the turnaround of any company – after all profit is a key motivator of doing business

• Is the operational focus on the core function of the business?

• Are products and services being • • • • • •

produced and delivered in the most cost-effective manner?

What is the level of wastage and pilferage? Is it beyond the acceptable limit?

Does the business have proper mechanisms in place for budgetary control?

Are there efficient lines of funding and credit available?

Does the company have a clear and realistic strategy of where it is headed?

Is the company agile and flexible enough to adapt to evolving market conditions?

Is the staff turnover ratio high? Are the right people with the right skills being hired?

ϭϭ Put into place a business restructuring

plan: once you’ve determined the answers to the above questions, the next stage is to develop a realistic and achievable recovery plan. But, it is crucial to highlight all action steps in intricate detail and clearly define the responsibilities for every team member. Such a plan will typically include activities like:

• Shifting the company’s focus to highpotential products and shutting down departments with poor performance

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• Speaking to banks, investors, etc.

to restructure debt obligations and outstanding loans • Effectively managing the working capital • Rethinking the profile of potential customers and your go-to-market strategy At this point, it is also worth including your CFO, legal advisor, risk partner, investors and other key stakeholders in the discussion. Moreover, once the plan is place, send out official communication to your partners (banks, investors and suppliers) telling them about your path to recovery – this is fundamental in order to maintain your credibility and renew their confidence within the business.

ϭϭ Revive your cashflow and manage your finances: cash is king and this couldn’t be truer when your business is faced with a crisis such as financial loss or failure. At this stage, it is absolutely

critical to do anything and everything possible to resuscitate incoming cash as soon as possible. This can be achieved by reducing non-essential costs, closing departments with poor financial performance, letting staff go, re-structuring investments in current markets and so on. Sit down with your CFO to evaluate the possibility of selling unprofitable business units to raise quick cash and boost liquidity. Finance plays a significant role in the turnaround of any company – after all profit is a key motivator of doing business. When a business falters, the first place that management and other stakeholders turn to is finances. Therefore, it is imperative for a business to immediately flag any losses or potential financial difficulties to its investors, partners, banks, and so on – in order to mitigate further problems.

Timely, relevant information will reassure them that the business is well placed to implement sound solutions and revive operations. Remember that a strong balance sheet is your most valuable

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tool, shifting the emphasis from cash flow management to strategic financial management and control.

ϭϭ Set new priorities for the management teams: This will require them to –

• Improve your reporting system – It

is very likely that poor reporting got you here in the first place and you don’t want to be in a position when you miss such signals again so make it mandatory for senior managers to prepare monthly reports and quarterly forecasts for their individual departments.

• Streamline processes – Invest in strengthening your existing processes and introducing new ones that will help you gain more accurate information of your operations.

This will mean you are getting real time updates about the progress of each department and any major breakdowns can be immediately noticed and rectified.

• Focus on people – The success (or failure of a business) largely depends on the quality of its people.

Ensure that you are investing in training your people and offering personality development courses to enhance their soft skills. Also, consider improving your internal communications by sending out a monthly staff newsletter, organising a staff satisfaction survey, holding weekly meetings and arranging leadership summits.

• Put someone in charge of the turnaround process – Find a senior director that can oversee your entire turnaround procedure; someone that is neutral and brings in a breath of fresh air. This person would have extensive turnaround experience and knowledge about turnaround techniques.

ϭϭ Integrate change management within

your culture: finally, introduce a clear mandate for change management throughout your organisation. Given the current state of the market, change is the only constant, it is necessary that your organisation is capable to deal with change. Make it a habit to constantly revisit and reanalyse your business strategy – track, monitor, control.

Creating a nimble corporate culture will go a long way in boosting employee morale, rebuilding confidence and gaining positivity.

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Make it a habit to constantly revisit and reanalyse your business strategy – track, monitor, control

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BRIDGING THE COMMUNICATION GAP As a digital and media communication agency, ValueFirst found a way to expand its operations from a single office with 14 people in 2003 to over eight offices in multiple cities with 300 people. Arvind Kalla, Head of Operations - Middle East talked to SME Advisor about the myriad challenges of rapid expansion and making sure you have the talent on hand to keep growing.

This case study is about

If you think about the everyday routine within your business – the smartphone you use with high-speed Wi-Fi connectivity, the e-mail client you receive and send e-mails on, the mobile video communication software you utilise for communicating with colleagues while travelling – it all links back one critical aspect: a platform that provides effective digital communication.

Communication – both internal and external – has always been instrumental in the quest for business growth, to empower employees and interact with the media.

ValueFirst offers the critical tools required to power such seamless communication: “We are the bridge of immense possibilities connecting you to your customers as well as other key stakeholders within the digital space,” Arvind explains. “The beauty of our offering is that it caters to the communication needs of any business. You could be a small garage operating out of Sharjah or you could be a multi-storey car showroom on Sheikh Zayed Road; either way SME ADVISOR

we have a solution for you. Communication is an integral part of any business; since our products and services are meant for corporate communication, they fit across the board.”

Although ValueFirst is a relatively young company, it has already made a name for itself having worked with mega-businesses such as Bajaj Finserv, EY India, Acer India and Ibibo. In fact, it is hard to believe that the business had a modest start not so long ago. Arvind remembers the company’s inception in the year 2003 in the Indian capital – New Delhi. “We started with five servers and a team of 14 members. Since then our growth has been explosive and this is mainly because of the symbiotic relationship we share with all our clients. Our operations revolve around three fundamental pillars: customer satisfaction; employee involvement; and continuous improvement.

As an organisation, we collectively work towards achieving these goals on a continuous basis,” he enthuses.

The winning formula ValueFirst has surely come a long way since its first office in Delhi; it is now one of the biggest service providers in its space, has a team of 300 people and offices across prominent cities in India as well as Dubai.

How did a small start-up break into an already crowded market and create a niche for itself? Arvind explains: “We started out as a small team that was trying to take advantage of the rapid digitalisation. Mobile was on the rise and businesses needed solutions that would connect them to the customer. More importantly, they required an agency that would give them end-to-end support including enterprise communication, social media, media communication solutions and other platforms. We recognised the demand in the market and decided to do something about it.”

He goes on: “What makes us different is our portfolio of services; our extensive experience within market allows us to come up with solutions that are world-class,

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2003 ValueFirst started its journey in New Delhi, India with 14 people and 5 servers

ARVIND KALLA VALUEFIRST HEAD OF OPERATIONS MIDDLE EAST

2005 The company opened a new base in Mumbai – increasing its capacity up to 50 servers

2006 The company launched new platforms for voice and MVC and also enjoyed further expansion into Bangalore and Dubai

2007

2008

ValueFirst received its first funding

With 200 people and over 85 servers, the company made inroads into Chennai and Hyderabad

time-efficient and compatible with the local regulations. Moreover, we ensure that we are continually evolving and adapting new technology and staying ahead of the curve.”

A great example of the technology that Arvind is referring to is ValueFirst’s end-toend solution which includes client/server applications for generating the text messages from enterprise legacy systems and using SMPP/SS7 connectivity from operators to eventually deliver the generated text messages on to mobile phone in the form of SMS. Partner in success ValueFirst believes that one of its most fortuitous partnerships has been the one it has with Etisalat. “We’ve upheld a longterm partnership with Etisalat since 2007.

When we started, we were very small in the market, yet Etisalat opened its doors to us as one of their valued customers, making us comfortable in pursuing our business further.

Right from onset, all the account managers have maintained a good relationship with us.”

“Etisalat offers us everything we require – and more – in terms of quality of service, support and infrastructure. Usually in other parts of the world, you would need to contact multiple service providers to set up and make

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business functional. It is truly remarkable to see that all business needs are being met by one service provider,” he adds.

What makes Etisalat attractive as a longterm telecoms partner? “As the region’s leading telecoms provider, they offer a robust platform and infrastructure along with key value added services. Of course, the company’s long-standing market reputation, flexibility in understanding the needs of its partners and ability to provide customised solutions were also fundamental factors.

Etisalat is always first to bring the new technology in to the market. This helps us in expanding our offerings in turn to our customers.” Arvind also admits that his team has seen a critical leap in the quality and scale of operations due to its partnership with Etisalat. “There is lot of improvement; we have ideas being brought in time to time. We have followed and implemented those ideas in terms of customer service and implemented them across the services we provide.”

Streamlining operations ValueFirst’s rapid expansion has proved to be extremely beneficial for the company’s financial – and overall – health. Even so, it comes with certain challenges: how does a

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2016 2010 ValueFirst received its second VC funding and launched new platforms for mobile apps and internet properties

2011 The company received its third round of VC funding

small company scale its operations to meet growing demand? How does it ensure that exponential growth isn’t being achieved at the cost of quality?

“When your company is undergoing fastpaced expansion, it is extremely difficult to ensure streamlined operations. Quality is such a critical aspect because clients expect your products and services to meet a certain level of standards. As we entered new markets such as UAE, Bahrain, Oman and KSA, we realised the importance of providing top-notch solutions,” Arvind reflects.

“For example, during our expansion plan in 2007 we decided to enter the UAE market.

Shortly after, we were faced with capacity issues with local telecom providers to meet the growing SMS volumes. We were fortunate enough that we had a long term relationship with Etisalat. Etisalat took a step forward and helped us in overcoming this challenge.

Being a technology driven company, we believe in introducing technology-driven processes within organisation that help in creating a system that could adapt to any changes in working procedures. In fact, all our workforce is trained and prepared to operate as per these systems.”

Arvind also points out that in the recent times his management has shifted its focus

2012 Acquisition: mGinger and; IndyaRocks

beyond the bottom line to nurture its top talent. He says – only half-jokingly – that his bosses describe the team as “a group of techno savvy, creative and courageous individuals, driven by a rebellious instinct to move fearlessly and go beyond limits, and deliver excellence in digital communication.”

This new approach seems to be delivering results. “A majority of our operational challenges were solved when we started training the team. We organise regular trailing sessions for our workforce to make them up to date with changing market trends and also improving individual skill sets.”

Customer first Given the fiercely competitive nature of the digital market, it comes as no surprise when Arvind reveals that customer retention is another worrying problem. “Customer retention continues to be a serious challenge for companies within our domain. Being a price sensitive industry, customers have the easy option to switch to a more affordable provider.”

Arvind says, “To build customer loyalty towards ValueFirst, continuous improvement is required. Advance technology driven processes are to be implemented in order to improve the customer support processes.

2014 Recognition received: Deloitte Fastest 50 Companies in India Award

The company currently boasts 250 servers, 300 people, 260 billion digital interactions per month, 500 million segmented and; opt-in users and 2500 active clients

ValueFirst has a dedicated product team which continuously work towards achieving such goals. All our solutions are designed according to the individual requirements of every customer. Our product development department is an extension of our client’s team. To compliment that we offer high quality service and also engage the customers in multiple ways. This creates customer goodwill towards brand ValueFirst.”

Sky is the limit The ups and down in its journey to the top haven’t dampened the high-spirits of the team at ValueFirst. “It is true for any organisation that increase or decrease in commercial business impact the workforce. ValueFirst engages its customers in multiple ways through its different offers which mitigates commercial risk.

Having endured serious challenges along the way, ValueFirst believes it is finally on the path to uninterrupted growth. The company currently boasts 250 servers, 300 people, 260 billion digital interactions per month, 500 million segmented and opt-in users, and 2500 active clients.

So, has its mission been accomplished?

Arvind smiles: “We’ve only just begun!”

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Top trends across media segments TV Over 759 million televisions will be connected to the Internet globally by 2018 Pay TV is forecasted to grow at 10.3% per year Satellite TV accounts for 95% of TV distribution

Radio

Cinema

Video games

Print

The radio segment is experiencing moderate growth at 2.1%

Box office is predicted to overtake home video in 2016 and become 15% larger by 2018

Global revenue from online/micro transaction PC games will rise at a 6.7% CAGR to reach US$28bn in 2020

Total global newspaper revenue is estimated to be US$121.1bn in 2020

Spending on cinema will expand at a projected 5.4% compound annual growth rate

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Gaming is the fastest-growing media segment in the Middle East and is expected to grow from US$1.6bn in 2014 to US$4.4bn in 2022

Print accounts for more than 40% of the total local advertising spend in most GCC markets Newspapers account for 32% of advertising spend

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Advertising Millennials, with a purchasing power estimated at US$170bn a year, are less attentive, less likely to find advertisements interesting and more likely to find them irritating than older generations

Video

Online video advertising is to be the fastest growing ad format in 2016

Global online video ad spend totaled to an estimated US$10.9bn in 2014

Digital, consisting of Internet and mobile ads, will become the largest advertising category by 2017

Global online video is predicted to grow at an average of 29% a year to reach US$23.3bn in 2017

Ad-blocking software is expected to attribute to US$20.3bn of blocked revenue by 2016

33% of digital consumers would be willing to pay for online video services if more premium content was available 89% of consumers access long form video content online Mobile video will account for 71% of all mobile data usage by 2019

Google (US$59.6bn in advertising revenue in 2014) and Facebook (US$11.5bn in advertising revenue in 2014) are the biggest platforms for leveraging customer information to target adverts

Social media Everyday 300 million photos are uploaded to Facebook Every minute 300 hours of video is uploaded to YouTube Every minute Twitter users tweet about 300,000 times Every minute Instagram users post almost 220,000 photos Every minute WhatsApp users send 14 million messages 78% of reporters use Twitter for marketing and promotion 74% of reporters use Facebook for marketing and promotion

Mobile and online 54% of mobile Internet connections globally will be highspeed by 2020

TV advertising will expand at an estimated 5% CAGR

Mobile will account for over 50% of Internet access revenue in more than threequarters of countries by 2020 Multiscreen users spend 52% of their screen time on mobile devices

Sources: Millward Brown; World Economic Forum Whitepaper; Digital TV Research; Zenith Optimedia; Accenture’s Pulse of Media report; Cisco; Millward Brown’s AdReaction Video study; ComScore; Cision’s State of the Media 2015 report; Global Media Report 2015 by McKinsey&Company; PwC’s Global Entertainment and Media Outlook 2016-2020; and How Young Arabs are fueling the MENA Media Market

by Strategy&.

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BEHIND THE SCENES: HERE’S HOW THE CAREEM TEAM CAME UP WITH THAT BRILLIANT ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN…

When Careem launched its bold ad campaign across Sheikh Zayed Road and other prominent areas in the UAE, it caught the attention of every onlooker. It had a punchline that wasn’t just tastefully cheeky, but also sent out a clear message.

We get talking to the man at the forefront of the campaign – Christian Eid, and see what a difference smart, simple, innovative advertising can make.

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It all started when Careem was undergoing the process of reinventing itself; after enjoying three years of exponential growth, it was time to take things to the next level

It has been six months since Careem’s latest campaign hit the road (literally!), but VP of Marketing Christian Eid’s post-campaign high still hasn’t worn off. And, rightfully so. How does one get past one of the most successful advertising campaigns in the region? “That’s flattering, but what I really ask myself is: how can my team and I continue to raise the bar and exceed the expectations of our customers? How do we effectively communicate what we stand for through our campaigns? We’ve hit the bulls-eye with the first one and we are only getting started,” he modestly replies.

Just a few weeks before, Christian and his team had put together a creative campaign that used clever wording to send an important message to their clients (and competitors!). “We wanted our clients to know that we’ve undergone an internal transformation – and we truly believe that we are better than ever. In a way, it was us telling them that we’ve served you for years, we’ve taken your feedback and revamped our offering. It marked the evolution of Careem and highlighted everything that we stand for.”

Phase One – Finding the right hook It all started when Careem was undergoing the process of reinventing itself; after enjoying three years of exponential growth, it was time to take things to the next level.

“We wanted to create a campaign that was capable of letting our audiences know that we are now Careem 2.0 – we’ve started a new chapter. It was a fine balance between staying true to our DNA and not shying away from competition. We went from being a local start-up to market leaders in this region.”

We love the sound of Careem 2.0. What has changed? “The traditional value of our service has been simple and straightforward with its consistent performance. Our improved version enriches our previously simple functions with additional utility, boosting the customer’s experience.”

So was the one-liner ad the result of months of research or simply a Eureeca

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Christian and his team had put together a creative campaign that used clever wording to send an important message to their clients (and competitors!)

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moment? “Believe it or not, but it just came to me one day when I was thinking about how remarkable our journey has been.” The original line Christian came up with was “More than ever”, a few iterations later he finally came up with a version that everyone was happy with: “Better than ever”. And, it didn’t just stop there.

“We had to go beyond the one-liner and think about the look and feel as well.

It had to connect with the viewer, on a deeper emotional level. We wanted it to be more than just a banner you see while driving back home. So, details were key.

In fact, you’ve probably noticed that we have a ‘wink’ emoticon following the one-liner which was deliberately added to uplift the ad and make it more edgy.

It was also critical because it set the tone for the campaign – it wasn’t us taking a dig at anyone, we wanted to keep things light.”

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Phase Two – Making it work What followed was a process of idea crunching, internal reflection and getting to the bottom of Careem’s core values. Christian was on the campaign trail, but he remembers having to jump through a few hoops before launching.

“Here we are with a campaign that boldly declares that we are ‘better than ever’. It was imperative to ensure that we could back that claim. At that stage, it wasn’t just a marketing or management decision, it involved everyone in the company. We had several meetings with the sales, operations and customer service departments to ensure we were all aligned to this message. From the company’s perspective, we needed to do a lot of soul searching, reassess what our objectives are, what we stand for and so on. This was essential homework before we went out to the world with such a bold statement. We went through a phase of internal reflection and serious analysis, which lasted for months,” Christian reminisces.

Phase Three – Reaping the rewards Once the campaign was ready for launch, it was displayed across Dubai’s prominent Jumeirah Road and fuelled by an aggressive social media campaign. The initial feedback Careem’s ad got was great but that didn’t mean the job was done. “We had a social media strategy in place, with customised videos and Facebook posts to reinforce the message in our ads. It’s one thing to have a successful outdoor campaign, however you need to go all in if you want to make a splash.”

Shortly after its launch on Sheikh Zayed Road, headlines hailed Careem’s campaign as one of the most creative ads in the region. Did Christian and his team expect such a response? “We knew it was out of the box and wasn’t your typical billboard advertising material, but I honestly didn’t anticipate it being received so well. In fact, our campaign has been picked up in more mature advertising markets such as KSA and Egypt, and we have people from there congratulating us through social media.”

“What really resonated with people was the fact that a home-grown start-up with local origins is able to compete on such a grand scale with larger, global competitors.

You know your traditional David vs. Goliath situation. And, people are truly proud of how far we’ve come.”

So, what’s next? He smiles: “We have exciting developments in the pipeline, but you’ll have to wait to find out.” Well, if this campaign is any indication of what’s yet to come, we’re waiting with bated breath Careem!

COMPLEXITY

© 2015 SAP SE or an SAP affiliate company. All rights reserved.

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FROM START-UP TO STAR How to win over customers, understand your company’s strengths and weaknesses and bounce back from challenges. Hardened entrepreneur Akanksha Goel, Director of Socialize Agency, opens up in a candid chat with SME Advisor‌

This case study is about

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Working with fastmoving global brands allowed Socialize to supercharge its growth and capabilities

2015 The year Socialize built an in-house capability for digital media planning and buying

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W

alking into the swanky, plush offices of Socialize, something immediately catches my attention, and it’s not the vibrant décor or the friendly staff. It’s the wall dedicated to client testimonials that displays a line-up of almost every partner that Socialize has worked for. I’m seeing names such as HP, Samsung, Mercedes Benz and OSN. Intrigued by the number (and scale) of their successful campaigns, my first question is: what is your secret recipe? Is there a mantra you follow? “Traditionally, social platforms have been perceived as a way to interact with the customers, and not as critical tools to drive business. We take a slightly different approach – we work with our clients to use an effective combination of art (impactful creative) and science (innovative media) for digital transformation that creates measurable ROI,” Akanksha replies.

Akanksha’s strategy is not a result of trial and error. She’s conducted significant research and undergone intensive training in the field at the prestigious Singapore Management University. Her vast experience comes from years of teaching social media masterclasses at institutions such as Murdoch University, Dubai Knowledge Village and Informa. After spending several years on ground, she realised that there was a gap in the market for agencies that could educate and guide brands on innovative ways to communicate with an increasingly digitally savvy regional consumer. “Can you take a second to think back to 2010? That was the time when marketing and communication agencies were a luxury,” quips Akanksha. “We entered the market at a time when social platforms as marketing and communication channels were not well known in the region.”

From start-up to SME success What catapulted Socialize from a one-woman show to becoming an established, profitable business? The first step, according to Akanksha, was to identify her USPs. “Socialize

stands out as a full service digital agency covering everything from planning and ideation, to creative and technical execution, to social strategy and digital media buying.

So when clients work with us, they can consolidate all digital activities with a single account management team – which helps us stand out from competition that takes a segmented approach to media planning, social management and digital creative.

Socialize is not a starter social/digital agency – we work with brands that understand the benefit of leveraging social networks to drive business growth and are looking for a partner in that journey,” she explains.

Next, Akanksha started thinking about her target audience. After a lot of research and ideation, she realised that her typical client was a large corporate, serving multiple markets who understands the importance of digital and has already started their digital transformation (possibly with another agency) before coming to Socialize. A combination of the right USPs and target audience gave Akanksha the results she was looking for. Socialize gained clients quickly and easily, starting from brands like Swarovski, Samsung and HP; it now services large brands like Mercedes Benz, General Mills, OSN, GEMS Education and Clorox Company.

“Brands who have approached us, those who have come on-board, and even clients who have been with us for a while have repeatedly shared that they believe Socialize provides a unique value proposition – a true full service digital agency that can handle their creative, technology, strategy and media needs, all while measuring campaigns and ourselves by business growth,” she says proudly.

“Since we worked almost exclusively with marketing savvy multi-national brands, such partnerships allowed us to grow and learn with them, catapulting Socialize into the successful agency it is today. Organic growth, coupled with selectiveness in taking on clients (and even more selectiveness in talent

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hired) has allowed us to enjoy unparalleled growth and become the region’s leading full-service digital agency, while remaining independent and completely self-funded,” she surmises.

AKANKSHA GOEL SOCIALIZE AGENCY DIRECTOR

Overcoming challenges Akanksha describes her the challenging scenario she was faced with: “Working with fast-moving global brands allowed Socialize to super-charge its growth and capabilities.

Every year, the brands we work with task us with more responsibilities. In 2015 for instance, we built in-house capability for digital media planning and buying. This fit well into our solution offering – as we were already designing the message, and now we were able to decide when, where and by whom the message was seen. This resulted in more effective campaigns for our clients, and thus increased media organically as a part of our business. As this part of the business expanded, our core revenue stream, margin patterns and growth opportunities – all needed to be rethought.

Additionally, we found ourselves competing against – network media agencies. These agencies had scale, bulk discounts and better relationships with suppliers. We had to rethink our approach and our value proposition to ensure media was an enabler, rather than a liability for Socialize and its clients.”

Finding solutions So, how did she go about solving it? “We decided to approach this problem from two angles,” she says as she begins to map her strategies. ϭϭ “Know the rules well, so you can break them effectively.” Dalai Lama XIV. Rather than play a game based on rates and suppliers that we would struggle to win, we decided to break the traditional rules. We decided that the media we sell would not depend on which suppliers we have a better relationship with, or which one gave us better rates – rather it would be based purely on which one would achieve a better result for the client’s working dollar. We focused our time (and the client’s money) on quick and frequent optimisation. We focused on bidding models which provide an open (and now wider) playing field.

Most importantly, we stuck to our core principal of keeping business growth at the centre of all decision making. ϭϭ “An organisation’s ability to learn, and translate that learning into action rapidly, is the ultimate competitive advantage.” - Jack Welch. As our teams started deploying large digital media campaigns, we started to notice a knowledge gap between the media team and the digital SME ADVISOR

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Akanksha’s decisions are extremely wellthought out and always working towards the larger vision she has in mind for her business.

Yet, as a hardened perfectionist, she wishes she had tackled certain situations in a better fashion. “To be honest, we didn’t effectively manage our workforce. The solutions I’ve just mentioned and their execution took some time to formulate. While there were multiple ongoing discussions amongst the senior team during this period, we made the serious misstep of avoiding involving the mid-tier/junior team members until we had a solution. This resulted in us losing some team members during the process, until we committed to the idea and got everyone on board. The lesson that in times of change we need to also communicate (directly from the head of business) across all levels has now been internalised,” she reflects.

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Socialize operates on the bleeding edge of digital marketing.

This has resulted in a very real-time view of changes and choices

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account management team that were leading the client communication for the campaigns. We made a call to restructure the agency. Instead of have a centralised team doing media, we decided to embed the media planners and performance executives within our account teams. This ensured that throughout the process of ideation to execution, someone with deep media understanding and expertise was involved. By putting these resources under the Account leads, we enabled them to better leverage this capability, and ensured that the media plans and execution would adapt to changing client and campaign needs in real-time.

We continued to maintain a Head of Media to ensure thought leadership, and shared learnings across teams.

The road ahead Now that Akanksha has moved past her challenges, she is back to doing what she does best: scale her company to reach new heights. But, don’t mistake her ambition for overconfidence. She knows it’s a tough market out there and she is fully prepared for what’s coming. “Socialize operates on the bleeding edge of digital marketing. This has resulted in a very real-time view of changes and choices. We understand we are working in a dynamic market and hence we operate based on the best information available, and very quickly. This agility has meant that we have evolved many times over for our client’s changing needs. We have no preconceived notions about how to solve challenges. Our approach is to consider all the given information, and make a choice which works best at the time, and then continuously learn from and improve that choice. The only learning we continuously apply to our decisions is to keep everyone affected involved. This has led Socialize to becoming what it is today and it is only the beginning – I truly believe that sky’s the limit.” It sure is; fly away Ms. Social butterfly!

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COMIC GENIUS In a media world where everyone is racing to embrace the latest trends and find their next ticket to growth, Amr Hussein did something completely different. He launched a business that would give home-grown, talented comic artists the ability to produce and showcase their stories. A few years later, his company Koshk Comics has grown into a runaway success. The start-up recently competed as a finalist in the 2016 Global Innovation through Science and Technology – GIST Tech-I Competition in Silicon Valley – garnering a lot of attention on an international scale.

This case study is about

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AMR HUSSEIN KOSHK COMICS FOUNDER, CEO

For several decades, virtual artists have fuelled our imaginations with their comics, cartoons and graphic novels – bringing fantasies to life and emotionally connecting us with our favourite characters. But, there’s more than meets the eye. These comic geniuses help tackle political and socio-economic issues with their poignant reflections on fundamental societal issues.

Perhaps, this is what inspired Egyptian entrepreneur Amr Hussein to go beyond the page and do something for these real-life superheroes? “Koshk Comics was born out of my desire to support these creative artists and give them a platform they can shine on. We built the website for comic artists to interconnect, collaborate and self-publish digital comics, helping them with a no cost publishing option.”

Given his aptitude for technology and his extensive experience in the entertainment field, an online media portal made sense.

But, why comics? Was there a personal SME ADVISOR

connection? Amr responds: “Since the era of cavemen, humans have been using visuals to describe their communities, We believe that visual stories is a very powerful way for cross-cultures communication; and if we used technology as a tool of globalisation and connectivity, there is an excellent shot to create a portal that can bridge the gap between the diverse human communities through art and visual stories; precisely through comics. Achieving this required a unique channel to manage the content, do the translation and promote it in different communities.”

Like many of the world’s most successful entrepreneurs, Amr’s passion for his business is fuelled by the ambition to make a difference and empower people within his industry. With the launch of his unique portal Koshk Comics, he’s one step closer to achieving his dream. “It all started in 2014, when our team decided to build a product that would link entertainment,

01. Amr’s passion for his business is fuelled by the ambition to make a difference and empower people within his industry

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Through Koshk Comics, Amr is leading the region’s comic landscape towards a new era of growth

education and culture seamlessly using advanced technology. We decided to test the waters, in June that year, by launching a trial Facebook app called SuperSayem. It had four gaming tracks as well as four daily episodes produced for users every day. It also included digital comics, short stories, mini-games and trivia questions. In 30 days, with minimum marketing, we had strong level of engagement: 40,000 Facebook page likes; 10,000 app users of which 4000 were reading the new comic episode that we released every day; it was the element most loved by the audience. It was this experiment that reinforced our belief that the general entertainment audience in Egypt had an appetite for digital comics,” reminisces Amr. A story of success Now that Koshk Comics is up and running – what has the response been like? “We were fortunate enough to get some fantastic feedback from our users. Inspired by the

overwhelming response, we’ve now developed a mobile app for readers, to enjoy their visual stories and comic books.” And, Amr and his team continue to introduce exciting features to their portal. “Our start-up company is at an early stage; and that means it requires lots of mini improvements to be executed at a fast pace. We also need to have our finger on the pulse to help us grasp more insights about our customers.”

Through Koshk Comics, Amr is leading the region’s comic landscape towards a new era of growth. His portal is not only one of the first media channel to do something of this kind, but is also one of the rare ones dedicated to the comic industry. However, being on top comes with responsibilities – and Amr is conscious of that. “It’s fantastic that we have a large network of comic artists interacting through our portal; it also means that we now have the responsibility to continue providing them top-notch features.

Keeping that in mind, we’re developing more

content creators. On the global side, Koshk is establishing the first vertical social network for the comics industry and to maintain that position, the team is working hard to get more artists. Moreover, we are enhancing the user experience by improving the website as well.”

The battle to survive Amr’s success story is much like a comic book – filled with excitement, passion, drama and action. Yet, there’s something missing; the part where the hero surpasses all the hurdles that come his way to emerge victorious. Amr laughs as he says: “You’re right – our success hasn’t been without its challenges. We faced several difficulties in the realm of marketing and PR; we wanted better results with lower costs. To tackle this, we have started focusing on creating more creative graphical campaigns that align with the tastes of our digital users – especially on Facebook. In terms of artists, we are SME ADVISOR

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currently working on enhancing our offline events, and organising exhibitions and talks that discuss in-depth topics surrounding the comic industry, which will help us better position the regional landscape of comic artists.”

Another glaring challenge that Amr is faced with is entering new markets. “We found that entering new markets was really challenging. We solved this by establishing a new programme for the exchange of comics, and that in cooperation with different culture centres worldwide. The “ComicsRoad” programme aims to translate comics from Europe and United States into Arabic, and digitally distribute them in Middle East. This is only the first step, this year we’ll be working on different translations into different languages.”

New chapter in the life of Koshk Comics As Amr slowly, but surely, inches towards achieving his dream – what will his next step be? “When we launched our product, we gave viewers the handy option to read visual stories, and comic artists (writers, illustrators, inkers and colourists) an efficient tool for publishing. We are now looking to raise the bar. It is not enough to be first to market with unique offers, what really matters is to sustain development and the interest of your users. So we have a long-term plan for content generation that will help achieve this. Another area of focus is the cultural diversity of comics – it is so important to give a bigger place to independent artists to demonstrate their work away from mainstream comics.

Because that is the point of comics, isn’t it?

To share a story in a unique language of images and dismantle all language barriers.” The passion that Amr evokes when talking about his business is truly inspiring and the commitment to the comic industry can’t be compared to anything we’ve seen before. Guess it’s true what they say: not all superheroes wear capes!

SME ADVISOR

How does it work?

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WELCOME,

WONDER WOMAN Seasoned journalist turned fledgling entrepreneur, Daria Solovieva is empowering the next generation of Middle Eastern women with her female-focused news service, ELLA.

Not just a pretty platform ‘Ella’ means ‘she’ in Spanish. The word sits neatly in the corner of Solovieva’s website, Ellaletter.com, styled in a swirly, feminine font. There is nothing intimidating about this pretty, pastel-hued platform. But don’t let appearances device you; the website houses hard-hitting headlines about female issues.

In June alone the weekly newsletter covered the assassination of British MP Jo Cox, a piece on sexuality in the Middle East and a letter from a female Bharani exile. There’s no room for easy fainters or shrinking violets here.

“Telling women’s stories in a compelling way has always been a passion of mine and huge part of my work,” says Solovieva.

Frustrated by the failure of modern media to identify and deliver news stories for a female audience in an effective way, she quit her job at Bloomberg to establish ELLA in April of SME ADVISOR

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This case study is about

We found in Daria Solovieva a great entrepreneur with the resilience and passion to lead and grow the company SME ADVISOR

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““

Male-orientated stories remain a priority for many news organisations around the world because this is their audience.

But if you’re a young woman graduating from the University of Sharjah how many headlines actually relate to you?

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this year. “It’s a free newsletter delivering a weekly jolt of the most relevant original and aggregated content for women. What we do is deliver, inspiring stories and make these very easy to find for our core audience,” Solovieva explains. “Women are not an afterthought for us; I want to empower the next generation of wonder women,” she smiles.

The Russian-born New Yorker acknowledges that the very existence of the platform is problematic. “In a perfectly balanced world you wouldn’t need a separate site to curate and cover news for women, but there are still imbalances in the world,” Solovieva sighs. News, she asserts, is a man’s world – both in its subjects and audience.

“Male-orientated stories remain a priority for many news organisations around the world because this is their audience. But if you’re a young woman graduating from the University of Sharjah how many headlines actually relate to you?”

She’s got a point. Even the female-focused pieces that are published are expected, like the women themselves, to fit a certain form.

According to the Global Media Monitoring Project 81 per cent of Middle Eastern news stories reinforce gender stereotypes. “Too often, and this is the frustration of many women I spoke to in Saudi Arabia, the media narrative is fixated on the driving ban and suppression,” Solovieva explains. The local landscape isn’t much better: “at another end of the spectrum a ‘woman’s publication’ has come to mean exclusively beauty and fashion topics, but it’s doesn’t have to,” Solovieva surmises. “Women are interested in a much broader range of subjects.”

The support network ELLA is something entirely different. The service looks to empower women with entrepreneurial insight and inspiration rather handbags and hairspray. The product doesn’t officially launch until later this month, but Solovieva is already tracking its success.

“The traction and feedback we’re getting just in this pre-launch stage is fab,” the

businesswoman beams. Crucially, ELLA has already netted two investors and a strategic business partner; pretty impressive for a platform that hasn’t even been cast out to sea yet.

ELLA is the official media partner for business consultancy Naseba and will be covering all the action at their Women in Leadership event this October. It’s a strong alliance for Solovieva to make in her start-up days. But the businesswoman’s greatest coup to date is securing support from Abu Dhabibased Flat6Labs. This July ELLA will join the accelerator programme for two months. “We have selected ELLA from a wide pool of startups as we saw the potential to co-create a for-profit company with a strong mission that can deliver a lot of value to young female professionals in the MENA region,” says Victor Kiriakos, Managing Director of Flat6Labs Abu Dhabi. “We also found in Daria Solovieva a great entrepreneur with the resilience and passion to lead and grow the company.”

Solovieva’s business is about to enter a very exciting stage in its development. But she is not relying on investor input alone to grow her company, Ella’s angels are there to help too. Solovieva has recruited four fairygodmother figures for the platform in the form of advisors Shaima Ghafoor, President of Girls in Tech Dubai; Alex Klokus, Founder of Futurism; Alanoud Faisal, CEO of Saudi Business Incubator for Women and Hashem Al-Ghaili, VP of Content for Futurism Arabic Edition. The panel have eclectic mix of skills and maintain a healthy 50/50 female to male balance between them.

Workshops and the web Solovieva has one more trick up her sleeve.

A new strategic partner is coming on board to excavate a fresh revenue stream. ELLA is currently monestised through banners and adverts, but from the Autumn Solovieva is introducing one day workshops for women.

The skill-building sessions will be led by one of ELLA’s ‘wonder women’ – inspirational leaders featured on the website.

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Crucially, although commercialised, the workshops are not crippling. . “We’re only charging 50-60 AED per person – they have to be accessible. You don’t need a full-time salary to participate, which is very important in places like KSA where there are lots of middle income women looking to set up their own business to boost their income,” the founder explains.

From her days as a roaming reporter, Solovieva has a good gauge on the socioeconomic differences between geographies in the Middle East. The education and opportunities afforded to a woman in the UAE are not, she knows, the same as elsewhere.

But that’s where the etymology behind ‘Ella’ comes into its own. Aside from the Spanish translation, the word can also mean ‘all’ in German. Through the power of the internet, Solovieva can reach a woman in Riyadh as easily as one in RAK: her audience is everyone.

And that includes men.

01. Daria Solovieva, Founder of ELLA 02. The ELLA team settling into their new Flat6Labs office in Abu Dhabi

81%

$250k

According to research by the Global Media Monitoring Project, a staggering 81% of Middle Eastern news stories reinforce gender stereotypes

HearstLab, part of Hearst Ventures, invested US $250,000 in strongDM, a digital security solution created by Elizabeth Zlaman

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He for she The connection is not an obvious one – what do men want with a female-focused news platform? A lot, it transpires. As writer Michael Spencer explains in his article ‘The Rise of Women Millennial Leaders’, “in 2016, to be a female CEO is no longer unusual. I predict the place of women in leadership is on an upward curve, that’s why I never pass up reading articles on female entrepreneurship.”

The smartest men are interested in what the smartest women are doing, both as competitors and potential collaborators.

And, investors are increasingly targeting women-led start-ups. HearstLab, part of Hearst Ventures, recently invested US$250,000 in strongDM, a digital security solution created

by Elizabeth Zlaman. The economic and moral value women bring to business is big, but it doesn’t just benefit the fairer sex; everyone stands to gain. As Sheikha Manal bint Mohammed Al Maktoum, Chairwoman of UAE Gender Balance Council, surmises, “we have moved beyond phase of empowering women.

We’re empowering society through women.”

““

ELLA has already netted two investors and a strategic business partner; pretty impressive for a platform that hasn’t even been cast out to sea yet

Sisterly advice Solovieva says her biggest struggle has been adjusting to the change of pace. “In moving from a newswire journalist to new entrepreneur my life has gone from a really fast-paced, deadline-driven environment to spending much of my time waiting. I’ve had to adjust my expectations for things to take longer, especially during Ramadan and the summer,” she notes. The entrepreneur has had to practice patience. But, with the accelerator programme starting this month, her foot is on the accelerator once again. Nudging her startup into the fast lane, by this time next year Solovieva hopes she will be offering special, localised events. Keep your eyes peeled for #ELLAAbuDhabi and #ELLASharjah…

As she forges ahead Solovieva is keen to share the lessons learnt so far. “Trust yourself more. A lot of people embarking on something new feel they need more support, more guidance, more money and more connections to make it work. And a lot of it is true, but you can start with something and make it grow. A lot of women underestimate their worth and what they already have to offer to the world.”

She also advocates tapping into public and private sector support, including grants for women-led businesses. To fellow females flirting with entrepreneurship, Solovieva’s parting advice is this: “don’t settle into anyone else’s narrative - act now.”

Superwomen-in-waiting, it’s time to step into the light.

GATEWAY TO THE FUTURE - Are you ready?

A world-class dialogue

Block your diary - and supercharge your business August 28th, 2016

Intercontinental, Muscat

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THE POWER OF

SOCIAL

MEDIA SME ADVISOR

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New research shows that buzz plays a greater role than previously thought in getting consumers to buy and that the pool of the most effective influencers is largely untapped. Jacques Bughin of McKinsey & Co tracks how consumer behaviours are being transformed by social media channels‌

O

ver the past decade, marketers have increasingly turned to social-media networks like Facebook and Twitter to create buzz around their products.

But what impact do tweets and other recommendations have on sales, and how can companies get a bigger return on their investments in these important channels?

To get a clearer view, we examined the purchase decisions of 20,000 European consumers, across 30 product areas and more than 100 brands, in 2013 and 2014.

Respondents were asked how significantly social media influenced their decision journeys and about instances when they themselves recommended products. We found that the impact of social media on buying decisions is greater than previously estimated and growing fast, but that its influence varies significantly across product

categories. Moreover, only a small slice of social influencers are creating the buzz.

A growing importance Social recommendations induced an average of 26 per cent of purchases across all product categories, according to our data.

That’s substantially higher than the 10 to 15 per cent others have estimated. For the 30 product categories we studied, roughly two-thirds of the impact was direct; that is, recommendations played a critical role at the point of purchase. The remaining third was indirect: social media had an effect at earlier decision-journey touch points – for example, when a recommendation created initial awareness of a product or interactions with friends or other influencers helped consumers to compare product attributes or to evaluate higher-value features. We found

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that in 2014, consumers made 10 per cent more purchases on the back of social-media recommendations than they had in 2013.

Nuances are essential Consumers, we found, access social media to very different degrees in different product categories. At the low end, only about 15 per cent of our respondents reported using social media in choosing utility services. For other categories, such as travel, investment services, and over-the-counter drugs, 40 to 50 per cent of consumers looked to social recommendations.

Product categories tend to have their own discrete groups of influencers. Our data showed that the overlap of recommenders between any two consumer categories was very small – a maximum of 15 per cent for any two pairs of products we analysed.

Timing matters as well: a first-time purchaser, for example, is roughly 50 per cent more likely to turn to social media than a repeat buyer.

While the role of digital influence is expanding, the analog world remains important. Among the more than 100

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Consumers who use search engines to gain some initial knowledge of a product are also more likely to tune in to social media before a purchase

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Top influencers accounted for a disproportionate share of total product recommendations Share of influencers & Recommendations they generated

Impact ratio

5% 15%

3X

10% 24%

~2.5X

20% 40%

2X

Source: 2013-14 McKinsey interviews of 20,000 European consumers across 30 product areas and more than 100 brands

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brands we studied, about half of the recommendations were made offline – in person or by phone. Offline conversations were up to 40 per cent more likely than digital interactions to influence purchase decisions of products such as insurance or utilities.

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While the role of digital influence is expanding, the analog world remains important

Power influencers and the long tail Our research shows that a small number of active influencers accounted for a disproportionate share of total recommendations. These power users are even more significant for product categories such as shoes and clothing: five per cent of the recommenders accounted for 45 per cent of the social influence generated.

Navigating in a changing environment As companies look to maximise returns from their social strategies, they can both encourage would-be customers to engage in more social interactions and inspire more influencers to express enthusiasm for their products.

On the demand side, our research suggests that online articles written by journalists prompt consumers to seek out social media to further inform purchases (and that publicrelations spending to generate such articles may be a worthwhile investment). Consumers who use search engines to gain some initial knowledge of a product are also more likely to tune in to social media before a purchase.

Companies that spend effectively on searchengine optimisation (to move their product mentions to the top of search results) can expect to benefit from a greater social-media impact, as well.

Television advertising, by contrast, tends to act as a substitute for social media rather than complementing it. Relatively few customers were prompted to seek out social influences after viewing a TV spot.On the supply side, prompting the long tail of less active influencers may require creativity and a greater use of data analytics. Our research found, paradoxically, that SME ADVISOR

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Looking ahead, better mobile devices and more robust social applications will make it even easier to share experiences about products and services

if companies allowed endorsements only, they generated a less strong response than companies that invited any sort of comment.

Positive remarks were three times more numerous than negative ones, and some companies demonstrated that they could turn negative vibes to their advantage by responding quickly.

Other companies are amplifying positive noise by making the recommenders’ data “speak.” Through machine learning and the application of advanced analytics to recommenders’ profiles, they obtain a granular understanding of product preferences and purchasing behaviour.

That analysis becomes a key input into sophisticated recommendation engines that identify potential customers and send them messages such as “purchasers like you bought this appliance” at key points along the decision journey. These engines are highly effective at converting customers, though with an important caveat: the influence the engines generate can be as much as 75 per cent lower if messages aren’t highly personalised and targeted.

The pathways of social influence are shifting constantly. Looking ahead, better mobile devices and more robust social applications will make it even easier to share experiences about products and services.

Companies can’t afford to fall behind this powerful curve.

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