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New Account Manager at House of Comms

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Dubai-based integrated communications agency, House of Comms has appointed Rachel Evans to the role of Account Manager. With experience in the UK’s PR industry, Rachel previously worked across the F&B and technology sectors with clients such as Microsoft, TGI Fridays and Cambridge University. In her new role, she will manage and work across House of Comms’ portfolio of clients in the Middle Eastern region.

“Rachel has a really solid track record and what we loved about her was the creativity she brought to the interview process,” says Abby Wilks, Managing Partner, House of Comms. “She grabbed our attention and we believe she will have the same effect on our clients. She is off to a flying start and is a great addition to the team for the exciting year ahead.”

Transparency and trust of sponsored posts

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Dubai-based restaurant review website, FoodSheikh who works under an anonymous principle for unbiased dining experiences and reviews, talks about the transparency and trust of sponsored posts by bloggers and PRs in the UAE…

I’m no media expert – when asked to do an op-ed piece, I had to google it before I said yes. There have been a few times in my life when I wish I had googled something before saying yes.

Where there is media, there are adverts and sponsorships. The two are inseparable and reliant on each other. Without one, the other will not survive. So, this is not an exploration on the morals and ethics of sponsorship. This is a brief exploration into the transparency and trust of sponsored posts, specifically in the ridiculous foodie world.

“Hospitality bloggers accept free meals, products or cash to review or promote restaurants and hotels. So what? As consumers, we are not being exposed to anything new—it seems it is only the PR and media people that take the most offense to this practice.”  

To quote Garth from comedy film, Wayne’s World, “It’s like, people only do things because they get paid and that’s just really sad.”  He was of course, dressed head to toe in Reebok.

Transparency

In a recent survey done (admittedly, with a small sample size of 200 people) through FoodSheikh, an overwhelming 92.5% of respondents answered that it is either ‘quite’ or ‘very’ important that bloggers inform their communities if they have received a payment of sorts for the post. In a similar survey done by contently.com, two-thirds of readers have felt deceived upon realising that a brand sponsored an article or video.

However, it seems some bloggers don’t have the courage to let their community know there is a sponsored post incoming or they try to hide it as if it’s a dirty word or concept. They need to embrace the freebie or acknowledge the payment and be very clear about it. A casual “I was invited to…” doesn’t cut it and neither does the ambiguous “I had the opportunity to visit…” The community deserves more than that.

So, transparency is key – if a blogger is going to accept free meals or trips or cash for a specific content, they have a moral responsibility to clearly inform their community. In the future, I’m pretty sure it’s going to be a legal responsibility too. 

Trust

I then asked what level of trust do you have in the opinion of bloggers who have been paid to write about an experience or a product.

My apologies to PR companies and bloggers alike out there, but, here’s the thing. Sponsored content has a trust issue. With every sponsored post that is uploaded, the credibility in bloggers diminishes. In the book, The Content Code, Schaefer interviews 50 media content leaders to ask what made their content soar above the rest. There was just one theme that every leader mentioned. Trust. Never, ever, jeopardise trust, they said. Without trust, you’ve got nothing. You’ve got no voice, no credibility, no influence and eventually no sponsors—because products and brands won’t be associated with those attributes for very long.

Sponsored blogging started to emerge properly around 2005/2006 and in ten short years, according to contently.com, over 54% of people already don’t trust sponsored content, in just ten years.

Foodsheikh ran a similar survey and found that a significant 72.5% of respondents had a ‘very low’ or ‘low’ level of trust in the opinion of bloggers that wrote sponsored posts. On the surface, it’s clear that sponsored posts struggle with credibility.

However, scratch that surface a little and it becomes a bit more complicated. Variables such as, how much of a blogger’s content is sponsored, what kind of sponsorship it is or how long someone has been following them and ultimately what the content is, all play a part in determining credibility. If a blogger’s posts were always positive with posts like ‘the best ever’, ‘amazing’ and ‘a must visit’ it would bring the credibility into question.

So, to summarise—if you’ll excuse the pun—we are crystal clear on transparency. Transparency is mandatory.

However, trust, it seems ‘can’ be earned. It just ‘cannot’ be bought.

FoodSheikh received no compensation from The Media Network for this article. Unfortunately.

The French twist

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When Team TMN were invited to experience the new Apero menu that promises authentic French delicacies at Couqley Bistro and Restaurant, we couldn’t wait to see if the dining experience lived up to its reputation.

What: The new Apero menu, Couqley Bistro and Restaurant

Where: Laguna Tower, Mövenpick, Jumeirah Lake Towers

When: Couqley Bistro and Restaurant is open from 12pm until 12am, with the Apero menu served from 4pm to 8pm daily.

The Promise: “Couqley is a French bistro that oozes charm and traditional Parisian flare! With recipes inspired by Chef Alex Couquelet’s grandfather, guests are guaranteed the most authentic and unique French dining experience that Dubai has to offer.”

Did it deliver: The entrance was narrow yet intriguing in a way that left us curious of what to expect when we stepped into the main dining area of the bistro and as we had hoped, we were not disappointed. Stepping inside, the interior was a reminiscent of the 1950’s artisan workshops of Paris with mosaic stone floors and a cozy indoor terrace seating as well as a bar and dining space. The walls had that old brick texture to it with bulky framed pictures, adding that French subtlety to the atmosphere, giving us the feeling of being in a completely different time and place.

As we decided to go for the terrace seating area, we were greeted by our lovely waiter for the evening who then introduced himself and handed us the much-awaited menu to get the evening started. First, we ordered a bottle of white wine to sip on while we browsed through the menu. We then proceeded with the starters, the Poelee De Champignons was first on the list. The delicacy was a beautiful medley of sautéed wild mushrooms and crumbly puff pastry served with light creamy sauce which took our breath away. The thought that mushrooms can have that bursting flavour with a French twist to it, was astonishing. Next up was the Tartare De Thon, which took an adventurous turn, the combination of marinated raw tuna tartare with sesame seeds, scallions, fresh herbs toppled with leek tempura crisps was another unexpected taste that we couldn’t get over. The taste of raw tuna was completely different with the flavours of the scallions and fresh herbs to add to it, leaving our taste buds in a mix of an exciting and unique aftertaste of that French dining experience.

Switching it up a notch, we decided to try out the signature selection of ‘Boeuf’ from the menu. The Mini Burger Trio was the perfect option for us. Tasting the mini classic American-style burgers filled with cheddar cheese and served with pommes frites simply sealed the evening for us. The simplicity of the meal might sound like any other restaurant, but this was completely different. From the juicy burgers to the tender potato fries, we could taste the unique flavours that gave the marinated beef a distinct taste from the regular burgers that we knew to one with a Parisian flare.

Verdict: Its reputation, we will say, precedes it. The selection from the Apero menu was as exciting and authentic as promised. The feeling of being lost in a different era that had a strong French touch to it is the only way we could explain it. The food was mind blowing to the fact that nothing was, as it seemed. The flavours were different and unique making every bite better than the previous. And the wine at 19AED per glass and 89AED per bottle was the perfect price to pay for that dining experience. However, although the menu had loads of options to choose from, we did find it very restricted for vegetarians and vegans with limited options to choose from. Although the menu might be a little restricted, we do recommend the place for a celebratory dinner, romantic night out or a night with friends, to get a taste of what it is like to dine Paris – Dubai style.

Sept PR makes new appointment

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Dubai-based lifestyle and communications agency, Sept PR has welcomed Dannii Gardiner to the role of Social Media Manager. With experience in PR and communications, Dannii previously worked for MediaWorks New Zealand where she managed international clients in both Radio and Television and most recently at Bull & Roo in the UAE where she worked across brands such as Tom & Serg and Muchachas. In her new role, she will focus on developing digital strategies to create engaging content that will be aligned with the clients’ PR objectives.

“Dannii brings with her a passion for quirky and out of the box campaigns and marketing knowledge in the region’s F&B sector  – ideal attributes which will support our current and forthcoming client campaigns,” says Caroline Holmberg, Managing Director, Sept PR.