a Issue 4 2015-Q2

The Choueiri Group Newsletter | April- June 2015 - Issue 4
‫خبارنا‬
INAUGURATING
CHOUEIRI GROUP’S
HUMAN RESOURCES
DEPARTMENT
• WEDDINGS • NEWBORNS • AND SO MUCH MORE
The Choueiri Group Newsletter | 2015
‫خبارنا‬
Pierre’s
Welcome
Dear Family,
at recapping
a’s 4th edition, which does a great job
I am very pleased to present Khbarn
2015).
the last three months (April – June,
ss objectives
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ship of the prestigious Cannes Lions
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As we move steadily into the Ramada
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and upcoming holiday period
and
at
ly hope that everyone has a gre
revitalizing summer.
khbarna BUSINESS
Have your say!
khbarna PERSONAL
khbarna SOCIAL
Got an idea or opinion realated to our Newsletter? Email: [email protected]
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khbarna BUSINESS
DMS PARTNERS WITH AOL, EUROSPORT ARABIA
AND SECURES OTHER NEW APPOINTMENTS TO
BROADEN ITS PORTFOLIO
Aligned with its ongoing growth and expansion
plans, DMS benefited from the addition of the
following strategic assets to its portfolio of premium
online offerings:
AOL’s “BeOn” (May 10, 2015): As
part of AOL, BeOn is a branded
entertainment platform which
brings together content production,
syndication and real-time insights to provide
advertisers with an end-to-end platform for longform branded content across all devices.
DMS FOCUSES ON INSIGHTS AND
EFFECTIVENESS
Committed to providing both clients and
consumers with the best products and insights
available in the market, DMS went ahead with
two major initiatives focused on strengthening
its data and insights capabilities:
Launch of “Kameleon” (June 4, 2015): As DMS’
native advertising engine, Kameleon supplements
DMS’ value proposition by lending the Company
the ability to launch much more effective and
efficient native experiences, which are wellbranded and at scale.
Conducting Ramadan Research (June 4,
2015): The CG Data Science team working in
collaboration with several publishers, enabled
DMS to share interesting Ramadan consumer
insights, encompassing 35 properties (From
within DMS’ portfolio) across the MENA region.
Arabia.eurosport.com (July, 2015):
The leading international sports
resource, focused on infusing
global sport credibility with local
sports expertise. Now benefits from an all-new
and larger editorial team, which brings with it
international know-how and is setting new plans
in place to oversee the upcoming revamp of the
website.
Tahrirnews.com (June 1, 2015):
Re-launched in 2014 as the region’s
first and largest integrated news
room, currently ranks in the Top10 websites in Egypt (Twitter, Facebook and SMS
community in excess of 2 million).
Supermama.me (June 1, 2015):
Premium
content
targeting
mothers, covering all possible needs through
different life phases.
Mawdoo3.com (June 11, 2015): The
largest online Arabic encyclopedia,
written by experts. The platform
is a reference resource, which helps millions of
people to answer questions, solve problems and
learn something new, with expert content featured
in a simple and easy to understand format.
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khbarna BUSINESS
LAHA MAGAZINE LAUNCHES AUGMENTED REALITY APPLICATION
Middle East Media Services FZLLC
MEMS witnessed the launch of Laha
Magazine’s
pioneering
“Augmented
Reality” Application, in conjunction
with the publication’s May 27, 2015
issue. The App delivered a new world
of entertainment as Augmented Reality
added a touch of magic to print, by making
images enhanced with digital content go
beyond the page and what was visible
to the reader. This was accomplished by
easily placing links, videos, slideshows and
more on top of everyday print material.
The Laha AR logo was placed on the
augmented advertisements or content
inside the Magazine, which helped inform
the readers that the respectively marked
page was augmented. This breakthrough
platform technology is shortly being
finalized for other media partners on
the MEMS portfolio, including Al Hayat
Newspaper, Jamalouki Magazine, Al Bayan
Newspaper and Emarat Al Yaum.
Welcome aboard
George Jean Spir
Sales executive
Aligned with the Group’s ongoing growth and expansion plans,
recruitment continued across many Choueiri Group companies. Please
join us in extending a warm welcome to our new colleagues:
LLC
Esber Al Nachar
Sales executive
FZLLC
Jad Chartouni Laila Chehayber Tamara Kobaissi Information Security Manager - IT Department
Digital Marketing Manager - Marketing Department
Senior Event Executive - Marketing Department
Zyad Fouad Senior Editor
Edouard Griveaud
Head of Eurosport Arabia
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khbarna BUSINESS
W
E
I
V
T
R
O
H
S
E
TH
It’s all about music…
How streaming is shaking the world of music and…
advertising
Depending on how old you are, your first experience in
consuming your own music content must have been:
• Vinyls (you probably have grey hair by now)
• Magnetic tapes (remember those?)
• CDs (some of us still buying them)
• Downloading music files from the internet, first
onto your MP3 / iPod device, then directly onto
your phone
• Streaming, which is now becoming the
primary way of consuming music for a connected
population
The emergence of each new medium always meant bad
news for the previous ones (come on, who amongst
us still has a Sony Walkman or portable CD player?.
Today, the emerging global streaming leaders (Spotify,
Deezer), together with some regional ones (such
as Anghami in the Middle East), are posing a major
threat to online music stores such as Apple’s i-Tunes or
Amazon and the giants are striking back. Just to name
2 major names:
• At the end of June, Apple is launching its music
streaming service in 100 countries (for a $9.99
average monthly subscription)
• Google is counter-attacking by launching a
free version of its own music streaming service
(supported by advertising) etc.
Most music streaming platforms work on a freemium
model, where basic content is paid by advertising,
whilst premium functionalities are available at a cost.
As their audience is booming everywhere, advertisers
will for sure follow closely how market shares between
streaming players are moving over the coming months.
Facts and figures
Mobile advertising spend in the U.S. jumps 76%
Mobile advertising is now ahead of Ad banners
spend. Overall, the US digital advertising
market is still growing 16% Y-O-Y, narrowing
the gap with television.
$350 Million
This is the amount being raised by David
Jones, the former CEO of Havas, to invest
into the marketing and advertising tech
sector. The new venture will compete against
the big advertising giants (WPP, Omnicom,
Publicis…) and look for innovative models in
different areas (programmatic, social media,
multichannel networks, etc...)
Global moves
Google throws a lifeline to print
After testing the idea in France, Google is
creating with 8 major European newspapers
(FT, Guardian, Die Zeit, El Pais…) a fund that
will help players from the print industry to
migrate to digital. Google will contribute
more than $150Million cash to support the
most innovative and audacious projects, and
probably not by pure charity.
Apple News hires its journalists
Apple News will be launched with the release
of IOS 9 this fall. It will aggregate content from
various publishers, with whom advertising
revenues will be shared. Rather than relying
on algorithms, like Google News does, Apple
is recruiting dozens of experienced journalists,
who will select the most compelling stories for
its news portal.
How Taylor Swift is shaking Apple
Artists are now inviting themselves into the streaming revolution, which will
probably change how revenues are split between music creators, labels and
distributors. Whilst streaming is increasing consumption globally, singers are
complaining about the low level of monetization offered by advertising, and are
trying to secure a higher share of the total pie for themselves.
After lambasting Spotify earlier this year, Taylor Swift just stood up as the artists’
spokesperson again: “We don’t ask you for free iPhones. Please don’t ask us to
provide you with our music for no compensation”, she said in a letter to Apple.
Apple aims to please Taylor, apparently: the company finally agreed that, during
the 3 month free trial period for its new streaming service, it will pay the artists
out of its own expense account.
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khbarna PERSONAL
Nuptials&
New Borns
Happily ever after
Please join us in congratulating
all staff members who exchanged
marriage vows, as well as those
who were blessed with new
additions to their families.
Myra El Khoury
(CG, Dubai)
& Dani Sarji.
14-04-2015
Rana El Khoury
(CG, Dubai) Baby
Girl – Adriana
Christina
02-04-2015
Mathieu Yarak
(CG, Dubai)
& Chaza Abdallah
21-06-2015
Julien El Anati
(DMS, Dubai)
Baby Girl – Ivy
13-04-2015
Michel Chahda
(MEMS, Dubai)
Baby Girl – Gia
24-04-2015
Halim Sader
(AMS, Dubai)
& Janina Leontschuk
11-06-2015
Yves Waked
(MEMS, Jeddah)
Baby boy – Kevin
04-05-2015
Patrick Chucri
(AMS, Dubai)
Baby Boy – Noah
05-05-2015
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khbarna SOCIAL
Senior Delegation from Dar Al Yaoum
visits the Choueiri Group Building
A senior delegation from Dar Al Yaoum (MEMS’ long standing
media partners) visited the Choueiri Group HQ Building in
knowledge Village – DMC on May 6th, for a tour of the offices.
Dar Al Yaoum’s senior management team were welcomed
by Choueiri Group’s Chairman and CEO, Pierre Choueiri. The
welcoming committee together with Mr. Choueiri escorted
their guests on an extensive tour of the offices, making brief
visits to all Choueiri Group companies, to meet with the Group’s
various company and department heads. The visit concluded
with Mr. Choueiri handing over commemorative gift items to
the entire delegation, to mark the occasion.
CG Racing completes round 2 with top
honors in Pro, Corporate and Nations
Cup Categories
Round 2 of the 2015 Kartdrome Endurance Championship
driven by Mini, held on May 1-2, witnessed all 4 CG Racing
teams lining up on the starting grid at 9 pm on Friday to take
on the 600 laps challenge. CG Racing Pro ended up placing
in a solid and close chase of the lead takers and came in less
than a minute (57.172 seconds) short to secure the runners
up 2nd place trophy in the Pro Category. CG Racing Pro’s quest
to the finish line was not helped by a late pit stop penalty, but
they battled it out right to the very end. On the Corporate
Category front, a very well-deserved run witnessed CG Racing
1 being awarded the Corporate Category top placement and
the #1 Nations Cup. CG Racing 1 started from pole position
and ended third overall. Sister corporate category team
CG Racing 2 also accomplished a steady performance and
claimed the 3rd place Corporate Category spot.
Northeastern University students visit
Choueiri Group
The MBA Class from Boston’s Northeastern University visited
the Choueiri Group Building on May 19th, to attend a brief
speaking engagement with Choueiri Group’s Chairman and
CEO, Pierre Choueiri. The students along with accompanying
faculty were treated to Mr. Choueiri’s presentation, sharing his
own journey of entrepreneurship and that of the Group.
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khbarna SOCIAL
DMS serve as Strategic Sponsors of
ArabNet Digital Summit 2015
DMS served as Strategic Sponsors of ArabNet Digital
Summit 2015 which kicked off on May 27-28, at Atlantis
the Palm in Dubai. The conference drew in more than 1,000
participating digital professionals, entrepreneurs, startups,
advertising agencies, and media, along with its 110
international and regional expert speakers, and 90 sponsors
and partners. It aimed to build bridges between the MENA
region and the world; enabling the region to stay on top
of the latest business evolutions and connect with key
industry leaders. DMS’ COO, Michel Malkoun; Deputy COO,
Rami Saad; as well as the Company’s Yield & Programmatic
Director, Daniel Young all featured prominently as Speakers
or Panelists at the conference.
MEMS and Laha Magazine – Gold
Sponsors of Arab Luxury World
MEMS aligned with its media partner Laha Magazine, which
participated as a Gold Sponsor of the Mediaquest organized
“Arab Luxury World” event, featured prominently at the
conference on the business of luxury in the Middle East, which
took place on June 1-2, at The Westin Dubai Mina Seyahi Beach
Resort and Marina in Dubai. The event witnessed an assembly of
intellectuals, businessmen, retailers, designers, manufacturers,
entrepreneurs, industry experts and high-net-worth individuals
coming together to discuss the challenges, opportunities and
potential of the premium and ultra-premium goods market. The
conference aimed to provide insights into the luxury sector of this
region and provide industry insiders a platform where they can
openly discuss and explore business opportunities.
Digital Tuesday hosted in partnership
with DMS
In Partnership with DMS, “Digital Tuesday” - powered by
Cristal Events, was successfully held on both the 5th of
May and the 2nd of June at Lila Café. The first session
was centered on the theme of “Big Data Revolution” and
witnessed many expert speakers addressing a strong
gathering of industry stakeholders. Choueiri Group’s Chief
Marketing Officer Walid Yared was present at the event,
along with Choueiri Group’s Head of Data Science, Youmna
Borghol, who featured prominently with a presentation
titled “ Big Data’s New Chapter”. The session on June 2
which was themed “Branded Content and Storytelling”
also witnessed a large turnout at the same venue, with
many speakers, including DMS’ Senior Executive, Ramy
Kassis, who took the audience through an insightful
presentation titled “When Content Meets Distribution”.
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khbarna SOCIAL
Dubai shines on the 2015 SWS Grand
Finals winner’s podium for the 2nd
year in a row
Reflecting on Dubai and the Dubai Kartdrome’s rise to the
top of the global endurance karting scene, CG Racing teams
once again placed-in a spectacular winning performance at
the 2015 SWS Endurance Grand Finals in France (June 4-6),
with CG Racing Pro winning the 3rd place standing. This year
marked CG Racing’s 3rd qualification into the SWS Grand
Finals and their second consecutive year receiving top podium
honors. It follows their marginal near miss (by 3.146 seconds)
of the podium’s topmost position last year, which earned them
their Vice World Champions title.CG Racing Pro managed to
power ahead of the majority of the world-class competition
on the track and shared its final lap with the winners of the
championship - The Italian outfit Pastino Veneto Corse. Sister
team CG Racing 1 finished 21st out of the forty teams selected
to compete at this year’s Grand Finals. The 280 drivers
who entered this year, qualified from among the 30,000
participants in the SWS worldwide. The finalists represented
no less than 26 countries from 38 SWS championships and
five continents…which constitutes a record.The 2015 SWS
Grand Finals in Paris marked the culmination of the worldwide contest that ran throughout the 2014 season, with the
top teams from the 15 participating nations qualifying for the
honor of racing at the annual event.
Choueiri Group Human Resources
Polices Presentation
Choueiri Group’s newly established Human Resources Department
led by the Group’s Human Resources Director, Sandra Choueiri,
invited all staff members to attend the Group’s first Human
Resources Policies Presentation. The highly informative session
took place at Sofitel Dubai the Palm Resort and Spa on Thursday,
June 11th, with all attendees being welcomed into the venue by
2:30 pm, and the presentation starting promptly at 3 pm.
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khbarna SOCIAL
Choueiri Group 2nd time Official
Partners of the
Cannes Lions
Festival
Choueiri Group for the second
year in a row, became an
Official Partner of the Cannes
Lions International Festival of
Creativity, held from June 2127 at the Palais des Festivals.
The global event promoted
creativity as the driving force
for business, for change and
for good and aimed to inspire
creative bravery that changes
the course of communications.
The festival culminated with
an awards evening, which set
the global benchmark for what
good creative looks like.
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