Levant

LevantEdition
Edition••The
Themarketing
marketingand
andadvertising
advertisingresource
resource••November
November2017
2017--January
January2018
2018••Issue
IssueN°86•
N°86•communicateonline.me
communicateonline.me

IN OR OUT?
Where do production
houses stand in the
of content?
mobile-driven world

A MediaquestCorp publication
Egypt................... E£ 10 Lebanon ........L£ 5,000 Qatar ................... QR 15 Syria .................. S£ 100
Jordan ................... JD 4 Morocco ............DH 22 Saudi Arabia ........ SR 15 Tunisia ................ TD 2.5
Kuwait ................ KD 1.2 Oman ...............OR 1.5 Switzerland .......... SFR 8 U.A.E ...................DH 15
 CONTENTS | NOVEMBER 2017/JANUARY 2018

Contents
COVER: Dusk or dawn... FEATURES
18 Is it the end or a new beginning for Lebanon’s big 11 Digital. What’s going on in the world of ad tech?
production houses? We explore.
28 Digital. Once again, advertisers are pulling out of
NEWS YouTube
04 Event. Beirut Creative Cluster launches Beirut 29 Digital. How Snapchat served every user HBO ads
Creative Roadshow on Black Friday
04 Research. Ericsson predicts 1 billion 5G 30 Digital. The impact of Black Friday on
subscriptions in 2023 Cyber Monday
04 Marketing. Philip Morris to manufacture products 32 Digital. How P&G’s Pritchard is helping the fight
in Lebanon against ad fraud
06 Launch. Sadeem launches the first competition for
Arab influencers PRODUCT REVIEW
34 Huawei Mate 10 Pro launches with impressive
SHORTS features and incomparable performance
08 What is Kwanko and how will it impact the region
DEPARTMENTS
INDUSTRY FOCUS: Banking 36 X-pert File. Mindshare’s TJ Lightwala sheds
24 An overview of the digital and mobile banking light on the workable model of innovation in
scene in Lebanon today’s industry
38 Media work. Mercedes-Benz’s “Grow Up”
campaign puts a twist on growing up
40 Work. A selection from the regional and
international creative scene

NOVEMBER 2017/JANUARY 2018

SENIOR JOURNALIST Zaira Lakhpatwala SENIOR SUB EDITOR Karthik Subramanian Published by: Medialeader FZ
ART DIRECTOR Jean-Christophe Nys ART MANAGER Sandy Farah RESPONSIBLE A Mediaquest Company
DIRECTOR Denise Mechantaf ADVERTISING Medialeader SAL, Afrah Plaza Center,
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CommunicateOnline Plaza Center (Pain d’Or bldg), Fouad Chehab boulevard, Dekwaneh, Beirut, Lebanon,
Communicate Online
@Communicatelvt Tel/Fax: + 961 1 492 801/2 FOUNDER Yasser Hawari Co-CEO Alexandre Hawari Co-CEO
Communicate Magazine Julien Hawari GENERAL MANAGER – DOTMENA Rosy Kachouh CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Aziz Kamel EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Elizabeth McGlynn HEAD OF FINANCE AND
Reproduction in whole or part of any matter appearing in Communicate Levant is prohibited by law without the prior written ACCOUNTING Girish Kumar HEAD OF CIRCULATION Harish Raghavan, h.raghavan@
approval of the publishers. Opinions expressed in Communicate Levant do not necessarily represent the views of the publish-
ers and editorial staff of the magazine. The publishers do not hold out any guarantee as to its accuracy, neither do they
mediaquestcorp.com KSA GM Walid Ramadan, walid@mediaquestcorp.com, Tel:
indemnify any loss arising through use of the information. All dollar prices ($) are US dollars, unless otherwise specified. +966 1 4194061 LEBANON GM Peggy El-Zyr, peggy@mediaquestcorp.com, Tel: +961
Printed by: Raidy Printing Group 1 492 801 NORTH AFRICA GM Manuel Dias, dias@arabies.com, Tel: +33 1 4766 46 00

Communicate Levant I 3
 NOVEMBER 2017/JANUARY 2018 | LEBANON NEWS
Beirut creative cluster launches beirut creative roadshow
Beirut. On the 1st of December, Bei-
rut Creative Cluster launched Beirut
Creative Roadshow. The event took
place at Ecole Supérieure des Af-
faires in Beirut and brought together
studios and agencies from the digital
creative sector. The cluster is an al-
liance of creative agencies from the
digital creative fields, such as film
production and photography, animation
and gaming, branding and marketing,
and mobile and web development.
The Beirut Creative Roadshow aims
to bring together Lebanese talent and
create chances for potential collabora-
tion between professionals. The full-
day program was split into morning
and afternoon sessions that featured
creative professionals and brands.
Among the topics discussed by the
I CAMPAIGN
BBAC launches its new brand identity
Beirut. BBAC launched its new brand
identity at an official ceremony held
at the Four Seasons Hotel-Beirut, in
the presence of a crowd of media
figures and members of the press.
The Bank’s new brand identity is
inspired by its close relation with
its customers and community. This
relation, which BBAC has always
been distinguished for, is translated
in its slogan «Your Caring Bank».
BBAC has redefined the traditional
relation that banks have with their
customers, incorporating care in its
culture, which in turn has resulted
in feelings of comfort, trust and a
true sense of belonging between the
Bank and its customers, as well as
other stakeholders.
In the new circular symbol, BBAC
represented in blue, and the customers
and the community in aqua, the two
are intertwined together to signify
the strong relation that BBAC has
with its clients.
Lebanon’s ministry of health backs
#notbefore18 campaign
Beirut. In response to the #NotBe-
fore18 campaign, which puts the life
threatening medical case for raising the
4 I Communicate Levant
panels were startups and their rela-
tions with agencies in initiating new
projects. The sessions continued to
debate interesting topics, such as
collaborating with influencers and
their role in content creation. The job
gap was also an important topic to
be mentioned. Design experts talked
about their projects, which use social
initiatives to influence designers and
foster design culture. The production
experts also explained the chances
created by Video-On-Demand and
highlighted the changes that broke
the rules and created new opportuni-
ties. During the last session, experts
who work in hybrid agencies offered
explanation for the definition of a
hybrid agency and the benefits that
the model brings. At the end of the
legal age of marriage to 18, Lebanon’s
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of
Public Health, Mr. Ghassan Hasbani,
recently signed an agreement of part-
nership with The Lebanese Women
Democratic Gathering (RDFL), the
gender equality NGO responsible for
the campaign.
In the announcement, Hasbani
expressed the Ministry’s commitment
to help raise awareness on this critical
issue. Supporting on all fronts, the
Ministry will spread the campaign
message at more than 1,200 medical
outlets across Lebanon’s pharmacies,
hospitals, first aid centers and the
ministry’s offices, and leverage its
own assets, the Ministry of Health’s
website and social media channels.
The #NotBefore18 campaign
tackles the issue of child marriage
from a medical perspective, reduc-
ing the problem to its one common
denominator – that of the life threat-
ening medical conditions pregnancy
in females under the age of 18 can
cause. The new angle lent itself to
a #rawlife, #nofilter treatment, and
introduced an unusual protagonist to
deliver the campaign message, Dr.
Faysal al Kak, President of the Arab
Association of OB-GYN.
Creative Roadshow, freelancers and
brands looking to expand their reach
sat together in executive meetings to
promote their partnerships. Beirut
Creative Roadshow aims to place
I RESEARCH
Ericsson predicts 1 billion 5G sub-
scriptions in 2023
Beirut. Since 2011, the Ericsson Mo-
bility Report has been forecasting
the future of connectivity. Based on
past and current data and validated
with extensive network measurements,
the report provides industry-leading
projections as well as analyses of the
latest market trends.
According to the Ericsson Mobil-
ity report, published in November
for this year, Ericsson forecasts that
there will be 1 billion 5G subscrip-
tions for enhanced mobile broadband
by 2023. These predictions are
concluded, due to increased de-
mand for data and video content.
Mobile data is also expected to
surge by eight times during the
forecast period, reaching 110 Exa-
byte per month by 2023, which
corresponds to 5.5 million years
of UHD streaming.
By the end of this year, Erics-
son predicts that LTE will be the
dominant mobile access technology.
It is said to reach 5.5 billion sub-
scriptions and to cover more than
85 percent of the world’s population
by end of 2023.
The report also features three
articles on rising industry trends;
shifting mobile data, enhancing
the event experience and millenni-
als’ expectations from 5G networks.
Lebanon on the international creative
map by showcasing the potential of
the creative industry in Lebanon and
provides insights on trends and suc-
cess stories.
I MARKETING
Philip Morris to manufacture prod-
ucts in Lebanon
Beirut. The future of products with a
potential for reducing the risks related to
smoking has become clearer, following
the positions of the President-General
Manager of the Régie Libanaise Des
Tabacs Et Tombacs (Régie) and the
Vice President for Africa and the
Levant at Philip Morris International
(PMI), during the signing ceremony
of a partnership between PMI and
the Régie on November 16, 2017.
To date, PMI has invested more
than $3 billion to develop and assess
innovative smoke-free products that
offer a better choice for adult smokers
who do not wish to stop consum-
ing cigarettes. These products are
successful alternatives, given that
they are likely to reduce risks not
only for adult smokers but also for
those around them. These products
have been marketed in more than 30
countries around the world, including
Japan and most European countries.
Indeed, this agreement is a
positive development for Lebanon
on many levels, especially in terms
of the ongoing intensive efforts to
achieve sustainability in the tobacco
Continued to page 6
 NOVEMBER 2017/JANUARY 2018 | LEBANON NEWS
Sadeem launches the first competition for arab influencers
Beirut. Arab social media influenc-
ers, who want a journey of creativity,
discovery and digital growth, now
have their own competition. Sadeem
targets young Arabs with a unique
style and spark to inspire the world.
Their amazing journey will be made
into a digital series launching soon.
The competition will start with twenty
contestants, but nine of them will be
in the hub in Qatar to benefit from
seminars and workshops that will help
them build the required knowledge
to compete. After that, the finalists
should create video content that will
be judged by the judging panel, which
Continued from page 4
sector, which is vital to the Lebanese
economy. It is also part of the current
and future operations of PMI, dem-
onstrating its innovative role with its
approach and substantial investment
in research and development to offer
distinctive products.
S I EVENTS
BLC Bank acknowledges business
innovators during its sixth Brilliant
Lebanese Awards
Beirut. On Thursday, December
7th, BLC Bank showed its com-
mitment to support small businesses
and entrepreneurs with the launch
of its 6th edition of the Brilliant
Lebanese Awards.
Mr. Nadim Kassar announced
the launch of a new category related
to e-business. He also highlighted
the importance of this sector in the
knowledge of economy. Any business
activity based on digital or innovative
technologies is eligible for this category.
Out of 15 candidates this year,
George El Aily - Spectronite won
the Business of the Year category.
As for the Woman Entrepreneur of
the Year title, it was awarded to Nada
Ghazal – Nada G .The two winners
received a cash prize of $30,000 each.
The People’s Choice Award went to
Mohamad Ali Beydoun – L’Art-Qui-
Tecte, who won a $ 5,000 cash prize.
6 I Communicate Levant
includes the Kuwaiti comedian Shuaib
Rashed, the Egyptian motivational
speaker Kareem Esmail, the Kuwaiti
fashion blogger Ascia al Faraj and the
Algerian Youtuber Youcef Zarouta.
The competition started on the 1st
of December, when applicants were
requested to send videos of them to
validate their participation. Later, in
March, the top twenty contestants will
be announced; and in April, the Sadeem
hub will test contestants in several
ways. Through the process, experts
from Facebook, Twitter, Instagram
and Youtube, will run workshops to
help contestants reach their digital
The jury includes representatives
from the Central Bank, Berytech,
Endeavor Lebanon, Kafalat, the
International Finance Corpora-
tion IFC, the Lebanese American
University, the Lebanese League
for Women in Business LLWB and
BLC Bank, as well as male and
female entrepreneurs.
The Brilliant Lebanese Awards
are one of the most important services
provided by BLC Bank to SMEs and
businesswomen. They are part of a
360 degree approach, which lies on 4
pillars: financing, advisory, training
and exposure.
Noise PR Firm Honors Lebanese
Media in its End-of-year Gathering
Beirut. Noise PR Firm invited a select
crowd of media to its annual gath-
ering at Stereo Kitchen in Pasteur
Street-Gemmayzeh.
The firm’s event attracted more
than 150 media representatives and
figures, representing the whole array
of Lebanese online, print, broadcast
outlets and channels, as well as media
representation firms.
In this festive and friendly at-
mosphere, Noise PR Firm extended
its wishes to the media for a Merry
Christmas and a prosperous New Year.
BLOM BANK Receives award from
The Banker
Beirut. BLOM Bank won the “Best
potential. In May, the top three final-
ists will tackle the challenge of their
lifetime, when they try to win the grand
prize of a million riyals. The winner
will be determined by the audience
Bank in Lebanon for 2017” award
from the international institution The
Banker, in a big ceremony held at the
Hilton Bankside Hotel, London, on
29/11/2017.
For the occasion, The Banker
“commended BLOM Bank on its
performance not only for the strong
financials that it had achieved, but also
for the banking and financial initiatives
that it had consistently delivered.” It
added that “the award, which is the
longest-running of its kind in the world,
reflects the wise management and sound
business model of the Bank.”
Mr. Saad Azhari, Chairman and
General Manager of BLOM BANK,
thanked The Banker for the prestigious
award and commented in turn that
“the award represents the financial
community’s appreciation of the ef-
forts that BLOM Bank’s management
and employees give in offering the
best and latest banking and financial
services to their clients, in a climate
still characterized by difficult operat-
ing circumstances in Lebanon and
the region.”
 I ADVERTISING
Renault Middle East is Proud Spon-
sor of The Voice Arabia and The
Voice Kids
Beirut. Renault Middle East has an-
nounced that it is the proud sponsor
of The Voice Arabia and The Voice
at the end of the competition. With
Sadeem, the world of influencers will
be unveiled, and the talents of the
Arab world will be revealed to earn
the chance they deserve.
Kids as the season premiere of The
Voice Kids, aired on MBC on Saturday
2nd of December. Season 4 of The
Voice Arabia will be aired in 2018.
Commenting on the partnership,
Marwan Haidamous, Managing Di-
rector of Renault Middle East said,
“With a completely renewed model
line-up, including SUVs, electric
vehicles, city cars and sedans, which
have all been rigorously tested right
here in the region to meet the needs
of our Middle Eastern customers,
Renault is stepping into the spotlight
with this bold marketing campaign.
“The Voice attracts some of the
world’s biggest brands as sponsors,
and having Renault alongside those
global household names is a sig-
nificant sign of our intent to take
our brand where it deserves to be
in the Middle East.”
To celebrate its partnership with
The Voice, Renault has created an
innovative new TV commercial
inspired by its Multi-Sense® sys-
tem, which will be aired during the
weekly shows.
I OUR BAD
In the digital map released with the
September issue, we wrongly listed
Denstu Aegis Network Lebanon un-
der Denstu Aegis Network as Carat.
Also Triangle listing was missing.
We regret the errors.
 NOVEMBER 2017/JANUARY 2018 | SHORTS
Kwanko launches in Dubai
What is Kwanko and how will it impact MENA
F ounded in 2003 and headquartered in Paris,
Kwanko is an online performance advertising
company with offices in more than ten countries
including Belgium, Germany, Portugal, Spain,
Italy, Poland, United Kingdom, Canada, Mexico,
Colombia, Brazil and now in the UAE.
WHO? Kwanko started off as a French family-run
startup in 2003. In 2004, it set up the Netaffili-
ation platform, which went on to become one of
the leading affiliate marketing platforms in the
French market. It then broadened its horizons to
the rest of Europe and Latin America. In 2011,
Kwanko ventured into the mobile space early by
acquiring mobile advertising company Swelen with
the objective of offering cross-device solutions
across web and mobile.across web and mobile.
HOW? The company has partnered with more
than 150,000 direct publishers across verticals
and has a database of more than 500 million
emails. Naturally, these numbers keep increas-
ing as the publisher team works with current
suppliers to scale the business and onboard new
ones in a bid to maximize reach and return on
each campaign.
Putting technology at the core, Kwanko has
built its own affiliate platform with the help of
30 in-house developers to set up, launch, moni-
tor, optimize and invoice for all parties involved
– clients and publishers. It is also in the process
finalizing its proprietary DSP, which will be con-
nected with more than 90 SSPs.
8 I Communicate Levant
“Our proprietary platform delivers reliable,
real-time conversion tracking, actionable reporting,
publisher payment processing and much more,”
says Bieber.
WHAT? This enables Kwanko to offer the fol-
lowing services:
1. Cross-device tracking, which is of increas-
ing importance to clients and agencies as the
consumer journey gets more non-linear and
fragmented
2. Attribution marketing, which puts into play the
company’s ‘MultiOrigine’ model giving multiple
publishers their share of the payout depending
on their added-value within the purchase funnel
3. “Clicktime” (CPC-based payout), which tracks
the time spent on a client’s website after a
click to ensure only the most qualified traffic
is chargeable
4. Kwanko Design Studio, which helps build
HTML creatives for emailers from both a
visual and technical standpoint
5. Emailing de-duplication tool to manage the
marketing pressure and collect fresh data
WHY? “All the technology in the world, however,
cannot help you sustain your business should it
miss the human touch,” says Bieber. And this
philosophy is embedded in the company culture.
As Bieber puts it, “We fully embrace the equation
of technology + human = innovative success.”
It’s also the driving force behind the company’s
“consultant approach” versus a commercial one.
COMPANY CULTURE
Kwanko’s 200 employees inaugurated the
company’s new HQ in Paris on September
28. The new office isn’t merely about a new
look but also, a new way of working.
Based on numerous studies that demon-
strate a link between space planning and well
being at work, the Kwanko group has trans-
formed its offices to better meet the needs
of employees by introducing concepts such
as “flex office” and “feel like home”. Although
these changes are, for now, restricted to the
HQ, Kwanko plans to roll them out in other
offices as well.
Flex office: Offices have been de-compartmen-
talized to encourage inter-employee exchanges
along with the creation of more collaborative
spaces such as, a cafeteria; telephone booths
in the middle of the open space; a “creative”
room designed to foster employee creativity;
and a “silence” room when needed.
Happiness manager: In order to promote
a more homely feel, the company has desig-
nated a happiness manager whose role lies
somewhere between internal communication,
human resources and events. “This new em-
ployee organizes events to ensure cohesion
between employees and lends a special ear
to individual situations,” says Bieber.
Boost employee commitment and auton-
omy: The aim of Kwanko is twofold: to build
offices that are compatible with new working
methods, but also to boost the commitment
and autonomy of employees. “With the arrival
of new employees from the Millennial genera-
tion, having spaces that foster collaboration,
creativity and conviviality has become indis-
pensable,” says Bieber. “Employees must feel
at home, which promotes their motivation and
therefore their competitiveness.”
New tools: As working habits change, so
do the tools required to work. “We do not
have a landline, for example,” says Bieber.
”We basically hangout, use a softphone and
work in real time, collaboratively with tools
like Slack – a real revolution that employees
particularly appreciate.”

Tech that
What’s going on in the world of adtech and martech?
by Zaira Lakhpatwala
I n a world not so far away, the Internet was born.
During its toddler years, it gave us connectivity,
knowledge, and accessibility (among other things).
Then came the teenage years and with it, annoy-
ance – pop-up ads, malware, clickbait – and an odd
rebellion – ad blocking, VPNs, incognito modes.
The Internet – or rather the World Wide Web
– is now 27-years-old and it seems to be quite the
millennial – at least as far as brands are concerned.
It is entitled and arrogant, serving us ads we
don’t want to see; it’s selfish, following us around
regardless of how we feel; and it wants recogni-
tion, because it thinks it deserves at least that
much (preferably in the form of bigger budgets)
for all the data it provides.
© Getty Imgaes
DIGITAL | NOVEMBER 2017/JANUARY 2018
As HR managers and organizations have grown
tried to adapt to the behavior traits of millennials,
so have agencies grown tried to adapt to the unique
traits of the Internet and all its users. But, just as
HR needed an expert to guide them into better
understanding the twisted minds of millennials,
so did brands and agencies in order to understand
the constantly evolving Internet.
ENTER ADTECH.
Adtech is to advertising what Simon Sinek is to
HR and management.
No wonder then that everyone is trying to
acquire it.
Communicate Levant I 11
 NOVEMBER 2017/JANUARY 2018 | DIGITAL

BUT FIRST... WHAT REALLY IS ADTECH?

nology solu-
Adtech is an Adtech vendors provide tech
umbrella term por t the ma nag ement and
a set of tech tions which sup
nologies des for execution of paid media activiti
es. This
to help adver igned tha t req uires a
audiences,
tisers target
key is the type of marketing
. For exa mp le, social
del
and measure iver messages company to pay to play
digital adver ted ads on Fac ebo ok, Search
ing perform tis- ads like promo
disp ads
lay
ance. That Engine Marketing (SEM) and
; but you can
belong to the field of ad tech
planning has said,
become a cr
part of adte ucial tfor ms (DS Ps) and
ch’s value. also put Demand Sid e Pla
- PU JA PA lla of ad tech.
managing
N N UM, Ad Servers under the umbre
director, B ing direct or -
M ENA lis - DIRK HE NKE, manag
emerging markets, Cri teo

use of machine learning, algorithms,

Adtech, or adver tising technology, refers to the I like to boil it down into
t adver tising to individuals and specific
analytics and digital tools to accurately direc
technology that can
efficiently help you reach
robot ic way of adver tising. Mistakes are minimal the right audience
target audiences. [Basically], it is the at the right time with the
for me, is the present and the future – right message.
with full transparency for the industry. Adtech, Adtech [is a set of] tools
that can really help
either you are in or out. you run your campaigns
more effectively. It
- NADER BITAR, senior director, MMP can provide ways to con
nect buyers and sell-
ers of media in an autom
ated way, reach the
desired audience or even
deliver insights that
would normally be difficu
lt to capture.
- STEVEN SIDAWI ,
associate
digita l director, J3 ME
NA

FROM MARTECH?
HOW IS IT DIFFERENT

In comparison to adtech vendors, martech vendo

Fundamentally,
adtech and martech help reach differ-
ent objectives. [Although] advertising is
typically about building brand awareness
and acquiring new customers in the digital
domain, it’s a more transactional under-
taking. Marketing is more specifically
about the automation of broader marketing
tactics, including closing off the purchase
loop for measurement and attribution
purposes. There are, of course, areas of
overlap between the two and the compa-
nies that deliver them.
- PUJA PANNUM
rs are targeted toward workflow auto-
mation and campaign management. These soluti
ons streamline the administration and
execution of activities with owned media (comp
any websites, email or social pages) and
earned media (social media conversations or PR).
It is important to keep in mind that similar to adtec
h, martech vendors rely on a data
and operations infrastructure, which is the found
ation of the technology landscape and
supports all marketing activities for paid, owned
and earned media.
- DIR K HEN KE

12 I Communicate Levant
 DIGITAL | NOVEMBER 2017/JANUARY 2018

to truly understand the

h have diff erent functions in targeting and strategy but,
Bot
context of three key pillars.
differences, let’s put it in the
MARTECH
ADTECH
on emails,
Reaches the exact user based
s the audience based on
profiles, CRM data, etc.
Rea che Mar
Audience
behavior, interest and actions that he tech are tech
l n
consum p you comm ologies
data collected through u
third- Reaches users based on a l r ea d e r so nicat
y had r prospects t e with
Reaches the audiences using as por tals, websites,
media, owned channels such forms, etc.
with y some s hat hav
par ty channels such as social webinars, offline registration
Data ou or t e
associ r brand. Typ of interactio
DMPs, smartphones, etc. ated w ically
these n
first-party
ith th
Uses target segments through
chann
els, wh e brand’s ow are
Pri marily uses cookies and third- manag i
ed in- ch are usua ned
Channel customer data.
par ty data. - STE house by cli lly
VE N S en
IDAW ts.
work together. So, let me I
h, are different, they need to
While both, adtech and martec you automate the ent data col
ire lection process
by blending CRM data
now , wh erein
segment data more efficiently
use the term ‘M AdT ech’ for
me nts, and ma tch, target, and
and seg for marketers.
h DM Ps the reby cre atin g a rich and holistic data offering
wit
- NADER BITAR

ENOUGH WITH THE JARGON!

e media in silo; they’re interacting with brands
So many new lingos out there, but do people really care? People don’t consum
on their own path to purchas e. They don’t know OR care about the differ-
across multiple touch points and platforms, each
they expect to be exposed to a unified brand message
ences between the various advertising and marketing technologies, and
everywhere.
from brands. This is forcing us (marketers) to up
Digital has raised the bar for the type of experiences consumers expect
engage and acquire customers.
our game and in doing so, we have to use adtech and martech to attract,
We’ve had it drilled into our heads that ad tech is for media buys and martech for personalized content; that ad tech is for
paid media and martech for owned. But, is that truly the case?
red adtech. Influencer marketing isn’t considered
The tools we use to manage ads on social media networks aren’t conside
tools are now being used to personalize owned media.
adtech. And the DMPs we’ve long considered adtech
Are we finally witnessi ng a new age in ad-mar- tech, where the lines will become so blurred
So, is convergence inevitable?
that they will merge into one discipline?
all the data into a database and coding the func-
Convergence is a compelling future state, but it’s not as easy as slamming
, much reorgan ization is required from brands and their agencies; workflows
tionality into a single interface. For it to be realized
to be reassessed among other things.
and processes to be re-engineered; and technology and data (a lot of data)
AMI region (Africa, Middle East, and India),
BY HUSSE IN DAJAN I, genera l manager - digital marketing,
Nissan Motor Corporation

WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES?

One of the key challenges in the MENA market at the moment is the reluctance to further adopt mobile as the primary marketing tool. Despite the
fact that smartphones are hugely popular in MENA, marketers still display a preference to more traditional forms of advertising. Over time, we expect
to see a rebalancing toward mobile as it’s given the priority it deserves.
From a client and agency perspective, there are concerns from advertisers over brand safety. There are three key components to brand safety: (1)
seeing ads alongside appropriate content, (2) viewability and (3) making sure they are seen by real people. The responsibility for this lies on all sides,
but primarily with vendors and agencies to allay the concerns of the brand. To achieve this, transparency is crucial, as it helps brands understand where
their ads are being served. Transparency itself is another crucial challenge, as brands need to understand how their budget is being spent and what their
investment is getting them.” - PUJA PANNUM

User habits are rapidly changing with smartphones being the core facilitator. These habits can be activities ranging from looking up news, checking
social media, shopping online, offline and across devices. Changing habits mean changing expectations, and today’s shoppers expect nothing less than
an outstanding user experience across all devices and channels, including offline. Retailers and brands must deliver seamless and relevant shopping
experiences across all devices and channels, which is a huge challenge that requires new strategies. In this respect, giants like Amazon and Alibaba have
a head start on how to organize and apply data at scale to understand the shopper, reach them, and inspire them to buy. The vast majority of commerce
companies can’t cope with this.” - DIRK HENKE

Communicate Levant I 13
 NOVEMBER 2017/JANUARY 2018 | DIGITAL

One big challenge we face is education. People – be it in agencies, client-side or the market as a whole – have difficulties understanding the sole
purpose of adtech and its simplicity in the advertising world. They do understand the efficiency behind it, but the market is too traditional today to shift
its whole strategy around ‘MAdTech’.” - NADER BITAR

CHALLENGES IN THE MARKET:

• Cultural nuances: Strangely enough cultural nuances have caused even adtech challenges – device sharing; the need to browse anonymously and even
declared data can cause targeting and tracking to go a bit haywire at times.
• Not a priority: MENA is sometimes overlooked by the tech giants as not being a priority market, so the roll out in tech advancements typically occurs
in other markets first.
• Publishers: Some hesitation to integrate with agency adtech to drive an agenda or premiumization or to diminish transparency imposes limits to scale
and confidence. However, this particular point can be tied back to misaligned interests as publishers want to drive the maximization of yield, while
agencies that have invested in adtech want to let tech pre-validate inventory, while also letting “the market” set a fair price.

CHALLENGES FROM CLIENTS:

• Integration: Although, breaking down the silos between martech and adtech can yield immense benefits for organizations, it’s always a challenge to
integrate buy-ins and data structured in a way that is easily ingestible by adtech.
• The drive for efficiency: In today’s advertising world, the main theme that is emerging is ‘more for less’ and with that dynamic occurring, investing
in the right adtech, which aligns with market sentiment, is becoming more and more important.

CHALLENGES WITH THIRD-PARTY COMPANIES:

• Bundling: Sometimes, really interesting adtech is tied to certain inventory and you are compelled to buy that inventory to avail the use of the adtech.
Most of the time this limits scalability.
• Siloing: Sometimes, providers purposefully limit each other’s access to inventory, so adtech that is supposed to connect buyers and sellers is excluded
out of certain pockets of desirable inventory.
- STEVEN SIDAWI

14 I Communicate Levant
 DIGITAL | NOVEMBER 2017/JANUARY 2018

WHAT’S THE FUTURE OF ADTECH AND WHAT NEW

TECHNOLOGIES CAN WE LOOK FORWARD TO?

he
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e money.”

Communicate Levant I 15
 NOVEMBER 2017/JANUARY 2018 | DIGITAL

THE TENUOUS FUTURE OF AD TECH MIDDLEMEN

BY RICHARD BUSH, chief product and technology officer at NYIAX,
the New York Interactive Advertising Exchange

At the moment, an important debate about fraud and viewability is playing out in an ad tech ecosystem – an ecosystem that's
increasingly being called a duopoly. But these topics won't be left for Google and Facebook to solve. Very soon, blockchain technol-
ogy will disrupt the duopoly and, more importantly, usher in a new marketplace that is more transparent and accountable, and therefore
less prone to fraud.

WHAT IS BLOCKCHAIN?
Best known as the technology that powers cryptocurrencies like bitcoin, blockchain allows strangers to transact with trust by creating an immutable ledger
for record-keeping and distribution functions. Already, blockchain is disrupting finance, corporate governance and healthcare. As that disruption spreads,
the blockchain "trust machine" will give the buy- and sell-side counterparties greater power by granting them the ability to audit the transaction chain.

AFFECTING THE DUOPOLY

Fraud and viewability concerns decrease when you know your counterpart. That's why blockchain has already been cast as a powerful tool for reducing
ad fraud and viewability issues in a marketplace where buyers and sellers don't typically meet.
To date, the duopoly has played an important role in managing a vast array of user data. They've created a service of managing a massive quantity of
complex data on behalf of users, and they've achieved immense business success by transferring the value of that data within the advertising ecosystem.
But with blockchain, we inherently unpack all of that complex user data and inject transparency. The question then becomes one about incentives
and how users manage their data.
Currently, users are not incentivized to manage complex data themselves. So they rely on the duopoly to do it for them, relinquishing any incentive
opportunity. With a distributed blockchain system in place, and various other tools to help simplify data, users could one day transact on their own data –
extracting the value themselves. In a blockchain ecosystem, they would, at least, have a choice if they wanted to allow the duopoly to do so on their behalf.
Will they be able to do such a thing, and also, will they be able to take it one step further and transact their data? How will this affect the duopoly?
Facebook and Google will be forced to take a distributed approach to managing user data, instead of the centralized one in place now. This will drive
the advertising ecosystem to become more transparent.

AFFECTING THE CONSUMER

For ad tech, the long-term disruption will be the most significant, because it will bring consumers into what has previously been a two-sided marketplace
between publishers and advertisers.
With the right tool, call it a “data wallet,” consumers could use an immutable distributed ledger to manage, deliver and transact upon the value of their
own data. There are already examples of consumer experiments in data transaction. More broadly, as Tim Wu argued in The Attention Merchants, behaviors
like ad blocking are a powerful indication of the as-yet-unfulfilled demand on the part of consumers to exercise greater say in the data economy. Already,
ad blockers are monetizing that demand by selling access to a limited circle of advertisers. But, of course,
that's just another play from the middleman playbook – one
that frustrates advertisers and excludes consumers. What's
revolutionary about blockchain is that, it can put consum-
ers and advertisers into direct transactional dialogue without
needing middlemen.

WHAT WILL THIS NEW ORDER LOOK LIKE?

Certainly, we know that consumers think the ratio of ads to
video content on platforms like YouTube is problematic. That's
common sense for anyone who has ever watched 30 seconds
of pre-roll ahead of a 60-second clip. But, if blockchain infra-
structure can turn that consumer sentiment into an exchange of
value, we can find equilibrium around the advertising-to-content
ratio. In effect, consumers will vote, not with their dollars,
but with their data. As a result, publishers and advertisers can
develop a market-based response customized to meet the ad
tolerance of each consumer. Along the same lines, a data wallet
could become a mechanism for permission-based sharing. This
would allow, for example, an advertiser to automatically deliver
a benefit to a customer for viewing an ad, without the hassle of
having to enter a promo code.
Ultimately, blockchain will make it possible for ad tech to
develop a wide range of meaningful market-based engagements
between consumers, publishers and advertisers. Time will tell what
those data-for-value exchanges will look like. But as blockchain
ushers in the dawn of a multi-sided marketplace, one thing is cer-
tain: we will redefine who owns the Internet and fundamentally
change the role of middlemen.

16 I Communicate Levant
 NOVEMBER 2017/JANUARY 2018 | COVER STORY

© Getty Images

18 I Communicate Levant

Dusk or dawn...
Is mobile technology killing or reviving production houses? by Salam Rasheed
T he ubiquity of smartphones has presented new
opportunities for content creation giving rise to
everyone’s favorite term of the year ‘influencers’
– or ‘content creators’ as some prefer. However,
the rise of this easier and faster ecosystem – be
in it in news media or advertising content – has
led to traditionally successful industries having
to rethink their model. Print media is no longer
restricted to print and TV is no longer contained
within one screen. Both industries have had to
adopt digital to succeed – oftentimes being su-
perseded by smaller, newer competitors. In a time
where small screens and devices trump bigger
ones, what is the fate of big production houses?
WHAT CHANGED? With tools and resources becom-
ing more accessible, production houses seem to be
losing their footing in what was once considered
a specialty – so much so that clients now expect
to pay production much less for the same work.
Ray Barakat, executive producer at Clandestino
Films, explains, “There’s a misperception – or
rather a misinterpretation – wherein clients are
COVER STORY | NOVEMBER 2017/JANUARY 2018
considering not only online content as low budgets,
but all sorts of productions, from mainstream
ones to tactical ones to online web content.” The
misconception is that online content is less costly
than offline content, such as TV commercials.
In addition to that, self-expression on social
media through user-generated content has changed
the importance and relevance of online content.
This has lead to clients reconsidering their needs
and presence on various media platforms, which MICHEL HARB.
in turn requires agencies and production houses Executive producer at Blackrhino
to re-think and create a chance in ‘production’
as they knew it, explains Michel Harb, executive
producer at BlackRhino.
As for the animation industry, changes hap-
pening are positively impactful. At The Council,
which is a creative agency that takes a deep interest
in communication, technology and design with a
specialization in animation and visual narrative,
Nadim Sahrtouny, managing director says, “Nowa-
days, it takes less time to produce high quality
renders and animations due to faster hardware RAY BARAKAT.
and the online rendering farms, which removes Executive producer at
the necessity of buying an in-house render farm. Clandestino films
Communicate Levant I 19
 NOVEMBER 2017/JANUARY 2018 | COVER STORY
NADIM SHARTOUNY.
Managing director at The Council
NAYLA MABSOUT.
Producer at The Council
20 I Communicate Levant
EFFECT OF MOBILE. Mobile devices, particularly
smartphones, have not only affected the volume
and method of content consumption, but also
that of content production.
Lately, several flagship phones can shoot
video and capture audio with advanced formats
and ultra-high definition at a frame rate that can
reach 960 frames per second. “This is quickly
blurring the boundaries between professional
and amateur content in the creative sector,” says
Nayla Mabsout, producer at The Council.
“The whole emergence of new camera devices
at low cost with high quality outcome – 2K to
6K – is affecting the production of content, as
you can now shoot full fledged productions us-
ing minimal gear versus what used to be done,”
adds Barakat.
However, it’s not all rosy and easy because
the ease of production is affecting the quality
of the content produced. “Undoubtedly, there
are many great things that have been produced
but much more bad, useless, and illiterate things
are taking credit because of how easily we can
be present online, due to our mobile and its
features,” says Harb. But, the availability of this
technology doesn’t justify the popularity and
admiration behind online content.
“After all, it easy or not, we need brains
before means. And unfortunately, we have more
means than brains,” adds Harb.
REACTION OF CLIENTS. Clients working with
production houses are confused and concerned.
The confusion comes from the difference in
the form of production and purpose of online
content. From the production houses’ point of
view, there is a need for online content to be
distinguished as such from the clients’ side. The
one size fits all strategy cannot work anymore.
“There should be a distinct split, from the
client’s end, as to the way online content should
be dealt with process-wise and cost-wise in com-
parison to the different way we should deal with
full fledged corporate campaigns that requires
more budget and more time and hence a different
production process all together,” suggests Barakat.
Clients’ concerns also stem from questioning
the effectiveness of online content, and manag-
ing budgets. “Nevertheless, a client or anyone
else, is learning to adapt by making mistakes
and learning from it in order to be better. Not
everyone, but only those who will have the bal-
ance and stay fair, will live,” says Harb.
 NOVEMBER 2017/JANUARY 2018 | COVER STORY
ALI KAYS.
Creative director at The Council
22 I Communicate Levant
The desire to create something extraordinary
for clients is an important factor in the strategy
set for production.
“We think this will result in a healthy com-
petition where both clients and agencies are
thriving to create higher quality animations
and visual content,” says Ali Kays, creative
director at The Council.
IN-HOUSE AGENCIES. A solution adopted by
agencies to relinquish the cost of working with
external parties is in-house production houses.
As a strategic benefit, in-house operations ensure
fast activity and coordination. Moreover, cost
can be easily controlled and included in the
overall cost to the client.
But, the sustainability of this model is still
questioned. “Honestly, it’s up to viewers and
client to judge the quality and outcome from
those in-house agencies/production houses and
see if they can replace traditional production
houses,” says Barakat.
However, when it comes to animation and
design, Shartouny foresees more collaboration
between agencies and animation studios. “This
makes the whole experience feel more like a
partnership rather than a customer/supplier re-
lationship,” he says.
BUDGET CHANGES. There’s no doubt that the eco-
nomic crisis has led to the reduction of budgets.
But unfortunately, and perhaps more importantly,
“The change in budgets comes from competitors
offering 100 of the same product compared to
tens offered a few years ago,” says Harb. Barakat
adds, “The same client that used to pay a certain
amount for a corporate TV commercial previously
wants to produce the same quality today but pay
30 to 40 percent less.”
Tailoring content as per the clients’ needs re-
mains the best way to achieve successful campaigns
and establish effective branding in the produc-
tion field. But, with changing agency structures,
consumer behavior and production methods, the
future is more unpredictable than ever before. This
issue is only exacerbated by tech giants such as
Google and Facebook creating – and frequently
altering – content formats as per their own rules.
So the key for clients, agencies, and production
houses is flexibility and adaptation. As Harb puts
it, “Everything is changing and as long as we cater,
clients won't mind. We need to wait.”
 NOVEMBER 2017/JANUARY 2018 | BANKING
Looking in
An overview of mobile banking in Lebanon by Salam Rasheed
GEBRAN GEBRAN.
Head of customer experience, Bank Audi
24 I Communicate Levant
S everal industries have hopped on to the digital
bandwagon and the banking industry is no
exception. As users reach for their smartphones
for practically everything, it would only be natural
that they do the same for their finances. Although
the banking industry implemented communication
and data technologies years ago, they weren’t
user friendly. These technologies primarily lived
in internal banking systems, but weren’t made
available to users in an easily accessible way.
The banking sector is well-developed in
Lebanon. However, it is only recently that banks
have started developing digital offerings on web
and mobile to provide typically in-store services
for their customers. In light of this increasing
digitization, Communicate takes a look at the
banking sector’s digital adoption in Lebanon.
THE DIGITAL SCENE. Lebanon is among the lead-
ing countries in the region for developing digi-
tal banking solutions. Gebran Gebran, head of
customer experience at Bank Audi clarifies the
reasons behind the success Lebanon has achieved
in digital banking, “This leadership position for
Lebanon in general and Bank Audi in particular
is mainly derived from digital tools which provide
a complete view of customers’ financial stand-
ing, flexibility in performing a wide variety of
transactions and payments, and reach to a number
products and services”. In addition to available
digital tools, Gebran assures that financial technol-
ogy solutions created by the startup ecosystem,
and supported by the Central Bank and commer-
cial banks’ initiatives, are another reason behind
Lebanon’s leadership position.
 BANKING | NOVEMBER 2017/JANUARY 2018

SATISFYING OFFERS. Every bank in Lebanon

has reached a certain level of digital presence.
But, Bank Audi is ahead of the curve with its
many services. “Clients are now able to perform
their banking needs through the Bank Audi App
(mobile banking), Audi Online (Internet bank-
ing), and an extensive ATM and ITM (Interac-
tive Teller Machine) network,” explains Wadih
Tohme, head of alternative delivery channels
at Bank Audi.
Another bank with a strong digital presence
is BLOM Bank. Jocelyne Chahwan, assistant
general manager and head of retail banking at
BLOM Bank, says, “BLOM Bank invests heavily
in the field of technology in order to ensure the
highest level of convenience and security to its
customer.” She adds, “BLOM BANK has proudly
launched BLOMPay, which is an advanced payment
service that is integrated into the mobile bank-
ing application eBLOM and allows any BLOM
Visa debit or credit cardholder to make payments
via an Android mobile phone in a quick, safe
and easy manner.” In addition to customer con-
venience, banks are segregating their audiences
and targeting them separately. At BLOM Bank,
for instance, Chahwan explains the concept of
NEXT, an app that targets a specific audience:
“We have launched a new mobile app, dedicated
to the youth aged between 12 and 25 years. With
NEXT, users can send/receive money for free
to/from other members, they can recharge their
prepaid mobile lines, and their parents can send
them money directly to their app/prepaid card;
in addition to many other features.”
Users always turn away from banks that have
complicated systems or procedures. Customers want
to enjoy fast and secure payments and transfers at
their times of convenience. Banks that understand
these demands and address them through devel-
oped services are favored by their users. And that’s
why, “Bank Audi is committed to offering the best
customer experience by providing flexibility and to the fact that Lebanese people are always looking
accessibility through the latest digital technolo- to adopt the latest innovations.” Every individual
gies,” says Gebran. (almost) is familiar with their smartphone – it is not
a new medium to be explored. And every smart-
phone user has tons of apps on their devices and
SYNCHRONIZATION ERROR. One of the issues slow- expects several features and functions from each.
ing the pace of digital adoption is the lack of digital This demand creates an opportunity for banks to
identity, which can cause a problem in transfer- excel in mobile banking. “This is also attributable
ring profiles and assuring security. “The lack of to the fact that clients are becoming increasingly
e-signature limits the enrollment process to manual demanding in terms of offered features, unlike few WADIH TOHME.
signature in branches, as well as the acquisition of years ago when the smartphone was in its nascent Head of alternative delivery
additional services that can be available through stage,” says Tohme. channels, Bank Audi
Mobile/Internet Banking,” says Tohme. This also Other than that, banks now embark on a new
means that services offered in branches are sepa- challenge where they shift their communication
rately managed, compared to digital and mobile strategies to reach their users via the apps and
services that are secured by passwords and user online platforms. According to Tohme, “Clients
accounts. The two signatures have to be combined can also open an account and apply for a loan or
manually, which sometimes isn’t very efficient. a credit card though Bank Audi Novo branches,
using video banking technology.”
These services are aimed at offering convenience
FEEDBACK AND DIRECTION. The digital bank- and speeding up time-consuming procedures. As
ing sector is expecting a surge in the number the Lebanese consumer becomes more tech-savvy
of users on banking platforms. As Chahwan says, and demanding, banks are now realizing the need JOCELYNE CHAHWAN.
“The Lebanese market is witnessing a significant and potential of digital and adapting their offer- Assistant general manager and head of
increase in the use of mobile banking services, due ings accordingly. retail banking, BLOM BANK S.A.L.

Communicate Levant I 25
 NOVEMBER 2017/JANUARY 2018 | DIGITAL
Ban again?
YouTube’s new ad boycott not likely to hurt any more than the last by George Slefo
B rands just can’t seem to quit YouTube – at
least not enough so YouTube would notice.
The latest so-called “boycott” against the video
giant follows a newfound brand safety crisis. Adidas,
Mars Inc., HP and Diageo are among a slew of major
advertisers that froze ad spending on YouTube after
a Times of London investigation revealed that ads
had run on video that sexualized underage girls.
The “situation is clearly unacceptable,” an
Adidas spokewoman tells Ad Age, adding that it
has taken immediate action and is working closely
with Google “on all necessary steps to avoid any
recurrences of this situation.”
Mars says the same. “Until we have confi-
dence that appropriate safeguards are in place,
we will not advertise on YouTube and Google,”
a representative says.
But their moves aren’t likely to noticeably
affect YouTube’s growth. Adidas spent a modest
$7.9 million on pre roll video on YouTube’s US
website in the last 12 months, according to digital
Google’s ad revenue
for the quarter ending
June 30 surged 21%
28 I Communicate Levant
intelligence platform Pathmatics, which tracks
where, and how, brands spend their ad dollars.
Mars Inc. sent $6.9 million video toward YouTube
during the same time period, Pathmatics said. And
other reported new boycotters spent significantly
less. For instance, HP, which did not respond to a
request for comment, spent $1.7 million.
Pathmatics indexes every impression shown on
the most-visited websites, including YouTube, The
New York Times and Walmart.com. The company
says it is able to calculate the cost of ads through
partnerships it has with agencies and by using
data from its own demand-side platform, where
ad buyers find inventory from a variety of sources.
Its data on desktop and mobile web spending does
not include “midroll video,” where ads run during
the middle of a video, or in-app ads.
Roughly eight months ago, YouTube found itself
in a similar situation, as ads were appearing next to
videos promoting hate speech and terrorist propaganda.
That time, gigantic marketers like J&J, Verizon and
Procter & Gamble all froze ad spend as a result.
Verizon and J&J have since resumed spend-
ing on YouTube; P&G has not. In any event, the
boycott from the much larger advertisers had
zero discernable impact on the video streaming
giant’s bottom line. Google’s ad revenue for the
quarter ending June 30 surged 21 percent to $26
billion – an increase it attributed partly to “a
strong contribution from YouTube.”
“The biggest contributors to growth again this
quarter were mobile search and YouTube,” Ruth
Porat, chief financial officer at Google and its
parent Alphabet Inc., said at the time.
Verizon declined to comment on the latest
report and J&J did not immediately respond to
a request for comment.
Johanna Wright, vice-president of product
management at YouTube, said in a blog post that
the company is working “around the clock to moni-
tor, review and make the right decisions across
our ads and contents policies.”
“These latest enforcement changes will take
shape over the weeks and months ahead as we
work to tackle this evolving challenge,” she wrote.
“We’re wholly committed to addressing these is-
sues and will continue to invest the engineering
and human resources needed to get it right.” “As
a parent and as a leader in this organization, I’m
determined that we do.”
Ad spend on YouTube has been trending in
an upward direction as the holiday season ap-
proaches. Overall, Pathmatics says some $252
million has been spent on YouTube desktop video,
where ad rates are highest, in the US and UK
since September alone.

Oh snap!
Snapchat spends Black Friday serving HBO ads to every user on its service by Garett Sloane
S napchat users emerging from their tryptophan
haze saw a Promoted Story from HBO with
a message telling Black Friday shoppers to stay
home and watch Game of Thrones instead. The
ad is the first since Snapchat began serving ads
to go out to every user in the US on Black Friday.
The ad could be found in the Stories section
of the app where publishing and media partners
host channels and shows. HBO's channel was
also labeled as an ad, with a tile with a cover
image pointing to the Promoted Story, so that
people could click the tile to watch it.
Until now, advertisers could only buy short,
interruptive video ads inside stories that are created
by publishers like BuzzFeed, Hearst, 21st Century
Fox, NBCUniversal, and other media partners.
Advertisers typically use Snapchat's automated
platform to buy the ads inside the Stories section,
which allows them to target users based on age,
location, gender, interests and other characteristics.
The new Promoted Story is meant to reach
everyone in a given country. Sponsored Lenses
can be made available to everyone in the app, but
those are a less traditional ad offering, which users
discover in their cameras while taking videos.
Lenses are animated filters for decorating selfies.
Promoted Stories are a mobile video ad that
Snapchat says gives brands a way to tell stories
like any other media partner on the app, only
they are labeled as an ad.
Snapchat compared the new unit to the YouTube
masthead position on its homepage, which is seen
by all visitors. Twitter has a similar platform-wide
format, as well, with a video that appears at the
top of everyone's feed over the course of a day.
Snapchat's first ever ad format was similarly
served to everyone in the app. In 2014, Snapchat
sold its first Brand Stories for the movie Ouija
that appeared in people's message feeds, where
friends’ messages arrive. That format was short-
lived and stopped selling in less than a year,
however, and Snapchat has since embraced a more
targeted, customized approach to advertising.
Snapchat would not say how much a Promoted
Story costs, but what we do know is that it will
be served to the 88 million Snapchat users who
visit the app every day.
“While they say they
reach everyone,
everyone is not
watching them.”
DIGITAL | NOVEMBER 2017/JANUARY 2018
The company is still trying to crack the right
advertising formula that gives brands the tools
they need to create ads, target messages, and
buy the ad space efficiently. Meanwhile, it has
a sensitive fanbase it wants to keep from feeling
overrun by commercial messages.
So far, the company has fallen short of advertising
goals in its first year as a public company, generating
less revenue than investors had anticipated. In
the third quarter of 2017, Snapchat made $208
million in sales, which was $30 million less than
forecast, according to analyst estimates.
Last quarter, Snapchat ad prices dropped 60
percent because most of the ads are now sold
through automated auctions that depressed the value.
Snapchat CEO Evan Spiegel has promised a
redesign of the app to create a more lucrative en-
vironment for advertisers and media partners, and
the app is expected to tweak how it presents stories
and shows, and will rely on machine learning to
better connect users with content they will watch.
It's important to note that while the story ad
appeared for everyone on Black Friday, a person
has to choose to watch the story. “While they
[Snapchat] say they reach everyone, everyone is
not watching them,” says an advertiser, who is
close with Snapchat but would only comment
on condition of anonymity.
Communicate Levant I 29
 NOVEMBER 2017/JANUARY 2018 | DIGITAL
Being the early bird
Cyber Monday sales up 16 percent, but hottest deals
were gone before day even began by Adrianne Pasquarelli
S o much for Cyber Monday. After robust online
sales during Thanksgiving and the holiday week-
end, many retailers continued to pile on the deals on
Monday morning with promises of 15 and 25 percent
discounts across the board with marketers includ-
ing Toys R Us and Target. Sounds great in theory.
Here’s the rub: Many must-have holiday items
were already sold out, snatched up by eager shop-
pers browsing from their couches over the week-
end. Those who waited for the best deals on the
season’s hottest toys and electronics received a
rude awakening on Monday as they saw first-hand
the results of tighter inventory management from
struggling department store chains.
Many hot toys touted by retailers, like last
year’s must-have item Hatchimals and a new
LOL Big Surprise ball, were unavailable online.
Fingerlings, interactive finger puppets, were sold
out at Walmart despite the brand promoting such
exclusives the previous month.
30 I Communicate Levant
From Thursday through Sunday, shoppers spent
nearly $13 billion online, 14.4 percent more than
last year, according to Adobe Insights. Meanwhile,
in-person store sales declined over last year, many
analysts found. While Cyber Monday is still ex-
pected to rake in record spending – Adobe predicts
$6.6 billion, 16.5 percent more than last year – in
recent years some dollars have been trickling into
the preceding weekend as online shopping picks
up with more consumers who now know they can
get a bargain without waiting for Monday.
“Cyber Monday is no doubt losing relevance,”
says Judge Graham, chief marketing officer of
Ansira, a data-focused marketing agency, noting
that its origins date back to 2005, a time when few
had smart phones, let alone high-speed Internet
at home, and shopped when they returned to their
offices on Monday. “Retailers have begun to offer
online holiday sales on Thanksgiving and Black
Friday to meet changing consumer expectations
– online deals have snowballed, and the idea that
they must be limited to one single day is no longer
meeting consumer shopping habits.”
Marketers such as JC Penney and Kohl’s re-
leased their circulars weeks before Thanksgiving
so consumers could get a sense of what deals
would be offered both in store and online and
plan accordingly.
Of course, some toys routinely disappear early
on because that category has antiquated selling
and pricing practices, cautions Sucharita Mulpuru-
Kodali, vice-president and principal analyst at
Forrester, who noted the record expectations for
Cyber Monday.
However other items, like a Playstation 4 console
and an Amazon Fire tablet at Target, as well as a
Chefman panini grill from Best Buy, all heavily
advertised ahead of Monday, were unavailable
the day of with shoppers airing complaints on
Twitter throughout the day.
 NOVEMBER 2017/JANUARY 2018 | DIGITAL

Fraud fighting
How P&G’s Pritchard helped fuel TAG’s fight against ad fraud by George Slefo

“Companies aren’t doing this because they

want P&G money, but because other marketers
are requiring it,” Zaneis says. “And they want to
get ahead of brand safety and fraud.”
Zaneis also says participation in the industry-
wide “ads.txt” initiative, which was created this
year to stamp out “domain spoofing,” will become
one of TAG’s Certified Against Fraud requirements
next year.
TAG certified its first batch of companies
in December 2016, a small crowd numbering
only 17. The total today is 49, with 120 more
in the review or approval process. Over 80
companies from outside the United States have
signed up for TAG certification this year – a
large bulk of which come from Europe and
Asia, Zaneis says.
TAG’s cornerstone anti-fraud certification
program aims to thwart ad fraud by “tagging”
everyone in the digital ad ecosystem, from buy-
ers and sellers of media to ad fraud vendors and
intermediaries.
Accreditation isn’t free, as companies must pay
at least $20,000 each year to keep the watchdog’s
Certified Against Fraud seal.
Meanwhile, nobody knows how much is lost
to ad fraud each year because the digital ad eco-
system is too complex to tell. Some experts say
fraud is declining this year, to $6 billion, while
others say it is rising this year, to more than $16
billion. But the consensus is that it’s significant
enough to demand some kind of remedy.
These are the newly certified companies:
“There’s a saying on T he Trustworthy Accountability Group (TAG),
an industry watchdog primarily focused on
A+E Networks
Amazon Services LLC
putting your money fighting ad fraud, said that the number of companies
to have received its “Certified Against Fraud”
BabyCenter
Carat
where your mouth seal has more than doubled since April, with 26
companies added since then.
Centro
DataXu
is and in this case, The news comes roughly one year after Marc Digital Remedy
Pritchard, chief brand officer at Procter & Gamble,
it was billions of
Exponential
said his company would require “any entity touch- Eyeview
Facebook
dollars.” ing digital media” to go through TAG’s Certi-
fied Against Fraud program – or risk losing P&G GroundTruth
business. P&G is regarded as the world’s largest GumGum
- Mike Zaneis, CEO, TAG
advertiser, spending some $4 billion each year. Hulu
”No question, when Marc Pritchard made Kargo
his call to action it created an incredible amount LoopMe
of momentum around TAG,” says Mike Zaneis Maman pour la Vie
CEO at TAG. “There’s a saying on putting your MaxPoint Interactive
money where your mouth is and in this case, it Media iQ
was billions of dollars.” Meredith
Zaneis says Pritchard’s statements helped Popsugar
convince companies that had been on the fence ShareThis
about pursuing accreditation, but he added that Shazam
only 40 percent of its new members are P&G SpotX
vendors, suggesting that the industry overall is Torrential Inc.
MARC PRITCHARD. attempting to deliver value to marketers in the Unruly
Chief brand officer at Procter & Gamble fight against fraud. Vevo

32 I Communicate Levant
 NOVEMBER 2017/JANUARY 2018 | PRODUCT REVIEW
Huawei redefines
smartphone intelligence
Huawei’s exciting AI-enabled Mate 10 Pro
T he Mate 10 Pro delivers nothing less than its
predecessor, the Mate 9 series. However, Huawei
this time introduced its latest processor the Kirin
970 which brings genuine intelligence to smartphone
devices. With the AI-enabled Kirin 970 on board,
the Mate 10 Pro shows unique capability to sense
and analyze how the device is being used, hence
optimizing the smartphone experience. AI in the
Mate 10 Pro enhances smartphone photography,
and improves the way users interact with their
smartphones.
34 I Communicate Levant
FAST INTELLIGENCE. The Kirin 970 in the Mate
10 Pro is the first AI processor to achieve a break-
through in smartphone computing technologies.
Integrating a separate Neural Network Processing
Unit (NPU), the Mate 10 Pro boasts intelligent
capabilities that power several features of the de-
vices making them premium. The Mate 10 Pro
has the ability to learn the habits of the user and
adapt settings accordingly such as automatically
changing color temperature while reading, or dedi-
cating processing power to frequently used tasks.
INTELLIGENTLY POWERFUL. The Mate 10 Pro
packs a 4000 mAh battery, which is larger than
most flagship smartphones in the market, operated
by smart power-saving technologies. The device
features HUAWEI SuperCharge technology, us-
ing a 4.5V/5A low-voltage fast charging solution.
This technology is the world’s first fast charging
technology certified by TÜV Rheinland. With
the Mate 10 Pro, users can charge their devices
fast and enjoy their phone for longer periods of
time with advanced battery technologies from
Huawei. A 30-minute charge powers the battery
from 1 percent to 58 percent.
SMART PHOTOGRAPHY. The camera, or safe to
say “cameras”, is one of the exceptional features
of the Mate 10 Pro. Huawei also implements AI
in its cameras to deliver accurately astonishing
photos. The camera of the Mate 10 Pro is able
to detect scenes such as landscapes, faces, pets,
food, and even objects at an impressive speed. In
addition to changing camera settings such as focus,
ISO levels, shutter speed and more; The Mate 10
Pro camera applies image processing differently
to each scene identified. Partnering with Leica, the
Huawei Mate 10 Pro packs a new Leica dual camera
with SUMMILUX-H lenses, with both featuring an
aperture of f/1.6. The cameras have 12-megapixel
RGB + 20-megapixel monochrome dual sensors
with an Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) solution
to give users the sharp photos they desire.
FINE DESIGN. The new design of the Huawei Mate
10 Pro resembles the true craftsmanship of the
mate series. Featuring a 3D glass body with nicely
curved edges, the device can be used comfortably
and held with style. Another beautiful detail is the
ribbon on the back, which highlights the sophis-
ticated camera setup the phone packs. Also it is
worth mentioning that the Mate 10 Pro is water
and dust resistant with an IP67 rating.
The Huawei Mate 10 and the Mate 10 Pro
are currently available in the Lebanese market,
and Huawei is offering a special service promo-
tion for consumers when buying any of the two
devices. The service includes a screen damage
warranty for 6 months, and a free door-to-door
pick-up and delivery.
With the Huawei Mate 10 and the Mate 10
Pro, Huawei proves to set a different standard of
innovation. Huawei’s Kirin 970 unveils the future
where smartphones learn user habits and adapt
accordingly to deliver a smooth user experience.
 NOVEMBER 2017/JANUARY 2018 | X-PERT FILE
What does innovation really mean?
TJ Lightwala, regional head of performance & FAST, Mindshare MENA, spells out the real meaning
of innovation in today’s media landscape
I nnovation is often referred to in the context of
cool, new pieces of technology which, in some
way, shape or form utility and overall value, which
ought to help both, demand and supply. But, is this
really the case and is it enough? Innovation, to
me, means two things as of today: adaptability to
dramatically change the landscape, and establishing
what ‘value’ means in this changing landscape.
ADAPTABILITY. As target audiences, not only are
we constantly served information, but also have
unlimited access to all sorts of news and updates in
real-time. It’s no surprise then that brands are fighting
for their fair share of attention. Which means that
as agencies, our approach to our clients’ business
needs to change from one-to-one communications
with independent teams to an integration of
cross-functional talent serving client focus. It’s
a combinatory effect of integrated performance
specialists and brand strategists with planners, to
advise, manage and drive business to eventually
attain a share of attention within the audience set.
When done right, this approach serves for better and
targeted communications to audiences, dynamically
based on context. For instance, at Mindshare, we
have adopted FAST (Future Adaptive Specialist
Team) to ensure a 360 approach to client outcomes
by putting an integrated performance unit at the
heart of the business.
Next, and equally crucial, are the people
who form the new agency model. Conversations
with clients have now extended beyond media
36 I Communicate Levant
buying and best trading value to finding solutions
for business challenges and delivering ROI. As
clients’ business landscape changes, so do agencies’
talent requirements. There is now a great need for
up-skilling talent in the areas of programming,
marketing sciences, data and analytics. We are in
the business of outcomes – creating and driving a
roadmap for business transformation; essentially
serving as consultants and practitioners of our craft.
There is no war on talent; it’s merely survival
of the fittest.
VALUE. The worlds of value and innovation are
merging. Innovation, in itself, is valuable, and value
in the new agency model is riding on the heels of
innovation. The subject of value is broad; technologies
are constantly permeating the ecosystem; and IT,
marketing, business intelligence, and finance together
are the steering committee bringing the value of
the platform, technology, data, strategic inputs, and
monetary responsibility into the project. This is
innovation in its workable form.
There are three key points inspiring the confluence
of value and innovation:
1. Telcos. One of most significant game changers
today is the telcos’ acquisition spree. For instance,
Verizon purchased AOL to now become OATH;
Singtel’s digital ad division Amobee acquired Turn
embedding telco data into a DSP; The Trade Desk
joined hands with an unnamed telco partner; and
there is a deal brewing between AT&T and Time
Warner for more targetable communications. These
strategic partnerships are creating more value in
the space of highly relevant, demographic and user-
level targeting than ever before.
2. Dynamic creative optimization. Although there
has been much talk for the last five years about the
worlds of context and messaging converging for
personalization, there is more talk and less walk in
this space. Large e-commerce establishments such
as Booking.com, Amazon, Emirates, and Staples
are likely more evolved than others. This is, in
part, due to the scale such personalization needs
to increase reach and, the several permutations
that make for good and relevant communications.
For instance, if one is flying from New York
to Dubai, and then Dubai to London, each search
should yield a different advert based on origin-
destination dynamic, pricing, and the actual image.
These elements are defined as “dynamic elements”
and can be coded to appear against certain rules.
The rules could be origin-destination, prices, colors
and sizes of clothing, cars et al. Therefore, the result
is highly relevant and personalized data-informed
messaging. This may seem simple. The reality?
Not always.
3. Addressable TV. TV spend is the darling of
all media conversations here in the region, for
reasons both objective and subjective. According
to industry data, of the total ad spend, TV commands
30 percent versus 18 percent on digital. The region is
experiencing a softening of TV investments, mainly,
due to traditional big TV spenders questioning true
reach and measurability of GRPs. With the growth
of new media and programmatic channels, marketers
are looking for ways to monetize their dollars via a
mix of digital and addressable channels with stricter
controls on measurement and returns. This new
wave has resulted in “Addressable TV,” which uses
programmatic technology and audience segmentation
to deliver specific video ads at a household level in
real time. It’s the same concept as programmatic TV
but since Addressable TV, identifies matches at a
household level with real-time bidding, it results in
far less wastage and hence, more optimized targeting.
In a world hungry for quick wins, constant
consolidation of media and complementary partners,
rapid transformative technologies, more and more
programmatic and AI powering faster algorithms,
creative and data merging in value, the one thing
that remains constant is adaptation and innovation.
So, by all means, innovate. But, don’t forget the
human touch and personality – that’s they key
differentiator. As GroupM’s chief innovation officer,
Cary Tilds, puts it, when asked what’s the next big
thing, “Human Beings”.
 NOVEMBER 2017/JANUARY 2018 | MEDIA WORK
Grow up
Mercedes Benz’s new campaign puts a spin on growing up
M ercedes-Benz’s “Grow Up” cam-
paign is the “most extensive con-
tent creation initiative,” – globally and
in the region – according to Lennart
Mueller-Teut, head of marketing and
communications, Mercedes-Benz Cars
Middle East (MBCME). Not only is
the size and scope of the campaign a
first for the brand, it’s also the message
and attitude. “We are reinterpreting
traditional values and attitudes towards
Mercedes and are showcasing our
models with modern-day relevance
to generations X and Y,” he adds.
Launched globally in March 2017,
the regional version of “Grow Up”
38 I Communicate Levant
followed in September 2017. Ini-
tially the campaign was supported
through channels including OOH,
digital banners, cinemas, and place-
ments in relevant publications. “We
then challenged ourselves to take
things a step further and imple-
ment a full regional interpretation
of the campaign by producing three
films of our own,” says Mueller-
Teut. He adds, “We always knew
that the regional campaign would
live on social, which is where our
target audience is.” And so, after
launching teasers for each video in
August, the final films were released
in September on YouTube, Facebook,
Twitter and Instagram.
Each film challenges the traditional
idea of growing up – whether that’s
spending time with family, taking
some alone time when the responsi-
bilities of a family and work feel too
much, or following your passion as
an ambitious woman versus giving
in to societal constructs.
As Mueller-Teut says, “That is
exactly what “Grow Up” is all about;
it is a brave new world and we have
embraced it.” Before embracing it,
however, the brand did test if the
concept would work in this region.
“But the research was not too rigorous
as it was intended to help us decide
whether we should proceed with
regionalized content,” he says.
At a time when consumers want
less and less ads and have shorter
attention spans than ever before, “It
was very important for us to strike
an authentic cord with our target
audience by telling authentic stories
they could somehow relate to,” says
Mueller-Teut.
And that’s evident in the comments
and shares the films have received
with more than a million views on
all three films on YouTube alone.
 NOVEMBER 2017/JANUARY 2018 | INTERNATIONAL WORK

Sanctuary Nature Foundation: Share This. Because They Can’t.

Advertising Agency: JWT, Gurgaon, India Chief Creative Officer: Senthil Kumar
Executive Creative Director / Senior Vice President: Amit Shankar National Creative Director: Sambit Mohanty
Creative Director / Art Director / Illustrator: Prakash Suniya Copywriter: Bodhisatva Dasgupta

McDonald’s: Open Late.

Advertising Agency: TBWA\Paris, France Advertising Managers: Xavier Royaux, José Jacinto, Benoit Kolb
Agency Managers: Luc Bourgery, Jonathan Serog, Julie Montagné, Magali Couturier Executive Creative Directors: Benjamin Marchal,
Faustin Claverie Copywriters: Antoine Gauquelin, Antoine Colin Art Director: Bruno Bicalho Carvalhaes
Photographer: Helmut Stelzenberger Art Buyer: Julie Champin

These ads (and more) can be found at adsoftheworld.com

40 I Communicate Levant
 NOVEMBER 2017/JANUARY 2018 | INTERNATIONAL WORK

Regione Lazio: Unscary Winter - Bear.

Advertising Agency: Superhumans, Rome, Italy Creative Directors: Luca Albanese,
Francesco Taddeucci Art Director: Federico Angelieri Copywriter: Barbara Bigi
Photographer / Post-Production: Davide Bellocchio Account: Flavia Di Lena

Max Healthcare: Truck.

Advertising Agency: Dentsu Impact, Gurgaon, India Creative Directors: Soumitra Karnik,
Anupama Ramaswamy Art Director / Copywriter: Nishit Shankar Copywriter: Debanjan Basak
Photographer: Mukul Raut

These ads (and more) can be found at adsoftheworld.com

42 I Communicate Levant