Cheil MENA 7th trend report 2016

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Trends Report – 2016�Middle East

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INTRO… At Cheil MENA, our observation skills, trendspotting and pattern recognition are MADE IN THE REGION. Although we keep track of global trends, we don’t copy them. Instead, we develop our own collection of trends that are happening in the MENA region. Right here. Right now. Today we are witnessing a social transformation. Our diverse and infinitely surprising region is moving from a thirst for fame towards making a difference. Instead of exhibiting narcissism, people are displaying humanity through more empathy, spirit of togetherness, and investment in emotional and physical wellbeing of the communities.

For previous Trend Reports please log on to http://www.slideshare.net/Cheil_Worldwide_UAE

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Citizen Journalism #01

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#01 Who could have imagined that for ordinary people there are better ways to change the world than signing online petitions? Today we are witnessing citizen journalism at its best yet – powerful, influential and most importantly, constructive. Live-streaming apps, social media platforms, instant messaging and mobile phones have come together to amplify the impact of citizen journalism to an unprecedented strength. When Istanbul Traffic Police Department accepts traffic violation notices from the public through WhatsApp a stronger sense of community is fostered. When Snapchat collects, curates and weaves together users’ videos under one theme, a vivid, multi-faceted and convincing story is created. Crowd-sourced storytelling elevates the role of an individual and empowers participation.

Example: In Ramadan 2015, Snapchat gave religious pilgrims in Mecca the chance to stream their experiences and opened up Ramadan’s most vibrant city to the world during Laylat al-Qadr. Snapchat curated the videos created by its users and presented them a single stream for other users to view. A lot of people mentioned that what they’ve seen changed their perception of Islam.

Citizen Journalism

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Pets: Social Superstars

#02

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#02 Instagram or youtube content featuring animals often becomes a social media sensation for a day or two. Globally in the past few years increasing numbers of pet owners have been creating online profiles for their pets, a practice known as ‘social petworking’. Unexpectedly, such practices are gaining popularity in our region as well, with pets’ profiles acquiring a significant social media following that surpasses their human counterparts. Brands and advertisers like to team up with social influencers to gain reach and relevance. Pets are famous for adding elements of cuteness and comic relief - two powerful emotions in social media. Does this mean we are about to witness the arrival of ‘petfluencers’ in the region?

Example: @poo_ky.pom Pooky is a white cute puppy lives in Dubai. His owner had opened a new account for him on Instagram which gained over 1300 followers in less than 2 weeks. Since launching the account, his photos have been receiving an average of 197 likes, while his owners’ pictures never get over 60 likes.

Pets: Social Superstars

Example: ‘Şero’ is a cat of the Republican People's Party of Turkey. It has its own Twitter account & has created sympathy and buzz on social media.

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Region on the Run

#03

Ⓒ 2016 Cheil Image: Colour Run Facebook page

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#03 Running is becoming the most popular lifestyle sport in the region, now known as ‘social runs’. In 2015, 30,000 runners participated in Vodafone Istanbul Marathon, 13,000 in Nike’s We Run DXB, 7,000 in the Dead Sea Ultra Marathon. People run for a cause, for a challenge, for fun, for vanity, but most of all for being inspired and inspiring others. Mobile technology fuels the competitive spirit and a sense of community by opening up these events to much larger online audiences of supporters. A number of sports, health, financial, insurance, telecom, automotive, food brands and non-for-profit entities organize or sponsor runs. Advertisers have an opportunity to tap into this burst of positive energy in more innovative and creative ways.

Example: Runtastic app. A new running app called ‘Runtastic’ gives recognition and motivation to runners in real time. People can cheer, support each other and make running more fun for their friends through various notifications when following it online.

Region on the Run

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Controlling Time

#04

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#04 The notion of ‘time is precious’ has never been more pertinent. Millennials, who will comprise 75% of the global workforce by 2030, say they would rather have more time than money. According to a GfK study, 32% of them feel ‘time-crunched’. This feeling of being time crunched has led to the need to control time. They don’t have the patience for brands and services that give them a 4 hour window to get things done. They like to know exactly when something is happening to plan their time around it. Service brands have tackled this need by providing a way of tracking the status of order for customers. Brands that give customers the power of being able to control time have gained their loyalty.

Example: Careem, a taxi company, & Deliveroo, a food delivery company, enable customers to track the progress of the delivery and the whereabouts of the driver. The apps also provide them with the exact location and contact numbers if they need to reach the driver.

Controlling Time

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Good Days for Strays

#05

Image: www.everythingisawesome.com Ⓒ 2016 Cheil

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People in this region have developed quite a peculiar relationship with pets. It is not impossible to spot a cheetah looking out of the back seat window of an SUV; while other animal lovers cannot have pets due to ‘no pet policies’ of rental properties or transient expat lifestyles. At the same time, animal shelters are brimming with abandoned animals every summer. Such extremes intensify empathy among the public towards abandoned and stray animals. People are more keen than ever to join and support animal welfare community groups of which there are many to choose from. Traditionally, pet food brands partner with animal welfare initiatives. However, this highly emotional and engaging topic lends itself to anyone who wants to do good and create valuable content for their social media.

Example: Food for stray dogs Pugedo Recycling Boxes are the perfect solution, that boosts recycling and feeds stray dogs at the same time. Deposit an empty water bottle into one of the machines and it instantly dispenses dog food for the strays to come by and eat. There is also a water bowl you can fill up with any excess water in your bottles.

Good Days for Strays #05

Example: Gulf News lends its pages to the

community with Save an Animal section.

Readers create awareness and call for urgent help in regards to abandoned animals.

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A Picture or a 1000 Words? #06

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They say a picture is worth a thousand words. But is it, really? Social media have trained people to consume and create content in quick snippets. The likes of buzzfeed.com and listelist.com present global or local stories in a funny, simple, and very pictorial way. No need to read, just scroll and watch. At the same time, according to Yahoo Maktoob, 25% of people in the Arab world ‘hardly ever read for personal enjoyment’. 30% of people under 25 in Jordan, Lebanon, and Algeria ‘hardly ever’ or ‘never read’. If this trend continues, imagination can slowly shrivel as people become immersed in screen technology and less interested in reading. Leaders and communities challenge the younger generation to pick up a book and read. Numerous initiatives intend to bring back the taste for reading. In UAE, 2016 was announced as the Year of Reading. How will you contribute?

A Picture or a 1000 Words? #06

Example: We Love Reading is a non-profit organization that aims to encourage children to read for pleasure by training women to read aloud to children of their neighborhood.

Example: “Write a Summary of a Book You’ve Read” is a social initiative in a form of an event where people are invited to share their thoughts on the books they’ve read. Started in Jordan with the aim to spread across the MENA region and even globally.

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In 2010 Forbes magazine said: “Many companies use employees in ads to humanize their brands in tough times.” Today it is obvious that regardless of the economic situation, brands need to become more human to get the trust and interest of their audiences. Engaging employees in brand communications is gaining popularity. And as always, the Middle East region takes it to a new dimension, literally…, by creating ‘corporate groupies’ that convey pride, togetherness and achievement. In return, both employees and consumers will expect stronger corporate responsibility, more prominent and human corporate culture, more empowered staff, faster response and more people-centric ways of doing business.

Example: Ülker, a truly national Turkish brand, celebrates its 70th anniversary with Be Happy, Make It Happy campaign involving employees: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Jypyv4wl1Y

Corporate Groupies #07

Example: RTA celebrates its 10th anniversary by saying thank you to all its employees who made the company successful throughout all these years.

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Mobile technology is blamed for ruining people’s social skills that negatively affect daily interactions and family gatherings. But the native digital generation finds a way to prove it wrong. Messaging apps are discovered as a modern alternative to a friends’ gossip or family dinner conversation. Thanks to instant and more personal group chats, uncensored updates and genuine feelings can be shared with those that really matter. To spice it up group admins find creative names for their groups. No wonder WhatsApp has become the most preferred social media in the region. According to Northwestern University, only 12% of instant messaging users do not belong to any group, while 83% are members of friends & family groups. Will brands be allowed into these closed circles of trust?

Example: Samsung built its Ramadan campaign “Hala B Hali” around users’ WhatsApp groups, reuniting families through this simple trending technology.

Circles of Trust #08

Example: A Turkish chocolate brand Caramio asked Caramio lovers to add its WhatsApp number to their private groups. In this innovative social campaign the brand got much closer to its consumers and ran fun contests among them.

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ABOUT CHEIL

Cheil Worldwide is one of the world’s largest marketing solutions companies. Established in 1973 with headquarters in Seoul, South Korea,

Cheil's global employees create ideas that move brands, products and people from 50 offices in 43 countries. Cheil delivers innovative

communications solutions that drive business results through full-service advertising capabilities and beyond, with specialties in digital,

retail and experiential marketing, as well as media services.

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To find out more about our “ideas that move”

or more info on our trendspotting & strategic tools and how it can help move your business,

log on to www.cheil.ae or contact:

Olga Kudryashova at [email protected] (UAE), Zaina Al Halabi at [email protected] (UAE), Nimati Emam at [email protected] (Levant),

Mehmet Ozkanoglu at [email protected] (Turkey).

Cheil MENA 7th trend report 2016

Marketing

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