Husni Khuffash

Google’s 3rd annual agency day explores new features of digital marketing

editor — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 09:46:31 -0800

Business 24|7 reports that for the third consecutive year, Google held a day-long interactive event with advertising agencies and clients in Dubai. The agency day revealed that out of the 337million people in MENA there are only 56 million internet users who search in Arabic, equivalent to 17 per cent. Google has also revealed that banner ads still accounted for the majority of online ad formats.

Announcing its 2009 report at the beginning of this year, the Google Zeitgeist UAE-specific report showed that YouTube.com was the most popular site in 2009, followed by Facebook.

SIM 2009 in Abu Dhabi to feature impressive exhibitors, forums, workshops and more

editor — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 03:09:36 -0700

Taking place from 18 to 20 October, the 2009 edition of SIM aims "to be an effective and inclusive platform for marketing and communications professionals to address benefits, challenges and solutions for the new media revolution, and how to remain ahead of the curve with a complete PR strategy."

Signage, Imaging and Media Exhibition and Conference presents Digital Signage Forum, Google AdWorks Workshop, Outdoor Advertising Forum and Digital Printing Forum, bringing together key sectors and players from the region's marketing and communications industry.

Spotlight on social media at SIM

editor — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 02:59:51 -0700

As new media usage increases and traditional advertising faces challenges in the Middle East, Signage, Imaging and Media Exhibition and Conference (SIM) presents solutions for current advertisers and offers a snapshot of the future regional market.

SIM is the region's most comprehensive event bringing together key sectors and players from the region's marketing and communications industry. Taking place from 18 to 20 October at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre, the event comes at a critical time for businesses in the region looking for cost-effective ways to advertise.

Traditional media is facing challenging times during the global economic crisis. Businesses are carefully evaluating their advertising strategies and being more discerning with their advertising spend. In response, marketing professionals are seeking alternative means to communicate with consumers, while publishers and journalists must appropriate the latest developments in media to remain attractive to advertisers.

Meanwhile, new media usage is growing rapidly in the Middle East, a region with more than 85.5 million internet users according to Euromonitor International figures. Social networks like Facebook, Twitter and its Arabic language counterpart Watwet dominate internet usage, accounting for 48% of website hits in the region.

"Non-traditional media is seeing near exponential growth in the region, and consumers quickly rank social networks as a preferred method of communication," said Ed Malkoun, Group Exhibition Director at IIR Middle East, the organisers of SIM.

Recent research from Spot On Public Relations reveals the potential for advertising and importance of marketing with social media; 70% of Twitter users in the region formed a more positive perception of a brand due to an engagement on Twitter, and 52% say they developed a negative perception of a brand.

As more consumers in the Middle East sign up for social networks and journalists embrace Twitter and Facebook as professional tools, new media becomes increasingly important for the marketing and communications of companies in the region, and they cannot afford to be left behind.

"Companies have been forced to address how their brand is portrayed in non-traditional media, and they've found that participation is crucial," Malkoun commented.

"New media is here to stay, and industry professionals must learn how to communicate key messages in non-traditional forms, but more importantly how to shape direct responses to consumer feedback on social media networks."

"The 2009 edition of SIM will be an effective and inclusive platform for marketing and communications professionals to address benefits, challenges and solutions for the new media revolution, and how to remain ahead of the curve with a complete PR strategy."

SIM's dedicated two-day forum for Social Media will discuss new developments and present a wide range of examples utilising social media to its potential, and offer opportunities for marketing and communications professionals to develop a successful and integrated public relations strategy using social media channels.

Leading figures in the marketing and communications industry speaking at the forum include Husni Khuffash, Country Business Development Manager of Google UAE; Joel Berger, Managing Director of Fox Interactive Media/MySpace Germany; and Andrew Bleeker, the new media director for the largest social media campaign in history: Obama for America, Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign.

After a highly successful inaugural year in 2008, SIM returns to Abu Dhabi with a renewed focus on delivering non-traditional media solutions that are cost effective and have expanded reach. The exhibition also caters to signage and imaging, featuring the latest products and technology in digital printing and cutting edge advances in the photographic and imaging industry.

SIM's newly launched Conference Programme offers a combination of discussions on new developments and strategy for critical issues in marketing and excellent networking opportunities for members of the industry.

Dedicated forums include the Digital Signage Forum, Google AdWorks Workshop, Outdoor Advertising Forum, Digital Printing Forum, and Dedicated forums include the Digital Signage Forum, Google AdWorks Workshop, Outdoor Advertising Forum, Digital Printing Forum, and iPhone Programming Workshop.

Google search advertising witnesses double-digit growth in Arab World

editor — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 02:40:54 -0700

Business 24|7 reports that Google search advertising has seen major growth in the Arab World, despite reports of search ads declining worldwide, according to Husni Khuffash, country Business Manager at Google.

Khuffash also added that Google revenues were only derived from search ads. The search engine induced profit in the Middle East, only to bear witness to a growing search ad trend.

The new Arabic language services launched by Google last week, including Google Ejabat, are also expected to attract more advertising in the regional market, said online observers. However, Google said it would not be able to reveal any projections, and would have to wait for a few weeks before starting to assess the responses to the debut and the future potential.

Read more.

Harness the power of social media to increase reach

editor — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 03:07:07 -0700

The power of social media is tremendous. Paris Hilton's recent endorsement for Emirates Airlines is esteemed to be worth US$ 1.5 million.

Social media is more than Twitter, Facebook and MySpace; it's about brands having conversations and engaging with audiences. It's about the permanent change in the region's marketing, PR and news landscape.

IIR's Social Media Forum taking place on 18 – 19 October 2009 in Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre, explores how you can use social media more effectively within your overall strategy and discusses what social media can do for your business.

Probably the best and largest social media example comes from Barack Obama's campaign – Obama For America in which he used social networking sites, blogs, video-sharing and Twitter to spread the views and organise supporters.

Andrew Bleeker, Director Internet Advertising for Obama's election campaign and New Media Director, Obama Inaugural Committee, is keynote speaker at the Social Media Forum.

Be ready to explore regional social media case studies as well, with top-notch speakers including:

Martin Newland, Editorial Director, The National, UAE
Khurram Hamid, Global Head Mobile Marketing Innovation, Procter & Gamble, UAE
Husni Khuffash, Country Business Development Manager, Google, UAE
Joel Berger, Managing Director, MySpace, Germany
Arshad Khan, Senior Executive, Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing, UAE

Panelists at AMF 2009 focus on new media's dramatic impact on Information Generation

editor — Wed, 13 May 2009 01:07:58 -0700

Electronic media platforms have usurped all the space in the international media scene and have begun attracting millions of people from around the world and in all languages. They meet the expectations of individuals through what is known as 'user-generated content', pointed out Hossam Al Sokkari, Chairman of BBC Arabic.

Al Sokkari's comments came on the first day of the Arab Media Forum 2009, which is being held under the patronage of of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. The two-day event has brought together over 1,000 eminent media personalities, including 57 speakers, 11 moderators, and 300 foreign participants from abroad and 600 from the UAE.

Moderated by Hossam Al Sokkari, Chairman, BBC Arabic, the speakers at the roundtable titled 'The New Media: New Platforms that Change the Scene', included Ayman Al Sayyad, Editor in Chief, Wajhat Nazr magazine, Egypt; Ammar Bakar, Head of the New Media section, MBC Group; Sultan Al Bazie, CEO, Attariq Communication, Saudi Arabia; Issam Hamoud, Blogger, Algeria, and Husni Khuffash, Country Business Manager, Google, UAE.

The first half of the session was devoted to examining three Arab experiences in the field of alternative media - Blog, You-Tube, and the web newspaper Sabaqa'.

With the Internet becoming the source of instant information for a large number of Arab youth, who consider the space an ideal forum for expressing their views unlike traditional media outlets, the panelists debated whether journalistic codes of ethics must emerge from governments or media organizations. Discussions also focused on the extent of professionalism and objectivity in Internet sites and their ability to become a credible source of information.

On the subject of new media presence in the Arab World, Ayman Al Sayyad said: "As everything develops, media also develops. The scientist Darwin stated that not all species are doomed to become extinct but only those that are not able to cope with the evolution process. Therefore, all media should strive to stay updated and find ways to stay relevant in the minds of its consumers."

He added Facebook and other social networking sites play an important role in electronic communication as they allows users to freely interact and transmit information.

Al Sayyad pointed out: "Even the mobile phone can become a means of transmitting information through the transfer of files, pictures, and other communications. The transmitter becomes the person who decides which message he wants to transmit and through which communication tool."

The Arab Media Forum 2009, held under the slogan 'Arab Media: Weathering a Period of Change and Crisis', included a number of workshops and sessions, featuring eminent experts who debated some of the most vital issues that concern the regional media in the prevailing circumstances.

Google revises trademark policy for Middle East and North Africa

editor — Tue, 05 May 2009 05:03:54 -0700

Google, today announced that its trademark complaint investigations will no longer result in Google monitoring or restricting keywords for ads served to users in the Middle East and North Africa. This means it will be possible for more relevant ads to appear in the sponsored links after a user has typed in a search query using a trademarked term.

The change, which will also affect many other regions across the world, will come into force on 4th June 2009, and means:

a user typing in a trademarked keyword into the search box will now be presented with more relevant ads in the sponsored links section, giving them greater choice;
a company advertising on Google.ae or google.com.eg for example will now be able to select trademarked terms as keywords; and
MENA will be brought into line with the US, Canada, UK & Ireland who have already adopted this policy.

Husni Khuffash, Business Development Manager, Google, UAE said:

"Google's goal is to provide our users with the most relevant information, from both search results and advertising. We are making this change because we want to give users greater choices to help them make informed decisions."

Google's ads text policy remains unchanged - unauthorised advertisers will not be able to use a monitored trademarked term in their ad text. This trademark policy change only affects keywords.

This change affects the regions listed here - https://adwords.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?answer=144298. The policy in other regions remains unchanged: selecting monitored trademarks as keywords will not be allowed.