Mazen Jawad has been the CEO of Horizon Holdings for 2 years.
Quoting Crown Prince MBS “…the Middle East is the New Europe…”; we’re currently witnessing and living this transformation, that we thought was unthinkable just a while ago.”
The paradox is that this shouldn’t have been that unthinkable, especially given that Dubai had already pioneered those achievements. We’ve got history, culture, discoveries, inventions, land, wealth, youth, education, the desire, the will and the ambition to make this region a place where the world would wish and want to live, work, play and raise its next generation.
So, just imagine the ‘Never Finished’ possibilities that are already awaiting us to make those aspirations realities.
But if you want to be noticed and remembered in this fast-paced geography, make sure to be the first and the most relevant.
Narrowing our discussion to our industry, transformation here as well, is the name of the game. And as we all struggle with never-ending latest technologies and how to use these to improve performance, talent remains the biggest challenge… add to it the nationalisation of employment regulations demanded by our region’s constant evolving policies… and we end up at times with employment paralysis.
This is a challenge that needs to be solved if our ambition is to cope with the intricacies our clients are faced with, and the increasing need of experts for the various verticals we manage.
Diversity is a definite added value. You’ll get the most valuable insight about the complexity and hardship that some women endure in Egypt from an Egyptian talent. But you will definitely get the most impactful campaign that will create the desired solution from the perfect mix of people coming from around the world.
A great living example is ‘breakchain with blockchain’, the campaign that Horizon FCB developed last year. While we treated and managed the case of each woman independently, the impact of our efforts travelled through the nation and its parliament.
Although our work highlighted a societal problem, it also demonstrated the benefits of NFTs while monetising assets in the metaverse. The NFT market is expected to cross $212 billion by 2030 (source: SkyQuest Technology).
Securing assets in the metaverse can enrich you; imagine the power of benevolence as you do it while elevating others, demonstrating how technology can play a ‘humane’ role.
“Have the courage, the resilience and the culture to gather, nurture, empower and venture with passion as you work with your talent…keeping your clients happily surprisedand delighted…”
Whether we’re helping people or enriching their lives, the most efficient way to do it is through personalised communication using data, creativity and AI to bring the experience closest to the shopper and turn it into a bespoke one.
And people are happy to share more and more data about themselves only if they’re going to get an improved and easier shopping experience or a discount.
There is so much to be said about how the relentless evolution in targeting technology is impacting the media industry. I will however restrict my feedback to the current rush by media agencies, digital and e-commerce platforms to invest in ramping up their AI capabilities to further improve their understanding about consumers behaviour, and use this knowledge to enhance the engagement level and performance of clients’ campaigns.
Transformation will not only impact the way we live in our region and the product of our industry, but also drive the redesign of our staff architecting and saving approach as off shoring and AI are already in motion, and will keep evolving in identifying new ways to unleash creativity fueled by diversity, data and technology.
Our region has always been geo-politically shaken and despite this fact, we’re already on the path to become the ‘New Europe’. The threats may still be surrounding us, however opportunities surely lay on our horizon.
Have the courage, the resilience and the culture to gather, nurture, empower and venture with passion as you work with your talent… while keeping your clients happily surprised and delighted with constant new, unique, creative and relevant experiences… and all roads shall lead to our ‘New and Never Finished Middle East’.
“Everything you can imagine is real” Pablo Picasso.
