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UM MENA releases media trends report 2016

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UM MENA has released a 2016 media trends report, NEXT THING NOW, for the region. Set to become an annual fixture, the report highlights yearly trends specific to the MENA region and UM’s view of where the market is heading towards on various themes in the industry. Written by UM MENA’s media specialists, the report also features input from professionals at Coca-Cola, Google, DMS and Yahoo! It will be distributed to UM MENA clients and publishing partners around the region and will also be available online through the agency’s website by Q2 of this year.

“The report echoes the views of our media experts at UM as well as the direction in which our company is heading in the coming years when it comes to media planning and marketing solutions for our clients,” says Chris Skinner, CEO, UM MENA. “There is a definite shift in the industry but by thinking forward and adapting our approach to the future trends we can achieve maximum impact and ROI. NEXT THING NOW will provide you with necessary insights and the way forward for you as a marketer and a media professional.”

UM MENA welcomes Rodrigo Mavu

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UM MENA has welcomed Rodrigo Mavu to the role of Creative Director for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Rodrigo holds over 15 years of experience in advertising, in Brazil as well as in the UAE, and most recently worked as Associate Creative Director at Livingroom Communication. As Creative Director, he will be responsible for strategically driving the creation and ideation process across UM MENA, within the agency’s client portfolio.

“As Creative Director at UM MENA, my primary focus will be to strengthen the creative muscle of each project by working really closely to the strategy team and business directors, helping them to find better ways to translate the core vision of our clients and their products into effective and groundbreaking campaigns,” says Rodrigo. “The projects I’ve seen in development at UM MENA so far are amazing, and it’s going to be an awesome experience to inject creativity and help these teams cross the finish line.”

 

UM MENA appoints Digital Director

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Zadi Hobeika has been appointed as Digital Director for all digital business across the Levant and Egypt markets at UM MENA. Having previously worked at HP, Nestle and Google’s European HQ in online business development and consultation, Zadi has most recently held the role of Managing Director at Game Theory Digital offering media buying services in Lebanon.

In his new role as Digital Director, Zadi will shape and influence the digital approach in the region, grow the digital portfolio and develop new strategies focused on driving performance and revenue.

“It is both an exciting and challenging time to tackle digital in the region and I am delighted to take part in UM MENA’s continuous efforts towards developing a tailored multi-channel approach across brands,” says Zadi. “We’ll work on establishing a market leadership at a digital level through steadily educating and growing our clients with a clear focus on performance.”

Region’s talent honoured at MENA digital awards

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The region’s top digital advertising talent has been honoured at the second ever MENA Digital Awards ceremony, the only awards programme in the region dedicated to celebrating marketing in the digital industry. The event concluded the two-day Digital Media Forum (DMF) 2015, which attracted 500 industry stakeholders from across the MENA region and beyond to discuss the latest developments taking place across the digital landscape.

Big winners were Leo Burnett MENA, who won the Grand Prix Award as well as a number of awards across several categories including two golds in Digital Cause Marketing, a gold in Best Digital PR, a gold in Best Use of Social Media, a silver in Best Performance Campaign, a bronze in Best Use of Video and a bronze in Best Use of Mobile. Omnicom picked up the Network of the Year award, and OMD picked up the Agency of the Year.

Other notable winners included Initiative MENA, who garnered two silver awards for their work for KFC, under Best Application Mobile/Tablet and Best Use of Mobile, as well as two bronze awards under Best Integrated Media Campaign and Best Use of Video. Socialize Agency received two gold awards, BBDO collected one gold, three silvers and a bronze and Proximity picked up a gold, two silvers and a bronze. Other awards under different categories went to UM MENA, Ogilvy, Buzzman, OMD MENA, PHD and Sama Dubai.

“The MENA Digital Awards is the only marketing industry awards programme in the region that focuses solely on the digital sector,” says Najla Semaan Mazboudie, Managing Director of Spot On Media Services and Events, owner and founder of DMF and the MENA Digital awards. “It was established last year to honour success and excellence in the sector, thereby helping to promote the best in digital marketing planning, creativity, innovation, and effectiveness.”

UM MENA appoints new Head of Innovation

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As part of UM MENA’s move to configure its integrated planning and strategy, Rasha Rteil has been appointed as Regional Innovation Director. Previously with Mindshare MENA, Rasha was heading digital media for Lebanon and was responsible for leading innovation strategies across the region.

Based in Dubai, Rasha will now be instrumental in developing innovative, integrated and digitally led consumer engagement solutions on international, regional and local clients. Her key focus will be innovation with a plug and play approach, driving tech partnerships to add value and increase the reach of brands across all audiences, sparking memorable moments with consumers.

“With UM MENA at the forefront of embracing innovation and technology as a stand-alone function and talent, I look forward to undergoing an exciting and alluring journey alongside the strategy and product team,” says Rasha. “Our aim is to make our brands robust enough to evolve with our audience’s ever-changing adoption of technology through identifying fragmented content consumption, avant-garde immersive channels and by harnessing the power of multiscreen experiences. UM MENA brings a showcase of fun and enthusing brands, and with that we will thrive to create encounters with lasting impressions that drive our client’s brands in a measurable way digitally, in the physical world, or even both.”

UM appoints Regional Strategy & Content Director

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UM MENA has appointed Antoine De Trogoff as Regional Strategy and Content Director. In his previous role, Antoine was with Mediacom International in the UK, where he ran two major global accounts – Shell and Dassault Systemes – as well as heading up the Content Partnership division. In Antoine’s new position, he will be responsible for the setup of UM Studios, the branded content division of UM MENA, and the strategic lead on L’Oreal brands.

“The last few years have seen numerous changes in our industry with the role of content completely challenging our business, it is such an exciting time to join the region and support UM’s growth and I am thrilled to be part of such a vibrant agency,” says Antoine. “Many agencies will claim outstanding strategic thinking but we have the opportunity to be different and demonstrate we are at the forefront of developments in the sector with unique skills and resources.”

Tom Hardstaff joins UM MENA

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Tom Hardstaff has joined the UM team as Regional Strategy Director. Having moved over from Mediacom in the UK, Tom has worked on international brands such as Volkswagen, TUI, Kenwood and DeLonghi. In his new position, Tom’s main responsibility is to support the Coke team with strategic direction, ensuring the brand’s continued innovative growth in the MENA region. Tom’s current focus is the development and implementation of the MENA Coke workshops, which will be pulling together the local markets to align vital output and drive the brand forward.

“The challenges Coca Cola face in the MENA region differs to that of other international markets,” says Tom. “But, with an innovative agency approach to our strategic direction, we have the opportunity to deliver remarkable, engaging consumer campaigns and ultimately reposition Coke as the number one drinks brand in the region.”