Socialize has strengthened its strategy team by appointing Ailidh Smylie as Strategy Director and Shivani Kulshrestha as Strategist.
Smylie was previously Senior Account Director at Socialize, leading the Volkswagen & General Mills business, while Kulshrestha was account lead for Switz and Mediclinic.
Ailidh Smylie, Strategy Director, Socialize, said: “To truly understand people, we need to see the world through their eyes. We need to know what drives them, what makes them tick – before we even begin to understand how a brand can play a role in their coveted life.
“Gone are the days where global strategies could be copy pasted into our market. Consumers’ lives are dramatically impacted by the cultures they grew up in – and there’s nowhere (or no one!) quite like the Middle East’s hyper-charged, socially savvy consumer. Our audiences are all totally unique.
“As marketers, we all have access to the same consumers – but our understanding of them, their culture and their social interactions – that’s what sets a brand apart. That’s how every piece of work, or every relationship we have begins – with social thinking at the centre of everything we do. We may just be launching our strategy department now, to address the growing need of strategic planning in our region, but the core purpose of Socialize has not changed; to connect people with brands in a meaningful way.”
Shivani Kulshrestha, Strategist, Socialize, said: “Whilst strategy has always played a role in our client work, COVID-19 has kicked marketers (client & agency-side) across the region into deeply thinking about the purpose of their advertising. We’ve seen a significant shift in interest in terms of output quantity (number of posts) to quality (purpose of posts); and that’s exactly what our department does, understanding the best way to engage your audience before you even speak to them – what we call, ‘the bit before”.
