PR Account Manager, Farah Zoghbi

Name: Farah Zoghbi
Age: 31
From: Egypt
Current job title: PR Account Manager, The Qode

When did you arrive in the UAE?
I first arrived in Dubai in 2002 where I completed my first internship at two flagship properties, the Jumeirah Beach Hotel and InterContinental Dubai. The year I spent here got me instantly attached to the city, as it was the perfect blend of Middle Eastern culture with Western influences. I kept coming back every winter break until I graduated from École hôtelière de Lausanne in 2006 and re-launched my career once again in Dubai. Having lived here, on and off, for over 12 years, I have witnessed the ups and downs of the city and it has been an incredible experience to be part of all its accomplishments.

Where did you work prior?
I was freelancing for start-up businesses (business plan development, report writing, strategy, etc) and prior to that I was part of the Marketing Communications team at The Fairmont Dubai.

What were your first impressions of the media industry in the Middle East?
Coming from Switzerland, I was impressed by the fast pace and number of different media titles in the local market. Over the last few years, it has been great to see the number of international publications that have opened local offices in Dubai, which has further strengthened the quality of PR in the region.

How has your opinion changed now after all these years?
I see more niche media these days. With the dramatic growth of various business segments, the number of industry focused publications has increased dramatically, so we are able to target more publications with our brands, opening up more opportunities and giving businesses greater exposure as they appeal to more media.  Online media has also changed the role of the industry, making it even more fast paced and creating even more opportunities to communicate both internally and externally.

Tell us about your new role…
With Dubai making its cultural mark in the region, the hospitality industry has witnessed a boom in the city. All leading hotel chains and food and beverage concepts are racing to be part of this success. With my background in the luxury services industry, I will be focusing on creating unique PR approaches to set these brands apart within such a competitive market.

What challenges are you facing?
As mentioned previously, Dubai is extremely fast paced, so you don’t have the luxury of time. Things need to be done right away or you miss out on great opportunities. Therefore, when working with new concepts, sometimes things are delayed, so you end up losing out on great exposure.

What’s the most rewarding part of your job?
Representing unique brands and being part of its development and success in such a highly competitive market. In the PR and media industry, you also have the chance to work alongside a very diverse group of people, so you become more familiar with different work styles/cultures and ethics.

What do you think of the quality of media publications in the region?
Its amazing how when I first used to go to supermarkets, over ten years ago, to pick up my magazines, the selection used to be quite limited and the foreign magazines would dominate the locally produced ones. Nowadays, its amazing to see the wide variety and number of publications that are produced locally and also come in so many different languages. I have seen the quality of the media change completely parallel to the growth of the city. As Dubai has positioned itself as a pioneer and leader in the region in so many areas, this has both challenged and enhanced the quality of the media.

Work calls via landline, mobile or both?
Mobile, whatspp or email! My iPhone is always with me so its the easiest way to instantly connect with people.

Describe yourself in five words
Easy going, honest, fun, dedicated and passionate.

What’s your most overused saying?
I always believe “good or bad; it happens when you least expect it!”… So just live in the moment and never wait for things to happen, because if they’re supposed to, they will.

Five things you can’t live without?
My family, friends, music,  gym shoes and iPhone.

If you weren’t a PR, what would you be?
Just like my father, I would be a hotelier. Retiring and running a cute boutique hotel in the middle of the mountains of Lebanon. That would be a dream.

DABO & CO announces key appointments

Independent integrated communications agency, DABO & CO has announced a series of key appointments to its growing multi-national team. The move will significantly add to the existing talent at the firm as it looks to meet the growing demand for sophisticated communications services in the market.

Leading the series of strategic appointments, Alexandra Williams joins the agency as Digital Director and will play a key role in supporting the continued expansion of DABO & CO’s integrated offering. She arrives from Grayling in the United Kingdom, where she was Associate Director and played a central role in making the firm the number one ranked agency in the UK for digital PR by PR Week magazine in 2011 and 2012.

“Digital engagement is becoming increasingly important in the region and our clients are realising the value of investing in a truly integrated communications strategy that incorporates this platform, along with PR and events,” says Managing Partner Camilla d’Abo. “To this end, we are delighted to bring Alex on board and her expertise will be essential in enhancing our multi-faceted communications offering.”

Other key recruits include Iman Issa, who joins the team as Corporate Account Director overseeing the corporate team, responsible for flagship accounts such as BMW Group, DHL and Marriott International, and Dawn Barnable who joins as Consumer Account Director, responsible for overseeing accounts including Yas Waterworld, Ritz-Carlton, Dubai Cares and Jumeirah Restaurants.

Natalie Johnson, who has extensive digital PR experience, joins as Account Manager, and Ellie Keane joins as Account Executive. Saudi national Maha Alhamed and fellow AUS graduate Mahitab Hosni have joined to provide greater regional insights and expertise, while Sherin Bodekji joins the team as a Senior Account Executive, and brings with her three years of UAE agency experience and expertise in the NGO, B2B and aviation sectors.

Camilla d’Abo added: “We have focused on growing our team by maintaining a focus on adding to and further strengthening our existing talent. We are genuinely pleased to have been able to bring some of the region’s leading practitioners to our team, as we continue to endeavour to provide the high quality of communication services our clients have come to expect from us.”

The impact of online development for editorial content

Not a new argument, but certainly still a controversial one, the digital impact on editorial content is already significant. Karen Osman looks at the latest updates on print versus online publishing…

Mobile devices have been one of one the main drivers in the shift to online content consumption, not only in terms of how we receive our information but also how we read it

“Print is dead.” Quite a strong statement but not one I hadn’t heard before. As a lover of books and magazines, the thought of not being able to browse my favourite book shop in the future fills me with horror but having just downloaded the recent Good Housekeeping magazine on my iPad, I can fully understand the allure of online content. Depending on who you talk to, there are stalwarts out there who will only enjoy their editorial content in hard copy form, but are there enough of them to justify the print runs?

The Pew Research Centre’s Project for Excellence in Journalism states that news publications have been hardest hit by the digital impact, with ad pages falling by an average of 10.4 per cent in 2012 with sales of single issue copies dropping 16 per cent on average. One of the biggest challenges facing print publications is that advertising demand is moving online with print advertising revenue just 45 per cent of what it was in 2006, according to the centre. And while digital advertising is a requirement, it’s slow, growing just 3.7 per cent for newspapers in 2012, and doesn’t even begin to address revenue losses from print.

Rapid development of social media and of course, the access of mobile devices – the Arab region has a 96.7 per cent penetration rate, ahead of the world average of 86.7 per cent (source ITU News) – have no doubt been one of one the main drivers in the shift to online content consumption, not only in terms of how we receive our information but also how we read it. Cited as a reading revolution, editors now have to look to adapt their material for digital channels. Online content needs to be brief and to the point to address the skimming nature of the reader. According to a study compiled by Dr. Jakob Nielsen, 79 per cent of users scan the page instead of reading word for word, focusing on headlines, summaries and captions. He also noted, that the longer the content, the less likely it is to be read. Quite a different story, when comparing the leisurely relaxation associated with a printed magazine or book.

But is it all bad news? Perhaps for those who refuse to adapt, but for many, it’s an opportunity to be relished. Publishers will be forced to review their traditional structures to one that has a stronger relationship with the consumer. Debating at the Frankfurt Book Fair 2013, George Lossius, Publishing Technology CEO, sums it up well when he says, “Generally, publishers were a long way away from the consumer, but it is getting closer, and it will get closer and closer and closer. This is the effect of technology.”

Many predict that the future of publishing is a mix of print and online rather than just a one-way digital street. But as today’s young generation grow up on tablets and mobile phones, there’s no doubt that technology as a whole will continue to play a large part in our reading future.

 

Karen Osman is Managing Director of content creation company, Travel Ink. Follow her on Twitter @TravelInkME

Should internships be paid?

After a number of the world’s leading publishing houses – including Condé Nast – scraped their internship programmes effective from January 2014 due to controversy over minimum wage debates, we ask, should interns be paid?

“No” Says Sarah Joan Ross, Style Director, Emirates Woman Group  

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“The payment an intern receives is in the whole experience, the body of work created and the expansion of their Rolodex”

An internship is a very valuable experience, gained usually in a highly competitive industry. In the short term, it can help graduates decide upon the correct career path for them, offer an insight into specific roles, generate contacts and also provide a portfolio of work to make the intern more employable in the future. In the publishing industry it is the norm to follow this path and it can usually result in the exciting and often elusive first job offer.

The payment an intern receives is in the whole experience, the body of work created and the expansion of their Rolodex. However, I don’t think people should be exploited – and the work experience should have a time limit and be beneficial to the individual. An intern is not there to fill the role of a paid employee, and the responsibilities and pressure should be managed. It is often more work for the company who employs an intern, as desk hours are dedicated to nurture the intern’s ideas and guide them in the working practice of the industry.

It should be considered as a further education tool to prepare young people in the skills needed for the real working world outside of the classroom. If a ban on unpaid internships were introduced it would be a disservice to the graduates of tomorrow, who gain an insider edge and wealth of experience in the short time they are with a company.

 

“Yes” says Sudeshna Ghosh, Editor, BBC Good Food Middle East

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“If an intern is essentially performing the role of a staffer, it naturally suggests they should be compensated”

I think the controversy surrounding the paid/unpaid nature of internships arises from the broad base of work experience that the term ‘internship’ covers – from week-long shadowing exercises to valuable contributions to a media product that can last months. Not all internships are created equal, and therefore, there is no one-size-fits-all rule that applies to them.

As with most things, it depends on each individual involved – some interns are faster learners and have a natural talent that lead them to contribute valuably to the media product they are associated with, sooner than others. In these cases, if an intern is essentially performing the role of a staffer, it naturally suggests they should be compensated. For example, if an intern is performing work, which in some cases can be directly linked to commercial gains for the company (writing advertorials etc., for instance), the question of compensation is justified. Also, if the intern is having to bear expenses on the job, then some sort of payment is essential.

However, if an intern is essentially getting the opportunity to ‘learn on the job’ within a limited and pre-agreed time frame – as part of their training course – which culminates in a reference letter, a reputable brand name added to their resume, and networking opportunities, then non-payment or an expenses-only arrangement is acceptable (on no account should a young student be expected to bear work-related expenses out of pocket).

But all too often, young professionals, eager to work with a media brand they have long adored, continue to work for an indefinite periods, and in these cases they should most definitely be paid industry standard entry-level salaries. It is down to having terms clearly agreed upon before starting the internship, and in my opinion, should be moderated by the education institute the student is from. An internship can be a learning experience for only a certain amount of time – which is why they should be limited period only. Over time, anyone of average intelligence can master certain tasks and usually learns whatever they can in that position, and if they continue to perform those jobs well (which are often ones no one else wants to do), then it ceases to be an internship and becomes a junior staff role. It is this fine line that one needs to be conscious of, particularly when the term ‘intern’ is used so loosely, when debating this question.

Joernals tech website relaunches

Joernals, the technology and multimedia website aimed at consumer electronic customers in the region has been newly relaunched. The website was originally launched by Joe Akkawi in 2012, and after a brief break – and sleek redesign – Joernals is back. The website has now expanded to include coverage of mobile applications, gadgets, tech events, social media and software launches.

“Dubai has become a hotbed for global tech knowledge,” says Joe, a pundit for Sky News Arabia. “I’m committed to helping consumers buy the right products in any way I can.”

 

Priyanka Pradhan joins Sorbet Magazine

Priyanka Pradhan is to join Sorbet Magazine as Features Editor commencing next week. Formerly Assistant Editor of T Emirates: The New York Times Style Magazine, and journalist at Bloomberg Businessweek Middle East, Priyanka has worked in various roles with a background in fashion and lifestyle in Mumbai as well as Dubai.

“I love the concept behind the magazine and I’m excited to explore the mélange of fashion, art, travel and culture through Sorbet‘s unique perspective,” says Priyanka. “I will be starting work immediately on the Spring issue when I join next week.”

Michaela Williams joins Good Housekeeping team

Michaela Williams has joined the Good Housekeeping Middle East team as Deputy Editor. Formerly Hotels Editor for QANTAS The Australian Way magazine, Editor of beauty blog Lather Rinse Repeat and Online Beauty Contributor for Cosmopolitan Australia, Michaela takes over the role from Yi-Hwa Hanna, who recently moved across to Women’s Health Middle East.

Michaela will be working across beauty, fashion, home, health and lifestyle pages and can be contacted at michaela.williams@itp.com / 04 444 3000

Grayling appoints Julio Romo to lead Digital Hub

Communications firm Grayling announced today the appointment of Julio Romo as Head of Digital within Grayling’s Middle East and Turkey operations. The hire is part of a series of initiatives that are underway to spur Grayling’s development as a digitally-enabled, global public relations consultancy with insights, ideas and rapid access to multi-channel solutions.

Romo brings over 15 years’ consultancy experience delivering insight, consultancy and training to clients operating in a range of sectors in markets around the world. His past clients have ranged from The Diamond Trading Company and the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) to the King Abdullah University of Science & Technology (KAUST) and Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority. Romo will be based in Grayling’s Dubai office and will report to Loretta Ahmed CEO of Middle East, Turkey and Africa. In the newly created position, Romo will lead a team of digital media and creative design and production consultants that will bring fresh and dynamic campaigns to clients from across the region, breaking the mould in their digital media engagement strategies.

“Julio is a pioneering leader in the field of digital and his appointment represents a strategic move for Grayling,” say Loretta Ahmed, Grayling Middle East, Turkey and Africa CEO. “We are witnessing a huge surge in demands for digital PR and marketing activities amongst our Middle East client base. Building digital and investing further in the skills and expertise of our consultants is a core part of our development strategy in this region.”