The Fashion Hub gets new look

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UAE-based fashion website The Fashion Hub (TFH) has expanded its offices into London and re-launched its digital platform with a new look. The new website will act as a virtual panel that voices the non-linear market of fashion, art and lifestyle, with a more digitalised and interactive format. Having previously worked with worldwide brands such as Harvey Nichols London, Selfridges and Canon, the digital publication will now be welcoming new contributors to the site.

“It was time to take the next step, to become more digitalised, to have richer content, it’s been for years and we knew the timing was right,” says Parisa Birgani, Founder and Editor, The Fashion Hub. “We know our readers so well, because we are both our own readers. There was such a gap in the market for something like TFH, a platform that didn’t focus on the commercial, but focused on the non-liner, and we’re both so happy to shine a light on that part of the industry, and to broaden peoples minds about it, especially in the Middle East.”

Lydia Birgani, Co-Founder, The Fashion Hub, adds “We’ve now constructed a more interactive platform which helps engage and interconnect different ideologies, regions. Opening an office in London has allowed us to target our European readers more and it’s a very exciting chapter for TFH.

Cannes Lions makes changes to 2016 awards

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The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity has announced changes to the 2016 awards which will see the Press Lions become the Print and Publishing Lions and Digital Craft split from the Cyber and Mobile Lions. The Digital Craft Lions will celebrate the creative skills and digital craftsmanship behind content including the quality of design, the technical execution and the overall experience across all digital platforms and devices.

“The Press Lions is an award that’s been with us since 1992,” says Simon Cook, Director of Awards, Lions Festivals. “By renaming it the Print & Publishing Lions, we are evolving the category, just as the print and publishing world itself is evolving, to recognise other forms of publishing, along with best uses of press and interactive press.”

Terry Savage, Chairman, Lions Festivals, adds “The Cyber and Mobile Lions juries have told us that with more and more UX and Craft focused entries, it is necessary to have experts in this field sitting on the jury. We’ve chosen to split it out so that this specialist area can have its own dedicated jury, which will also make the hugely labour intensive Cyber Lions judging much more manageable going forward.”

Shitika Anand moves to freelance

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Shitika Anand, former Assistant Editor of Grazia Middle East, Grazia Arabia and Grazia Luxury, has made the move to freelance journalism. With over four years of experience, Shitika has had work featured in publications such as Women’s Wear Daily, Cosmopolitan and CNN International. She will now be available to work as a social media/digital consultant as well as for fashion, travel and lifestyle feature writing in a freelance capacity.

“Working with the incredible Grazia Middle East team has been a delight,” says Shitika. “I’ve had the opportunity to interview some of the greatest talents in the fashion and food industry and write some of the best stories of my career yet. I’m very excited to take all my skills into the world of freelance and I look forward to writing for other publications and collaborating with brands on a digital and print platform.”

TishTash welcomes Laura Davison

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Laura Davison has joined TishTash as Talent Manager for the TishTash Talent division. Previously Bookings Manager at Audio Tonic Agency, Laura has over two years of experience in the entertainment industry. In her new role, Laura will be responsible for the day-to-day management of the TishTash talent portfolio, including handling bookings and publicity for clients.

“I am really excited to be joining the fabulous TishTash Talent team to help grow this side of the business,” says Laura. “We have an amazing talent portfolio that I’m looking forward to showcasing over the course of the year.”

Digital news: How to maximise video content

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Amer Attyeh, Head of MENA, Exponential Interactive, discusses the increasing move towards digital content in news, as well as how to utilise video content to maximum effect…

“In order for journalists and PR professionals to simply keep their jobs, digital and social needs to be a key part of their skill set and experience.”

There has been a massive change to the editorial ecosystem in recent years. Many positions have been cut, with a growing number of jobs appearing in the native digital news sector, and a significant number of high profile international journalists leading the charge to the digital space as online news sites such as Mashable, Buzzfeed and Yahoo become increasingly attractive. Some digital news producers are filling the gaps produced by increasing pressure on traditional news outlets, while others are developing new forms of storytelling such as video, crowdsourcing and new styles of documentary.

As the popularity of digital newsrooms continues to increase, particularly for the younger audience, traditional media outlets are having to transform themselves to keep up, offering more and more digital and social options to satisfy their audiences. Now it’s not even about staying ahead – in order for journalists and PR professionals to simply keep their jobs, digital and social needs to be a key part of their skill set and experience.

Video is set to be a key focus for online moving forwards, with companies dramatically increasing digital video advertising spend as a result of the increasing viewership in 2014. According to eMarketer, by the end of 2015, buyers and sellers will transact more than two billion dollars worth of video ads on programmatic platforms – nearly triple the spend of 2014. Successful journalists and PR professionals will need to continue to find ways to embrace the increasing growth in demand for video and content-driven marketing.

Engaging content goes far beyond one good video however; with the attention spans of our customers getting shorter, people are looking for more visual and memorable experiences, and one good video on its own is not enough. As a leading global provider of digital advertising solutions, we have plenty of insight into engaging users with online video:

  • The three key components to video are sight, sound and motion which need to work seamlessly together to create an emotive experience. If you take one of these (i.e. sound) away, the other two need to compensate together – using visual text or other prompts can be highly effective in these situations.
  • Attention spans are getting shorter, so it is important to focus on the first three seconds of the video and use the strongest asset as soon as possible, for example, if you have a celebrity, show them at the start.
  • Make sure you are familiar with analytics so that you can assess the success of your video, whether this is based on views, engagement or time spent on the video. Video should be a key component of your strategy, and therefore needs to be continually updated to reflect your audience’s needs and desires, as well as your results and objectives.

The digital evolution has impacted what news is reported, how it is reported, and even the language used to report. It has had an effect on our awareness, perceptions and demands, and created a much more convoluted and difficult to manage communications process. In order to avoid extinction, newspapers and TV networks need to embrace digital and create a revenue model that supports it – leveraging the value of their classifieds in order to stay ahead. Radio networks have their own issues thanks to the onslaught of digital players such as Spotify, with budgets that would have been purely for radio now being split to include these.

This movement has been more sudden and dramatic for the media industry than any we have seen before, and for those of us working in media and marketing, it offers both golden opportunities and nightmare-inducing fears. The only clear message is that this shift is not likely to slow down at any point, and only those who are open to change and who can see the opportunities provided by integration will succeed.

Neil King joins Gulf Business

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Motivate Publishing has welcomed Neil King to the role of Editor at Gulf Business. With over 10 years of experience in journalism, Neil most recently worked at ITP Publishing as Editor of CEO Middle East and Arabian Business StartUp. In his new role he will oversee the monthly magazine, as well as online content for www.gulfbusiness.com.
“Motivate’s stellar reputation precedes it, so it’s a privilege to join the company as Editor of Gulf Business,” says Neil. “I’ve joined a very talented team and I’m excited about the ambitious plans we all have for the magazine and the website in the coming weeks, months and years.”

 

MEPRA Academy

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Team TMN chat with Alex Malouf, Vice-Chair, MEPRA, to find out more about MEPRA’s newly launched academy, and the courses currently on offer…

Tell us a bit about the MEPRA Academy?
The MEPRA Academy is an initiative to bridge the skills gap in the Middle East region for the public relations and communications industries. We often had people working in the industry, or others who were looking to become communicators, approach us and ask what options there were for short courses that would help them to better understand certain areas of the industry, such as social media. To fill this gap, we decided to partner with several training providers and established trainers, both in the region and back in the United Kingdom, to establish the MEPRA Academy and offer a range of one-day courses that would meet the needs of professionals in our industry or those who want to know more about certain areas of our work.

Where did the concept originate?
We wanted to create an educational resource that would support our industry in this region and help PR and communications professionals, or those learning about our profession, to gain more theory and practice about skills that will allow them to either carry out their job or give them the ability to grow into new, up-and-coming communications roles such as public affairs and internal communications.

What kind of courses does the MEPRA Academy offer?
We offer one-day courses in public relations and communications essentials such as media relations, planning, measurement and evaluation, internal communications and employee engagement and social media. We also offer a two-day course in executive communications leadership for communications professionals who lead their own departments or are in a management role. The courses are delivered by trainers from the PR Academy who have worked with the Chartered Institute of Public Relations and who have delivered training to Middle Eastern audiences beforehand.

Why did you decide that now was the right time to open the academy?
MEPRA has run training programmes beforehand, but we wanted to create a structured approach to training for our members and non-members in the region. One issue that the communications industry has long contended with is how to support the development of professionals in the region. There are few options out there in terms of training, especially considering how fast our profession is evolving. The courses offered through the Academy will continue to evolve, and our aim is to provide a platform where our members can support their own development and progress in their career.

Who is the Academy aimed at?
The Academy is aimed at anyone and everyone working in, or looking to enter, the public relations and communications industry across the Middle East region.

What kind of changes are you hoping to instigate?
We want communicators and public relations professionals to engage in continuous learning, we want to be able to support them in this process, and we want to be able to deliver an education to our members and non-members alike that we can guarantee in terms of quality. We also want to support the notion that communications should have a seat at the board, and in order to do that we need to ensure that we are working towards best practices in this region. We are running other educational and certain initiatives in the region, and we’re also look at rolling out other development programmes for our members in 2016 to support lifelong learning.

Why should established PR professionals register for the MEPRA Academy?
Our industry is always changing. As an example, who could have foreseen the disruption that digital or social media would have brought to what we do?

There’s so much happening that we cannot stop still, no matter how many years of experience one may have. Having said that, we do have a two-day workshop designed for those with several years of management experience. The two-day executive communications leadership course supports professionals with tools to better engage their senior management and build a more effective communications structure for their organisation…

What courses are upcoming?
We have a range of one-day courses being offered, focusing on several key areas. We’re continually asking our members for feedback on what courses they’d like to see, and where they’d like these courses to be held. The MEPRA Academy will continue to evolve to meet the needs of the PR industry in the region.

How do people secure a place on a MEPRA Academy course?
All they need to do is to go to www.mepra.org, and choose which course they’d like to attend.