The fundamentals of strategy are always the same

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 “A company without a communication strategy is like a ship without a compass”

In an age where demonstrating results of PR campaigns and the ROI of communication spend is increasingly important, I am still amazed when I come across an organisation that is running full-speed with little or no communication strategy, project plan or activity calendar in place. Inside such organisations, panic sets in whenever the C-Suite demands a press release (often the demand is not newsworthy), when a journalist requests an interview, or product managers demand an awareness campaign.

A company without a communication strategy is like a ship without a compass – meaning that the communication will only ever be ad-hoc, a waste of time AND resources, and at best reactive. Reporting on the success of the communication programme without a proper strategy is impossible, and at best can only deliver a coverage report stacked full of clippings.

Fortunately for those who have yet to put a communication strategy in place, the fundamentals of strategy are the same regardless of what industry, type of communication (PR, investor relations, employee communication), or the medium you think you should be using. In a nutshell, communication strategy must cover at a minimum: research, objectives, approach, tools/tactics, resources/budgets and evaluation.

The real power of a communication strategy is identifying how it fits into the bigger organisational picture – how it supports the overall objectives, such as reputational, business growth etc. This is the big picture question that asks ‘what is the point?’.

When building a communication strategy, the first step is to completely understand the reason communication is needed. Is it to support a business plan, an individual project, or activity? You need to ask ‘what is the point?’ before going down the road of building your strategy.

Strategy is more than the glue that holds tactics together; it provides direction and rationale for everything that we do in communications. Without it, we would stumble aimlessly through a darkened business forest and can be successfully challenged and undermined at every step by one simple question: why?

The Gourmet hub of Dubs

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When Team TMN stumbled across a certain venue in the heart of Media City promising home-style gourmet grub at purse friendly prices, we were powerless to resist…

What: 1762 The Gourmet Deli Co.

Where: OMD Building, Dubai Media City, Dubai

When: Sunday-Thursday, 7.30am-6pm

The promise: “You will find our deli shops rustic, warm and homely; somewhere you know you can escape to when you get a moment to pop in and relax over some good food & freshly made brew”

Nestled in the heart of one of Dubai’s busiest business hubs, 1762 is only a stones throw away from most of Dubai’s media companies. A seamless blend of two settings – one, a cosy indoors with exposed brickwork and intimate tables, the other a relaxing, open-aired, conservatory-style room (which avoids the oppressive summer heat with a retractable roof, that closes to create one large, indoor space). Making the most of the last great weather of the season, we opted for the conservatory. Surrounded by greenery and the low-rise buildings of Media City with a glass of fresh pink lemonade in hand, you could easily imagine that you were in New York or London.

Having passed the deli counter as we walked in, tummies were definitely rumbling as we got settled – seeing the food presented in such a tantalising way was a real feast for the eyes. We left our ordering in the capable hands of the venue’s Outlet Manager, Charlotte who decided to showcase some of 1762’s more popular dishes from the extensive menu of delicious-looking deli food.

We began with 1762’s signature dish, traditional, home-cooked roast beef wrapped in a delicious Yorkshire pudding; truly comfort food at its finest! Who knew a Yorkshire pudding could be used instead of humble wrap-bread? Another stand-out dish was the chicken and leek pie – a traditional recipe which managed to provide the perfect blend of chicken, leeks and cream. In contrast to the comforting, carb-laden traditional foods sampled, was the wonderfully light ginger-lime salmon nori roll, which triumphed as team TMN’s favourite dish on the menu. On top of all these mains, we also sampled a selection of the deli counter’s eight salads – freshly prepared daily.

Even filled to the brim, we were informed that we simply had to sample some of the desserts, and who were we to argue? Happy to hang around, we noticed just how busy 1762 gets. Having arrived bang-on midday, there was a steady influx of human traffic, with the queue edging outside – a sign of success if ever there was one.

After sampling the decadent millionaire’s shortbread and twix brownies and the lighter, but equally delectable Tunisian orange cake slices, we finally left, stomachs groaning and in unanimous agreement of a lunch hour well spent.

The verdict : This is definitely a venue worth getting out of the office for, whether for lunch or just a quick bite to go. 1762 caters perfectly to Dubai’s professional crowd. With affordable prices and excellent-quality food, 1762’s three venues (also in DIFC and The Galleries, Jebel Ali) have definitely found their niche. Our only critique is that their opening times are reflective of business hours, and we would love to get a hold of the menu for dinner and brunch! While this may be a possibility at some point, for now at least, it’s remaining the business community’s little secret!

Leo Burnett wins at ADC Awards

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Leo Burnett was the most awarded agency at the 94th Art Directors Club (ADC) of New York Awards in Miami last night. The agency won a total of 32 awards including: The Tomorrow Award, The Designism Cube, 10 Silver, two Bronze and six Merit awards for its work from its global network of offices. Notably, Leo Burnett won the Network of the Year award, with Leo Burnett Dubai being named Agency of the Year, making it the first agency in the MENA region to have claimed the honour.

Leo Burnett Dubai was also presented with the prestigious Black Cube for Advertising, the best in show award, for it’s ‘Two for one’ campaign for du in the United Arab Emirates, headed up by Saad Yusuf, Group Communication Director, Leo Burnett, Dubai. This was the first time in the awards’ 94-year history that an agency from the region won the award, presented to entries in the Design, Digital and Advertising categories at the discretion of an unanimous jury.

“The ADC awards not only represent a great achievement for us but also represents many ‘firsts’ for us” says Saad. “The UAE’s first home-grown creative campaign, ‘du Tuesday’s’ global recognition over the past two years at international awards shows is reflective of a maturing UAE creative industry. These accolades couldn’t have been possible without the partnership of du, Ali Ali, Maged Nassar, DejaVu and our team at Leo Burnett Dubai.”

Valleywood Dubai 2015

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With the first-ever Valleywood Dubai taking place on May 14, Team TMN caught up with Dimitri Papadimitriou, Head of LiquidThread MENA, the content division of Starcom MediaVest Group and organisers of Valleywood Dubai, to find out what we can expect from the event…

What is the concept behind Valleywood Dubai 2015?
The concept was born out of the ever-merging and converging worlds of Silicon Valley and Hollywood – hence the name Valleywood. By this, we mean that the way content is created and distributed has changed and the entertainment, technology and content creation arenas can no longer work nor grow separately; Valleywood Dubai looks at the confluence and complementarity of these worlds. TV and branded content producers are not only determining entertainment and technology trends, but also, constantly monitoring and measuring consumer habits to anticipate and create the content that consumers will find relevant. Today, they have at their disposal the technology that will help them with precision marketing and addressable content creation.

Valleywood already takes place in LA and London. Why bring the event to Dubai?
Valleywood Los Angeles and London enjoyed massive success. The decision to bring this experience to Dubai was only the next logical step. Dubai is in a unique position in that it sits at the intersection of global trendsetting and regional powerhouses. Bringing Valleywood to this city next was a natural step. The region has a lot to offer and explore and we are looking at Valleywood Dubai as a platform that will connect our clients and partners with both regional and global content creators, broadcasters, established and emerging tech players, startups, investors and publishers.

What will be unique about Valleywood Dubai 2015, compared to its global counterparts?
Valleywood is the first-of-its-kind conference anywhere in the world, so it already sets itself aside from other counterparts. What will be unique about the MENA edition is the local perspective that it will take. There will be international participants as the technology and entertainment worlds are increasingly global, but there will also be a strong focus on the local content scene.

Do you have any plans for ways to follow up from Valleywood Dubai 2015?
Valleywood is meant to challenge attendees to go beyond the boundaries of traditional thinking and explore avenues inside and outside of their industry for a new age of storytelling and precision marketing. That in itself will open new doors for collaboration between players that have, conventionally, stayed apart. We are expecting Valleywood Dubai to be the conversation starter between these players, even more so in light of LiquidThread unveiling its new capabilities and solutions – centering on addressable media and data-driven content. That’s how we’re hoping to build on Valleywood going forward.

 Do you feel that the industry in MENA should be doing more to use tech and content creators for new forms of brand storytelling?
The region’s content creators have been doing great work in and around storytelling – just look at the Peeta Planet series. What we could see more of are the tech partnerships helping propel those stories, as well as other partnerships and collaboration between brands, agencies, content producers, startups and publishers. That’s the very premise on which we’re holding Valleywood.

 Do you feel the content creating world is changing in MENA?
Yes, and this is driven by the maturing of the content market. It started out a few years ago with small groups of people making cool stuff to watch, and that have now evolved into proper content producers – and into fully-fledged entertainment companies, in some cases. If you look at the likes of Sa7i, Telfaz11 and UTURN, they have become increasingly structured in their content production by working with agencies and clients to create world-class work. And now, they are also tapping into tech tools that will hone this content structure. It is a very interesting success model to explore in our business.

Could you tell us more about who we can expect to see at Valleywood Dubai 2015?
You should expect to see a diversified lineup of international and regional players in the entertainment, content creation, entrepreneurship, tech and publishing industries. The likes of Google, Facebook, Vice, Fremantle Media, UTurn Entertainment and Endemol will be taking part.

What can we expect to take away from Valleywood Dubai2015?
We want attendees to leave with a look into the future of content and technology and to be inspired by what they have seen. They will draw on the expertise and learnings of industry veterans, experts and emerging talents who are creating and scaling content that is personal and relevant to people. We also hope that Valleywood starts a broader conversation around content and tech.

 

Nicola Monteath joins HOT Media

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HOT Media has welcomed Nicola Monteath as Editor for Better Homes magazine. Nicola joins from CPI Media Group, where she was Assistant Editor at BBC Good Food ME magazine, writing on topics like nutrition, travel, décor and home entertaining. She has also been working on her own newly-launched online culinary channel, SimplifyTV.

Her new role as Editor at Better Homes will involve covering home décor and news from the design and interiors industry. Nicola will also be writing features for Dubai Sotheby’s International Realty in Residence magazine.

“It’s an honour to join an esteemed publication such as Better Homes magazine, which has already built up a great reputation in the market over the years,” says Nicola. “I’m extremely excited about taking on this new challenge.”

Saffron magazine signs new society columnist

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Jawahar Chhoda has been appointed as a society columnist for newly launched bi-weekly magazine, Saffron. With over 14 years experience in journalism, Jawahar has worked across many titles in the region, including Masala, TeleLife and Gulf Gourmet, as well as appearing as a guest speaker on many radio shows including GN Broadcasting. In addition, Jawahar has worked as a freelance PR consultant where he specialises in comprising guest lists for high-profile events.

For his new column, Jawahar will focus on members of Dubai’s high society, covering private parties, events and prominent society members.

Helen Gaskell joins Telecom Review

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Telecom Review welcomes Helen Gaskell as Senior Journalist. Having previously worked as a staff writer for ITP.net at ITP Publishing Group, Helen has over two years of writing experience and has made contributions to magazines such as Arabian Business, Arabian Computer News and Network Middle East. Her new role as Senior Journalist at Telecom Review will see her writing articles and features for the monthly magazine, published by Trace Media, targeting telecom industry leaders and executives in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

ShortList UAE now live

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ShortList UAE officially launched its online platforms today, shortlistdubai.com and shortlistabudhabi.com, with its print publication to follow in September. Falling under the umbrella of Arab Publishing Partners (APP), part of ITP Publishing Group, the websites are headed up by Shortlist UAE Editor-in-Chief Eddie Taylor and Digital Editor Sarah Garden.

The websites include features on restaurants and cafes, bars and clubs, film and TV, events and attractions, as well as shopping and style – all relevant to their respective cities. Differing from Shortlist’s UK website, the UAE counterparts will be aimed at both women and men. Both websites will be updated regularly and will include searchable entertainment listings for each city.

 

Spark* appoints new Creative Director

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Regional communications agency Spark* has appointed Alaa Demachkie as its new Creative Director. Before joining Spark*, Alaa was freelancing in creative roles, and previously worked for Fortune Promoseven as Associate Creative Director, and Senior Art Director.

Alaa will bring over 11 years of experience in media to his new role, where he will be responsible for leading design teams in the creation, conception and implementation of projects to strengthen the agency’s creative output and contribute to a superior level of client servicing. He will also work with account leads and project management to ensure that deliverables satisfy the client, go out as scheduled and remain on budget.

“Spark* is excited to have Alaa on board as the agency’s Creative Head – his wealth of experience in the advertising industry will be a major asset to the organisation,” says Yusuf Pingar, Managing Director, Spark*. “We are confident that his high level of expertise, excellent industry knowledge and strong creative background will be a driving force in ensuring that the quality of our creative campaigns exceeds client expectations.”

Alaa adds “Creativity is a subject I feel strongly about. I’ve seen how an idea can change everything and Spark* understands this and audiences like no other. I want to make brilliant work – ideas that resonate and pop, and I want my new team to push creative boundaries, challenge the norm and run with their concepts.”