The Covid-19 crisis has brought many changes to our lives. Steps that some business leaders requested for years, such as incorporating a remote-work option to enhance employees’ work-life balance, took effect without a trial period.
Overnight, our strategies and business leadership were put to the test. Over the past few months, we have seen some businesses become innovation pioneers while others have been exposed for their lack of a proper crisis management plan.
Content marketing is a way to humanise your brand and share useful information without advertising directly.
One area of business affected heavily by the crisis has been marketing. We've had a rise in requests for new digital strategies from our clients, that want changes rolled out quickly. Those who were once sceptical of digital marketing now want to take advantage of the increasing amount of time consumers are spending online.
While digital marketing is now the king of the industry, it’s also changing the sector's future landscape. Here's what marketers need to prepare for next:
More time online is here to stay
Global social media usage increased 21 per cent this year, according to data from Statista. This includes a 14 per cent rise in audiobook consumption and a 36 per cent increase in news consumption. People are spending more time online, and I don’t believe these figures will drop after the crisis. Users are realising the potential of video, online events, and working remotely, and some elements of our quarantine behaviour will be carried forward.
Content is the future
With more people tuned in online, marketers are resorting to digital solutions to reach their customers, advertising on social media channels and through social media influencers. We are also seeing more content marketing, with companies sharing relevant information and building trust with their consumers.
A pharmacy chain in Saudi Arabia adopted a new advertisement approach during Ramadan which focused entirely on content marketing. During one-minute television advertisements, they shared tips on how to wash your hands properly and protect yourself against Covid-19. They didn’t advertise a single product throughout the Holy Month.
Content marketing is a way to humanise your brand and share useful information without advertising directly. If you are managing a bank, your content marketing strategy could discuss tips on how to save more money, or how to start your dream business. Content is produced by adopting your target audience’s voice and tone. By sharing content that is relevant to your clients, you can keep them interested so that they also tune in when you have a new product or service to promote.
Seventy per cent of consumers prefer to get to know a brand through content rather than advertisements, a 2015 white paper from Northeast Ohio Media Group found. This type of marketing can also boost social traffic to your pages organically, as clients share the conversation on your behalf. Think about what your brand could bring to the table.
It’s not just about you
Consumers are intelligent and support brands that care about their employees and their communities. When the Covid-19 crisis first hit, several social media users urged others to boycott an online retailer that wasn’t providing protective gear to their staff at the production factory.
The pandemic has shed more light on working conditions, how companies take of their teams and the importance of supporting businesses that give back to the community. This conversation is likely to carry on, and with the ease of exchanging information online, consumers can quickly find out which companies support a larger cause.
Make sure your customers know about your culture, how you take care of your employees and how you do your part to sustain the environment or support the community. Now is the time to implement a corporate social responsibility strategy for the long term.
Hopefully, our working lives will return to a 'new normal' soon. In the meantime, however, how brands market themselves will take a more indirect and native approach with content at its core. Speak your customers’ language, be relevant and give back to the community.
Manar Al Hinai is an award-winning Emirati journalist and entrepreneur, who manages her marketing and communications company in Abu Dhabi
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
Armies of Sand
By Kenneth Pollack (Oxford University Press)
Email sent to Uber team from chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi
From: Dara
To: Team@
Date: March 25, 2019 at 11:45pm PT
Subj: Accelerating in the Middle East
Five years ago, Uber launched in the Middle East. It was the start of an incredible journey, with millions of riders and drivers finding new ways to move and work in a dynamic region that’s become so important to Uber. Now Pakistan is one of our fastest-growing markets in the world, women are driving with Uber across Saudi Arabia, and we chose Cairo to launch our first Uber Bus product late last year.
Today we are taking the next step in this journey—well, it’s more like a leap, and a big one: in a few minutes, we’ll announce that we’ve agreed to acquire Careem. Importantly, we intend to operate Careem independently, under the leadership of co-founder and current CEO Mudassir Sheikha. I’ve gotten to know both co-founders, Mudassir and Magnus Olsson, and what they have built is truly extraordinary. They are first-class entrepreneurs who share our platform vision and, like us, have launched a wide range of products—from digital payments to food delivery—to serve consumers.
I expect many of you will ask how we arrived at this structure, meaning allowing Careem to maintain an independent brand and operate separately. After careful consideration, we decided that this framework has the advantage of letting us build new products and try new ideas across not one, but two, strong brands, with strong operators within each. Over time, by integrating parts of our networks, we can operate more efficiently, achieve even lower wait times, expand new products like high-capacity vehicles and payments, and quicken the already remarkable pace of innovation in the region.
This acquisition is subject to regulatory approval in various countries, which we don’t expect before Q1 2020. Until then, nothing changes. And since both companies will continue to largely operate separately after the acquisition, very little will change in either teams’ day-to-day operations post-close. Today’s news is a testament to the incredible business our team has worked so hard to build.
It’s a great day for the Middle East, for the region’s thriving tech sector, for Careem, and for Uber.
Uber on,
Dara
Tips to stay safe during hot weather
- Stay hydrated: Drink plenty of fluids, especially water. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, which can increase dehydration.
- Seek cool environments: Use air conditioning, fans, or visit community spaces with climate control.
- Limit outdoor activities: Avoid strenuous activity during peak heat. If outside, seek shade and wear a wide-brimmed hat.
- Dress appropriately: Wear lightweight, loose and light-coloured clothing to facilitate heat loss.
- Check on vulnerable people: Regularly check in on elderly neighbours, young children and those with health conditions.
- Home adaptations: Use blinds or curtains to block sunlight, avoid using ovens or stoves, and ventilate living spaces during cooler hours.
- Recognise heat illness: Learn the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke (dizziness, confusion, rapid pulse, nausea), and seek medical attention if symptoms occur.
If you go
The Flights
Emirates and Etihad fly direct to Johannesburg from Dubai and Abu Dhabi respectively. Economy return tickets cost from Dh2,650, including taxes.
The trip
Worldwide Motorhoming Holidays (worldwidemotorhomingholidays.co.uk) operates fly-drive motorhome holidays in eight destinations, including South Africa. Its 14-day Kruger and the Battlefields itinerary starts from Dh17,500, including campgrounds, excursions, unit hire and flights. Bobo Campers has a range of RVs for hire, including the 4-berth Discoverer 4 from Dh600 per day.
Zayed Sustainability Prize
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
MATCH INFO
Champions League quarter-final, first leg
Tottenham Hotspur v Manchester City, Tuesday, 11pm (UAE)
Matches can be watched on BeIN Sports
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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