Page 63 - Gulf Marketing Review

S T R A T E G Y

Hubs such as Dubai face a particular
problem in terms of being able to attract both
Arab-speaking talent as well as local talent
from the Gulf. This is an issue the industry has
to address, both by looking to attract talent
from across the Gulf and the wider Middle East
region (markets such as Saudi and, to a lesser
extent, Bahrain and Oman, are full of talented
nationals who want to make the move into the
private sector), as well as working longer term
with local universities to develop the marketing
skills of young nationals, promote the potential
of joining the creative industry and promote IT HAS GIVEN US A WHOLE NEW
research into marketing across MENA. BOX OF LOCALISATION TOYS TO
I can’t recall the last time I discussed the PLAY WITH AND, YET, FEW FIRMS
issue of student engagement with a senior AND MARKETERS ARE PICKING UP
marketing professional here, and this has to The use of digital platforms THE MANTLE
change if we’re going to get better at crafting and new technologies may
locally relevant content and campaigns based provide a means to help with
on local insights. localising campaigns The use of digital platforms and new tech-
One market stands out for the quality of nologies may provide a means to help with lo-
its local content. Love them or loathe them, calising campaigns, but the initial investments
Egyptian ads and copy are distinctive and are for different consumer types or for individual in creating content in local languages and the
designed primarily by Egyptian marketing pro- customers themselves. need to understand consumer insights at a local
fessionals for Egyptian consumers. IT has given us a whole new box of lo- level remain. Technology is still an enabler and
It’s more difficult to find a copy or marketing calisation toys to play with and, yet, few firms we’re still the ones who should be conceiving
campaign aired in Egypt that has been adapted and marketers are picking up the mantle and campaigns and asking the questions of our
for the local market than it is in the Gulf. There’s exploring how best to use these tools. Are consumers to get to the insights that matter.
much the Gulf and, in particular, Dubai, could marketers in the region not tech-savvy enough The question remains: Why are we still failing
learn from how their Egyptian counterparts take to be able to make the most of the data at their to localise our marketing? Is it because we lack
a product or service and craft campaigns that disposal? Or are firms not even realising the enough marketers who are from the region and
are uniquely Egyptian in their messaging. importance of collecting data that’ll help them who have experience here, from places such as
to better reach and serve their customers? Saudi? Are we still not savvy enough with new
The use of technology. Technology has rev- Is it trust in online analytics and the need for technologies that can help us to better under-
olutionised how marketers work. It’s given us third-party reporting? (At least we have re- stand our consumers’ data? Or are we under
ways and means to take a single message porting for our online activities, unlike with TV pressure to turn around global campaigns in
and personalise it for a mass audience. We’ve and print where there are few independent too short a time frame needed to localise the
long talked about personalised marketing, measurement tools.) content? Your answer is as good as mine.
by which marketing professionals leverage
data analysis and digital technology to de-
liver individualised messages and product
ALEX MALOUF, CHAIR, EUROPE, MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA,
offerings to customers. One-to-one marketing
THE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF BUSINESS COMMUNICATORS
used to be limited to emailers and website
advertising, but now includes social media. “Are we still not savvy enough with new
Add in augmented and virtual reality, and technologies that can help us to better
we have a host of channels and means through understand our consumers’ data?”
which we can personalise messages, either

DECEMBER 2017/FEBRUARY 2018 I GULF MARKETING REVIEW I 63