Welcome to INNOVATE MENA, a monthly collection of industry related News, Case Studies, Media & Technology updates and emerging Trends designed to help inspire our everyday thinking.

CONTENT:

1. Amazon in Talks to Buy Souq.com2. Cultural Upbringing Affects the Way We Process

Marketing Messages3. Facebook Wants to Start Selling TV Ads4. Airports Deploy Location-data Generating Proximity

Sensors5. Coca-Cola Creates the World’s First Selfie Bottle6. Microsoft Upstaged Apple with ‘The Surface Studio’7. Samsung Latest Patent for a Foldable Phone8. Control Audi R8 with your Mind9. Cadillac: The Pursuit of Next10. The Tale of Thomas Burberry

Global online retailer Amazon.com is in talks to acquire Dubai-based e-commerce site Souq.com for ~US$ 1bn; this would give Amazon the footprint they need in the growing Middle East market, and a big footprint at that. It was reported that Souq was seeking a buyer for a 30% stake in the company in order to support its expansion plans. Souq co-founder and CEO Ronaldo Mouchawar said the company had grown 30 to 40 per cent year-on-year across its footprint covering the Gulf countries and Egypt and 50 per cent in Saudi Arabia. The company secured US$ 275mn from investors after Tiger Global and Naspers, among others, boosted their investments in February; Mouchawar said in an interview, at the time, that the company would be open to selling shares to the public in the future.

Amazon in Talks to Buy Souq.com

Cultural Upbringing Affects the Way We Process Marketing MessagesDentsu Mitchel Media and Neuro-insight, in Australia, conducted neuroscientific research which indicated that cultural upbringing can change how consumers process marketing messages, particularly in television commercials. The study was published exclusively on Warc. The team evaluated iconic Australian TVCs with various cultural themes to evaluate the extent in which consumers’ cultural backgrounds influence their response to marketing messages. Their data is based on functional magnetic resonance imaging and eye movement investigations.

They were able to reveal that, while Australians demonstrated a strong preference towards attending to the objects within the visual field, East Asians were quicker to attend to background information. The study can provide advertisers with relevant information to consider when developing new creatives- the soundtrack of the ad, the presentation of the prices for the product.

Facebook will now begin to deliver video ads that run on set-top boxes, such as Apple TV and Roku, through their ad network. The company plans to partner with A+E and Tubi TV, and deliver ads to people who watch videos via those apps on their TVs. “We are testing how to best deliver video ads through Audience Network to people watching content on connected TVs,” a company spokesperson said. “Our goal is to bring relevant ad experiences to people both on Facebook and off.”

Facebook is branching out and looking for more places to place ads. The social network wants to take advantage of their lesser-known income streams. Their Audience network would bring hyper-targeted brand advertising to a new generation of TV viewers; younger viewers are steering away from cable subscriptions to digital streaming through devices like Apple TV and Roku.

Facebook Wants to Start Selling TV Ads

Airports Deploy Location-data Generating Proximity SensorsNearly 90 airports globally are planning to deploy, or at least test, proximity sensors. In the US, San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, New York, New Jersey, Miami, Dallas and Orlando have already deployed these beacons. According to Unacast, 49% of the world’s airports hope to “directly contact passengers via their mobile phone over the next three years"; this indeed implies advertising.

These beacons transform people's’ everyday movement into digital data, and this untapped data potential is beginning to explode. Thomas Walle, CEO and co-founder of Unacast said, "This means that airports are taking a personal approach. Within the next three years they want to be able to deliver specific information relevant to an individual based on their location directly on their smartphone".

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Coca-Cola has unveiled their custom-designed ‘selfie bottle’- a camera attached to the bottom of the bottle that snaps picture while you’re enjoying a sip of the refreshment. The selfie bottle was created by an ad agency called the Gefen Team as a marketing gimmick for Coke's Summer Love outdoor event in Israel. Anytime the bottle is at a 70-degree-tilt, the camera technology directly captures a photo. The device also has a USB port for people to extract their photos and upload them, and also has a dedicated share function allowing consumers to share their selfies on social media.

Coca-Cola is widely known for their brand creativity- and now there are arming up to take the social media world by storm. The idea was to get partygoers to upload their photos on Snapchat, Facebook and Instagram -- with the appropriate hashtag. It would seem unlikely that this tech will roll out globally, but it’s great to see companies trying new things to engage their consumers.

Coca-Cola Creates the World’s First Selfie Bottle

Microsoft Upstaged Apple with ‘The Surface Studio’Just one day before Apple reveals their new Macs, Microsoft launches the Surface Studio PC that blows people away with its look and capabilities. It functions just as a regular PC would but it’s the screen that really make it different- it folds and transforms into a drawing board. There was a massive contrast between the Surface Studio and the new MacBook Pros; the new MacBooks were sporting the same design seen for years with the slightest difference of adding a touch-screen Touch Bar.

Business insider stated, “Microsoft — popularly known for decades as the bland purveyor of bland software for bland beige boxes that sit in bland offices — is out-innovating the company that once dared its customers to ‘Think Different’”.

Samsung’s recent patent application exhibits an ambitious and futuristic idea for a phone. The idea is to have a narrow device with a screen that bends and folds making it look like a wallet, or the old flip phones. This patent can allow Samsung to be the first company to commercialize this product.

Bendy screens are possible, but the challenge here seems to be the chips that are placed in the middle of the phones, which cannot bend. There has been no release on the feature or capabilities of this phone. The advantages here would be the look, and this is what differentiates it from the current standard smartphones. One of the patent images does show the phone bent and propped up at a 90 degree angle, which could allow you to watch content on the horizontal portion of the screen.

Samsung Latest Patent for a Foldable Phone

Audi’s debuted the all new R8 V10 in Hong Kong where fans were able to drive the car… with their minds! The car is flaunted for being the fastest Audi yet and the closest to race car standards for a consumer vehicle. To celebrate the launch of the new car, guests were able to try the ‘NeuroRacer’ which was installed at the exhibition and brought to you by Isobar. The NeuroRacer utilizes neuro-transmission technology allowing gamers to control the car’s direction and speed by using their minds and focusing. This is an interactive game that takes games to a different level by utilizing neuro-transmission technology. Rather than using the traditional handheld controllers, gamers were asked to use their minds to control the vehicle. In a way, this tech allows people to test drive the car without driving it and feel the thrill of car.

Control Audi R8 with your Mind

Cadillac’s “Daring Pursuits” campaign pairs influencers, from different backgrounds, to collaborate and share their unique perspectives. Each story is told through a short film where each influencer describes their achievements and essentially conveys the message to “dare to pursue your dreams”; this even inspires viewers to pursue their passions and look ahead to the next step of their lives/journey. In order to be relevant to the region, the “Pursuit of Next” campaign features successful social media influencers Karen Wazen, Ascia AKF and Shamekh Bluwi. The XT5 is meant to be designed to help you master what the challenges that lie ahead of your pursuit.

The influencers that Cadillac selected are those that are extremely relevant to the brand message. They use influencers that the everyday auto purchaser can relate to. The brand still manages to successfully exhibit the features of the car tastefully while capturing the story of each influencer and not overshadowing their relevance in the film.

Cadillac: The Pursuit of Next

Directed by Academy Award winner Asif Kapadia and designed as a movie trailer, Burberry’s ad “The Tale of Thomas Burberry” tells the story of the fashion company’s founder; filled with romance, betrayal, adventure and more, it’s too bad we won’t see a full movie. The trailer stars Domhnall Gleeson and features Sienna Miller, Dominic West and Lily James. The fictionalized testament to the life of Thomas Burberry was created in celebration of the Brand’s 160th anniversary in the fashion industry.

This trailer takes viewers through the brand’s story and allows them to reimagine key events that shaped the brand’s history. The trailer takes you through the story while still showing their Burberry attire- the umbrellas, the trench coats etc… We’ve seen several brands adopt the ‘film style’ approach to certain ads or campaigns and Burberry executed this one brilliantly.

The Tale of Thomas Burberry