Posted by: Alex Hutley on: August 24, 2009
Whilst watching an opening episode of Mad Men – we see fictional creative director Don Draper and his team casually solving a brief for a high end department store with slick images and a coupon to drive sales. The modern marketeer (and in this case; the attractive client), were let down by the depth of the campaign strategy.

However, is the coupon making a return to fame? Despite the undeniable importance of an integrated and engaging approach to marketing strategy – the humble promotional coupon has its place.
Whilst reading a recent entry on our corporate blog site, I was informed that consumers are stepping up efforts to save money during the recession by carrying out more searches for online vouchers and discounts than ever before. This is according to new figures from Hitwise, which show that web searches for vouchers have soared by 47.5 per cent in the last year in the UK.
What was most interesting to me was the comment from Hitwise UK research director Robin Goad; “We are seeing the emergence of what our colleagues the Future Foundation call the ‘maximising consumer’,”
“These shoppers don’t necessarily buy the cheapest products or services, but they do spend a lot of time researching online before selecting what to buy and then a bit more time to find the best price or discounts before making a purchase.”
A valid point and one that rings true in Dubai. The nature of the economy and the lifestyle which many have flocked to the Emirate to embrace means that we are looking for an experience that we shouldn’t really be able to afford, at a seemingly affordable price.
In steps the Entertainer Book (for non UAE residents, this is a series of voucher books which cover the majority of eateries from Burger King to Michelin Star restaurants).
It works so well in Dubai. The city is small enough to make it logistically viable, and the concept simple enough for the smallest of outlets with the most basic of marketing strategies take part, yet powerful enough that the global players can’t afford to miss out.
Although the Entertainer has an online presence – with limited offers available only online – beyond this the ‘print-on-demand’ coupon is not as common as you might think.
It would seem like a perfect opportunity for some of the less prevalent brands in the region to make an impact. Utilising simple and tried and tested promotion driven marketing to reach out and drive sales – without having to invest heavily in a complex web solutions.
It’s not groundbreaking, but if embraced could boost the development of the online landscape in the region, and is a very measurable way to track ROI.
Posted by: Alex Hutley on: July 7, 2009
The hype behind augmented reality has been growing over the past months – with London seemingly being used as a test ground for it’s practical uses.
During the highly enjoyable Wimbledon Tennis Championships, we saw the trialing on the IBM Seer Android which uses the video display, GPS navigation and built in compass to guide the user through the Wimbledon landscape. Live feeds overlay the display to give the user information directions to certain areas, and further still to update match scores, congestion in restaurants and more. The information all fed through human updates, by spies situated in each of the relevant areas.
Since then an i-phone app has been touted on youtube showing the latest generation using similar technology to help Londoners and visitors to the city navigate the city and find their nearest tube station.
The app at present wouldn’t be allowed to launch as it breaks apple contractual agreements – the technology is astounding and will surely come to play an enormous part of our lives in the future.
Although Vodafone’s spoof viral featuring Lewis Hamilton may be taking the technology and exaggerating it’s features for brand impact and viral qualities – it makes for some opportunities for great campaigns. What a fantastic product to market and furthermore what a landscape to market on.
I’m sure we can expect to see strategies including Augmented Reality ad sites soon after the technology is launched to a mass market.
Posted by: Alex Hutley on: July 2, 2009
Following Dubai Holding’s campaign earlier in the year to encourage users to have their say, we were now tasked with releasing the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) written report.
We wanted to communicate a feeling of change in the economic environment. The report is based on the views of over 400 professionals across the globe and it offers their predictions for the aftermath – the new era of capitalism.
A simple microsite www.capitalism09.com was born. The aim was to create something very interactive and very clickable. We wanted people to download the report and share it. With the slider mechanism the user was able to navigate the changing landscape and see the top line content and a clearer view.
A digital media campaign across The Gulf, India and the UK included online ad spots, PPC ads and targeted email broadcasts. This was supported with advertorials and a huge amount of PR coverage in print, online and radio.

Results: 15,000 site visits in one month and over 6,000 downloads of the report. Email open rates averaged around 40-50% and we witnessed lengthy dwell times on the site – indicating high levels of interaction.
Posted by: Alex Hutley on: April 7, 2009
In the run up to 3G licences being awarded in Pakistan Nokia Siemens Networks identified the importance of engaging not just their operators, but also the end users. There is much debate as to whether the services 3G can offer will be of benefit to all markets, and if the service is not going to get used, why should operators invest in the infrastructure from anybody – let alone Nokia Siemens Networks?
The campaign that was created targeted both operators and end users and was ‘powered’ by Nokia Siemens Networks with the aim to both educate and gauge if the technology would be embraced.
Amongst others, the interactive site features blogging functionality, tag clouds, RSS feeds and has the capacity to share rich media.
The site links through to the Nokia Siemens Networks flagship innovation and Thought Leadership social media website unite – launched in 2008 which has seen over 180,000 visits in its 5 months since launch. The unite site created by Gyro London has proved to be an innovative and highly successful venture into the world of B2B on-line communities, which has been revered by many.
Results: unite has seen over 180,000 hits, with 3G pakistan recieving 500 hits per month in its early stages.
Posted by: Alex Hutley on: April 6, 2009
Faced with a high profile partnership with the Dubai International Film Festival which Madinat Jumeirah wanted to generate exposure through, Gyro jumped at the chance to be a part of the scene.
Through a media plan spanning online, print, radio and outdoor there was an opportunity to create real wow factor and to showcase MJ in Dubai and internationally as the choice for the elite. The tag ‘Live like a Filmstar’ was born and from this an array of glitzy concepts.
We wanted to put the audience in the shoes of a filmstar. Finally the decision was taken to go with a strong hero image which fused the red carpet experience with the paparazi disguised as the starry midnight sky.

Results: Over 2,500 microsite hits in launch month, increased awareness.
Posted by: Alex Hutley on: April 6, 2009
Through a strategic partnership with the World Economic Forum and working with the Economist Intelligence Unit, Dubai Holding’s aim was to leverage this alliance and create maximum global brand awareness.
The target audience was C-level executives, particularly in the financial industry – a notoriously tough audience to reach. We needed to engage the audience and communicate with them on an intellectual level to command their respect. To engage them we commissioned various experts in the field to construct a challenging survey which would encourage the target audience to ‘have their say’.
The campaign centered around strong typography and a simple design mechanism of a maze. The question being ‘which direction would you take?’.

The creative campaign was spread across the globe through a great media plan put together by our friends at OMD – with high profile placements across titles such as the ft.com, bbc, economist, New York Times in the EU, US, Middle East and India.
The results saw us actively engage with a large number of the determined target audience with over 150 fully completed surveys received from top level executives across the globe. What really made these results shine was the level of detail in which these uber-busy executives responded – with many 150+ word answers.
Watch out for phase 2 coming shortly which sees the launch of a Dubai Holding sponsored, EIU conducted research paper.
Results: 150 senior level execs engaged, global brand awareness increased.