Jumeirah appoints Group Vice President

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Dubai-based luxury hotel company Jumeirah Group has appointed Yousef Tuqan to the role of Group Vice President of Brand Marketing and Loyalty. With over 20 years of experience in digital strategy and media in the region, Yousef has previously worked for both regional and international brands including; Careem, Leo Burnett MENA and Flip Media.

“Having worked with Jumeirah early on in my career I have always admired this iconic, homegrown global brand,” says Yousef. “I’m incredibly excited to lead the Jumeriah brand’s evolution.”

Prism welcomes Faisal Bhatti

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Prism Communications has welcomed Faisal Bhatti to the role of Creative Designer. With over 12 years of experience in web design applications including UI and UX design, Faisal most recently worked in Pakistan as well as the UAE across major companies such as iTACK Solutions, Secure-Bytes and Groovon, a part of Acore Group. In his new role, Faisal will be managing and overseeing the operations of the design team in Dubai.

“We are thrilled to have Faisal join the team,” says Lovetto Nazareth, Managing Director, Prism Communications. “He is a very capable young man and we look forward to creating awesome things with him here in our Dubai office.”

Voting open for Mother, Baby & Child Awards

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Voting is now open for the fifth annual Mother, Baby & Child Awards, presented by Mother, Baby & Child magazine, part of CPI Media Group. There are 31 categories open for voting this year, with 340 nominees competing for awards including; New School of the Year, Nursery of the Year and Kids Entertainment Centre of the Year. Winners will be announced at an awards ceremony due to be held on December 7, 2016 at Habtoor Grand, Dubai Marina.

To vote, head to www.motherbabychild.com/awards/.

Her Paper

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Team TMN chat with Jason Bowman, Sales Director at Black Iris Publishing to find out more about Her Paper, the soon-to-be launched lifestyle newspaper for women…

Tell us a bit about Black Iris Publishing and Her Paper….
Black Iris Publishing was formed in the UAE in 2012, when we began publishing one8one magazine – a lifestyle magazine for students distributed to Virgin Megastores, high schools, universities and higher education institutions across the UAE.

As print media is declining, we wanted to breathe life back into this medium by using augmented reality, combined with e-commerce to allow readers to buy the products they see in print, through a corresponding mobile app. This month we are launching Her Paper, which will be the UAE’s first lifestyle newspaper for women that utilises augmented reality technology.

Tell us about the concept behind Her Paper…
Her Paper will keep readers abreast of the latest lifestyle news whilst allowing them to purchase everything they see or read in the newspaper instantly. The publication runs in tandem with get it – so readers can simply scan an article or advertisement they see, and a video advertisement pops up in the app (if the brands have video adverts for their campaigns), which lists any products/services that are available in a menu. Readers can then click on the product/service that they want to purchase and we will deliver it to their door within 24 hours, if it’s a product. If it’s a service that has been booked – a test drive or cinema ticket, for example – we would then send a confirmation to their email.

What made you decide to launch Her Paper in the Middle East?
Women love to shop, women are online and women are mobile. In this day and age consumers want products and services instantly and we satisfy this demand by delivering products straight to your door, eliminating the need to even leave the comfort of an armchair.

Will Her Paper be available in any other formats?
Her Paper will be available through our app, get it, which will be found on Android and Apple. You will also be able to get Her Paper online.

How do you think the get it mobile app will enhance readers experience?
Imagine seeing a product or service in a newspaper and thinking to yourself; I want to buy that, now! get it allows you to do just that, regardless of whether the brand is available online. We stock the products in our warehouse and do the deliveries ourselves. If a brand has a video commercial, or wants to offer readers a further digital experience, we can also offer that service through the app.

What do you think makes Her Paper particularly relevant to the MENA community?
We are lucky enough to be spoilt living here in the UAE. We can call local mini-markets to deliver grocery items to our door. Her Paper is just capitalising on this concept, but using mid-to-upmarket consumer products and services.

How will you make HerPaper stand out from other publications available?
Her Paper is the first newspaper available exclusively for women aged between 18 and 45. Combined with the get it app, there is no other product like it in the market.

How can PRs and brands get involved with Her Paper or the get it app?
Simply give me a call on 050 656 1567 or drop me an email on jason@blkiris.com.

Will you be working with one dedicated editorial team, or will there be opportunities for freelancers?
For Her Paper, we are working with a dedicated editorial team, but we are also not adverse to freelancers. 

How do you think HerPaper can be developed in the future?
An Arabic version will be available shortly, the rest has to remain secret…

Condé Nast Traveller Middle East website launches

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Condé Nast Traveller Middle East, an Arab Publishing Partners (APP) publication, has launched cntravellerme.com. Aiming to be the ultimate online destination for all things travel, the new website features a daily edit of stories, guides and tips on destinations across the globe, as well as new image galleries, expert opinions, news and special video content.

The Wall Street Journal welcomes Deborah Parmenter

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Wall Street Journal (WSJ) Custom Studios has welcomed Deborah Parmenter to the role of Regional Sales Manager for the Middle East and Africa (MEA), where she will be responsible for extending the studio’s business across display and vertical markets from its Dubai office. Deborah joins the WSJ Custom Studios team from Gulf News Publishing, where she was Circulation and Subscription Marketing Manager and worked across publications including InsideOut, Aquarius and Friday. As Regional Sales Manager for MEA, she will report to Adam Fox, Director, MEA, The Wall Street Journal and work alongside key media agencies in the region, concentrating on trades such as; real estate, hospitality and healthcare.

“I am thrilled to have Deborah join our team here in Dubai at such an exciting time for The Wall Street Journal and for custom content,” says Adam. “Deborah’s wealth of contacts, enthusiasm and passion for our brands speak for themselves.”

CNN launches Native 2.4

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CNN International Commercial – CNNIC – has formed a new partnership with native advertising platform Sharethrough to launch Native 2.4, a new solution that offers dynamic native and branded content advertising formats in prominent positions across CNN Digital platforms. The exclusive new formats and templates were developed and tailored to offer a seamless user experience and value to CNN’s advertisers. Native 2.4 features several key benefits, including; new dynamic formats, smart placement of native advertising and intelligent data insight.

“We are bringing together the full suite of new formats, prominent and seamless placement and the power of data and creative content for clients to truly engage with CNN audiences in a native environment,” says Rob Bradley, Director of Digital Revenue and Data, CNN International Commercial. “The result is an engaging brand storytelling experience created for peak performance and with the flexibility of dynamic optimisation. In an age of overused buzzwords, this solution, which we’re calling native 2.4, finally adds real substance to the term native advertising.”

Dan Greenberg, CEO and Co-Founder, Sharethrough, adds “Like us at Sharethrough, CNN believes in a future where ads are built on a foundation of respect and quality – ads that fit in. The CNN team has enthusiastically embraced this new advertising model and are using the Sharethrough platform in a unique and sophisticated way. When combined with the high quality content being created by CNN’s brand content studio, native ads have the power to engage and persuade unlike any traditional marketing strategy.”