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Archive for the ‘Published journalism’ Category

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Production pragmatism

In Advertising, Communicate, Dubai, Marketing, Published journalism, Television on November 23, 2010 at 10:34 am

It’s an unlikely deviation from the usual plot, but Dubai Studio City is trying to give the industry what it requires, rather than telling it what it wants

Originally published in Communicate, February 2008

During the Dubai International Film Festival in December, Dubai Studio City (DSC) announced full occupancy of its 18 boutique studios. The project’s aim of bringing production to Dubai, it seems, is being achieved.

Dr. Amina Al Rustamani, executive director of media at Tecom Investments, the parent company of Dubai’s free zones, says there are four main reasons to attract the film and production industry to the emirate: tourism, the economic benefits of having a big budget industry in town, “building the knowledge economy,” and the creation of jobs. Read the rest of this entry »

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X Games excels at X-selling

In Communicate, Dubai, Marketing, Published journalism on November 23, 2010 at 10:22 am

Dubai is full of bored middle-class kids with a thirst for rebellion and Mountain Dew. The X Games brings both, with branding to boot

Originally published in Communicate, January 2008

Not content with importing replicas of the pyramids, faux Taj Mahals and inoffensive clones of famous art galleries, the UAE has been striving to import subculture in the form of the X Games.

After being dropped off in 4x4s, thousands of surly youths last month trudged to a makeshift skate park at the back of Festival City. Checking their bikes, boards and inlines at the gate, the nobody-understands-mes of Dubai scowled from beneath Korn hoodies at the likes of Garrett Reynolds in the BMX freestyle street event (who was “psyched to have won”), Tyler Hendry (skateboard street, “It was very close and I’m so stoked”), and Greg Hartman, who – according to a press release – pulled a switchblade no-footed can flip to win his Moto X best trick medal. Awesome. Read the rest of this entry »

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Son of a Fitch

In Advertising, Communicate, Dubai, Marketing, Published journalism, Q&A on November 23, 2010 at 10:19 am

Design guru Rodney Fitch talks to Communicate about his new business in Dubai and plans for further expansion in the Middle East

Originally published in Communicate, January 2008

In September, international design consultancy Fitch became the majority partner in Dubai-based independent branding and design consultancy GSCS – now renamed GS Fitch.

Communicate met with Fitch founder and CEO Rodney Fitch, and his new business partner, Gregg Sedgwick, when Fitch came to Dubai recently to meet the GS Fitch team. Read the rest of this entry »

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The pull of personality

In Communicate, Marketing, Published journalism on November 22, 2010 at 11:35 pm

Guests gather to listen to Paulo Coelho. And the rest of us get heard as well

Originally published in Communicate, January 2008

We wanted people to come to a debate on the power of personal image last month, where we discussed how celebrity status could be harnessed to drive the public toward brands, products, messages and causes.

So we invited Paulo Coelho to speak at it, and the people we invited turned up to listen. Read the rest of this entry »

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Piersing insight

In Communicate, Dubai, Journalism, Published journalism on November 22, 2010 at 11:31 pm

Piers Morgan urges regional media to get more aggressive and stop kowtowing

Originally published in Communicate, December 2007

Piers Morgan came to the Media and Marketing Conference to discuss celebrities, and how they can be used by regional media. But when he took to the podium, although the one-time Fleet Street editor – now “shamelessly pursuing celebrity status myself” as a judge on America’s Got Talent – spoke a little about star power, he spent most of his 30-minute speech berating the regional press for being cowed and timid. Read the rest of this entry »

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The main event

In Communicate, Dubai, Marketing, Public relations, Published journalism on November 22, 2010 at 11:29 pm

In the UAE, where every business wants to appear the biggest and best, firms are turning to event marketers to make their functions stand out

Originally published in Communicate, December 2007

In Dubai, everyone has something to say. Even when they don’t. Press conferences promising “important announcements” or “pioneering developments” are a daily occurrence. Showing off, it seems, is an important part of business culture here.

Companies, then, need to do something special to make their announcements and corporate events stand out. Read the rest of this entry »

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The strategy of spin

In Communicate, Dubai, Journalism, Marketing, Published journalism on November 22, 2010 at 11:26 pm

Sultan of spin Alastair Campbell was in Dubai last month for the PR congress

Originally published in Communicate, December 2007

One PR recently shared the refreshing confidence with Communicate that the reason she went into the business was that, “Whatever I do, it won’t harm anyone.” This is not true for all practitioners of the dark arts, though, and Alastair Campbell, described by one UK tabloid as “the most powerful man in Britain,” is – some would have it – proof that a well-spun story can be a lethal weapon. Read the rest of this entry »

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Heavyweight Haddad

In Advertising, Communicate, Dubai, Marketing, Profile, Published journalism on November 22, 2010 at 11:24 pm

JWT’s regional boss talks about stepping down. And agency biology

Originally published in Communicate, November 2007

In the training gym of regional advertising, Roy Haddad is a gruff, experienced sparring partner – the sort of adversary younger pugilists can learn from. He sways and bobs and weaves as he talks, rolling back in his chair, fidgeting with energy.

Haddad delivers his answers, insights and analysis in sharp jabs. He says what he has to, then stops. Asked what agencies he worked for before he founded Tihama Al Mona International, which eventually became JWT, in 1981, he parries the question. “You want me to promote the competition? Forget it.” Read the rest of this entry »

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Dinner and a movie?

In Communicate, Marketing, Opinion, Published journalism on November 22, 2010 at 11:22 pm

The UAE’s latest film fest needs to fit in with other regional events, not ignore them

Originally published in Communicate, November 2007

If the Oscars is a fine five-course meal cooked with the best ingredients from around the world in a professional kitchen by accomplished master chefs, the awards ceremony for the inaugural Middle East International Film Festival was an attempt to create the same effect with supermarket own-brand tins, a two-burner hob and a stained Jamie Oliver book. It was an admirable try, and thoroughly enjoyable, but a little singed around the edges. Read the rest of this entry »

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Gulf News code of ethics plagiarizes section on plagiarism

In Communicate, Dubai, Journalism, Published journalism on November 22, 2010 at 11:18 pm

Editor in chief says code is a compilation of international papers’ best practices and should be credited as such

Originally published in Communicate, October 2007

“Plagiarism exists in many forms, from the wholesale lifting of someone else’s writing to the publication of a press release as news without attribution,” says the Gulf News ethics policy, published on the UAE daily’s Web site. “Staff writers’ work should be an original work. Do not borrow someone else’s words without attribution.”

Although there is no attribution, this section of the policy bears a striking similarity to the San Jose Mercury News, whose ethics policy, on their Web site, reads: “Plagiarism exists in many forms, from the wholesale lifting of someone else’s writing to the publication of a press release as news without attribution. The daily newspaper should be an original work. Do not borrow someone else’s words without attribution.”

Other sections of Gulf News’s policy have been lifted from papers including the Los Angeles Times.

When asked whether Gulf News has cribbed its ethics section on, well, cribbing, editor in chief Abdul Hamid Ahmad says, “We mentioned on that [Web page that] our code of ethics is lifted from other newspapers’ codes of practice. We mention in the source that this ethics code is based on the ethics codes of [other newspapers]. … The source is supposed to be there. Please check it again.”

We did. It isn’t sourced.

Oops.