Blog
Officially: Careem to become a fully-owned subsidiary of Uber
Uber and Careem compete in passenger transport and food delivery across the Middle East, north Africa and south Asia. Uber is buying Middle Eastern Careem in a deal that marks a shift in the US ride-hailing company’s global strategy. Uber and Careem have reached an agreement for Uber to acquire Careem for $3.1 bn, consisting of $1.7 billion in convertible notes and $1.4 billion in cash. The acquisition of Careem is subject to applicable regulatory approvals. The transaction is expected to close in Q1 2020. Dubai-based Careem, with 33m registered users and 1.2m drivers across 98 cities, was keen to maintain its brand through the transaction. Careem will be operating as an independent company under the Careem brand and led by Careem founders. Uber will acquire all of Careem’s mobility, deliv...
Should MENA be looking into China’s youth for the future? Zak Dychtwald talks Young China
Economic masters and newspapers all over the world talk about the “China Opportunity.” The Chinese continue to innovate and evolve at super-fast rates, it is also one of the fastest growing consumer markets, making it an important country to watch. But while the West has been worrying about the East for a while now, an important question arises. Should we, MENA, also be looking at China for not only business opportunities, but also for when China comes to us? With an estimated 40+ million Chinese living overseas, and with around 400 million millennials, China is definitely fighting to the biggest international future market. So, how can we prepare for a rush of the East? We spoke to Zak Dychtwald, CEO of Young China Group, a think tank and advisory designed to create understanding about Ea...
Uber “to announce” Careem acquisition for at least $3.1 Billion
(Reuters) – Uber Technologies Inc will announce plans to acquire Dubai-based rival Careem Networks FZ as early as this week, Bloomberg reported on Sunday, citing people familiar with the matter. Careem as a brand will remain for a period of time but will eventually disappear as the operation will become entirely Uber, according to the source. According to Bloomberg, The U.S. ride-hailing giant will pay $1.4 billion in cash and $1.7 billion in convertible notes for Careem, the people said, asking not to identified because the talks are private. The notes will be convertible into Uber shares at a price equal to $55 per share, according to the term-sheet seen by Bloomberg. Uber’s acquisition of Careem would come ahead of its imminent initial public offering, which could be one of the Ne...
You talkin’ to me? Anghami and Unilever say yes, yes we are
Personalize the experience, personalize your emails, personalize the product, personalize, personalize, personalize. With the emergence, and the growth, of website cookies, big data and more, marketing has been shifting towards trying to create more personalized ads and content that make consumers feel like the brand knows them. It’s not just technology that is helping the shift, but younger consumers have been known to prefer personalized experiences over traditional offers and ads. And it looks like Lebanese music streaming service Anghami and media partner DMS are listening, and are talking to consumers on an even more personalized level, through name-targeting. Through a direct collaboration with Unilever and as part of a continuous effort to maximize brand impact on relevant au...
Everything I have is because of you, Babyshop Mother’s Day Campaign
Within the various cultures of MENA, one of the things that stays the same is a heavy focus on the matriarchs that keep families together. This makes Mother’s Day quite the occasion for many brands to jump upon, making it an expected experience for consumers who are used to chasing after promotions and free gifts for both their mothers and themselves. What isn’t something expected is how this leading children’s clothing retailer decided to blend in with the clutter until its very unexpected and slightly gut-wrenching twist, making it stand out among the rest. The Gift of Mom by Babyshop Following a young boy as he thanks all the things his mother has given him, all the joy and experiences, even noting that “everything, I mean everything, I have is because of you,” makes the ad seem ...
Instagram testing new shopping feature to make online shopping easier
While Egypt and MENA have barely jumped into the Instagram shopping game, the USA is getting a brand-new shopping feature that will make it much easier for users to shop within the platform. The photo-sharing platform released yesterday that they have launched “Checkout on Instagram,” currently only available in the USA. Today, we’re introducing checkout on Instagram. When you find a product you love, you can now buy it without leaving the app. 🛍💕https://t.co/o1L5WsfgVE pic.twitter.com/IlVJxOr10x — Instagram (@instagram) March 19, 2019 The new Instagram shopping feature is part of Facebook’s overall strategy to monetize its higher growth platforms and products, which Instagram ranks high on with over 1 billion users (Jun 2018). Checkout on Instagram: How does it work The new f...
The Preservation Robot: Using SEO to fight for Cultural Diversity online
Eco-warriors march and remind us that animals are going extinct from environmental damage, but not many talk about the destruction of people. More specifically, the loss of indigenous cultures and people due to globalization. To address the homogenization of world culture (when cultures mix and merge until very similar) due to the spread of western culture, photographic artist Jimmy Nelson and JWT Amsterdam worked together to bring in technology to fight against it. The rise of technology and the internet has long been a focal point in the blame for the loss of tradition and westernization of many cultures, but Nelson and JWT Amsterdam are looking to change that by making technology work towards saving cultures. Enter the Preservation Robot Unveiled at SXSW, one of the world’s bigge...
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Creative Industry Summit opens new tracks for 10th edition [Updated]
The Creative Industry Summit has been around for 5 years now, welcoming international and local experts to talk and discuss creative, marketing, innovation and personal journeys. This has made it one of the more sought-after marketing events of the year, and it is celebrating its 10th edition alongside its 5th year anniversary. Related Article ➤ Creative Industry Summit invites first ever of its kind visitor, you’ll never guess who The WORX, the people behind the event, are expanding and celebrating the anniversary with a bang. According to Creative Industry Summit, they are “dedicating it to celebrating the humans of the creative industries,” and are pushing forward for the future with 4 new tracks, rather than their original 1 track, 2 day format. Creative Industry Summit New Tracks 2019...
Dubai Lynx announces MENA’s most creative campaigns and people of 2019
If you’ve been following us on Instagram, you’ll know that we had the honor of joining the region’s elite creative forces at the 2-day Dubai Lynx creative festival, a sister festival of the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. This year’s Dubai Lynx was no different from other years; an atmosphere of intelligent conversation, creative thought-processes, bright colors, a smooth creative flow, some winners and some “will work harder for next years.” Last night was Dubai Lynx’s annual awards ceremony, where the region’s creative minds converged to meet, greet and celebrate the region’s most intriguing campaigns and creative work. The Most Notable As always, the Dubai Lynx boosts numerous categories but this year’s most notable winners are OMO Tag, TBWA\RAAD, Dubai; Brand ...
INERTIA is now using the power of sports to grow the brand and business
Sports sponsorship is booming; never before has witnessed Egyptian brands investments been put into marketing with athletes, sports teams, or sporting events. And this time is not about Football and the upcoming 2019 AFCON! Inertia announced its athletic support program which provides a nurturing space and a supporting hand to 3 of Egypt’s most prominent athletic talents. The athletes are potential Olympic contestants coming from diverse sports backgrounds like Judo, Roman wrestling and Tennis. Worth mentioning that, Inertia’s founders believe in their partnership with the athletes they’ve formed to an extent where the CEO decided to record himself for the voice over for the new advertisement to show support and encouragement. Interestingly, Ramadan Darwish broke an international record by...
Turning Worriers to Warriors: Defeating the Glass Ceiling on Women’s Day
The glass ceiling continues to affect thousands of women in the work force, acting as an unseen barrier, keeping many from advancing towards things they work hard for. Whether it is something that gets pushed upon you from others in the office, or self-placed, the glass ceiling is something that many face and try to fight every day. To celebrate Women’s Day and the women in marketing and advertising, we spoke to Jenny Stanley from Femme Niche, a female empowering network, alongside members Puja Pannum and Sadia Akhter, to talk about the glass ceiling, fighting against external and internal pressures and a little more. Even as women at the top of the fast-paced world of tech and marketing, they are part of a network aimed at supporting other women in multiple industries, and want to share h...
The Grand Egyptian Museum and The Awakening Minds
As a person who swears by nation branding as an indispensable element for any country to move forward and the linchpin of Egypt’s stability and the government’s development drive, identifying Egypt’s brand identity will continue to remain my eternal quest. Branding our nation is a massive liability for the state and individuals alike. Egypt has countless success stories to impress the world with and the country’s national image can be one of its most valued assets. And the world is there, eager to hear, support and see Egypt come back on track. I have witnessed that firsthand during Narrative PR Summit 2018, where we brought together local and international decision makers under the auspices of the Egyptian prime minister. I have seen how the enthusiastic audience listened in awe to ...