Saudi creative and media industry on trajectory of continued expansion, says GroupM MENA boss

Saudi creative and media industry on trajectory of continued expansion, says GroupM MENA boss
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Updated 09 August 2024
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Saudi creative and media industry on trajectory of continued expansion, says GroupM MENA boss

Saudi creative and media industry on trajectory of continued expansion, says GroupM MENA boss
  • CEO Amer El-Hajj tells Arab News the media-investment business aims to ‘shape the next era of media, where advertising works better for people’
  • In support of this, the company has set new ‘benchmarks for client satisfaction, talent cultivation and industry influence’ and works hard to ‘stay ahead of industry trends,’ he adds

DUBAI: Multinational advertising network WPP’s media-investment business, GroupM MENA, aspires to “shape the next era of media, where advertising works better for people,” said Amer El-Hajj, who became its CEO in September last year.

“This has been our ‘North Star’ focus,” he told Arab News. In support of this objective, the company has set new “benchmarks for client satisfaction, talent cultivation and industry influence” and is “actively shaping our proposition, best practices and strategies to stay ahead of industry trends,” he added.

GroupM said it won 10 new clients in the first six months of this year, already marking 2024 as its most successful year yet in the region, with 40 percent growth in billings compared with 2022. The businesses it has added to its books include L’Oreal Middle East, Al-Fardan Jewelry, Americana Foods, Diriyah Gate Development Authority, telecoms company du, and snacks company Mondelez.

It attributed the successes to an organizational transformation, including a new business-development team, a restructured buying, finance and operations department, and a focus on the hiring of new talent while retaining and developing existing talent.

Many of the new hires are at the group level, the company said, including regional managing director of customer experience, data and technology; e-commerce director; head of buying; and head of marketing and communications.

In common with other industries, the media sector is becoming more reliant on the latest developments in technology. For example, the media-buying process is becoming increasingly automated thanks to improvements in artificial intelligence, which can use algorithms to buy advertising slots in real time, targeting different audiences on multiple platforms and even serving up differing advertising messages depending on factors such as the time of day or type of audience.

A 2023 PwC report found that 67 percent of leaders in the technology, media and telecoms sector believed new technologies such as generative AI threaten current business models. However, El-Hajj said GenAI facilitates real-time content creation that can be adapted and tailored to the individual preferences of target audiences, which in turn improves the automation and the effectiveness of advertising campaigns.

Within organizations, he added, it can serve as an important tool in efforts to streamline operational processes, including repetitive tasks, leading to greater efficiency and more cost-effective outcomes.

Still, he warned, businesses must not rely solely on AI without any human input and adequate quality controls.

“AI may lack the understanding of our culture and habits that is critical for nuanced advertising,” El-Hajj said. “Moreover, navigating regulatory complexities and addressing data-privacy issues are crucial considerations.”

The continuing evolution of technology means that businesses continually need to reskill their talent. A recent World Economic Forum report, titled “The Transformational Opportunity of AI on ICT Jobs,” found that 58 percent of employees believe their job skills will change significantly over the next five years as a result of AI and big data. Moreover, 92 percent of technology roles are expected to evolve in response to advancements in AI, it said.

GroupM defines its main objective as “creating value not only for our clients but also for the communities in which we operate.” To this end, it is committed to the development of local talent in Saudi Arabia, El-Hajj said, and more than 45 percent of its employees are Saudi.

It is also launching a university and academy initiative to help attract, recruit, train and educate the next generation of talent, to help fuel the company’s growth and increase its market share in the Kingdom, he added.

These initiatives come during a time of wider transformation and growth in Saudi society, which he said is creating promising opportunities for advertisers and agencies.

“With a youthful population, a large percentage (of which is) under 30 years old, there has been increased investment in digital advertising, social media marketing, and content creation tailored to local tastes,” El-Hajj said.

Driven by the goals of Saudi Vision 2030, the Kingdom is developing and diversifying its economy, leading to growth in the numbers of small and medium-sized businesses in the advertising and digital sectors, he added. Authorities in the country are also easing restrictions on cultural activities, which has “sparked a demand for innovative content and digital-media consumption.”

Thanks to these developments “Saudi Arabia’s creative and media industry is on a trajectory of continued expansion” with the aim of “positioning the Kingdom as a regional hub for media and entertainment” El-Hajj said.

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Media freedom group sounds alarm on increased security risks for local journalists in Africa’s Sahel

A police officer and a soldier from Benin stop a motorcyclist at a checkpoint outside Porga, Benin, March 26, 2022. (AP)
A police officer and a soldier from Benin stop a motorcyclist at a checkpoint outside Porga, Benin, March 26, 2022. (AP)
Updated 24 September 2024
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Media freedom group sounds alarm on increased security risks for local journalists in Africa’s Sahel

A police officer and a soldier from Benin stop a motorcyclist at a checkpoint outside Porga, Benin, March 26, 2022. (AP)
  • Over the first six months of this year, 3,064 civilians were killed by the violence, according to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project, a 25 percent increase compared to the previous six months
  • In June, at least three journalists in Burkina Faso disappeared under suspicious circumstances, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists

DAKAR, Senegal: Local journalists in the Sahel region of Africa are facing increased security risks, a media freedom group said Tuesday, as extremist attacks and military coups have shaken the region in recent years.
At least two community radio journalists were killed and two kidnapped by armed groups in Mali and Chad since November last year, Reporters Without Borders said in a statement calling for the protection of local journalists.
“These crimes illustrate once again the deteriorating security context in which journalists in the Sahel are working,” Anne Bocandé, the organization’s editorial director, said.
“They are still present in these territories, to which no other information professional has access any more,” she added.
Three nations in the Sahel, an arid swath of land south of the Sahara, have been wracked by coups in recent years. Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso are now ruled by military leaders who took power by force, pledging to provide more security to citizens.
But the security situation in the Sahel has worsened since the juntas took power, analysts say, with a record number of attacks and a record number of civilians killed both by militants and government forces. Over the first six months of this year, 3,064 civilians were killed by the violence, according to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project, a 25 percent increase compared to the previous six months.
Meanwhile, the ruling juntas have cracked down on political dissent and journalists. Earlier this year, Malian authorities banned the media from reporting on the activities of political parties and associations. Burkina Faso suspended the BBC and Voice of America radio stations for their coverage of a mass killing of civilians carried out by the country’s armed forces.
In June, at least three journalists in Burkina Faso disappeared under suspicious circumstances, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.
“Generally speaking, the three juntas censor the media as soon as the security situation in the country is addressed in an unpleasant manner or when abuses are revealed,” Sadibou Marong, head of the sub-Saharan Africa office of Reporters Without Borders, told The Associated Press.
“Finding reliable and neutral information on government activities has become extremely complex, as has covering security situation in these countries,” Marong added.

 


Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE among world’s safest countries: Gallup report

Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE among world’s safest countries: Gallup report
Updated 24 September 2024
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Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE among world’s safest countries: Gallup report

Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE among world’s safest countries: Gallup report
  • High levels of security reported in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait and even Bahrain are mainly due to economic porosperity and strong rule of law

LONDON: A majority of people in the three Arab countries of Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the UAE reported feeling safe in their local areas even during late hours, according to Gallup’s latest global safety survey.

The Global Safety Report, published by the polling organization Gallup on Sep. 24, revealed that in 2023, Kuwait ranked highest in public safety, with an astounding 99 percent of respondents saying they felt safe walking alone at night in their cities or residential neighborhoods.

Similarly, respondents from Saudi Arabia and the UAE also reported high levels of safety, with 92 percent and 90 percent, respectively, feeling secure in their local areas. Bahrain lagged slightly behind, at 87 percent.

The Gallup survey targeted samples of adults aged 15 and older across 140 countries and areas.

According to the report, the high levels of security reported in the three Gulf Cooperation Council countries are primarily attributed to economic prosperity and strict law enforcement.

Kuwait also ranked highest in the Law and Order index, scoring an impressive 98 out of 100 in 2023 and maintaining its position as one of the safest countries in the world since 2019, as per Gallup’s annual safety report.

As few as 4 percent of surveyed adults in Kuwait reported experiences with assault and 1 percent with theft. However, the poll did not ask the country’s residents about their confidence in the police.

Globally, 70 percent of adults felt safe during late hours in their areas in 2023, with 74 percent of respondents from the Middle East and North Africa reporting the same about their areas.

Earlier this year, Saudi Arabia was ranked the safest G20 country for solo female travelers, with the western city Madinah receiving the highest rating worldwide by InsureMyTrip for the third year in a row.


Police questions Jerusalem’s deputy mayor over anti-UNRWA post

Police questions Jerusalem’s deputy mayor over anti-UNRWA post
Updated 24 September 2024
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Police questions Jerusalem’s deputy mayor over anti-UNRWA post

Police questions Jerusalem’s deputy mayor over anti-UNRWA post
  • Arieh King was probed on suspicion of inciting violence and terrorism
  • In a May post on X, King labeled UNRWA an ‘enemy in our holy city,’ accompanied by an image of one of the agency’s buildings engulfed in flames

LONDON: Israeli authorities have opened a formal investigation into Jerusalem’s Deputy Mayor Arieh King following a controversial social media post in which he attacked the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees.

King, an ultranationalist figure, was questioned for three hours last week on suspicion of inciting violence and terrorism, Israeli media reported.

The probe focused on a post King published in May, where he labeled UNRWA as an “enemy in our holy city.”

The investigation gained momentum after Israeli officials alleged that some UNRWA employees were involved in the Oct. 7 massacre.

In response, King organized protests outside the agency’s headquarters in Jerusalem’s Ma’alot Dafna neighborhood.

On May 5, the UNRWA office in the area was targeted in an arson attack, prompting the agency to close the facility.

“First, the UN headquarters in Ma’alot Dafna. Second will be the enemy headquarters in French Hill. And third will be the Nazi organization’s headquarters in Qalandiya,” King wrote in a post on X, referring to the agency’s other sites and accompanied by an image of the building on fire. “There is no place for the enemy in our holy city.”

King was also questioned about other posts, including one showing activists from the extremist Israeli group Tsav 9 vandalizing a humanitarian aid truck, to which he added the caption: “I salute you.”

According to sources familiar with the events, the Justice Ministry, rather than the police, initiated the investigation against King, citing his potential incitement to violence and terrorism.

The authorization for the probe, given in March, stated that “encouraging the torching of a building not only involves harm to property, but could also endanger human lives.”

King dismissed the accusations, describing his posts as “totally legitimate.”

This is not King’s first brush with controversy.

In August, he faced backlash for allegedly stoking far-right violence and tension in the UK after posting a cartoon depicting a Muslim man embracing a white British police officer.


Lebanese journalist killed in Israeli airstrike

Lebanese journalist killed in Israeli airstrike
Updated 24 September 2024
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Lebanese journalist killed in Israeli airstrike

Lebanese journalist killed in Israeli airstrike
  • Hadi Al-Sayed died in an attack on his home in south Lebanon on Monday

LONDON: Lebanese journalist Hadi Al-Sayed was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Monday, according to Al-Mayadeen, the network he worked for.

The attack on his home in southern Lebanon occurred during an Israeli offensive that claimed more than 500 lives.

“Al-Mayadeen Media Network mourns our colleague at Al-Mayadeen Online Hadi Al-Sayed, who was martyred in an Israeli airstrike that targeted his home in southern Lebanon yesterday, Monday,” the outlet posted on X.

Sayed is the fifth journalist to fall victim to the escalating conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.

In a similar incident last November, Al-Mayadeen reported the deaths of correspondent Farah Omar, cameraman Rabih Me’mari, and a third unnamed journalist in an Israeli attack.

Ghassan bin Jiddo, director of the Hezbollah-affiliated Al-Mayadeen, labeled these strikes as “direct attacks,” following the channel’s blacklisting by Israel for allegedly “serving enemy interests during wartime.”

The killing of journalists has drawn significant scrutiny, especially after separate investigations found that Reuters videographer Issam Abdallah was deliberately targeted by Israeli tank shelling in October while covering cross-border clashes in southern Lebanon.

Independent inquiries by Reuters, AFP, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and Reporters Without Borders concluded that the attack on Abdallah and other media personnel was a deliberate violation of international law. These organizations have since called for a war crimes investigation.

Since the conflict, which has now drawn in Hezbollah, erupted between Israel and Hamas in October, Israel has been accused of killing at least 114 journalists and media workers, with actual numbers potentially higher.


Snap launches ‘Kingdom’s Lenscape’ campaign for Saudi National Day

Snap launches ‘Kingdom’s Lenscape’ campaign for Saudi National Day
Updated 23 September 2024
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Snap launches ‘Kingdom’s Lenscape’ campaign for Saudi National Day

Snap launches ‘Kingdom’s Lenscape’ campaign for Saudi National Day
  • 2 augmented reality experiences showcase brand contributions, exclusive deals, limited-edition products
  • 10-day activation ‘reflects spirit of unity and national pride’ via Snapchat’s Lens Explorer and carousel

LONDON: Snap Inc. has launched a new augmented reality campaign, “Kingdom’s Lenscape,” to mark Saudi Arabia’s National Day.

The 10-day activation features two AR experiences accessible through Snapchat’s Lens Explorer and carousel.

Snap said in a statement that the activation “reflects the spirit of unity and national pride that characterizes the occasion,” while connecting users with advertisers.

“This experience is more than just a digital activation — it’s an invitation to celebrate the culture of gifting that is central to Saudi National Day,” said Abdulla Alhammadi, managing director of Snap in the Kingdom.

Alhammadi added that the “Kingdom’s Lenscape” campaign is “designed to capture the essence of Saudi Arabia’s most important cultural moment.”

The first feature, named FAKHAR, offers brands a dedicated AR environment where users can explore their contributions to Saudi Arabia’s progress.

The entities featured include Saudi Investment Bank, Laverne and Alwaleed Philanthropies. The feature allows users to imagine the future of each brand through a GenAI-inspired lens.

The second feature, K’AR’AM, has participating brands including Ounass, Huda Beauty and Spotify offering exclusive deals and limited-edition products through an AR marketplace.

Snap said that K’AR’AM aims to “reflect the spirit of generosity and patriotism on Saudi National Day,” where brands can give back to the Saudi Arabia community though exclusive deals.

Snap has 22 million active users in Saudi Arabia, with reports indicating that 84 percent of citizens expect brands to introduce new products or ideas on National Day.

In previous years, Snap has launched similar campaigns for the day, including “This is our home” in 2022, which showcased a world lens of Saudi Arabia’s future landmarks and projects.