Coca Cola | mediaME

Most shared stories in January 2012

Tue, 2012-01-31 12:37 - By

Every month, hundreds of news stories and headlines are shared by mediaME users across social media platforms. January 2012 was a particularly active month. The mediaME editor has picked the most shared stories, which provide a summarized look-back at the month.

The most shared news and stories on mediaME.com in January:

MTV and Coca-Cola among brands that have used Facebook most effectively

Thu, 2012-01-05 10:53 - By

editor

Advertising Business, Advertising News, Digital Media, Advertising, Media, Coca Cola, Facebook, Fathom Analytics, MTV, Warc.com, youtube

According to a new study by Fathom Analytics, YouTube, MTV and Coca-Cola are the brands that have most effectively used Facebook to connect with consumers. The study ranked the brand pages based on their number of 'likes', participation rates, growth in popularity, and the 'positive emotion' displayed in user comments. YouTube, secured the top spot with an index score of 90 points. Meanwhile, MTV had an index score of 88 points, while Coca-Cola had an index score of 87 points.

Zubair Timol: MENA is very responsive to the provision of Software as a Service (SaaS)

Sun, 2011-05-08 07:34 - By

editor

Digital Media, Interview & Opinion, Media Business, Media, Coca Cola, Jorn Lyseggen, Meltwater, Meltwater Buzz, Meltwater News, Nike, Qatar Foundation, Software as a Service (SaaS), Starbucks, Zubair Timol

mediaME speaks to Zubair Timol, Global Strategy and Area Director for Middle East & Africa at Meltwater News, part of Meltwater Group which delivers B2B solutions based on search engine technology, cloud computing and talent management software. Timol talks about levels of awareness in the region, market feedback and potential, and much more.

Q. Kindly introduce yourself and your company.

My background and professional training is in law. I am currently Area Director for the MEA region and Director of Global Strategy for Meltwater News. Having successfully started companies, whilst at university and beyond, it is the passion for entrepreneurship which attracted me to the Meltwater Group.

The Meltwater Group is a privately held software company founded in Norway in 2001, serving clients through offices located across North America, South America, Europe, Middle East, Africa, Asia and Australia. Meltwater is committed to challenging existing business models by introducing disruptive technologies. The Meltwater Group delivers B2B solutions based on search engine technology, cloud computing and talent management software.

Just 9 years after being established in Norway, with $15,000 and a coffee machine, we are now a $100 million business with 800+ employees and 56 offices across the globe, and over 18,000 customers worldwide – a tribute to our staff and thirst for global ambition.

Q. Tell us about the services you specifically see potential for in the Middle East and North Africa market.

MENA has proved very responsive to the provision of Software as a Service (SaaS) and as a consequence, Meltwater News has a strong position in the MENA online media monitoring market. Our latest offering, Melwater Buzz, is strategically placed to cater for the social media boom, enabling clients to critically understand the commercial value of this evolving industry.

Q. What drove Meltwater to launch a Middle East offices in Abu Dhabi and Dubai? Tell us about the resources you have allocated and your commitment to serving the region.

Meltwater aspires to create a global footprint, and both Abu Dhabi and Dubai are well positioned as gateways to the world. Strong levels of education, fantastic air travel facilities enabling easy access to Europe / Asia, and a cosmopolitan, thriving culture, reflected Meltwater’s personal growth goals. The UAE is the epitome of entrepreneurship and as such, we have been proactive in developing partnerships with universities, transferring senior management to mentor new employees, and spent a great deal of time adapting to the local customs and traditions of the UAE.

Q. Can you tell us about the online / social media monitoring platforms offered in Europe? What has the feedback for the MENA market been like so far?

Launched in 2001, Meltwater News is a real-time, online media monitoring tool, which has now grown to be one of the largest online media monitoring providers, with more than 18,000 customers worldwide.

Meltwater News monitors over 130,000 online sources from over 190 countries and 100 languages, monitored consistently throughout the day. These include major news outlets, trade publications, local and regional journals, weekly newspapers, tenders, influential blogs, as well as TV and radio transcripts.

Coca Cola (Middle East), Qatar Foundation and Nike (Middle East), indicate the diversity of clients we are currently working with and our growing presence within the market.

Since launching Meltwater Buzz in the latter half of 2009, we have successfully rolled the solution out across North America, Europe, Middle East and Asia-Pac.

We acquired BuzzGain in February 2010, whose technology enhanced our existing social media service to provide a comprehensive, market leading social media monitoring and analysis solution.

Identifying that the next stage for businesses embarking on social media initiatives went beyond monitoring and analysis, we acquired JitterJam for $6 million in March 2011. A leader in Social CRM software, the JitterJam acquisition will provide marketing, communications and advertising professionals with the most comprehensive set of tools for tracking and engaging with customers on social channels.

We work with leading brands across Europe, inclusive of Starbucks (Spain), Software AG (Germany), and Rabobank International (Holland).

Meltwater Buzz has recently opened in Dubai during the first quarter of 2011 and has already experienced a positive response from the social media savvy businesses and organizations within MENA.

Q. Tell us about the levels of awareness and market development you have witnessed in the MENA region for digital service platforms in general, and specifically within the advertising and media sector.

Educating the market has been an instrumental part of operating within MENA. The concept of online monitoring and social media was often seen as a luxury to the traditional paper clippings orientated approach. However the advertising and media sector has been quick to adapt, focusing on the power of online driven decision making for consumers and the speed with which an opinion can influence advertising spend / media perception. MENA has an active and engaged online community and one that will continue to expand via the availability of mobile Internet devices.

Q. Is Meltwater planning new product launches in the near future?

Since our inception in 2001, when our CEO and founder, Jorn Lyseggen, identified ahead of the game that the world would be moving online, we have constantly been on the look out for opportunities in emerging markets and with emerging technologies.

Social media is the latest example of this. We used to live in a world dominated by a few very powerful media channels. These powerful media channels are now starting to break down. News is not dispersed as it used to – it is now in real-time.

So, yes, we are always looking to innovate not just our products, but also the diversity of technologies that we deliver to our clients. Naturally we cannot talk about any initiatives that may be in the pipeline, but as our track record demonstrates, we will evolve with the times, and with our clients’ needs.

Q. Anything else you would like to add?

One thing that really helps set us apart is our culture, and as part of this, our recruitment and HR strategy. This is not a cliché that is rolled out by many other organisations, but something that we are really proud of and passionate about.

For staff themselves, the payoff is a substantial one – much of Meltwater’s internal HR effort is focused on talent management and succession planning, with the result that all of the company’s 40-plus senior management have been nurtured from their starts in the international management trainee programme.

Just this year, we have secured some highly prestigious and competitive HR awards across different geographies, including Germany, UK and South Africa.

Meltwater is proud of its MENA workforce, and proud to be nurturing so much talent – not just for itself, but for the future of an immensely important but still nascent industry.

Paragon Marketing Communications work published in 17th International Book

Tue, 2011-02-15 10:26 - By

editor

Announcement, Media Business, Product Launch, Advertising, Media, Burger King, Coca Cola, Louai Alasfahani Kodak, Michael Hodgson, Paragon Marketing Communications

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