No more gifts

Has the gift giving culture caused a disservice within the communications and media industry in the region? Alex Malouf offers his thoughts…

Trying to stop the culture of gift-giving in our industry today is akin to putting a plaster on a surgery patient

Let’s be honest, how many times have you given, or been given, a gift? Gift giving is such a common practice that I doubt there’s a single person in the media and communications industry that hasn’t seen a gift being given. Why do we do it? Because we want coverage and we want influence with the media person. Why does the media person take it? Because everyone else is doing it and there’s no one telling them not to.

Unfortunately, we’ve gotten ourselves in a big mess. Trying to stop the culture of gift giving in our industry today is akin to putting a plaster on a surgery patient. The practice is so embedded in the regional industry that what is needed is an industry-wide effort – for everyone to say enough is enough.

But why should we stop giving gifts some will ask. It gets the job done, and the client is happy with the ensuing coverage. I’m going to step aside from the ethics of the issue and look at gift giving from other perspectives. First, let’s consider what we’re trying to do as communicators. Our job is to engage with the public (or sections thereof) and shape their opinion.

By sidestepping the need to craft a bunch of facts and opinions into a story that by itself is newsworthy and gifting our way to coverage, we’re fooling ourselves into believing that our audiences are not able to discern advertising from editorial. We live in a period and a region where a consumer can source information from tens of thousands of sources. If what we produce isn’t interesting, different or of a good enough quality to catch a reader’s attention, then they will simply go somewhere else for their information. If we’re unable to engage our public with news that is printed based on merit, then we’re not doing our job of influencing their opinion.

Secondly, let’s look at where gift taking gets us. Gift giving effectively leaves the communications professional powerless and here’s why. If you give a gift, you’ll get your piece published. But even if nothing is said, the expectation will be that every time you proffer a gift, that item will have to be better and more expensive than the last. When do you stop giving gifts? Can you afford to keep giving gifts, especially as the cost of what you are doing goes up and up? And when you do stop, will you get your materials published again by that journalist? It’s unlikely to say the least.

As an industry, we need to encourage better media practices. There are some remarkable journalists out there in our region – we should be promoting these people and extolling their work. We need a media that are credible, reliable and publish information based on merit. Our own reputation is tied to that of the media. Our trustworthiness is intrinsically linked to that of the media – the more that the public and our own clients trust the media the better it is for our own credibility. Unfortunately, all it takes is a few people to start giving gifts for others to feel that they have to then follow suit.

Let’s stop giving gifts for coverage and instead do our jobs as communications professionals.

 

Alex Malouf is the Professional Development and Knowledge Sharing Co-Chair at MEPRA. Follow him on Twitter @alex_malouf

Digital Strategist, Marianna Boguslavsky

NAME: Marianna Boguslavsky

AGE: No self-respecting woman over 25 would ever disclose her age

FROM: Cape Town, South Africa

JOB TITLE: Digital Strategist & Marketing Consultant

When did you first arrive in Dubai? In January 2013, after a six-month stint in Abu Dhabi – arriving in Dubai was quite a welcome change.

Tell us about your role… I work as a Digital and Social Media Consultant, and run my own digital marketing agency, working with clients in the UAE and South Africa. I basically spend most of my days researching, conceptualising, creating and compiling strategies and content plans.

Where did you work prior? I ran my own digital marketing consultancy in Cape Town working with clients including a leading UK recruitment firm, a SaaS company who are Google’s only enterprise partner in South Africa, an online retailer, a private university in Cape Town, and an established author, amongst others. Before launching my own company, I spent the past year working as a Digital Strategist at a global advertising agency in Dubai working with brands like BMW, MINI, Siemens & Peroni.

What were your first impressions of the media industry in the Middle East? When it comes to digital, the Middle East is a bit behind the rest of the world but I think they’re catching up pretty fast.

What challenges do you face? The lack of digital and social media knowledge in the region, as well as the need to educate my clients about the way to utilise digital/social platforms.

What’s the most rewarding part of your job? Finding a way to make a difference to my clients’ businesses – be it from the perfectly constructed tweet that engages the consumer, to a new website that drives leads.

What sets you apart from other Marketing Executives? I have worked for corporates, startups and NGOs, with my work experience spanning seven years and three continents.

Work calls via landline, mobile or both? Mobile.

Describe yourself in five words… Passionate, energetic, enthusiastic, driven, ambitious.

What’s your most overused saying? ‘’We’re going to take it to another level’’

Five things you can’t live without? My husband (ok, I know he’s not a thing but I would get in trouble for not mentioning him!), my iPhone, books, sushi and hair straightener.

If you weren’t in Marketing, what would you be? Running my own online magazine… or a sushi restaurant.

Arab Media Forum 2014 theme announced

The Arab Media Forum (AMF) has announced that the official theme for this years event will be ‘The future of media starts today’. The event aims to highlight the advancement of PR in the Arab world, and explore the new unfolding trends and technologies in the field of media in the region.

For its 13th edition of the forum, the Arab Media Forum 2014 will be held at the Madinat Jumeirah Conference and Exhibition Centre from the 20 – 21st May, 2014.

Nick Tapley joins MediaCom MENA

Nick Tapley has joined the MediaCom MENA team as Director of Innovation. With over 13 years of media experience, Nick previously worked as Head of Branded Entertainment – Fuse, at OMD Dubai, and his work has been recognised with a number of awards including Dubai Lynx, MENA Cristals, GEMA Effies, Festival of Media and a Global M&M Award.

“This is the start of something new for both the agency and myself so it’s a real privilege to be part of the team and I’m incredibly excited about the future,” says Nick. “MediaCom MENA are growing at a frantic pace, with great clients and truly talented people, so I can’t wait to get started.”

Nick Barron, CEO of MediaCom MENA added, “I’ve known Nick for some time and am really excited to have him join the team. I have always maintained that MENA should be at the vanguard of media globally and Nick will help us continue to drive the quality of our connections planning for our clients. He will be a great addition to our growing team.”

Danae Mercer joins Motivate

Danae Mercer has joined the Motivate team as Features Editor. Most recently, Danae worked as a freelance journalist in London, contributing to a range of features across titles that included USA TodayThe GuardianThe IndependentThe TelegraphMarie Claire and THE. Simultaneously, Danae was Account Manager for financial and corporate PR firm Kwittken & Company, where she managed highly technical international accounts. In her new position, Danae will work primarily on Jumeirah, with a focus on lifestyle and luxury.

“I’m excited,” says Danae. “It’s the first time I’ve seen sun in what feels like years (thank you, London), the office has a great environment and the magazine has a fantastic legacy combined with serious future potential. How can I argue with that?”