Cars are big business, and as technology continues to permeate our lives, the auto industry is broadening its revenue base by tapping into consumers’ desire to stay connected from behind the wheel. The industry is also amplifying an array of connected car options across a swath of TV ads. And when you consider how personal a car purchase is, new connectivity features are helping automakers personalize content for everyone, from working moms in need of hands-free talk to twenty-something singles looking to score reservations at the local hotspot.

Regardless of tech preference, however, the modern car offers some form of connectivity for everyone—and that appeal is growing.In fact, of the 44% of future auto intenders who plan to purchase a new car within the next two years, 39% are very likely to purchase a connected car with built-in features. So what’s the draw? In most cases, it comes down to having what’s cool: 60% of future auto intenders say they’d like a connected car because they want to experience emerging technologies, 58% feel it will provide entertainment to passengers while on the road, and 43% say it will boost their productivity while they’re on the road.

The rise in connectivity options—whether for getting directions or checking engine diagnostics—also presents a unique opportunity for advertisers and marketers to reach consumers in the comfort of their own cockpits.

So who is the connected car user?

The study found the majority are men (58%), 42% are age 55+ and 62% have at least a college degree and 37% made more than $100,000 per year. More still, is the added convenience that connected cars can afford to drivers who spent ample time in their vehicles. In fact, 37% of connected car users say they spend 30 minutes to an hour in their cars on a regular basis.

CONNECTED SAFETY: ALERT TODAY, ALIVE TOMORROW

While money can’t always buy complete protection, connected cars can do a lot to bridge the gap. Safety is a predominant value among consumers and, as Nielsen’s study found, it’s among the highest-ranking features incentivizing them to buy a connected car. Among future intenders, 79% said they believe a vehicle’s safety features will make them feel safe. Users of connected car technologies also value crash notifications (64% very important), Internet-enabled navigation (58% very important) and safety alerts (51% very important). Connected car consumers also rated these same features as most important in their car-buying decision-making processes

HOT WHEELS: INFORMATION AND ENTERTAINMENT

But connectivity isn’t just about safety. It can be fun and informative too. In fact, according to Nielsen’s latest Music 360 report, nearly one-fourth of all music listening each week happens behind the wheel. Forty-six percent of connected car users use driving analytics, and 41% use wireless hotspots every time they’re on the road. They also connect for entertainment about one-third of the time. In Q2 2014:

36% of connected car users streamed audio every time they were in their car (36% stream regularly)

26% say they connect to the Internet every time they’re in their car (41% connect regularly)

21% use their connectivity to download media every time they’re in their car (27% do so regularly)

There is a slight gender divide when it comes to hot spot connectivity. In fact 74% of men and 84% of women whose connected cars came with built-in wireless hotspots say that using their car as a wireless hotspot is a somewhat or very important connected car technology.

Dentsu Aegis Network today announced the appointment of Koji Watanabe as Managing Director of the newly launched advertising agency, Dentsu Middle East & Africa. The launch of Dentsu MEA takes Dentsu Aegis Network MENA’s tally of brands up to six along with Carat, iProspect, Isobar, Posterscope and Vizeum. 

Reporting to Michael Nederlof, CEO of Dentsu Aegis Network MENA, Watanabe will take charge of account and product management for Dentsu’s clients in all of the 54 MEA markets and look to employ the global network’s synergies within the region. Watanabe has been with the network for over 20 years and joins Dentsu Aegis Network MENA from his native Japan, having previously spent extensive time in Dentsu Alpha in Vietnam as well as in the Philippines.

As Managing Director, Watanabe will look to expand and build Dentsu MEA’s client base, especially with Japanese clients looking to expand into the Middle East and Africa, as well as local brands in the region. The agency already has Honda as one of its clients. 

Speaking about Watanabe’s appointment, Michael Nederlof, CEO of Dentsu Aegis Network MENA said, “It was always earmarked to introduce Dentsu into the region and the agency’s offering to our clients as part of our suite of brands in the network. With Dubai’s geographical location, Dentsu Aegis Network MENA will offer Dentsu the opportunity to access Western and European markets alike. The appointment of Koji allows us to move forward in this delivery and with him he brings an abundance of experience from within our network to really add tremendous value to both new and existing clients.”

Speaking about his appointment, Koji Watanabe, Managing Director of Dentsu MEA said, “With the Middle East and Africa outpacing other regions of the world in terms of growth, it presents a fantastic opportunity for Dentsu to capitalize on both Japanese and  international brands wanting to move into the region. This, coupled with our unique business methods, will ensure we deliver unparalleled results for our clients.” 

The 2015 Dubai Lynx International Festival of Creativity continues to highlight the importance of nurturing future talent through its student competitions; The Masar Student Creative Award for Print and the Integrated Student Award. This year the competitions expand to honour the universities that support and mentor students throughout the year.

The inaugural University of the Year Competition will incorporate the results from both the Masar Student Creative Award for Print and the Integrated Student Award. Students with shortlisted and winning entries from both competitions will be awarded points for their universities. The school that accumulates the most points will be honoured as the most creative university in the MENA region.

“Providing opportunities for new talent to be exposed to today’s industry experts is vital to recruiting and retaining tomorrow’s leaders”, says Emma Farmer, Festival Director of Dubai Lynx. “Through the student creative awards young hopefuls can present their skills and gain an invaluable experience to network with top creatives at the Festival. The new University of the Year Award recognises and honours the university that best fosters and promotes the creativity of its students.”

Now in its second year, the Integrated Student Award Competition, with its chosen charity The Angel Appeal, requires entrants to promote awareness of the charity and increase the number of donors and supporters through both traditional and social media. The Angel Appeal is a project by the Mission to Seafarers which aims to improve the lives of seafarers by providing support and welfare to seafarers in the UAE. Students create an integrated campaign to build upon the current Facebook following and use two other forms of media to engage interest, direct traffic to the website and promote support and donations throughout the UAE and further afield. The competition is now open for entries and closes on 3 December 2014.

The brief for this year’s Masar Student Creative Award for Print Competition was set by chosen charity Dubai Cares. Working to improve children’s access to primary education in developing countries, Dubai Cares aims to create greater awareness of the importance of education as a solution to breaking the cycle of poverty. Students are challenged to create an advert which will increase awareness of the cause and inspire members of the UAE community to take action. The advert can be produced in both Arabic and English and should include a call to action for supporters to sign up and donate. Entrants can submit a campaign from now until 3 December 2014 via www.dubailynx.com. Commenting on Masar Printing and Publishing’s continued sponsorship of the competition, Faisal ben Haider, Executive Director of Printing and Distribution, DMI said, “We are proud to launch the 3rd edition of the Masar Student Creative Award for Print for 2015. As with the last edition we are honoured to grant students the opportunity to take advantage of the many ways that exist to explore the unfamiliar in creativity and innovation. This competition symbolises Dubai’s aspirations and vision on supporting education and creativity. Also I would like to pass this message to every participant - prepare yourself for the challenge, excitement and inspiration.”

Ramsey Naja, Chief Creative Officer, JWT MEA presides over this year’s carefully selected jury of experts from across the region, who will judge both competitions. A member of JWT’s Worldwide Creative Council, Naja has been engaged with a wide range of presenting and judging positions throughout his career.

The competitions are free to enter and open to students in full time education aged 25 years and under. Entries are currently being accepted online with a final deadline of 3 December 2014. All shortlisted submissions will be exhibited at the Dubai Lynx International Festival of Creativity, attended by industry experts and top creatives from the region. Winners will receive a ticket to the Festival, which includes the cost of flights and accommodation, along with the unique opportunity of having their skills and talent on show at the Dubai Lynx Awards Ceremony, which brings the Festival to a close on 11 March 2015. Further information, including the rules and full briefs, is available at http://www.dubailynx.com. 

Chief marketers are fast becoming expert urban planners fighting enterprise data sprawl in their digital marketing technology portfolios. They are being challenged to bring disciplined development and cross-functional harmonization to what is an ever more crowded, data-producing landscape.

A new study published today by the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) Council and Tealium, the leader in real-time unified marketing solutions, finds strong links to suggest that improved business and marketing performance are directly related to having a formal roadmap for digital marketing technology acquisition, integration and data unification. The online research is based on Q3 2014 interactions with 150 senior marketers in North America.

Entitled “Quantify How Well You Unify,” the CMO Council report explores how well chief marketers are taking ownership of digital marketingtechnology strategies and to what degree they are unifying and extracting value from multiplying customer data sources. Among the high points, the study revealed:

·Forty-two (42) percent of CMOs who own their marketing technology strategy see greater business impact than those who do not.

·Those with a formal strategy contribute more tooverall revenue and value creation. Half (50 percent) are able to achieve more targeted, efficient and relevant customer engagements, and 39 percent achieve greater return and accountability of marketing spend.

·CMOs who manage and integrate technology are achieving measurable business and operational gains. Nearly one-third (30 percent) of CMOs who say they manage and integrate technology extremely well or pretty well are seeing tangible business value, with 51 percent of those achieving greater revenue contributions.

·Those who integrate a technology strategy within their overall marketing strategy are able to achieve more personalizedcustomer interactions across channels. Fifty-nine (59) percent of those who have integrated this strategy report achieving more targeted, efficient andrelevant customer engagements.

Unfortunately, there is a need for master planning when it comes to collecting and analyzing customer-centric data sourced from websites, social networks, mobile apps, online customer communities, and other interactive, self service and self-help channels.

·Less than half (44 percent) of senior marketers surveyed say they have a formal marketing technology strategy and program to furtherbusiness goals.

·Just 16 percent of marketers report their marketing technology strategy is tightly aligned to the business strategy.

·Only 3 percent of marketers say they are doing extremely well at integrating marketing technologies across functions.

·A surprising 54 percent of marketers are not sure whether their marketing technology investments are producing tangible business value.

“While 67 percent of survey respondents believe new marketing technologies are essential or very important to overall marketinggroup performance and effectiveness, they are being held back by technologyoverload, too many data sources, and lack of strategic application and integration of disparate point solutions and data,” notes Donovan Neale-May, Executive Director of the CMO Council, an organization that represents 7,500 chief marketers in 110 countries controlling some $400 billion in aggregated annual spend.

Tealium advises chief marketers to architect a comprehensive “martech” strategy that fully integrates all digital marketing functions, data sources and customer touchpoints. By unifying siloed marketing applications, marketers have a much more robust view of their customers and can drive more personalized and impactful experiences that convert visitors into consumers.

“Most CMOs are unaware of how many digital marketing solutions they are using, and a majority have not defined a coherent and comprehensive marketing technology strategy or a path forward,” adds Tracy Hansen, Chief Marketing Officer for Tealium. “Embracing a unified marketing model generates measurable ROI and improved economics; category innovators and best-practice leaders prove this belief time and again.”

Study Observations

·Technology is now an essential part of the modern marketing strategy, but the rapid increase in technology options is causing problems—applications and customer data are more fragmented than ever.

·Most CMOs do not have an end-to-end marketing technology strategy; those who do are likely to contribute more to overall revenue, ROI, customer engagement, etc.

·CMOs who own the marketing technology strategy have greater business impact than CMOS who delegate the responsibility.

·CMOs who successfully manage and integrate technology are achieving measurable business and operational gains on theirinvestments (greater returns, smarter spend, less resources, process efficiency, speed to market, reduced costs, greater revenue, etc.).

·CMOs who are good at integrating marketing technologies are seeing better business upside (more visitors, customer acquisitions, conversions, transactions, retention, upsell/cross-sell, repeat purchase, affinity, etc.).

·CMOS who have successfully integrated their technologies are achieving measurable improvements in personalizing customer interactions and delivering better customer experiences across all digital channels.

·The most successful companies have a comprehensive marketing technology strategy and are taking steps to better deploy, manage and integrate their technologies, end-to-end.

·The most successful companies extend their marketing technology beyond marketing to include sales, product development, etc., and they generate a significantly higher business impact.

A new report by Juniper Research has forecast that more than 100 million smart watches will be in use worldwide by 2019, with a host of premium brand launches over the next 12-18 months bringing the category into mainstream consumer consciousness.

Software-driven Differentiation, with no Killer Apps in Sight

According to the report – Smart Watches: Market Dynamics, Vendor Strategies & Scenario Forecasts 2014-2019 - differentiation is now shifting from hardware towards other features that allow new capabilities, such as GPS and NFC connectivity. It argues that these functionalities are likely to become standard in the next few years, particularly as Apple has offered payment and NFC capability via the Apple Watch.

The report also claims that the range of functionality available means that it is unlikely that a ‘killer app’ for smartwatches would evolve. It cites the example of Fitbit, which grew to dominance in the fitness space with a mantra of ‘one size doesn’t fit all’, and varying device form factor. The report argues that, given the greater scope for development in smart watches, the industry should not expect a single capability to make or break the category.

Additionally, the report argues that as international vendors including Google, Apple, Sony, and LG roll out high-end products, demand for notification-based watches like the Martian Notifier will diminish, even in markets where budget pricing is the biggest purchase driver. Hence, the report says that smaller players will need to respond to increasing consumer expectations or lose further market share.

Other Key Findings Include:

•Smart watches will slowly gain more sales outlets as brands outside the technology sector, such as luxury watch maker TAG Heuer, enter the smart watch space.

•High functionality and premium branding means that the average smart watch price will remain above $200 until 2020 at the earliest.

Although they are adjacent generations, Gen Y (Millennials) and Gen Z have a number of major differences. Gen Z is a more tech-innate, connected generation - which heavily affects their communication style. This precocious cohort is more socially aware than the previous generation and more future-facing in their attitudes. Where Gen Y is thought to be selfish, and Gen X cynical, Gen Z emerges as mature and realistic. Brands will need to learn and adapt.

For Gen Z, gender roles are thought to be more fluid. Brands such as Nerf, Lego and Barbie are already capitalizing on this, offering toy products that question traditional gender models, and provide an area where girls can safely explore traditionally male toys; and GoldieBlox has been marketing science- and engineering-themed toys to girls. Their commercial, ‘The Princess Machine’, has gained attention for radically questioning ‘girl-themed’ products. And of course, P&G’s ‘Like a Girl’ campaign has been causing quite a stir in challenging damaging female stereotypes.

Here, then, are 5 ways to win with Generation Z:

1. Think Multiple

In order to engage Gen Z, brands have to go native and learn to become fluent in digital. This is a generation of digital natives. Where Millennials are using two screens on average, it is not uncommon for Gen Z-ers to make use of five separate screens at once – most commonly TV, cellphones, desktops, laptops, and portable music players.

Successful brands will need to evolve from producing few, linear stories to publishing content with multiple, live storylines told across a multitude of touchpoints. The notion of a linear customer journey is simply irrelevant in a world of fragmenting touchpoints and proliferating content.

Chipotle recently made great use of multi-channel engagement with their ‘Scarecrow’ campaign. After their first short film that began the conversation about where food comes from and how it’s produced, ‘Scarecrow’ will air the issue through multi-channel content. The campaign includes another short film, an online game and a song recorded by Fiona Apple. All link to additional content through the brand’s website.

2. Think Experiences

Brands of the future don’t just sell products, because that’s not what Gen Z wants. Liberated by technology, they create experiences that engage people in their brand world – a world where the marketing adds as much value as the product itself. Gen Z will be at the frontier of demanding more from brands.

And so if you want your brand to get more from Gen Z-ers, you’ll need to give more. You need to provide things of real value and relevance. As touchpoints fragment and competition proliferates, the brands creating the most impact make every interaction count. To do this, brands need to stop thinking about communications, and start thinking about content – content that has genuine value in people’s lives. Think Red Bull, Nike + and Fiat ecoDrive

3. Think Purpose

Because this generation is partly defined by their awareness of social and environmental issues, they seek out purpose in all that they do. So, the old model of Marketing as a One-way Street, about management and transmission, is defunct. The most successful brands for Gen Z won’t just invite consumers in, they will play a valued and valuable role in people’s lives.

And to do this they need to have an active purpose sitting right at their core, and demonstrate it through a focus on actions, not just words. With Gen Z-ers, ‘saying’ is cheap; it’s what you ‘do’ that counts. Active, purpose-driven brands place as much emphasis on brand behaviours as on communications. They recognise that when a consumer buys their product, it’s not the end of the relationship – it’s just the beginning. Think Starbucks and Dove.

4. Think Visual

With an average attention span of eight seconds, high impact visuals are the order of the day in marketing to Gen Z-ers. The recent explosion of Instagram, Pinterest and Snapchat at the expense of the previously invincible Facebook are indicative of a surge of visual culture. 54% of Gen Z-ers visit YouTube multiple times a day, which demonstrates their affinity for 4D media.

Taco Bell is currently successfully engaging youth audiences by using Instagram to tell a visual narrative of what it really means to ‘Live Más’, a great example of leveraging visual content. And the $1.65 billion Google spent on YouTube is now looking like a snip, as video content becomes the next big thing, and Vice starts to challenge CNN and BBC as digital natives’ news source of choice.

5. Think Disruption

In the past, successful brand performance was about continuity, delivering the same reliable experience time after time. But that’s at best a hygiene factor for Gen Z. To connect with this generation, brands will need to show themselves capable of re-invention, even disrupting their own models in order to stay relevant and fresh. New technologies have spawned new possibilities and as many new business models.

In many cases, this makes the old ways irrelevant, and causes category disruption impossible a few years ago – think Kodak and Instagram, Avis and zipcar, Marriott and airbnb. What’s interesting is that these disruptions don’t always come from within a category – often, they involve complete reframing of the territory by an unknown yet provocative outsider – increasingly a Gen Z start-up.5 Ways To Win With Generation Z

by strategic marketing consultancy, Added Value

Although they are adjacent generations, Gen Y (Millennials) and Gen Z have a number of major differences. Gen Z is a more tech-innate, connected generation - which heavily affects their communication style. This precocious cohort is more socially aware than the previous generation and more future-facing in their attitudes. Where Gen Y is thought to be selfish, and Gen X cynical, Gen Z emerges as mature and realistic. Brands will need to learn and adapt.

For Gen Z, gender roles are thought to be more fluid. Brands such as Nerf, Lego and Barbie are already capitalizing on this, offering toy products that question traditional gender models, and provide an area where girls can safely explore traditionally male toys; and GoldieBlox has been marketing science- and engineering-themed toys to girls. Their commercial, ‘The Princess Machine’, has gained attention for radically questioning ‘girl-themed’ products. And of course, P&G’s ‘Like a Girl’ campaign has been causing quite a stir in challenging damaging female stereotypes.

Here, then, are 5 ways to win with Generation Z:

1. Think Multiple

In order to engage Gen Z, brands have to go native and learn to become fluent in digital. This is a generation of digital natives. Where Millennials are using two screens on average, it is not uncommon for Gen Z-ers to make use of five separate screens at once – most commonly TV, cellphones, desktops, laptops, and portable music players.

Successful brands will need to evolve from producing few, linear stories to publishing content with multiple, live storylines told across a multitude of touchpoints. The notion of a linear customer journey is simply irrelevant in a world of fragmenting touchpoints and proliferating content.

Chipotle recently made great use of multi-channel engagement with their ‘Scarecrow’ campaign. After their first short film that began the conversation about where food comes from and how it’s produced, ‘Scarecrow’ will air the issue through multi-channel content. The campaign includes another short film, an online game and a song recorded by Fiona Apple. All link to additional content through the brand’s website.

2. Think Experiences

Brands of the future don’t just sell products, because that’s not what Gen Z wants. Liberated by technology, they create experiences that engage people in their brand world – a world where the marketing adds as much value as the product itself. Gen Z will be at the frontier of demanding more from brands.

And so if you want your brand to get more from Gen Z-ers, you’ll need to give more. You need to provide things of real value and relevance. As touchpoints fragment and competition proliferates, the brands creating the most impact make every interaction count. To do this, brands need to stop thinking about communications, and start thinking about content – content that has genuine value in people’s lives. Think Red Bull, Nike + and Fiat ecoDrive

3. Think Purpose

Because this generation is partly defined by their awareness of social and environmental issues, they seek out purpose in all that they do. So, the old model of Marketing as a One-way Street, about management and transmission, is defunct. The most successful brands for Gen Z won’t just invite consumers in, they will play a valued and valuable role in people’s lives.

And to do this they need to have an active purpose sitting right at their core, and demonstrate it through a focus on actions, not just words. With Gen Z-ers, ‘saying’ is cheap; it’s what you ‘do’ that counts. Active, purpose-driven brands place as much emphasis on brand behaviours as on communications. They recognise that when a consumer buys their product, it’s not the end of the relationship – it’s just the beginning. Think Starbucks and Dove.

4. Think Visual

With an average attention span of eight seconds, high impact visuals are the order of the day in marketing to Gen Z-ers. The recent explosion of Instagram, Pinterest and Snapchat at the expense of the previously invincible Facebook are indicative of a surge of visual culture. 54% of Gen Z-ers visit YouTube multiple times a day, which demonstrates their affinity for 4D media.

Taco Bell is currently successfully engaging youth audiences by using Instagram to tell a visual narrative of what it really means to ‘Live Más’, a great example of leveraging visual content. And the $1.65 billion Google spent on YouTube is now looking like a snip, as video content becomes the next big thing, and Vice starts to challenge CNN and BBC as digital natives’ news source of choice.

5. Think Disruption

In the past, successful brand performance was about continuity, delivering the same reliable experience time after time. But that’s at best a hygiene factor for Gen Z. To connect with this generation, brands will need to show themselves capable of re-invention, even disrupting their own models in order to stay relevant and fresh. New technologies have spawned new possibilities and as many new business models.

In many cases, this makes the old ways irrelevant, and causes category disruption impossible a few years ago – think Kodak and Instagram, Avis and zipcar, Marriott and airbnb. What’s interesting is that these disruptions don’t always come from within a category – often, they involve complete reframing of the territory by an unknown yet provocative outsider – increasingly a Gen Z start-up.

The relationship between companies and consumers has been radically transformed in recent years in line with the escalating number of communications channels. From the growth of social media to the latest smartphones, a multitude of technological advancements has raised both consumers’ expectations and the demands on businesses to produce the highest levels of customer service excellence.

Year on year, the world of customer service is changing. A new breed of customer has emerged – one that has a loud voice and a number of public platforms on which to make it heard. Customers are becoming more empowered by technology and driven by the immediacy it provides, and anticipate that same sense of urgency from their interactions with businesses. Whether it is to resolve a complaint, answer a query or request information, they want the quickest and most efficient resolution.

In fact, in a recent global survey, commissioned by Interactive Intelligence and administered by independent research firm, Actionable research, a timely response was ranked as the most important part of a customer service interaction. The study, which was a follow-on to a similar survey conducted in 2013, addressed two key areas, ‘what do customers want in a great service experience?’, and ‘what do customers and companies want from the technology behind that great customer experience?’. A group of global consumers were questioned, alongside a group of professionals, which included IT professionals and customer care leaders, about their customer service and technology expectations and preferences.

Evidently, for consumers around the world, the customer experience continues to gain importance and, for companies, it provides the gateway to new business and higher levels of customer loyalty. Customer service excellence directly improves sales and this sentiment was echoed in the 2014 study – with nearly half of consumers’ surveyed (45 per cent) saying they “always” or “usually” make their products or services purchasing decisions based solely on the organization’s customer service reputation.

Another key finding, perhaps unsurprising given the pace of today’s fast moving technology, is that speed is the top priority when it comes to customer service interactions. Opinions have changed in the last year regarding what each group values most in a customer service interaction, as the results from the 2013 study differed, indicating that consumers rated a ‘knowledgeable agent’ as the vital element of an interaction.

However, in terms of specific methods of communication, a phone call with an agent is still by far the most preferred channel, despite the prolific growth in availability of other methods. The results did show that although alternate channels are definitely making inroads, 61% of consumers and 56% of professionals still prefer the telephone.  The 2014 study showed that there is also an increased preference for live agent web chat and this is slowly taking over customers using email, which dropped by 4 per cent for consumers and 7 per cent for professionals compared to the previous year’s figures.

The immediacy and very public nature of social media make it an ideal target as an alternative communications method for consumers. During the past few years, businesses have been made well aware of its ramifications, and many customer service strategies have had to evolve and incorporate an element of social media. Given the global popularity of social media, the study uncovered a somewhat surprising result, as only one per cent of consumers prefer to use these social sites to interact with a company. Although, in perhaps a nod towards more people starting to adopt this as their chosen  method, the findings from the group of professionals showed they were more common users of social media, using social channels at a four per cent rate to interact with businesses. In addition, more than half of the consumers surveyed (53 per cent) said they have used, or would use, Facebook to interact with a company for customer service.

Clearly, many businesses are meeting the high requirements of their customer base, as 64 per cent of consumers reported having an exceptional, positive customer experience. The study demonstrated that word of mouth remains as strong as ever as the majority also stated that they would tell others about their positive experience, in fact, 70 per cent of them said they referred the company they had their positive experience with to their family and friends. This percentage increased in nearly every country in which the survey took place from 2013 to 2014.

When it comes to frustrations during a customer service interaction, the main annoyance reported by customers involved the agent they were speaking too. The most noted examples were not being able to understand the agent when speaking on the phone, and dealing with an agent who is condescending or demeaning, or both. Similar kinds of unprofessional behaviour had been reported during last year’s survey, and this was reflected in the 2014 study, as having a competent agent still remains the highest priority. The majority of consumers actually said they would likely seek an alternate vendor if an agent was condescending or demeaning.

Customers place a high value on their interaction with agents, particularly those who contact businesses or service providers regularly. Specific aspects of customer service rated the most important included agents who have access to the individual’s previous transaction details. This leads to speed of service, more efficient transactions and removes the need to repeat information during an interaction.

The overall results from the study suggest that the most successful contact centre operations are those that reflect the continually evolving needs of their customers. Today’s consumers take a multi-pronged approach when communicating with companies and the use of social media channels have had a dramatic impact on both the speed of the response and the way contact centres deal with customer enquiries.

One of the latest emerging trends capable of addressing many of the issues brought up in the study, with the ability to take customer service to its highest level is social routing. The new method of social routing provides the next step that contact centres need to more accurately meet their customers’ requirements with a specific and tailored approach.

As the number of alternative channels widens, social media, web chat and video chat will start to catch up with the popularity of traditional communication methods. The survey showed the increase in customer expectations, who are looking for the same level of functionality, service and interactivity for their product and service related query that they receive when buying online. One of the biggest problems is the gap between the buying experience and the support experience, and social routing could be the answer to meet this demand.

In simple terms, social routing effectively channels the customer to the most appropriate service representative in the contact centre. The consumer will be presented with agent options and will, in effect, select the best, most suitable customer service advisor themselves to address their query, complaint or information request. The power is once again handed back to the consumer.

“Whatever customer service path businesses take, the focus for the future has to mirror the behavior and opinion of its target consumers. The overall findings from the 2014 survey provide a framework of what consumers believe a superior customer experience should entail, they provide answers to many vital questions which could be used to ensure that every potential company interaction is carried out in the most intelligent way,” says Dave Paulding, Regional Sales Director, UK & Middle East, Interactive Intelligence.

Cheil MENA, part of South Korea’s largest advertising network, Cheil Worldwide, has appointed Anis Zantout as their new Regional Digital Director with immediate effect.

The senior appointment continues to illustrate Cheil’s commitment to the Middle East and North Africa and its objective to grow the advertising agency organically by working with local brands, whilst also building a regional presence for its international clients.

Award winning Zantout, will manage the growing digital department and will play a pivotal role driving new business, by developing the agency’s digital credentials to develop performance media with the rise of programmatic advertising. He will also continue the agency’s evolution into a full service offering by ensuring Cheil MENA’s digital team compliments that of the entire agency.

Zantout brings with him a wealth of experience having previously held multi-faceted roles across the MENA region with Initiative and DigitasLBi as Digital Media Director and Regional Director respectively. 

Chief Executive Officer for Cheil MENA, Keesoo Kim said: “Over recent years we have made tremendous strides in enhancing our digital capabilities. Anis’s appointment will prove to be an integral component in ensuring the agency continues to offer full integration to our clients. He brings extensive experience from within the region and under his leadership, the digital team are truly well equipped to bring our South Korean way of working, known as Tu:hon to life.”

Microsoft today announced the appointment of Sherif Tawfik as new General Manager for Microsoft in Bahrain and Oman. In this position, Sherif will be driving the new Microsoft global vision of ‘mobile first, cloud first’ to a diverse audience of enterprise customers, partners, IT professionals, developers and consumers in both countries. 

Sherif succeeds Tareq Hijazi, who has assumed the role of Regional Director for Small and Mid-market Solutions and Partners (SMS&P) organization in the Gulf. 

Commenting on the appointment of Sherif Tawfik, Samer Abu-Ltaif, Regional General Manager, Microsoft Gulf said “Sherif’s strong leadership skills and his powerful mix of experience will fuel his efforts to spearhead transformation and fuel the broader impact of Microsoft in Bahrain and Oman. His expertise will add value to our customers, providing them with strategies to enhance their productivity and do more in a mobile-first, cloud-first business environment.” He added “I am confident that in his new role, Sherif will continue to prioritize Microsoft’s real impact to support the region’s economy and workforce,  by driving existing efforts to support Small and Medium Business, tech start-ups and youth innovation through various programs. This, in addition to the ongoing commitment to support and augment the strategic partnerships with governments in key initiatives designed to boost government modernization and serve both countries’ global competitiveness agenda. ”

Prior to this role, Sherif was the Director for Solutions Sales for the Middle East and Africa region driving Microsoft’s solutions multi-billion revenue and leading an organization of 300 sales and technical specialists across a region spanning 79 countries.

Sherif is passionate about people and technology.  His track record includes pioneering several capacity building initiatives with different governments across the region aiming at improving employability and developing local talent in those countries.

“I am extremely excited to be given the opportunity to lead Microsoft in the vibrant markets of Bahrain and Oman,” commented Sherif Tawfik, General Manager of Microsoft in Bahrain and Oman. “I see great potential in those two countries driven in large by the national vision and priorities, the strong base of local talents, as well as the inclusiveness and openness of both markets,” he added. Sherif explained that one of his new role’s top priorities is to continue supporting the Governments’ national initiatives for modernisation as well building great partnership with the IT ecosystem, and bringing the latest innovation to the Bahraini and Omani markets.

Since the launch of its operation in the Kingdom of Bahrain and the Sultanate of Oman, Microsoft has been playing an important role as a technology partner in the reform process that both countries are aiming to achieve, primarily in areas like education and social development to raise the level of awareness about IT solutions and its importance in everyone’s daily lives.

ESET has achieved the highest score in the latest Parental Control test by AV-Comparatives, an independent testing authority. ESET's flagship product ESET Smart Security version 8 which was launched in the Middle East at GITEX 2014 has been rated as the best for web filtering among the 12 tested Windows Internet security suites with parental control. With heightened focus on children internet safety to coincide with European Cyber Security Month ESET through its online portal WeLiveSecurity.com is featuring videos with safety tips for parents. The latest of these highlights safer browsing on YouTube.

“ESET Smart Security achieved the highest score for an Internet security suite in our web filtering test, blocking 91% of sites overall. We found its parental controls to provide simple, easily configurable web filtering,“ stated the AV-Comparatives report.

“Safety for children in cyberspace is our priority and we are happy that independent tests of our products prove just that. However, we do not stop there. We believe that education and awareness also play a key role in safeguarding our youth against the dangers of the web. And so we are taking steps to raise awareness such as by creating content specific to child safety on WeLiveSecurity.com,” added Pradeesh VS, General Manager at ESET Middle East.