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Friday welcomes new Editor

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GN Media’s flagship weekly, Friday magazine has appointed Natalie Long to the role of Editor. Previously the Editor of tabloid!, Natalie has 10 years of experience in celebrity news, fashion, food, travel, arts and culture. In her new role, she will be overseeing the magazine’s content for print and digital platforms.

“As we celebrate 20 years of Friday magazine in 2017, we are thrilled that Natalie will be leading the team during such an exciting time for the brand,” says Katie Heskett, Publisher, Gulf News Magazines. “After having incredible success with tabloid!, Natalie’s talent and experience in delivering great content across all audience platforms is one that we look forward to bringing to the UAE’s most widely-read magazine.”

Natalie Long, Editor, Friday magazine adds, “I’m excited to join Friday magazine at this important moment in its history. I’m passionate about lifestyle content, and in ten years at tabloid!, I’ve learned that there is a wealth of wonderful stories to be explored right here in the UAE. I can’t wait to start working with the incredible team and bring even more engaging lifestyle content to readers, in the magazine and across digital platforms.”

New Account Manager joins Q Communications

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Q Communications has appointed Danielle O’Neill to the role of Account Manager. With eight years of experience in PR, events and lifestyle management, Danielle most recently worked with Sept PR as Account Manager across accounts such as Hyatt Hotels Corporation and Whissle. In her new role, she will be working across F&B, hospitality and lifestyle accounts for the agency.

“Q Communications has a faultless reputation with innovative campaigns and tangible results,” says Danielle. “I’m very much looking forward to being a part of such an inspiring team and supporting the growth of the agency.”

Sept PR welcomes new Junior Account Manager

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Sept PR has welcomed Injeel Moti to the role of Junior Account Manager. Prior to joining the lifestyle agency, Injeel most recently worked with Saffron Media Works as PR Manager where she worked across several accounts including United Colors of Benetton and Chopard. In her new role, she will handle all media operations through press campaigns and social media content for F&B, lifestyle and hospitality accounts.

“I am delighted to be joining Sept PR as they have a stellar reputation in the market,” says Injeel. “I’m very much looking forward to this new chapter, working with a team of experienced professionals and scaling new heights with the agency.”

Caroline Holmberg, Managing Director, Sept PR, adds “We are thrilled to welcome Injeel to the team. She brings with her strong media and agency experience coupled with an enthusiasm for creative and digital strategies – an ideal combination to support our client campaigns.”

Dubai Lynx announces judges

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Dubai Lynx International Festival of Creativity 2017 has invited eight high-profile international jurors to judge The Dubai Lynx Awards. The festival will take place from March 5 -8, 2017 at Madinat Jumeirah Arena. Closing the festival on March 8, 2017, the awards ceremony will honour creative excellence in film, print, outdoor, radio, direct, promo and activation, media, interactive, film craft, print & poster craft, design, mobile, PR, integrated, creative effectiveness and branded content and entertainment advertising and communications.

“The jury presidents are a core element in ensuring that stand-out work rises to the top and leads the way for the year to come,” says Thea Skelton, Festival Director, Dubai Lynx. “We’re delighted to have such an experienced line-up to lead the discussions on creativity in MENA with their respective juries.”

Black Iris Publishing launches new tabloid paper

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Black Iris Publishing has launched Her Paper, a UAE-based lifestyle tabloid paper for women.  Her Paper will be available in print to the local communities across the UAE with an initial circulation of 30,000 every month, as well as online through mobile app get it. The publication will allow consumers to scan features using their smart phone and buy products and services directly online. The launch event will take place on December 15, 2016 at Jean-Georges, Four Seasons Resort, Jumeirah Beach.

‘We are really pleased with the end product and how the market is reacting to the launch of Her Paper and the get it app,“ says Jason Bowman, Sales Director, Black Iris Publishing. “I’m really looking forward to working with mid and upmarket brands who want to forge a deeper relationship with our readers and by educating them on the holy grail in linking print with digital media.”

Are PR Professionals in Danger of Extinction?

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Heidi Myers, Marketing Director, Meltwater EMEA, gives her thoughts on how today’s PR professionals cope with the growing popularity of social media and the different outlets opened up for communication…

“I do not believe that PR will become extinct but the PR professionals of today need different skill sets. He/she should be able to navigate the world of digital media, be adept with social media monitoring tools, understand the mindset of millennials who dominate social media and be able to provide new measures to justify ROI.”

With the growing popularity of social media and the various outlets it has opened up for communication, the PR profession is going through a sea-change. PR is no longer a one way communication, for news that you post, there are hundreds of comments from end users in split seconds. How will today’s PR professionals cope with all of these changes and how will they measure the impact of stories that go viral?

I do not believe that PR will become extinct but the PR professionals of today need different skill sets. He/she should be able to navigate the world of digital media, be adept with social media monitoring tools, understand the mindset of millennials who dominate social media and be able to provide new measures to justify ROI.

Here are my top three tips on staying valuable both in house and in an agency:

Offer credibility and strategic counsel

With the increasing number of posts from citizen journalists, one of the main concerns that journalists and the public have is the credibility of their source. This is where a PR professional can make a difference. Provide well-researched stories with statistics and comments from industry leaders that you have access to. Foresee a crisis before it happens and counsel clients on the proper response to contain the social media storm following a crisis. Become the trusted counsellor of your clients and the credible point of contact for media and the public.

Offer value added services

Step up your efforts to become the expert communicator. Provide value added services like training for in house communications department on how to manage social media, crisis communications and media training for top management, blog management, social media monitoring tools and analysis of big data to help companies dig out valuable data regarding consumer engagement and influencer management.

Step up on the creativity and relationships

Creative stories still see the light of day and today with the help of social media, they can go viral, creating a much stronger impact. Tell authentic stories with a human angle. People still buy people. Be sure to keep in touch with your contacts. In today’s connected world, there are so many ways to keep in touch and also to create new contacts online.

With the right approach, PR professionals can succeed in today’s digitalised world.

Emily Churchill-Owen joins John Brown Media

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John Brown Media, part of Dentsu Aegis Network, has appointed Emily Churchill-Owen to the role of Deputy Editor. Emily most recently worked with The Media Network as Editorial Assistant and in her new role will be assisting Editor Lily Lawes in compiling the monthly Emirates Inflight entertainment (ICE) guides as well as working on creative ways to incorporate content that will engage and be of interest to the Emirates audience of passengers.

“I’ve had a fantastic time working for The Media Network,” says Emily. “I’m hugely excited to be joining John Brown Media and I can’t wait for the new challenges this role will bring.”