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In The Hot Seat – Hadley Newman

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Hadley Newman, Managing Director at Omobono Middle East talks to TMN about his current role and the digital marketing industry in the Middle East…

Name: Hadley Newman

Age: 37

From: London, UK

Current job title: Managing Director, Omobono Middle East

When did you first arrive in Dubai?

2006

Where did you work prior?

Prior to my current position, I previously worked with Publicis as Director from 2011 until 2013 and most recently with Cheil Worldwide as Regional Director from 2013 until 2016.

What were your first impressions of the digital marketing industry in the Middle East?

It struck me that digitisation was uneven across the region and that a handful of countries were noticeably taking the lead in social media and smartphone adoption. Like in many other markets, governments and businesses needed to move beyond traditional forms of business for the digital age. It was clear at that time, that the UAE would be one of those countries transforming the region into a leading digital economy.

Has your opinion changed much?

Not that much. The disparity between those countries in the region who have not yet fully embraced the digital opportunity and the leaders in the digital space, such as the UAE, Qatar and Bahrain, remains. The rich ambition and potential of the UAE positions it well for the accelerating forces of global change and so, with Qatar and Bahrain, it remains in a prominent place in accelerating digitisation across the region.

Tell us about your current role…

My role is to lead and grow Omobono’s regional presence, helping clients with the development of their B2B digital communication strategies to drive engagement with their key audiences such as, customers, employees, partners and stakeholders. We work to establish long lasting true-partnerships with our clients and having established Omobono’s fifth international office in Dubai, the first office in the Middle East, our best-in-class team continues to deliver some of the best specialised creative and strategic work in the region for our clients.

What challenges do you face?

The days tend not to be long enough.

What’s the most rewarding part of your job?

Bringing new ideas to life is the most rewarding part of what we do. The concept-to-delivery is made possible by the people that I have the pleasure to work with. Our aim is to only hire people that are better than us in their respective field and we seek to work with clients who understand the value of partnership.

How do you measure marketing success in the UAE’s digital community today?

It’s clear that Google analytics led the way for many years, but with today’s tools and algorithms we are now able to provide unparalleled customer insight like never before. We can now ask the right questions and access the right answers at the right times. The opportunities for businesses are endless and we are helping our clients realise this potential within their digital communications strategies.

Is traditional media still relevant for effective branding in the region today?

The media itself – yes, to varying degrees (by discipline) and for the time being. What is important is the understanding that we’re on an evolutionary journey and this region is well positioned to be leading the advance. Brands that do not fully embrace the latest technological developments and engage through new media are at risk. However, many of the processes from traditional media, research, analysis, translation in to the creative brief and the importance of message in the story we tell, are relevant and will remain so – even as the written word becomes increasingly dominated by video – and it should be noted that certain disciplines of traditional media carry a higher level of weight and credibility than many new media channels.

We’re at an exciting point in the journey from the Gutenberg press of the 15th century to today’s fourth industrial revolution. Today’s work on online audience sentiment analysis such as IBM’s Watson or cognitive technologies and natural language interfaces, including chatbots – as well as demands for mobile-first strategy, means that pressure for traditional media to remain relevant is growing.

Has social media taken over the marketing industry in the UAE?

Many of the global brands that we work with have social media as the principle target for their digital investment in the coming year. However, the split between social and other types of digital marketing is not great enough to state that it’s taking over. The UAE is now innately digital and increasingly social. The rapid adoption of social media in this market means that brands are now able to engage with people in more meaningful ways and the role of social media is paramount to achieving marketing goals for global business brands.

Describe yourself in five words…

Quirky, responsible, resilient, amiable, decisive…and rule-breaker

What’s your most overused saying?

“Yallah” which is particularly noticeable when I’m in Europe and catch myself saying it!

Five things you can’t live without?

The arts, books, eccentricity, my bike, pencils and satire – see my earlier answer.”

If you weren’t in your current role, what would you be doing?

I’d be working in the field of diplomacy.

How do you see the digital marketing industry changing in the Middle East in the coming years?

The future is exciting. Middle Eastern countries, most notably the UAE and Qatar, have ambitious and individual aspirations. Significant progress has been made to embrace the digital opportunity – with 78% of the population owning at least one smartphone and the penetration for UAE nationals rising to 85%. Compare this with the EU for example, where smartphone penetration is not expected to reach 68% until 2018 and that social media adoption in the UAE is over 70% (which is higher than the US). We will see continued ownership transfer of content and stories from brands to audiences as investment in the production of content and sharing stories is becoming less relevant for brands in the challenge of authenticity. Finally, interest in cognitive technologies and natural language interfaces will increase and will be one of the most interesting developments in my opinion.

Are celebrity endorsements a good thing?

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With Jennifer Aniston and Nicole Kidman fronting new campaigns for Emirates and Etihad respectively, we want to know – do celebrity endorsements help brand image?

“NO” says Roger Hawa, Managing Partner and Strategic Communications Director, Republique Dubai

RogerHawa“It’s become so popular to see celebs tweeting and raving about brands they endorse that it has become increasingly hard to stop the cynicism from creeping in.”

Although I would usually take the pro side in a debate such as this today, I have decided to probe the perils of such endorsements. In todays’ world, celebrity endorsements don’t just take the form of adverts. Celebrities are also paid to tweet and post about the brands they endorse and this has added yet another dimension to this type of marketing. Thanks to social media, we now know what these celebrities had for breakfast, as well as what they did the night before. It’s become so popular to see celebs tweeting and raving about brands they endorse that it has become increasingly hard to stop the cynicism from creeping in.

So why aren’t celebrity endorsements necessarily a good thing? There are far more reasons than we would care to admit…

Celebrity overexposure: It would appear that certain celebrities will slap their names on almost anything and everything. David Beckham, Nancy Ajram, Amitabh Bachchan immediately spring to mind, with each personality far more recognisable than the numerous brands that they endorse. Because of this, marketers run the risk of consumers remembering such celebrities rather than the brands that they are supposed to be endorsing and this dramatically lessens the impact of supporting each brand individually and creatively.

Celebrity downfall: Stars, we are told, are only human and therefore are capable of making mistakes and creating a few scandals. I doubt anyone will ever forget the Tiger Woods scandal? And sadly for his sponsor, we also remember the brand he was associated with at the time. Again, in today’s highly wired social world, these scandals now travel a lot faster with a much higher reach and frequency, making damage control for brands much more difficult. So just as famous personalities can bring business in instantly, they can just as easily take it away.

The celebrity may eclipse the brand: Some celebrities are really popular and, although they might bring in immediate awareness and wide recognition to the brand, they can also outshine the brand/product. There are two brands – the personal brand as well as the product itself – that are then at play through this approach and the two will be fighting for the same eyeballs and hearts. Sadly for marketers, consumers tend to fall for the celebrity in this type of competition.

Celebrity brand matching: It is crucial for a brand to choose a celebrity that best matches the values and attributes of the brand being endorsed, or the consequences can be disasterous. An example of mismatching was the use of Kim Kardashian and Kanye West in a recent Balmain campaign. This was definitely a subjective choice, but in my opinion matching a timeless and successful fashion house with a much ridiculed and controversial couple is highly questionable. This is a brand that prides itself on taste and class… can we say the same things about these two endorsers?

I’ll end it on that note.

“YES” says Olga Kudryashova, Head of Strategic Planning, Cheil Worldwide

 Olga“Collaboration, such as that between Pharrell Williams and adidas Originals, not only elevates the brand image, but builds a unique, undeniable bond between the brand, the endorser and the people”

Across many languages, there is a saying: “Tell me who your friends are and I can tell who you are.” If we look at celebrity endorsers as “friends” of the brand then there is no doubt they can have an imprint on a brand’s image – adding a premium touch, fueling ‘talk-ability’, strengthening credibility and more. The difference between now and the pre-social media age is that today celebrity endorsements, as a marketing tool, can be exploited at more depth and a larger scale.

To thrive in the so-called human era, brands need to build more trusted connections by adopting behavior that is more human than institutional. Getting closer to consumers is impossible without being genuine, interesting and relevant. The days of “fans” are gone. Friendship is what counts now. This shift is very clear, especially in social media and messaging apps. The popularity of friends and family groups is growing rapidly. The new players in the messaging business, such as Line, allow you to add celebrities to your friends list.

But the success of an endorsement, and consequently its impact on the brand’s image, depends on how genuine the friendship appears to the consumers. The moment people feel the relationship is fake they stop believing. Influencers can be considered a new form of endorsement. But their credibility fades away if people realise that they are saying nice things about a brand or a product just because they are being paid for it. How believable can a friendship between a haute couture fashionista and Shoe Mart be realistically? The same applies to product placements. While Aston Martin and James Bond have a life-long affair, the producers are obviously paid a fortune to feature a Sony smartphone.

The secret of an effective endorsement at all times has been the personality fit. Friendship is about common values, about knowing and complementing each other, sharing the social context. If the connection between the brand and the endorser is deep-rooted and obvious, a broad arsenal of tools is available for that brand to tell the friendship story and create talking points around the brand in the circles of its endorser.

It is worth noting that a new form of “friendship” between brands and celebrities is evolving that does not require any proof of authenticity – collaboration. Rather than endorsing the final product as it goes to market, celebrities are invited to co-create value at a much earlier stage. Collaboration, such as Pharrell Williams and adidas Originals, not only elevates the brand image, but builds a unique, undeniable bond between the brand, the endorser and the people. In these instances, it can clearly be seen how celebrity endorsements can help boost a brand’s image.

Cheil Worldwide appoints Global CGO

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Cheil Worldwide has appointed Lotta Malm Hallqvist as its first Global Chief Growth Officer. Lotta takes on the newly created role from McCann Worldgroup, where she was Executive Vice President and Global Chief Officer since 2011. Having worked with the McCann network for almost 15 years, Lotta has also founded two start-ups including Propaganda, an advertising agency that was later sold to McCann.

Remaining in London, she will lead Cheil’s international growth and new business drive, and will report to Michael Kim, Cheil Worldwide’s Global Chief Operating Officer.

“Cheil is at a really important chapter in its history and there is no better time than now to have a new global chief growth officer on board,” says Michael Kim. “Lotta, a hugely charismatic, engaging and passionate professional, has helped agencies build growth and drive business development over the past 15 years. She is highly pro-active in her approach to new business and will no doubt entrench this approach at Cheil. I am confident that she will add great value and agility to our new business development efforts, given her understanding of what clients expect from an agency partner.”

Lotta adds, “I am truly impressed with the Korean approach to business – the ‘nothing is impossible’ attitude and the focus on opportunities over problems. It’s a privilege to be part of the next chapter for Cheil, joining the team behind one of the strongest brands on the planet.”

Cheil Worldwide buys stake in Iris Worldwide

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Cheil Worldwide has reached a deal to buy an unspecified stake in Iris Worldwide, a London-based international agency network with clients including Samsung, Shell, Adidas, Barclaycard and Domino’s. While Iris joins Cheil in a strategic partnership, both will continue to operate as separate entities for the time being.

Although both companies have declined to reveal terms of the deal, Cheil has made a significant initial investment, with the potential to acquire the business in its entirety within the next five years. Iris’ partnership with US media company Merideth – which has held a 15-25 percent stake since 2011 – will now come to a close as a result of this new acquisition.

“Our goal was to find the right partner who could match our determination and drive,” says Daiki Lim, President and Chief Executive, Cheil Worldwide. “We’ve watched with awe how Iris has built its global business and we are delighted to have this opportunity to work with their brand.”

Ian Millner, Iris’ joint Chief Executive adds, “We’re about to enter the most exciting chapter for Iris. The partnership won’t change who we are or what we do as a creative innovation network – but will extend our global reach and capabilities, and enable our clients and people to benefit from the huge opportunity presented by a true ‘East meets West’ and ‘West meets East’ network.”

Cheil Worldwide currently employs 5,000 staff in 48 offices and eight affiliate offices. Iris Worldwide has more than 1,000 employees across 17 offices worldwide.

Cheil MENA appoints new Digital Director

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Cheil MENA, part of South Korea’s largest advertising network, Cheil Worldwide, has appointed Anis Zantout as its new Regional Digital Director. Anis brings with him a wealth of experience, having previously held multi-faceted roles across the MENA region, which includes the positions of Digital Media Director for Initiative and Regional Director at DigitasLBi. As part of the Cheil MENA team, Anis will manage the growing digital department and will play a pivotal role in driving new business, by developing the agency’s digital credentials to develop performance media with the rise of programmatic advertising.

“Over recent years, we have made tremendous strides in enhancing our digital capabilities,” says Keesoo Kim, CEO, Cheil MENA. “Anis’s appointment will be an integral component to ensuring the agency continues to offer full integration to our clients. He brings extensive experience from within the region and under his leadership, the digital team are truly well equipped to bring our South Korean way of working – known as Tu:hon – to life.”