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Active PR promotes Mara Carpencu

After two years of working as Communications Consultant for Active PR, Mara Carpencu has been promoted to the role of Senior Communications Consultant. In her new role, Mara will continue to support her team and clients, but will additionally drive the company’s B2B and B2C communications campaigns.

“Active PR has been an exciting and rewarding experience so far and I am very grateful for the dedicated and passionate team I work with,” says Mara. “I look forward to growing with the agency and contributing to its success.”

Active announces results of Digital Trends Report

PR and communications agency Hotwire and Active PR have announced the launch of the first Digital Trends Report 2014 for the Middle East region. The first dedicated Digital Trends Report for the Middle East comprises of eight key trends for the region when it comes to digital communications, with this year’s theme for the report centred on ‘The Year of Reflection’. Main highlights of 2014, as well as what organisations, brands and technophiles should be looking forward to in 2015 are covered. The Digital Trends Report will be published annually.

The eight digital trends for 2014 are as follows –

  1. Politics finds its voice: Active and Hotwire take it back to 2011, when we were getting started with social media. As the younger Arab generation comes of age politically and the region continues its transition from autocracy and dynasty to representative government, the impact of social media will have a permanent political impact, perhaps more than in any other region.
  2. Social media in school: Whose responsibility is it to educate children on the pros and cons of social media? Should social media education be added to the curriculum? These are questions we expect to be raised more in 2014 and beyond.
  3. Cultural sensitivity: Communications in the Middle Eastern region is a different ballgame from the West, so how do you express opinions or communicate on social media without breaking the law or common courtesy? This chapter highlights what the rules and protocols are when communicating publicly on social media and what private users and organisations should be aware of.
  4. Death of anonymity: How safe is our personal information online? What should or shouldn’t we share?
  5. Data for the moment: How did brands leverage Dubai’s bid for Expo 2020 to their own benefit? Were they creative while doing so? This report looks at how brands should understand their social data and base their social media campaigns on that.
  6. From customers to consumers: It is likely that customer service teams and community management will merge in 2014/2015. Customer service teams will lose their reputation for starched-collar-stuffiness, while community managers will gain authority to act on behalf not just of the brand, but also of the organisation.
  7. Digitisation of retail: Frictionless digital technology has the potential to delete the middleman. We expect to see retailers move upstream and become content and product manufacturers, and downstream to own mobile and television.
  8. But how much? The upcoming year will be a breakthrough year for campaign measurement and in the establishment of standards for measuring social media focused activity.

“We’re very excited to present our first Digital Trends Report for the Middle East,” says Fatima el Malki, Digital Communications Manager, Active PR. “Through many interactions and conversations with our clients and fellow specialists in the fields of communications, public affairs and technology, we noticed a lack of thought leadership focused on digital. Reading reports and articles comprising of various percentages on social media behaviour are educational, but our report focuses on how to leverage on these trends as a brand or communications professional.”

Sawsan Ghanem, Editor of the report and Managing Partner at Active PR adds, “Digital is literally changing the way we all look at things and the way we behave. The Digital Trends Report 2014 is designed to provide a taste and insight into how much of an impact digital communications has on society, both worldwide and in the Middle East.”

Stanislava Burianek joins Active PR

Stanislava Burianek has been appointed as PR Consultant for Active PR in Dubai. Previously with Matrix PR as Senior PR Executive, Stanislava will head the team who overlook five accounts for the company, and will provide support on media relations, copywriting, client servicing and strategic planning.

“It’s a great transition for me and my career to join Active PR,” says Stanislava. “The team is full of drive and energy, and the whole corporate culture is amazing! I hope this new career journey will be long and fruitful for both me and the team.”

Eva Glele joins Active PR

Eva Glele has joined Active PR as Account Director. Eva joins the team from London, where she previously worked for Regus, the multinational corporation providing flexible workspaces, and was responsible for the design and implementation of corporate communication strategy across 28 MEA countries. Eva brings with her over 10 years of experience in domestic and global PR strategies in both agency and in-house roles, having worked across a range of B2B and B2C sectors.

‘I am very excited to have joined Active PR,” says Eva. “The team are truly a bunch of passionate and top-notch PR professionals, and I’m really looking forward to working closely with them and supporting in driving the agency’s growth ambitions. These are exciting times to join, and I can’t wait to bring my strategic thinking and international experience to further add value to our existing and upcoming clients.”

Sawsan Ghanem, Managing Director and Co-Founder of Active PR adds, “We are delighted to have Eva join our team. She is a very strategic addition and we believe that her vision, talent and experience will be key in further supporting our business growth.”