Luxury Lifestyle Awards 2015

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With the eighth annual Luxury Lifestyle Awards coming to Dubai on May 21, we sat down with Alexander Chetchikov, Owner and Founder of the awards, to found out what we can expect from this years event…

When are the Luxury Lifestyle Awards 2015 and where will they be held?
The eighth annual Luxury Lifestyle Awards Middle East will be held for the first time in Dubai, U.A.E on May 21st at The Ritz-Carlton Hotel and we anticipate 300 guests.

Tell us about the concept behind the Awards…
The Luxury Lifestyle Awards are international awards presented to companies in the luxury sector, for their initiatives and outstanding achievements. The awards are given following an impartial, independent and large-scale evaluation of companies. Participants are evaluated by an expert jury, which includes the first persons of international companies in the luxury sector, independent experts and business analysts, as well as chief editors of targeted mass media. We believe that receiving an award will boost a company’s profile in the eyes of the professional community.

This will be the first time that the Awards are held in Dubai. What makes the UAE the best place to hold such an event?
The Middle East market is one of the fastest growing and most promising markets in the world of luxury. Dubai is the most expensive city in the Middle East – making it the gem of the Middle East, combining luxury, opulence and lavishness with a high regard for leisure and business-related extravagance. We are pleased to hold the awards in Dubai and we hope that our project will help luxury brands, represented here, to become famous globally.

What makes brands eligible to enter?
All brands and companies who are doing business in the luxury sphere and are either globally recognised, new and local, or want to enter another market, can register for participation. After receiving their registration, our analytical department will vet them according to the criteria of the category they have registered for. If they match said criteria, we will invite them to participate in the Luxury Lifestyle Awards.

Can you give us some details about the awards/categories themselves?
Companies and luxury brands from across the Middle East region were invited to register and participate for various categories: residential real estate, luxury restaurants, luxury hotels, boutique hotels, national brands, luxury spas and wellness centers, luxury jewelry brands, luxury design studios, fashion designers and private banks. Participants were selected in the following categories according to an evaluation criteria, and each category has its own, unique criteria.

Who judges the entries for the Luxury Lifestyle Awards?
The Honoured Jury of the Luxury Lifestyle Awards is a professional honourary committee comprised of leaders who have a wealth of knowledge on the luxury market, and deliver unparalleled service and passion to each of the particular branches of the industry they work for. Each member is selected for his/her global expert opinion, valuable practical experience on their local and international luxury market. The Honored Jury consists of three jury sets: International (professionals from worldwide), Middle East (professionals from Middle East countries) and Main Jury (owners and CEO of the nominated companies).

 What has been your advertising strategy for the UAE?
In a rapidly growing global luxury market, we understand that we should put digital at the centre of our advertising strategy in order to attract new clients and retain existing ones. Our focus is on online promotion by building conversations with clients and engaging them. We are present on different social media networks – LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, Youtube – and for each of them we generate unique content relevant to that media channel.

How do you think the Luxury Lifestyle Awards will develop in the future?
Future upcoming events will be in Dubai and the Luxury Lifestyle Awards Europe 2015 will be held in Milan, Italy, at the end of September 2015. In the next year we want to enter into the US and Asian markets, by engaging all spheres of the luxury sector.

X marks the spot – the importance of target marketing

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Andres Mongrue, Associate Regional Director at Starcom MediaVest Group, MENA offers his thoughts on why it is so important for markets to identify, and aim for, a target market…

For many of the largest clients present in the Middle East today, segmenting audiences is of critical importance.

“Half my advertising is wasted, I just don’t know which half.” – John Wanamaker, American Retailer, (1838-1922).

While the sentiment behind Wanamaker’s famous statement still rings true for some marketers today, a lot has changed since he originally turned the phrase. In today’s turbulent business economy, the need to maximise ROI for each dollar spent continues to drive marketers away from wasteful mass targeting choices of the past toward more efficient targeted communication.

The concept behind target marketing is simple; target relevant communication to the relevant audience in the right place and at the right time when they are most receptive to your message. This approach continues to replace mass communication of the past, where marketers targeted everyone with the same message in the hopes of it falling on their target audience – an approach that has proven to be costly and ineffective.

For many of the largest clients present in the Middle East today, segmenting audiences is of critical importance. Take, for example, a market like Egypt, which boasts a population exceeding 80 million; to reach everyone with one message would be highly inefficient for even the biggest media spenders. A marketer selling a line of shampoo products, for instance, would be better off identifying need-based target groups and focusing relevant communication to them. A mother of three living in rural Egypt will have a very different motivation for her purchase decisions, as well as a different set of media choices, versus a young millennial living in Cairo. Through a unique set of media choices such as digital, mobile and social, the marketer can deliver tailored messaging intended for the millennial, while TV speaks to the rural mother. This approach would lead to a much more efficient market strategy than trying to reach all 40-plus million women in Egypt at once.

While the concept of target marketing may not be new, the emergence of digital and data has changed how marketers go about it. As media companies such as Facebook evolve from a social media network to a $212 billion-dollar Tech company, they open up new possibilities on how to leverage the deluge of data available around the 1.44 billion users on their platforms. Today, marketers have at their disposal online behavioral data that allows them to get as granular as possible to target consumers by their purchases, interests, behaviors and even intent. The growing complexity can be daunting, but the best marketers are embracing this change and simplifying their approaches by always bringing their targeting strategies back to the business objective at hand.

CEO & Founder, Detria Williamson

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Name: Detria Williamson

Age: Born on the same day as Prince William but different year!

From: Chicago, USA

Current job title: CEO & Founder

When did you arrive in the UAE?
August 2009, when the humidity was at 80%, I remember walking around with a permanent afro.

Where did you work prior?
Prior to arriving to the UAE, I worked for Discovery Channel Networks, overseeing their channel portfolio globally.

What were your first impressions of the media industry in the Middle East?
As a client I felt that products and leadership were always on the front foot, but the media behaviours and practices were lagging.

Have these impressions changed much?
Media is changing here because the world is moving at a hyper-speed pace.  Simply put, we as leaders in media have no choice but to take bigger risks and stay on the cusp of new media and technology.

Tell us about your new role with Drum Content Design…
Starting Drum Content Design is a thrill, after spending years on the client side and in television. I am in a unique position to know what the client really, truly needs and wants – even if they are unable to articulate it -because of my decade-long career working with the world’s most loved television brands globally. As CEO of Drum, I’m happy to build on this experience and provide non-conventional approaches for clients looking to connect with consumers in a deeper manner. 

What challenges do you face?
I’m pretty sure most creative entities here would echo this challenge – recruiting. Having eclectic and diverse staff is a non-negotiable mandate for myself, as well as the hiring managers within Drum Content. Finding global talent from various backgrounds can be tricky but we are hitting a very nice stride so far with a team of female leadership, a rarity in the Advertising industry as a whole; as well as scriptwriters versus copywriters, film videographers versus TVC directors and analysts versus planners.  

What’s the most rewarding part of your job?
Converting traditional marketers to content evangelists who never look back. It’s a complete shift in terms of the marketing psyche, which requires risk, especially in this region where clients have a shortage of content agencies.  

What’s the most exciting thing to happen so far?
Given the launch of the company, I’d have to say finding our location at D3.  Our approach is centered on design so it’s a perfect fit. To be in an environment surrounded by designers across various categories is fuel for designing marketing innovation.

What do you think of the quality of media publications in the region?
The great thing about Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha is that they’re blank slates you can paint whatever color you want.  I think 2015 is going to be a year where media publications push even further outside of the norm and convert standard publications to richer online and mobile experiences.  Having tech leaders Google and yahoo in the region will keep all of us on the cutting edge of technology. 

What sets you apart from other content design professionals?
I have been a client most of my career which enables me to connect with clients in a relevant and transparent way. When clients ask about our agency credentials, I have no shame in telling them our credentials are that we come from award winning brands as clients, journalists and producers.  Pushing the boundaries of traditional agencies and offering clients marketing innovation brings a great deal of satisfaction.

Work calls via landline, mobile or both?
Strictly mobile. The GSMA just released a statistic that by 2020 60% of the world’s population will own a mobile phone. Landlines will be soon become a vintage household name.  

What’s your most overused saying?
Mistakes are great and should be studied relentlessly. Repeated mistakes are failures, which are unacceptable. It’s a principal I stand by in my work and personal life.

Five things you can’t live without?
The Sneeches by Dr. Seuss (for serving as a reminder we are all the same), music (in particular Nina Simone because of her brutal honesty), Raw Coffee, true love (it could be Jimmy Choos or it could be a person…stay tuned) and finally, my superstar kids, Noah and Sophia who teach me to constantly start over with grace.

If you weren’t in content design and production, what would you be?
A home school Mum…but I’m ashamed to say my kids are too smart for me.

TRACCS honoured by The Holmes Report

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TRACCS, the largest home-grown public relations network in the Middle East & North Africa, has been named ‘Best Consultancy to Work for’ in Continental Europe, the Middle East and Africa by The Holmes Report. This is the first time a regional agency has won the accolade.

Recognition from The Holmes Report is determined by a comprehensive survey of agency employees from around 40 PR firms throughout Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The process solicits employee views on a wide range of issues, from the integrity of senior management and the quality of professional development to empowerment, risk-taking and compensation.

“This recognition is a huge vote of confidence in our approach to hiring and training Arab PR practitioners and our unwavering belief that a professional and sustainable communications industry needs to be built from the ground up, without relying overly on imported talent,” says Mohammed Al Ayed, Chief Executive Officer, TRACCS. “TRACCS is deeply committed to transforming itself from an ‘executing’ organisation to a ‘thinking and learning organisation’. This is a painstaking process that requires coaching, mentoring and integrating new talent with the core teams of the network.”

Transform announces awards nominees

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The Transform Awards Middle East North Africa (MENA) 2015, a showcase of exceptional new and evolving brand and rebranding campaigns, has revealed the organisations who have made its shortlist.

The awards recognise and share brand development work in the MENA region that is well thought-out, effective, innovative and creative. This will be the second time the event takes place in the region, having begun in Europe six years ago.

This year, Transform saw entries from a greater number of regional countries, including: the UAE, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Oman and Lebanon. Shortlisted companies include Careem and North 55, GGICO Properties and MBLM, and National Bank of Oman and Bellwether, for ‘Best Rebrand of a Digital Property’ as well as Abdul Latif Jameel and Siegel+Gale, Al Yuam and Bellwether, Asser Investments and Bellwether, Batelco and Unisono, GO Telecommunications and Bellwether, and Horizon & Co and Bellwether, for ‘Best Brand Evolution’. The most inspired and innovative project, as voted for by the Transform MENA judges, will receive the most prestigious award of the evening, the Grand Prix.

“We are proud to bring the Transform Awards to the MENA region once again to celebrate the growing brand industry and the superb work being done,” says Liz Foggitt, Publishing and Events Manager, Transform. “It’s always a pleasure learning about the nuances of branding and communications in different cultures and some of the work is of an exceptionally high standard.”

Motivate Publishing welcomes Dean Carroll

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Motivate Publishing has appointed Dean Carroll as Group Editor of the Business division of titles. Dean has worked as a senior journalist across print and digital media for 15 years, before spending 12 months working in marketing and communications for the technology firm Centralway, in Switzerland. His editor’s blog for PublicServiceEurope.com was recognised by the Reporting Europe Prize, and he has had academic work published in a number of noted journals. In his new role, Dean will oversee titles including Gulf Business, The Week, Campaign Middle East and Business Traveller Middle East.

“The decision on whether to join such a talented team at Motivate was not one I had to procrastinate over,” says Dean. “With such a diverse range of leading, multi-platform titles, the company remains ready to push the boundaries of what is possible in publishing – even after all these decades of success. Long may it continue.”

CNN to launch global Traders programme

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CNN is set to launch a new feature strand called Traders, which tells the stories of individuals who trade goods and services across borders. CNN plans to cover the stories behind the global import and export markets by meeting characters who passionately believe in their business to trade products and services overseas. In each report, CNN audiences will also gain valuable business information to put each story in context of international trade and commerce. Traders will run as a fortnightly segment that is part of CNN International’s The Business View with Nina Dos Santos and CNN domestic’s CNN Newsroom Weekend.

“Traders is a content strand that makes sense of the drivers behind international trade in the context of globalised, connected business,” says Ellana Lee, Senior Vice President, CNN International. “By telling the stories of the passionate, innovative people working in global trade, CNN will bring import/export markets to life and show why this affects us all. Traders will add an intruiging angle to our wider business programming.”

Sakshi honoured by HH Sheikh Mansoor

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Sakshi Advertising & PR was presented a Certificate of Honour by Sheikh Mansoor bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Supreme Committee for the Protection of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, on behalf of Al Noor Training Centre for Children with Special Needs, at a ceremony held on 17 May, 2015. Sakshi has strategised and executed PR activities for the centre and maximised its exposure across the region.

“We at Sakshi have always believed that with social responsibility, you gain back what you put in,” says Atul Dhawan, CEO, Sakshi Advertising & PR. “I thank Al Noor, my team and our clients for their love and continuous support.”