In The Hot Seat – Walid El MajzouB

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Team TMN chat with Walid El Majzoub, Regional Media Relations Manager, TRACCS PR, who talks about his current role and offers his thoughts on the PR industry in the Middle East 

Name: Walid El Majzoub

Age: 41 years

Nationality: Lebanese

Current job title: Regional Media Relations Manager

When did you first arrive in Dubai? 2002

 Where did you work prior? Prior to joining TRACCS, I spent four years at the Pan Arab Research Center in Dubai as the News Monitoring Manager.

What were your first impressions of the PR industry in the Middle East? At the Pan Arab Research Center, my role involved reviewing the numerous press releases distributed by different PR agencies, which led me to inaccurately believe at the time that the scope of PR was more or less limited to press release development and distribution.

Has your opinion changed much? It changed completely after I moved to TRACCS in 2007. That’s when I started to truly understand the real impact of public relations and I began to develop a deeper sense of appreciation for the different elements that make up an effective 360-degree engagement strategy including media training and crisis management.

Tell us about your current role. As the Regional Media Relations Manager at TRACCS, my role involves working closely with our offices in the Middle East and North Africa to oversee the media engagement strategies for our clients in various markets.

What challenges do you face?

Having been part of the communications industry for 11 years now, I have closely witnessed the evolution of the media landscape and the rise and decline of many trends. However, the main challenge that continues to excite me as a media relations professional is the need for PR agencies to stay competitive, to consistently deliver results and continuously identify new opportunities for collaboration.

What’s the most rewarding part of your job?

Apart from the exposure to new people and experiences, my role as a media relations professional offers ample opportunities for learning new skills and expanding my knowledge.

How have clients’ expectations in today’s digital community influenced PR and marketing in the UAE?

The growing focus on social media and digital storytelling has had a major impact on client expectations. For example, every campaign today, by default, has to be a 360-degree campaign, which means the notion of a traditional campaign is virtually dead. Second, the media outlets themselves are undergoing a digital overhaul in terms of either extending their reach through multimedia platforms or transforming themselves into full-fledged digital media outlets. As a result of this digital revolution, PR agencies in the UAE have had to rethink their approach to communications to manage their clients’ evolving expectations.

How has social media in the region evolved to become an integrated part of the PR industry? In a nutshell, social media has fueled the transformation of news stories into conversation starters, making it a crucial component of any PR strategy.

Describe yourself in five words. Passionate, friendly, professional, positive and patient

Who inspires you? Our Managing Director who has been instrumental in strengthening TRACCS’ position as one of the leading PR networks in the region.

What’s your most overused saying? Be happy.

Five things you can’t live without? Family, work, Dubai, Lebanon and nature

If you weren’t in your current role, what would you be doing? I would have been an entrepreneur.

What’s your favourite form of media? Newspaper and magazines. Even in this digital age, I firmly believe in the enduring power of traditional media.

What advice would you offer to someone looking to start a career in PR in the UAE? Have patience and work hard to build your reputation.

Leo Burnett Dubai makes new appointment

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Leo Burnett Dubai, part of Publicis Groupe has appointed Joëlle Jammal to the role of Deputy Managing Director. With over 25 years of experience in advertising across the MENA region, Joëlle previously worked across brands such as McDonald’s, Bel and Ferrero and most recently worked with Leo Burnett Jordan where she held the role of Managing Director. In her new role, Joëlle will play an integral part in the growth of the agency while also being the key point of contact for senior clients across the organisation.

“I am excited by the new challenge of growing our business and the relationships I have built over the last ten years with the team at Leo Burnett and our clients,” says Joëlle. “We will continue to grow our multi-channel offering to our clients, and ensure a holistic approach to creative across all touch points.”

TBWA/RAAD makes new appointment

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UAE-based creative agency, TBWA/RAAD has promoted Manuel Bordé to the role of Executive Creative Director. With a wealth of experience in the advertising industry, Manuel most recently held the role of Creative Director at the agency. Manuel will be sharing the role with Fouad Abdel Malek, who has been In the role since May 2016. In his new role, he will be focusing on creativity while emphasising on genuine local insights to shape the agency’s new approaches.

“This is something I have known before, in South America where I worked,” says Manuel. “This is a very common practice to have double ECDs leading a team, but it’s only possible when you have agencies that are big enough to have space for two ECDs who can help each other and not overlap each other.”

Omnicom Media Group MENA appoints new MENA CEO

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Global media network, Omnicom Media Group MENA has appointed Nadim Samara to the role of CEO of OMD MENA. With over 17 years within the agency, Nadim most recently held the role of CEO of OMD UAE where he secured local, regional and global accounts while creating new structures and strengthening the agency’s services. In his new role, Nadim will lead a network of 15 offices with over 600 employees and manage more than 200 clients, while driving transformation in the evolving media and marketing landscape to better respond to current and emerging client needs.

“Both the supply and demand side of our business are experiencing challenges that are increasing in frequency, velocity and intensity,” says Nadim. “This puts our clients’ and partners’ business models under significant strain and calls for more dynamic and agile responses. We’ve proactively evolved and our offices across MENA have the talent, the culture, the resources and the leaders to not only provide clients with results-driven solutions but also design the future. By scaling up our expertise in analytics, performance, tech and creativity in both depth and breadth, we will empower all our teams across the network to operate at the highest level.”

Zenith celebrates 30th anniversary

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Zenith Middle East, part of Publicis Media Group is celebrating its 30th anniversary in the Middle East. Founded in 1988 and created from the media buying departments of Saatchi & Saatchi, BSB Dorland and KHBB, Zenith first opened its agency in Paddington, London. Over the years, Zenith has become a worldwide media agency network and merged with Optimedia to launch into performance, branded content, analytics and sponsorship consulting.

“I feel very proud to be part of this pioneering network as we celebrate our 30th anniversary,” says Vittorio Bonori, Global Brand President, Zenith. “As the ROI agency we have continually innovated and our vision is to be a key business partner for clients, focused on growth strategy, experience planning and 1-2-1 optimisation.”

ASDA’A Burson Marsteller partners with The Pearl Initiative

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Dubai-based PR agency, ASDA’A Burson Marsteller (BM) has signed a Memorandum of Engagement (MoE) with The Pearl Initiative. Founded in 2010, The Pearl Initiative is a non-profit organisation that develops programmes and publishes regional research reports and case studies and aims to influence regional business. The agreement will work towards highlighting their commitment to enhance corporate accountability and transparency in the Gulf region.

“Corporate governance, accountability and transparency are the pillars of successful businesses,” says Sunil John, Founder and President, ASDA’A BM. “We are happy to engage in The Pearl Initiative’s activities to raise awareness on the value of ethical business and to promote the highest principles of corporate accountability and transparency in the Gulf region.”

Carla Koffel, Executive Director, The Pearl Initiative continues, “We are grateful to be working side by side with one of the leading PR consultancies in the Middle East to promote the adoption of strong corporate governance practices by businesses operating in the Gulf Region. Their commitment to supporting our vision will contribute to the expansion of our reach and highlight the significance of a corporate culture of accountability and transparency as a key driver of business sustainability.”