Welcome to INNOVATE MENA, a monthly collection of industry related News, Case Studies, Media & Technology updates and emerging Trends designed to help inspire our everyday thinking.

CONTENT:

1. In 2017 Talent Acquisition will be Priority in MENA2. Snapchat Ads Averaging 3 seconds a view3. Last Seen Online-A Real-Time Story4. Prynt 2.0 the Next Generation Polaroid5. Amazon Pioneering the Future of Shopping6. Extra Brings Back Your Childhood with their Tree House in

Dubai7. Nike’s Cheeky ‘Time is Precious’ Ad8. Mobile Path-to-Purchase in Saudi Arabia9. A Compilation of 2016 Christmas Ads10. YouTube Rewind- Relive 2016’s Most Viral Content

In 2017 Talent Acquisition will be Priority in MENAArabian Marketer published an article, “Talent Acquisition Will Continue To Be Key Priority For MENA In 2017” where LinkedIn studied the recruitment market and explains how recruiters will be focused on quality of hires. LinkedIn’s report revealed that operations, sales and engineering will be the highest priority roles to fill in 2017.

Some noteworthy trends that will define recruiting in MENA next year include: 1) “MENA business will continue to use social professional networks such as LinkedIn to identify and hire new talent...”; 2) “ The bulk of the team’s budget goes to more traditional tactics like posting jobs”; 3) “Automation, customer relationship management tools for recruiting and soft skills assessments will define the future of recruiting”

Some marketers are not very pleased with the viewability numbers for ads on Snapchat- video ads on the app are viewed for an average of 3 seconds. Video ad lengths were a concern when Snapchat introduced their commercial formats because of the ability to skip through them- one can simply tap to watch the next piece of content since ads play among personal videos.

Marketers begin to questions whether this is enough time to captivate their audience? Ad Age mentioned that one top advertiser said, “we still buy it, and are figuring it out” even though users watch ads for 2.5-2.8 seconds. Even though much of Snapchat's ad formats are still experimental, marketers who have bought ads on their space said that it compares favorably to Facebook thus far.

Snapchat Ads Averaging 3 seconds a view

Last seen online is an online app that tell a story in real-time through a messenger app. Users can download the app and follow the story media and messages sent in real time over the course of 7 days. The story revolves around a girl who goes missing after a night out with friends- users follow the story though a messenger-style experience where voice notes, videos, messages are exchanged.

Last Seen Online-A Real-Time Story

Click here for more details

Prynt 2.0 the Next Generation Polaroid Prynt reinvents the instant photography experience by not only allowing users to print their photos but also to rewatch the recorded moment from when that photo was taken- they created AR moments. When users take a photo in the app, followed by a video, they can then hold the camera over the photo and can see it coming back to life through Augmented Reality.

Amazon plan to open a store where customers can pick up groceries and walk out of the store- no checkout counter is required and all purchases are automatically billed to customers’ accounts. The store is currently open to Amazon staff but will be made available to the public next year. Internal documents were leaked suggesting 2,000 stores could be opened across the US.

The retail giant is evolving their grocery delivery service by creating the most advanced shopper technology yet. This move can easily and quickly transform retail as we know it.

Amazon Pioneering the Future of Shopping Click here for more infor

Extra Brings Back Your Childhood with their Tree House in DubaiIn their new campaign for Extra Bubblemint, Wrigley built one of our favorite childhood dreams in Dubai’s Deira Creek Park- they built a cottage style tree house. As adults entered this childhood fantasy they would not only see ‘old school’ toys, but they also saw a huge pile of gum… Extra Bubblemint gum.

This large scale activation under ‘The Taste of Childhood’ tagline, allowed adults who were passing by to relive their childhood memories and fantasies. The activation truly managed to give people an experience they would never forgot. Such a simple idea that was executed so perfectly.

Nike’s new campaign points out some witty observations regarding time spent binge watching, living online, scrolling through news feeds and more. They not just point it out but they also state that all this could be replaced by getting out and running.

Nike’s Cheeky ‘Time is Precious’ Ad

Mobile Path-to-Purchase in Saudi ArabiaOn Device Research has launched a path-to-purchase tracker where planning implications have been explored. The survey is conducted on a quarterly basis with 500 Saudi smartphone users.

The aim is to unpick how mobile fits into the purchase funnel, and provides recommendations for brands and marketers.

Click here to see the full report

A Compilation of 2016 Christmas Ads

Apple- Frankie’s Holiday John Lewis- #BusterTheBoxer Marks & Spencers- Christmas with love from Mrs. Claus

Heathrow airport- Coming home for Christmas

YouTube Rewind- Relive 2016’s Most Viral ContentYouTube celebrates the people, videos, music, movement and trends that made 2016 by recreating them in one video mashup. The video is a recap of this year’s viral videos and trends and features the actual creators.