May 23rd, 2008 elitani
Flip Holding Ltd is delighted to announce the promotion of Yousef Tuqan Tuqan and Mohammad Itani as CEOs for Flip Media and Neo Digital.
Yousef Tuqan Tuqan has been promoted to CEO of Flip Media, with overall responsibility for the development and growth of the largest interactive agency in the Middle East.
An industry veteran with over 11 years of regional experience, Yousef has served as Account Director at Flip Media since 2005, and has been responsible for business development and client servicing for the agency.
“Yousef has been one of our most vocal ambassadors, and has played a leading role in growing our agency into a global network of 150 dedicated Internet professionals.
His passion and experience have been invaluable in maintaining our leadership position, and this promotion is a vote of confidence in his ability to lead Flip Media into its next phase of growth,”
said Managing Partner Dinesh Lalvani, Flip’s cofounder.
Mohammad Itani has been promoted to CEO of Neo Digital, Flip’s sister agency and the first dedicated online media agency in the Middle East. Mohammad has served as Head of Media since 2005, and has been instrumental in the growth of the agency and its reach beyond Dubai.
He has also been involved in the development of Neo Digital’s Search Engine Marketing team, which boasts 4 full-time specialists and one of the largest booking volumes in the region.
According to Flip Holdings’ Group CEO Martin Diessner,
“Mohammad has shown great leadership in times of ongoing change in the industry, and has earned the respect and admiration of his clients, his team and his partners across the online media landscape.
I am confident that Neo Digital can continue to maintain its position as the fastest-growing and most innovative independent online media agency in the region.”
Managing Partners Dinesh Lalvani and Martin Diessner will continue their daily involvement in the group’s operation from Dubai, with a greater focus on the development of Brand Central, the most powerful enterprise-class advertising management and serving solution in the Middle East; and Chameleon, Flip Media’s complete website content management solution.
According to Dinesh “these key promotions represent a vote of confidence in Yousef and Mohammad to continue to lead their agencies into their next stage of development.
Both have been the faces of Flip Media and Neo Digital since their appointment in 2005, and we are proud to work alongside them as we continue to offer the best and most comprehensive digital marketing solutions in the region.”
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April 10th, 2008 elitani
For the past couple of years, we have been talking about online advertising. Portals, agencies and clients have finally opened their eyes and hearts to online. We see that clients are more relaxed and are now ready to talk freely and discuss their fears when it comes to Digital Advertising.
The evidence is in the fact that the latest digital marketing conference held by AME Info in March 2008 had more advertisers than agencies and portals combined. What’s even better is that 5 speakers came from the client side (including Nakheel, Nokia, and HSBC) presenting case studies and success stories around Digital Marketing. More flattering is that these stories are from the Middle East region.
Aside from that, online advertising spend in the region is expected to have grown by 60% since 2006.
An individual might think that the shy face of online advertising is finally starting to glow. We as agencies now have more confidence in presenting an online media plan for the client. Our traditional media planners are allowing us to meet “their” clients. We could say that we are almost there.
So what is still missing here? Take a 5 minute break and think of the last couple of online/digital conferences that were held in the past 3 years. I believe what is still lacking is that we (online people) are busy cheering rather than chasing the development within the digital sphere. There is nothing called a “comfort zone” when it comes to Technology, Digital, and especially Digital Advertising. There are always advancements which we need to follow and sometimes lead.
Have you ever thought of the following:
- Where is Mobile Marketing from our region?
- Where is the online research?
- Where is the Interactive Advertising Bureau, or any other credible body?
- Who is monitoring the online media spend and who is analyzing it to the public?
Of course the above might be available but only within a limited framework. For example, Mobile Marketing is offered only through SMS (Short Message Service). Online Research is valid through Maktoob Research, AC Nielsen, etc. but is only based upon request and is usually paid for.
Earlier, the above might not have been extremely needful as we (as agencies and portals alike) were still in the initial phase of introducing digital advertising to our clients. The question is, isn’t it more needed now to build a base (through the points above) for online advertising to march with the online media growth?
Agencies and suppliers should now focus on establishing a strong foundation for digital advertising, especially that clients will be looking at differentiating themselves online. This can’t happen without a strong and diversified digital channels (such as Mobile Marketing), without a strong research base, and a reliable body (such as IAB).
For that, we as digital advocates should stop working in silos and start working together as an industry to build the ground of digital advertising. We should seize the opportunity and the positive trend to catch up with Europe and the states.
That doesn’t mean that we should separate ourselves from traditional advertising but what should be done here is to develop a proper base which can act as a standard to all clients, agencies and suppliers alike. Competition within the digital advertising world is healthy but again there must be a point where all competitors come to meet.
My personal hunch tells me that Mobile Marketing will be seriously addressed and covered in 2008 through different agencies and service providers, while the rest of the points seem to have an unclear horizon. I am a definite believer in the effect of online advertising, albeit I expect it to have a stronger growth from which we are seeing now.
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September 24th, 2007 elitani
According to Madar Research 2007, a good percentage of Middle Eastern brands and conglomerates are still skeptical about the ways of tapping into the highly heterogeneous world of online advertising. While this article does not apply to all firms and their marketing departments and agencies, the below will list and discuss the various reasons behind the fear that brands face when deciding to integrate digital media in their marketing campaigns.
1- I never paid attention to, or clicked on a banner
A common comment you often hear from a marketing guru. A handful of clients still approach online media the same way they approach other traditional media. Marketers still do not fully understand that online media can be measured from the instant the user sees the banner till the moment the user registers on the client’s website. Online is the most accurate, transparent, and reliable type of media.
2- Lack of agency support/Knowledge
Since planning and reporting for online media is different from traditional media, you are often faced with agencies that themselves fear bringing up online advertising as a part of their integrated media proposal. Jargon such as CPM. Impression, Click, Page View, CTR, and CPC are common in the digital world. But the question remains, how many media agencies in the Middle East really know what all of those mean? Although it is hard to say, to some agencies all of the above is plain Chinese. Agencies should get acquainted with such terms, because sooner or later a client will ask about it.
3- Lack of collaboration between Portals and Media Agencies
Based on the above, a portal which depends on advertising as a revenue source would prefer to approach a client directly if it believes that the client’s media agency does not have the appropriate resources and skills to recommend online as part of the media plan. This is very true and we encounter it on a daily basis. This will ultimately backfire on the media agency, which in turn creates a conflict between the client, the portal and the media agency.
4- The fear of going beyond the comfort zone
Typical and old school marketing managers would still prefer to see their advertising in a magazine rather than on a portal such as Yahoo or Google. A 50 year old marketing manager raised on traditional media would not risk spending his budget on a media he does not understand, or maybe have no time left to tackle. Based on our experience as an online media agency, it is much easier to communicate with a 30 year old marketer rather than an older one. The truth behind it is that a young marketing manager is more ready to take risks and is much flexible and technology savvy. People by nature fear uncertainties.
5- Follower rather than a Leader
Although it is hard to confess, some brands in the Middle East tend to be followers rather than leaders. Look at the IT Industry, and you will see that big brands such as HP, Nokia, Sony Ericcson, Samsung, LG Electronics, etc…. are investing a good sum of money online, but the question is it because they truly understand online or because someone else is there filling up the digital space? The same applies to other industries.
So now that we know what the forces behind the uncertainty of using online media are, it would be worthwhile discussing the solutions:
Online media is the most measurable type of media. This means that we know how many users a portal has, the users’ age, gender, geographical location, and even their occupation. We can know who clicked on a banner and what did this user end up doing. So a comment like “I never clicked on a banner” is in a way invalid.
Again agencies should tap into the online world even if to a minimum level, and at least be aware of the advantages of advertising online, the means of measurement, and how to plan an online campaign. This can be done through getting closer to portals and attending seminars and training conventions which are starting to take place in the Middle East. In the end, a media planner should think of how online can benefit a client whose needs are too specific to be placed on outdoor and magazines.
Marketing Managers should also help and listen when it comes to online advertising proposals. It might be difficult to understand how online media works, but if you don’t put the effort, your competitor will. In the United Kingdom, online media has surpassed print media, so this is a sign where the region would be heading in the near future. It is the client’s call to be a leader or just another follower.
Marketers should attend online media seminars and get acquainted with terms such as Web 2.0, Search Marketing, Contextual Advertising, and others. They should also should think of how Facebook and Google can help reach their audience.
According to the latest count, there are more than 22 million internet users in the MENA region- isn’t this enough for a brand to consider online?
Despite all of all the above, there are good signs that online media is picking up. Some trends which are noticeable and which will definitely change the way brands perceive online are:
1- Google’s approach to the Middle Eastern market through opening a regional office in Egypt.
2- International and local brands assigning their own digital marketing specialists.
3- Media Agencies integrating an online media division within their agency.
4- The steady and growing trend in the online media budgets (above 50% annually, according to Madar Research)
5- The use of sophisticated ad serving and tracking software, which in turn ensure a better experience for the marketers.
6- The increasing seminars, workshops, and conferences around the advantage and use of digital media in the Middle East region.
To conclude, while obstacles still persist in following a systematic approach in tackling our online media initiatives, brands are keeping an open eye to the advantages of online advertising. Portals, Media Agencies, and Clients all share the same responsibility of taking digital media into a real point of contact with the online audience.
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June 16th, 2007 elitani
At the halfway point of the year, results at the close of the first two quarters show Flip Media being on track for their best ever year.
Flip’s creative talents have seen the agency garnered with an impressive tally of 38 international and regional awards. This year, Flip Media has received 2 Summit International Awards, 3 Bahrain Web Awards and 14 awards at the recent Pan Arab Web Awards. At the UAE Web Awards held in March, Flip Media scooped the board taking 18 out of 36 awards and receiving the ceremony’s highest honor, the prestigious Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum Award for ‘Website of the Year’ for the Mercedes-Benz B Class website.
New account wins have been significant with over 20 new clients, added to the agency’s roster of clients in the last six months. International names such as Air Miles, Proctor & Gamble, Panasonic Middle East and Nestlé, along with regional power brands like Qatar Airways, RAK Bank and Wataniya Telecom have engaged Flip Media to develop and expand their online presence and integrated marketing communications activities.
According to Martin Diessner, CEO, Flip Media,
‘2006 has proved to be an incredible year for Flip Media so far and it’s great to see all of our hard work coming to fruition. We’ve significantly enhanced our reputation as the region’s leading, independent interactive marketing agency by consistently winning new high profile regional and international business and in attracting the best people in the industry to join us. In the second half of the year, we plan to launch new products and services which will assist our clients in maximizing the full potential of online communication.’
In order to support the agency’s strategy, Flip Media has established Flip Labs as an internal research and development division to facilitate technological innovation and establish best practices. Dinesh Lalvani, Group Creative Director says, ‘It has been a constant endeavor to innovate at flip. With the advent of Flip Labs we now have a dedicated research and development team that will provide new web concepts and out of browser activities. All I can say is: Watch this space.’
Additionally, a number of senior appointments have been made proactively to expand client servicing capabilities and support Account Director Yousef Tuqan Tuqan. Rasha Mansour, a self-confessed ‘online newbie’ has joined after four years at Saatchi & Saatchi, bringing her passion for brands and strategy, and extensive knowledge of marketing and branding to Flip Media. Nadine Kennedy is focused on taking Flip to international standards with her background of over eight years international expertise in online marketing working for agencies such as DNA and Agency.com in London.
James Whale brings six years proficiency in online and web applications having worked for DNA New Zealand and Sweeney Vesty New York in roles spanning design, strategy, production and business development. New additions to the media department see Media Manager Mohammad Itani heading up a fully fledged dedicated unit, comprising a team of six. With the opening of an office in Bahrain and increased GCC-wide business, regional expansion is the pipeline.
Martin Diessner says, ‘It has been a great year so far and we are thankful. We are focused on giving back to the Community in every way that we can through various social work and activities, and all suggestions and joint endeavors are welcome.’
- United Arab Emirates: Monday, July 17 - 2006 at 15:51
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June 16th, 2007 elitani
The methods employed by engines to gauge the content of live websites, and rank these accordingly, are constantly evolving, however a few requirements remain key such as original content, a high density of topic-relevant keywords, and links to popular and credible related sites.
Put yourself in the ‘virtual’ shoes of Google, Yahoo, MSN and their competitors for a second then; their aim is simple - to provide web searchers with sites that best fit what they need. The reason why Google is so popular - or at least the main reason it became so popular (as you might argue its name having become a verb helps) - is that its search results are highly relevant. They work; most of the time a site that meets your needs pops up on the first page of search results.
Although every firm would, of course, like to be number one in the rankings of its most relevant keywords, just how is it done? And is it even realistically possible? The key is to give the search engines what they want: get your site listed on relevant directories’ linked through to by those that matter; and optimised so that it’s as friendly as possible to search engines’ roving ‘spiders’.
As mentioned last issue, many web design companies now offer SEO (search engine optimisation) services as part of – or in addition to – their design services. But before we get to them, let’s look at how you can help yourself, even if you can’t afford to employ SEO specialists.
Get in the list
The web is packed full of directories, from general business to industry-specific listings. However…
“If you’re looking at which search engines use, DMOZ (the site of the ODP – Open Directory Project) is the most important. Google Groups for instance uses DMOZ,” explains web development firm Cactimedia’s managing director, Mazen Ilyas.
“You don’t have to submit your site directly to Google - this is a common misconception. Instead you should submit it to the library of sites Google uses. It searches www.dmoz.org first,” adds ‘Sharjah Wanderer’, who is DMOZ’s editor for the UAE’s Dubai and Sharjah emirates.
Your partner web firm, or you yourself, can suggest your domain to DMOZ easily via its site. The more time you spend picking the right category in which to list it and accurately wording your site description however, the more likely you are to benefit in the long run and – crucially – even get listed at all. (Why? Bear this in mind: DMOZ editors are voluntary part-timers, with schedules of their own and only as much patience as everyone else).
“DMOZ.org is divided into geographical and type categories so the more narrow/specific you are in terms of the category you submit your site to, the better your chances of your site being listed by us and picked up by Google,” Wanderer explains.
Once you’ve worked out your category, you must fill out your site’s name, its URL and a description field. The URL must end in a proper suffix, such as .ae or .com, rather than the being one page of a larger site (such as amazon.com/books for instance) as it won’t be approved. Then in terms of the description itself, Sharjah Wanderer gives the following key ‘Do’s and Don’ts’ (more details are also available on DMOZ.org).
• Don’t use promotional language in your site description, such as ‘The best site for…’, or ‘The top supplier of…’
• Do use clear language to describe your site and what it offers visitors, not what your business itself provides. For instance, Dubai Municipality’s near-perfect DMOZ description states that the site provides online application services, traffic fine payment, contact information for its various departments and so on.
• Do make your listing country-specific. If you’re based in Riyadh and sell only to the Saudi market, list your site under Saudi Arabia/Riyadh (otherwise it might be rejected). If you operate regionally, a Middle East category listing will be fine.
• Do make sure your site includes full contact details (a phone number, postal address etc.). “We don’t accept anonymous listings,” says Wanderer.
• Don’t submit part of your site to a different DMOZ category (called ‘deep linking’) or use a ‘cloak’ (a redirecting web address) for your site, or any part of it. This tactic risks Google labelling you a spammer and deleting your site’s listing.
• Don’t submit a site that includes any ‘Under construction’ pages.
Then go on to list your site in any country or industry specific directories, such as www.uaebusinessdirectory.com. If your web partner doesn’t offer, also send press releases to relevant industry sites, such as AMEInfo, as links from these large news and information portals can be valuable.
“We encourage clients to take the initiative and make submissions to sites and forums specific to their industry,” confirms Flip Media’s media manager, Mohammad Itani. “They know their industry best, so we do our best to empower them by giving them advice on how to submit their sites themselves. The more links to their site, the merrier!”
A site that suits
So DMOZ is one tactic, but it’s one of a huge list. We asked two firms, arguably some of the region’s most successful and SEO-aware website developers, Cactimedia and Flip Media, to outline the key features that can help improve a site’s ranking on search engines (primarily relating to Google, as this is used by roughly 80% of searchers).
“Search engine optimisation involves many activities,” explains Cactimedia’s Ilyas. “The first important thing is the page structure. If you have a page that’s badly linked, or you have a link out that doesn’t work, or code error, a spider can’t read it, and the search engine has a problem. For us, getting the structure right is so important.”
As for keywords, these are still very much a key tool for telling search engine spiders about the topic your site covers, however not necessarily when they are only within HTML metatags.
“Spiders will land on a website,” Ilyas says, “it will start understanding the keywords that are in there, and what topic a website is about. It will then report this information back to Google. Although I don’t truly believe in metatags, I still use them – just in case some search engine algorithms change. More than metatags however, the keywords you’re using should be there, densely, in the copy (text) on your website. We use a specialist SEO copywriter to help clients do this.”
“We include a keyword density analysis in our SEO offer,” states Itani. ”If you now have a keyword too many times on the page, Google will penalise you for it, whereas in the old days that was a bad thing. It’s almost seen as unethical now. So it’s as much about having the right keywords as having lots of keywords there.”
In terms of the help available when determining the best keywords to include on a site, obviously both Cactimedia and Flip run systems designed with this in mind and can advise. Alternatively, for the user on a budget there are free yet very valuable sites and tools listed in the box opposite.
In terms of on-site content, original and regularly updated content is king.
”We have a system that we developed called DragonFeed, which rotates content between our websites,” says Ilyas. “Content has to be unique in most cases, especially for effective searches. Thanks to this our client Landmark Properties’ website is now number three on Google under its preferred keyword, basically for the simple reason that a lot of the content is unique and updated regularly.”
However, if content is dynamically generated, this can result in long-winded and hard to understand URLs that confuse search engine spiders, so measures to rename these links (to give the impression of static and thus engine-friendly pages) are valuable. “Search engine-friendly URLs are important,” says Itani. “Our CMS generates search engine friendly URLs which aid a site’s indexing. Google, for example, would much prefer a link like .com/aboutus/ourteam as opposed to index.asp?=IDCAT. Therefore, all our content-managed sites display URLs in plain English. It’s easier for the search engines, and for site users. In addition, our CMS allows users to insert a short paragraph of text that describes a page. This is then picked up by search engines to give a clear explanation of the site in the summaries that accompany a search-engine query.“
Equally important are relevant back-links (i.e. links to your site from credible and popular peer sites). “Google tends to classify websites into neighborhoods, and to be associated in a neighborhood that is relevant to the content on your website is a big plus,” explains Ilyas. “Google’s way of determining a website’s importance is that if CNN is an important website, and it links to us, then obviously we’re of importance. Building links remains very important to Google. For MSN and Yahoo I would say it’s more about the content that’s within a website. If you have the keywords, the density of keywords, that’s important.”
Flip’s Itani concurs, adding that his firm is very keen on e-mailing relevant industry and news sites press releases when a client’s site launches, in order to help build such backlinks. “We ensure that we generate as much publicity (and therefore links) for a site as possible.”
For more details of how Google ranks websites, keyword choices and Google’s paid-for AdWords services, check out the resources below.
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Useful Resources
http://labs.google.com/
Choose ‘Google Suggest’ to find the best keywords for your website. Type a keyword and it will show you related keywords based on their search popularity. To then learn more, try keyword plus ‘a’, ‘b’ etc.
https://adwords.google.com
This pay per click (PPC) ad service connects you with potential customers at the precise moment when they’re looking for your products or services. Create ads, align them to keywords and set your own budget.
www.dmoz.org
The website of the Open Directory Project (ODP). When you have decided which category to list your business in, navigate to that category page and click ‘suggest URL’.
www.goodkeywords.com
Good Keywords is a free downloadable app for Windows that offers similar functions to Google Suggest (only you don’t have to be online to use it).
www.googlerankings.com
Check the ranking of a web page in Google with this free search engine optimisation tool.
Google’s own ranking tips
www.google.com/support/webmasters/bin/answer.py?answer=34397
www.google.com/webmasters/sitemaps/about?hl=en
Google Sitemaps is an easy way to submit all your URLs to the Google index and get reports about their visibility on Google. (Note: submitting a Sitemap doesn’t guarantee all your pages being crawled.)
Learn how Google ranks websites here:
www.google.com/technology/index.html.
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