Ajay Jethi

In my view, conceptualizing & executing a relevant & compelling “Brand purpose” is going to be a key factor in helping differentiate successful organizations from the rest. This is already an important trend, but it’s importance is likely to grow exponentially, driven by the need for organizations to engage & remain relevant to key stakeholders.

“Personalization” is another trend that is likely to gain more momentum. Consumers & Customers want to be engaged with on their own terms and conditions. In this context, segmentation of consumers into “communities” will increasingly become crucial. Hence, content that is personalized and delivered in a community context will increasingly become one of the key differentiators for any brand

“Influencer Marketing” is going to gain more attention, as brands increasingly try to overcome the “trust deficit” barrier among many consumers. In this context brand & influencer “credibility” & “authenticity” will be even more important in delivering a successful influencer marketing program

At the outset, I think that this is an evolving eco-system, in which some of the fundamentals                 (definitions, business models, tech stacks etc) are still being defined. Having said that, there is convergence on the fact that the Metaverse a.k.a Web 3.0 will leverage a full stack of VR & AR tools to deliver a complete immersive experience.  I think the key challenge brands in the region are facing is on defining their objectives and on how can they leverage Web 3.0 to engage with their consumers? My view is that the preparation will be work in progress (rather than a structured linear progression) and driven by learnings from others and from the experiments that they conduct on a continuous basis

I believe that Marketing partners and agencies are integral and part of the “extended” Brand team. They add value and bring a certain skill set (for example –External orientation) that complement the overall team. In my career, I have benefitted greatly from inputs by my external partners both in terms of strategic inputs and execution. Hence, in my view marketing partners / agencies are indispensable and will always be “core” to all brand efforts

I have been very fortunate and privileged to have worked on & led some of the most iconic brands in the region (both at multinationals & family businesses). Food is a very integral part of the culture in the region and is constantly evolving. Additionally, the region is very diverse and food habits and choices tend to be eclectic. Hence it is very important that as a marketer we understand these differences / changes and position our brands accordingly. In my view, agility and engaging consumers with personalized relevant content are going to become very important for brands to win in the food industry.

I worked for one of the largest family owned conglomerates in the Middle East. The organization was structured in a way that the +30 brands in the portfolio operated independently. I ran a campaign a few years ago, in which I got most of these brands onto a single platform and communicated under the “organization umbrella” to the consumer. What I am incredibly proud about is that we were able to combat the complexity and concern among internal stakeholders and deliver a fairly successful topical campaign for the individual brands.

Digital Stallions Forum UAE is an amazing forum which brings together some of the key stakeholders from the marketing & digital marketing fraternity from the client side. It provides an excellent opportunity for participants to share & learn from each other’s experiences. Best in class “thought leaders” and “speakers” are providing updated industry input and facilitating robust industry level discussions. I am sure that the forum will scale by tapping into both geographic / product opportunities & continue to add value for the entire industry.