YouTube has no prime time as on TV – or rather, any time on YouTube is Prime Time. As a digital agency in Dubai, we see this as a high impact opportunity for marketers and brands. YouTube in our region is offering embedded video content on the home page ad format – with an average interaction rate of 15% – which is huge. This will encourage high Click Through rates and drive results. YouTube says that viewers are 437% more likely to engage in a key brand activity as a result of the home page ad format!

YouTube stats released by Google assure us that users seeing the homepage ads between two to three times interacted twice as much with the brand. All home page ads come with an automatic upgrade to a brand channel as well as a mobile brand channel – helping the brand’s home on all screens. The homepage ads on YouTube come in three formats: Premium, Expandable and Mobile, with a value add of brand channel and mobile brand page as well. Brand channels are also available with interactivity buttons.

Standard format homepage ads for the UAE cost around $15,000 for 800,000 estimated impressions, while KSA has an offering of 2.500,000 impressions for $43,000.

A Google study also reveals interesting daily viewing trends – with KSA peaking on Thursday, while viewership in the UAE peaked on Fridays. YouTube is everywhere in our region. Globally, YouTube has over 4 billion views per day with 600 million viewed on mobile. It is the 3rd largest site on the internet.

At Innovations_Digital, a digital and interactive full service agency in Dubai, we can help with planning content and planning your brand’s YouTube media planning. Innovations_Digital is part of UM, one of the largest communications planning agencies in the MENA region. Drop us a line at info@innovationsdigital.com for more information on how we can help you create better impact using YouTube’s high-visibility ad formats on the home page.

These were genuine bits of news that just exploded via social. There were some bits of news that spread, that quite didn’t happen. Like the almost daily claims on social that Colonel Gaddafi had died. Had been shot. Killed himself. Been taken prisoner. Been abducted. Until of course he really was shot. And, that too was instantly on YouTube.

While tv is still the leading medium for news (specially in our region here in the Middle East), newspapers come second, but social media is ranked third. Ahead of radio or any other mediums. On social, facebook seems to be the number one sourse, twitter ranks 2nd, YouTube 3rd and Google 4th. These are the new channels of our day.

At Innovations_Digital, we work closely with major brands to help socially shape their news. Brands today have to be careful, because the mic is in the hands of the people. Socially, one tweet, one facebook post can create quite a problem for brands if they are negative. And, of course, gather up huge positive momentum to a campaign if they are positive. The trick is in monitoring what is being said about your brand in the social sphere, responding promptly and with respect, knowing and understanding public sentiment, and engaging in the right dialog on a continuum.

If you are looking for help with your brand’s social image, monitoring brand related news, or managing your social content, please drop us a mail at info@innovationsdigital.com

The Sephora Middle East facebook page was launched with support from an exciting promotional campaign that had a lucky draw with prizes every day for fans. On some days, the page had more than a thousand “Likes”. On April 1, 2012, Sephora’s brand page switched to the new timeline format – allowing for even more fan interaction. The “Talking About This” factor was as high as around 7000. This unusually high engagement factor was a reflection of the excitement that launching the Sephora Middle East page caused in the region, as well as the interesting, friendly and engaging content that the agency posted every day.

Posts on the page vary every day from fan polls, Q&As, interesting stye tips, product info and special fan offers, and useful “how-to-best-use-this-product” ideas.

Innovations works closely with the brand’s marketing team led by Rana ElDibs, and including Tigui Conte (who drives the brand’s facebook initiatives) and Yasmeen Derhally. Sephora Middle East have stores across the region in the UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, and the KSA.

You should NOT have any references to Facebook User Interface elements such as “Like” or “Share”. You cannot also have any reference to any Facebook site features in there (polls, etc).

Do NOT put any price or discount related information like a coupon, or say “25% OFF FOR ALL FANS” on the cover photo.

NO CONTACT or link info is allowed on the cover photo. So, don’t put any web adresses, link info, contact info, email addresses, web addresses, etc. That stuff goes on the About Us section.

No CALL TO ACTION such as “Share This”, “Tell a Friend” or “Get it Today”.

Finally, do make sure you own the image itself, or at least have the rights to it. Size is always 851 x 315 pixels.

And here are the sizes for all images that go on Facebook brand pages:

• Cover photo: 851 x 315
• Profile picture: 180 x 180
• Thumbnail image for apps: 111 x 74
• Highlighted & milestone images: 843 x 403
• Images within wall posts display as 404 x 404.

At Innovations_Digital, a digital marketing agency in Dubai, we work closely with our client’s brands to deliver engaging and endearing Facebook brand experiences. Please drop us a line at info@innovationsdigital.com if you would like to know more about how we can work together.

An easy way to keep tab of the Facebook guidelines is to bookmark this page!

Essentially, any CMS should
– allow for controlled and well managed data input towards building a system
– allow multiple number of people across pre-set levels to share and make inputs
– facilitate proper storage, retrieval and managing of information
– make the process of information input simple and easy

There are several kinds of CMS – namely Enterprise (ECMS) which helps build information towards an organizational process, Component (CCMS) – which simplifies storage, retrieval and management of data and information and Web Content CMS which is an application that helps create, store, manage and upload content on to web pages.

For marketers today, Web CMS is probably the most talked about topic. Most brand managers come to digital agencies and ask for “a website that uses CMS” hoping that the CMS will give them full control of maintenance down stream. Agencies on the other hand, often dislike using CMS platforms because a lot of them are restrictive. Most good CMS packages are built towards allowing for website content managing by the “non-digital” people on “brand side”. It’s basically for authoring, managing and updating content without having to understand or know programming and markup languages (like HTML).

Most CMS use a database to store information that goes on web pages, to store metadata (information about the page that makes finding it on search engines easy), provides easy to use templates for formatting the content, and simplifies the whole process. It also ideally allows for version controlling, which helps updating and maintaining multiple chronological updates in sequence.

CMS usually has quite a few advantages. It’s often seen as a “one-time” build cost, and a key to freedom from expensive “content update and maintenance contracts”.

A lot of CMS platforms (or the core engines) are free or open source. Digital agencies then go on to customize the packages for their clients. Some of these include Drupal, Joomla, WordPress, TYPO3 etc. The agency usually creates standardized layouts – therefore developing “themes” that the end-user utilizes rather than design from fresh. CMS is built for non-techies, so simplicity of design even at the admin levels (for the brand side people) at the User Interface level is key. And best of all, a good CMS allows for managing content – with publication standards that define who, when, where content is published.

A CMS can be used for developing websites, e-commerce sites, micro sites, intranets, portals and more. Very simply, it’s an online tool that helps in managing and collaborating with a team on how text, photos, music, videos, documents etc can be uploaded and maintained on a brand’s website.

As a digital and interactive agency in Dubai, at Innovations Digital we are often approached by clients to discuss their needs for a CMS-driven website. We usually discuss the need-solution strategy with them to define exactly what’s needed and for what reasons.

If you are looking for a website or a CMS driven solution, please email us today on info@innovationsdigital.com

A video that goes viral is usually one that has at least 10,000+ views on YouTube, about 1000+  shares in a 24-hour period, has repeating interest of the viewer, has content that inspires “unaided” sharing, and of course a potentially wide bandwidth of audience interest. And they’re usually short (Kony 2012 being an exception).

A video that one hopes will go viral is solid on content to start with. The concept has to be instantly attention grabbing, fresh, relevant. With today’s trend becoming yesterday’s “404 Page Not Found” in this ever changing digital savvy world, one needs to focus hard on being up to date. You can keep track of what’s hot, what’s not by checking out the trend charts on this site. And you can watch some of the top ones from 2011 here.

Most videos that go viral are short. The first 30 seconds are crucial. It’s like a tv spot. The attention has to be grabbed in 30. Short, sweet, shareable. Brands that come to  agency with “viral video” briefs need to realize that content needs to be less on brand and more on emotion and relevance. With a video intended to go  viral, it’s important to use the right title, easy and memorable keywords, and of course a blockbuster thumbnail.

From a brand standpoint, working closely with the agency (both content and media), towards driving the sharing momentum is key. Optimizing the video for sharing is a good starting point, but beyond that it’s identifying the first batch of targets (either accidental and hopeful or planned and orchestrated). It’s important to define channels of first contact – these should be relevant to both the topic and to the target audience. Tweets and re-tweets, blog posts, email sharing and facebook wall posting all work better in the early stages than say, a “watch our video” tagline at the bottom of a print ad i a magazine or outdoor.

If you look at some of the videos that went massively viral, there are some unique hallmarks that stand out. The title of the video is important – short, interesting, attention grabbing. So is the thumbnail. The thumbnail isn’t the first frame of the video – it should be the single most attention grabbing, share inspiring single frame from the video. And, in many cases, it depends on the “viral sneezer” – the viewers who propagate the sharing – trusted friends, celebrities, news channels covering it, etc. There is a herd mentality in every successful “viral video” that’s notched up the charts. Viewers like to watch (and share) what many, many others are watching.

At Innovations_Digital, a digital focused engagement agency in Dubai, we work closely with our client’s brands towards producing engaging, interesting, eyeball grabbing content. Content going viral? It’s all about click and tell.

Yes, social media is a powerful tool for consumer dialog and for building online reach for a business, but it does not really substitute a corporate website.It’s like the news on tv or radio. Sure it’s a one way communication, and it’s more fun to talk about the news, to share the highlights of a game over a beer, or discuss an event at the office (social networks), but you still need the news.

With a website that you own, you control the communications – the why, when, how, what and more. You can gather data, send emails, add sections, choose design formats, choose build platforms, what you say and the web design. With social or earned media, it’s WYSIWYG – What You See Is What You Get.

Your website gives you the full power of inbound marketing. Most social media platforms offer very limited or no data – although facebook is trying to change that now. In contrast, website analytic tools (easy one is Google Analytics) can provide a bank of marketing data and insights on your communications. Analytics allow you, as a brand manager, to improve your online marketing and, ultimately, grow your business.

On any social media platform you have absolutely no control of your content in any way. Your message becomes their message. They can believe it, change it, share it, control it even. Thousands of dollars worth of campaigns have been waylaid because they have ben burnt in social media. And, often because the reason people turned against the campaign oir the brand had nothing to do with marketing at all.

A website is the grand central of your online marketing initiative. In fact, with an ever increasing digitally savvy society, it is the hub of ALL your marketing efforts – from tv, radio and print, down to your business card. It is the one single destination (which you can totally control) to which you drive your target audience, your business partners, your stakeholders and your customers to. Yes, today it’s important to be on facebook, to have video content that’s sharable, to tweet. But you still need a grand central, a hub – and that should be a rock solid website. Your dotcom.

1. Brands are no longer the singular source of brand message. This is something brands are quick to learn here in the Middle East, because, thanks to the Arab Spring, we all learnt that the newsroom, or the palace or the government, is no longer the source of news. Similarly, brands are now recognizing that consumers – the people on the street, and in front of their PCs or with mobile in hand – are the new source of the brand message. As a brand, it’s no longer just yours, it’s theirs. The people are shaping the original message, re-editing it, re-writing the script, adding “likes” or just plain rejecting what they don’t like.

2. The speed at which a message spreads has changed drastically. A brand’s message can make or break in minutes. With the power of viral, and the awesomeness of social media, and the intense desire of the consumer to take immediate action and control – the speed at which a brand’s reputation or a particular message about it can be affected is in seconds, not days or a campaign burst of months. A social campaign is measured in minutes, not months.

3. Every consumer has access. Every customer has control. Social media, the rapid influx of broadband, internet on mobile – all these are changing the concept of influencers and brand message drivers. Even a year ago we used to talk about “sneezers” and key influencers” online. Today anybody with a keyboard, a mouse, an iPad or a phone is an influencer. Anybody can initiate perception change. And everybody can empower it. We’ve seen this in our region in the political climate over and over – in Cairo, in Tunis, and we’re now seeing it increasingly in Syria.

4. The way our target audiences react to brand messages or any message is changing. Which means there’s a pattern shift in message absorption, in message interpretation and acceptance. A brand campaign about sugared cola or a hyper-energy drink is suddenly being turned on its head because consumers are questioning the damage it does. Suddenly, now in the Middle East, what is accepted as a brand message is now defined by the consumer and not the client-agency partnership alone. It’s the audience, the consumer that is validating the message, viralizing it, amplifying it or burying it. Power to the audience.

5. Finally, the impact of social media can be felt both at a brand’s marketing set up and at brand-agency levels. This is a new genre, powered by a new breed, a new generation, who are having to make the rules as they go along. The audience is defining what’s hot, and what’s not, and the mediums, the agencies, the brands are all just adjusting and adapting. Ongoing changes at facebook, google, youtube, twitter, pinterest and foursquare are all indicators of change driven by the consumer. It’s changing the way marketing departments are staffed and powered, the way agencies hire (and fire), the way client-agency remuneration is agreed on, the way brands are planning their marketing calendars, and how slow, steady and stagnant is making way for the now and the instant.

At Innovations_Digital, a specialized digital agency in Dubai, we work closely with our client’s brands to stay in touch with today’s trends and to help our clients stay ahead of the curve.

The I_D invitation for summer internship at our Dubai office is open to any High School Senior or Graduate as well as University attending students from Dubai and Sharjah, “Usually, there’s no compensation, but if you come and write a million dollar app for the iPhone, you’re surely going to get rewarded heavily” said Tom Roy, CEO.

Innovations_Digital was founded in 2005 as one of the very first pure play digital agencies in Dubai. Over the years, summer internships at I_D have led to several bright careers in digital agencies in Dubai and elsewhere. Interns will learn hands-on and by participating and watching. Projects will include Search Engine Optimization and Marketing (SEO/SEM), Social Media marketing, web design and development, writing for online, project coordination and client account servicing. Coffee making is not on, but a Starbucks run is optional.

To get started, simply email us here: info@innovationsdigital.com or use our Contact form.

Disney, Starbucks, Red Bull, FC Barcelona, Oreo and FC Madrid are the only other brands in the Top 50! Today, brands need to understand how to get their Facebook engagement right. At Innovations_Digital we work closely with our client’s brands to help them with their Facebook presence. Here’s our take on what to avoid as a brand on Facebook…

1. Not responding.
Facebook is a social engagement channel, not a broadcast medium. It’s about a conversation not a one way communication. If someone says “hello” or “that’s good”, the least you can do is respond. Facebook is all about connecting and engaging in a dialog with your fans, your consumers, your followers.

2. Respond, don’t fight.
Responding is important, but a tactful response goes a long way in building a brand’s social reputation. There’s absolutely no point in arguing with an irate customer or a disgruntled fan. Brands should have a pre-set policy on how (and who) to handle negative remarks posted on Facebook.

3. Deleting negative comments
This is actually worse that getting into a FB fight! Deleting a negative comment does not make it go away, it only escalates the matter. Perhaps a direct message to the person posting a negative comment is better. Nestle Kitkat got into a meltdown over deleting negative comments – which became a social PR disaster. Again, having a plan helps. Rather than deleting or arguing and trying to prove a point, have a brand policy. After all, it’s about Customer Service.

4. Posting too much.
Brands that are new to Facebook often feel they have to post every day – ten times a day! Wrong. Brands that post too many times a day will get ‘unliked’ before they know it. People do not want their pages inundated with a brand’s posts.
Let’s not forget that posting too many times is like sending through too many text messages to your fans on their phones. It’s spamming! The average number of posts for a brand should be once a day. Once. If there’s a special promotion or limited engagement offer etc, a brand could get away with 2 – 3 posts a day. Anything more, and we have overload.

5. Posting too often, too close
Another big mistake. Social media is media after all, and you can ruin it by posting too many times, and close to each other. Even if you are posting two or three posts, posting them together within minutes of each other is called “clumping” and that’s a #fail. Social engagement  is about ongoing – meaning nicely spread across, not all in one go.

6. Repeating and re-using published content.
Been there, done that! Reposting the same content is a no-no. Unless you have a new spin on it, or have a new reason to repeat a post,  don’t repeat content. Here in the Middle East, we have seen brands use the same lame lines week in, week out – asking about weekends, activity plans and more of the same boring by-the-book repeats. Brands need to avoid making this mistake over and over again. That’s a repeat offense!

7. Responding too slowly.
While a slow response is better than none at all, brands need to remember that their Facebook presence is in may ways all about Customer Service. And when you set up a Customer Care hotline, it’s a hotline, not a slowline. Brands need to respond as soon as possible. The recommended average response rate should be 6 hours or less. A lot of brands get paranoid and have a “respond-within-minutes” policy, but one needs to remember, that yes, while the facebook fan or customer expects a response, and does so as soon as possible, about a 6-hour window is ok. Becuase people have lives outside facebook as well.

8. No descriptions, no signposts
Brands often post their tv spots, photos of events, their print ads without even a hint of what the post is about in the status update. That post is meaningless to anyone else, because unlike the brand’s social managers or brand managers, no one really knows what that photo, that link, that video is all about. Always post a description.

9. Repeating everything in English and Arabic. A Middle East problem
Here in the Middle East brands are very conscious of the need to be “socially, politically and linguistically correct”. They take this further by making sure every outbound post is there both in English and Arabic. They even go so far as to translate responses into both languages and ensure that everything exists on their page in both languages. That’s overkill, that’s boring, That’s a turn off. Fans posting in Arabic may expect a response in Arabic, but it’s not that they can’t read English. And unless an Arabic query and response thread makes  a huge amount of sense for the brand, there’s no real point in translating it and re-posting it. Or vice versa.

10. One way Facebook. No Fan posts allowed.
Here in the Middle East, brands often feel the need for ‘moderated content’ and their way of ‘moderating’ is shutting down the fan’s ability to post on the Wall. That’s removing the half of a dialog, canceling the engagement, the very reason for being on Facebook. Some brands feel that negative PR on their page will damage their reputation, so they shut down the channel. That’s totally counter productive to the principles of social marketing.

Ultimately it’s about creating an engagement platform that’s interesting and friendly. It’s about having a regular, conversation with your friends. Brands need to understand the difference between conversations (social media engagement) and communications (advertising and marketing). It’s about building a community.

At Innovations_Digital, a digital agency in Dubai, we help brands innovate, inspire and energize their experiences and engagements across online, mobile, outdoor, search and social mediums. And, yes, we do get people to “Like” brands on Facebook. By doing it right.