Middle East – Gabriel Catalano®

Global Mobile Advertising Revenues Surge 82.8% in 2012 – thnxz to @iab

Mobile advertising revenue continues to be dominated by the search segment, which represented 52.8 percent of total global mobile advertising revenue, or $4.7 USD (€3.6 billion EURO) in 2012, $2.5 billion in 2011(€1.9 billion). Display advertising accounted for 38.7 percent and messaging 8.5 percent.

The share by region of the global figure of $8.9 billion (€6.9 billion) for 2012 is:

Asia-Pacific: 40.2% ($3,558 million/€2,769 million)
North America: 39.8% ($3,525 million/€2,743 million)
Western Europe: 16.9% ($1,499 million/€1,167 million)
Central Europe: 1.3% ($112 million/€87 million)
Middle East & Africa: 1.2% ($109 million/€85 million)
Latin America: 0.6% ($50 million/€39 million)

Growth year-over-year was strong across the board, led by North America, which saw a 111 percent surge over 2011 figures. Western Europe also saw a major increase, 91 percent over the previous year. Other year-over-year upswings include:

Latin America: 71%
Central Europe: 69%
Middle-East and Africa: 68%
Asia-Pacific: 60%

«Mobile is coming into its own as a powerhouse advertising medium,» says Anna Bager, Vice President and General Manager, Mobile Marketing Center of Excellence, U.S. IAB. «Today’s advertising is happening in a world where ad campaigns can be planned and bought across global networks on multiple media, but the massive and continuing acceleration of mobile’s international impact provides new and exciting frontiers for content and communication.»

Full article? +INFO here!

Decoding Global Investment Attitudes

http://blog.nielsen.com

Nielsen today released the results of an online survey to better understand the consumer mindset on investment strategies. The study, Decoding Global Investment Attitudes, gathers information from online consumers in 56 countries around the world who have indicated they currently use investment products such as stocks, mutual funds, bonds, certificates of deposit, derivative tools and foreign currency for investment purposes. Key findings from the study include:

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P&G nombrado anunciante del año en el Dubai Lynx 2012

El Festival Internacional de Publicidad de Dubái, conocido por reconocer a los anunciantes más destacados de Oriente Medio y Norte de África por sus trabajos de marketing innovadores y que animan el trabajo creativo de sus agencias, ha nombrado a P&Gcomo anunciante del año.

El trofeo Lynx de Anunciante del Año de Dubái 2012 será entregado a Al Rajwani, vicepresidente y director general de P&G para la Península Arábiga y Pakistán, durante la ceremonia Dubai Lynx Awards que tendrá lugar en el Madinat Arena de Dubái el próximo 7 de marzo.

“Nos sentimos honrados por recibir el galardón Dubai Lynx 2012 como Anunciante del Año, reconociendo las comunicaciones innovadoras de las marcas de P&G y el trabajo creativo producido por nuestras agencias asociadas. El Festival Internacional de Publicidad de Dubái nos ofrece la oportunidad de aprender ideas creativas de toda la región”, aseguró Al Rajwani. “Las grandes ideas son un elemento esencial en la construcción de marca, y requieren un nuevo nivel de creatividad, profundidad, relevancia y autenticidad, fomentada por las ideas de los consumidores. Nuestro objetivo nos centra en los consumidores a los que servimos y nos inspira a entenderlos, dirigiéndonos a ideas que inspiran innovaciones para mejorar el día a día”.

http://www.marketingdirecto.com/

El trofeo Lynx de Anunciante del Año de Dubái 2012 será entregado a Al Rajwani, vicepresidente y director general de P&G para la Península Arábiga y Pakistán, durante la ceremonia Dubai Lynx Awards que tendrá lugar en el Madinat Arena de Dubái el próximo 7 de marzo.

Global Health & Beauty Trends

Region Round-Up
In almost all Latin American countries included in this survey, sales for personal care products reported volume increases during the latest rolling year ending June 2010 versus year ago: Chile +7.2%, Argentina +4.7%, Brazil +3.4%, Mexico +3.4% and Colombia +3.3%. Only Venezuela showed a negative trend, declining 2.5%.

In the U.S., dollar growth for the health and beauty department for the year ending July 2010 is flat (0.3%) and units have declined 2% as the economy is driving consumers to make tradeoffs and buy less. However, sales in the June and July 2010 period are improving as retailers are raising prices to enhance margins. In Canada, rising prices have fueled an increase in health and beauty (excluding baby and OTC) dollar sales of 3.2%, which outpaced the total market (+2.6%) while units were flat.

In Asia, consumers started to switch back into purchasing personal care, healthy and more premium products in the second half of 2009. This trend is expected to continue with the improving consumer confidence in the region.

The never-ending quest for beauty and perfection bodes well for the H&B sector. In countries that have emerged from the recession with vigor, the sector is likely to thrive. Meanwhile, in those regions where the recovery is still shaky—or in doubt altogether—health and beauty product manufacturers and retailers need to know exactly what’s important to those consumers: value for money and high quality products that enable them to look good, despite life’s pressures.

Note about online survey methodology
While online survey methodology allows for tremendous scale and global reach, it provides the perspectives on the habits of existing Internet users, not total populations. Where noted, the Nielsen Global Online Survey data is supplemented with consumption data by market.

Beauty on a Budget
With consumers around the world cutting back on discretionary expenses during the recession, Nielsen probed consumers’ attitudes towards health and beauty (H&B) products—where they purchased them and what factors went into their buying decisions—as part of its Global Online Survey of more than 27,000 people across 55 countries in the first quarter of 2010. And while views and habits differ by region, there’s one thing in common: people continue to place importance on looking good and feeling their best.

Universal Appeal
Virtually all online survey respondents in Latin America (96%) and Asia Pacific (92%) said they purchased H&B products, along with 90% of people around the world who made up the global average. But what prompts consumers to stock their cabinets with make-up, fragrances and personal care items?

For 44% of global respondents, it was the lure of the product’s promise. A pragmatic 69% of respondents said they were influenced by price, while 58% said they bought as a result of a personal recommendation. Magazine articles, Internet buzz and traditional ads all factored into the purchase equation as well. Continuar leyendo «Global Health & Beauty Trends»

The Global Education Race

At the event, Kauffman Foundation senior fellow Ben Wildavsky discussed key findings from his book, The Great Brain Race. He documented that student mobility is now taking place to a degree never been seen in history. More than three million students travel outside their home countries to study—a 57 percent increase in just the past decade. What’s more, those extraordinary numbers are projected to nearly triple, to 8 million, by 2025. In a competitive global marketplace, student recruiting is fierce. (New Zealand even resorted to a viral video showing two students making out in the corner of a hot tub; the camera pulls back to show a pair of disapproving adults in the other corner followed by the caption “Get further away from your parents”.)

Western universities are bringing their offerings to students all over the world. There now have more than 160 branch campuses, mostly in the Middle East and Asia—an increase of 43 percent in just a few years.

Vivek Wadhwa | //techcrunch.com

Earlier this week, I participated in a fascinating series of discussions at The Economist magazine’s summit called “The Ideas Economy: Human Potential – When the world grows up”. I came away with the realization that we’re not tapping into even a tiny fraction of the potential that human beings have. Additionally, we have a unique opportunity, today, to leverage the entire world’s talent. In Silicon Valley, in particular, ideas are the currency that matter, and these are the keys to innovation and economic success. Knowledge creation has globalized and there is a fierce race underway for talent. We can fear this all we want, but we have a choice: raise protectionist barriers and lose the race, or recognize the new reality and take advantage of the opportunities for collaboration and innovation. Continuar leyendo «The Global Education Race»

Blair, Bush, and the Problem of Political Judgment

by Laurence Prusak

(Larry Prusak, Brook Manville, and I are at work on a book on judgment and how to cultivate it as an organizational, not just individual, strength. Over the next few months, we’ll each be authoring posts in this blog to test-drive ideas and invite input as the research progresses.)

We’re being treated to two new memoirs, one just out and the other due in early November, reflecting on some of the most momentous events of the past decade. The memoirists, Tony Blair and George Bush, have been greatly vilified for some of their decisions. Their books will provide, say the publishers and publicists, their justifications given the context in which those decisions were made.

Context is hugely important, as my coauthors Tom Davenport and Brook Manville and I have discovered. (We are at work on a book on judgment in the context of organizations.) Decisions are never made in a vacuum. So it will be quite interesting to see how these two pols describe the contexts that shaped their thinking.

by Laurence Prusak

Blogging the Holy Land: Crying in the Wilderness, Chatting in Cafes

The journalistic promise of social media was to connect directly with the people who live the news that others only report. That is, the teachers, cops, soldiers, mothers, philologists, farmers and accountants who recorded their personal experiences – what they saw and what they felt. Instead, the bulk of social media that «reports» the news seems to be there primarily to reinforce our a priori prejudices.

I call bullshit on that.

So here are a group of voices that come out of non-crazy people. The fact that it probably seems surprising they’re Israeli, Palestinian-Israeli and Palestinian is only more proof that we seek out people that reinforce our expectations. These won’t.

izpal flags.png The journalistic promise of social media was to connect directly with the people who live the news that others only report. That is, the teachers, cops, soldiers, mothers, philologists, farmers and accountants who recorded their personal experiences – what they saw and what they felt. Instead, the bulk of social media that «reports» the news seems to be there primarily to reinforce our a priori prejudices.

I call bullshit on that.

Monuments & Landmarks of the World

18. Aug, 2010 0 Comments 20diggsdigg 0 Comments 2 These are the Famous Monuments/Landmarks of the world. This collection includes Famous Places, Statues, Minarets, Mosques, Temples etc. I’m going to paste these in Alphabetical Order. I am apologizing in advance if I forgot any Famous Monument, but please point it to me so I’ll be adding it here. Allah’s Home, Kaba, Saudi Arabia: Acropolis Parthenon, Athens, Greece: Admiral Nelson Column, Montreal, Canada: Admirality Arch, London, England: Angkor Wat Cambodia: Arc de Triomphe, France: Ayers Rock, Uluru National Park, Australia: Azadi Monument, Iran: Badshahi Mosque, Lahore, Pakistan: Big Ben, Westminister, London, UK: Blue Mosque, Istambol, Turkey: Burj Al Arab, Dubai: Burj Dubai, Dubai, UAE: Castle s Angelo, Rome, Italy: Castle of La Mota, Spain: Catles of Fussen, Germany: Cliff Dwellings, Mesa Verde, New Mexico: CN Towers, Canada: Colosseum, Rome, Italy: Easter Island Heads, Chile: Eiffel Tower, Paris, France: Faisal Mosque, Islamabad, Pakistan: Forbidden City, China: Four Freedoms Monument, Evansville, USA: Gateway Arch, St. Louis, Missouri, USA: Gateway of India, Mumbai, India: Gazprom Building, St. Petersburg, Russia: Gazzadonf Carcassonne, France: Giza Pyramids, Egypt: Golden Pavillion, Japan: Great Wall of China, China: Great Budda, Japan: Great Minaret Samarra Mosque, Iraq: Great Mosque of Timbaktu, Mali: Jefferson Monument, Washington, USA: Kościuszko Mound, Kraków, Poland: Kuwait Towers, Kuwait: Lahore Fort, Pakistan: London Tower Bridge, England: Louvre Pyramide, Paris, France: Machu Picchu, Peru: Masjid Nabwi, Madina, Saudi Arabia: Mayan Aztec Temple, Mexico: Minar-e-Pakistan, Lahore, Pakistan: Mount Rushmore, South Dakota, USA: National Monument, Islamabad, Pakistan: Edinburgh National Monument, Scotland: National Monument, Jakarta, Indonesia: Notre Dame Cathedra, Paris, France: Opera House, Sydney, Australia: Petronas Towers, Malaysia: Pisa Tower, Italy: Polata Palace, Lhasa, Tibet: Qutb Minar, India: Christ the Redeemer, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: St. Peter’s Basilica, Rome, Italy: Statue of Liberty, USA: Stonehenge, Wiltshire County, UK: Taj Mahal, Agra, India: The Sphinx, Egypt: Quaid-e-Azam Tomb, Karachi, Pakistan: Tours to Bijapur, India: Washington Monument, USA:

These are the Famous Monuments/Landmarks of the world. This collection includes Famous Places, Statues, Minarets, Mosques, Temples etc. I’m going to paste these in Alphabetical Order. I am apologizing in advance if I forgot any Famous Monument, but please point it to me so I’ll be adding it here.

Allah’s Home, Kaba, Saudi Arabia:

Acropolis Parthenon, Athens, Greece:

Admiral Nelson Column, Montreal, Canada:

Continuar leyendo «Monuments & Landmarks of the World»

iFive: Google History, TV Tablet, Flickr Makeover, BP Progress, Tree Fight

BY Jenara Nerenberg

1. Google news dump! The search giant is letting all of us forgetful people now rely less on our memories to recall recently searched items and websites. “History” is the tab to look out for. Plus, Google’s keywords business opens up copyright restrictions to allow competitors’ results in searches. (Looking for Chevy info? Expect ads for Ford to pop up, too.) And finally, you can sign into multiple Google accounts at the same time in the same browser.

BY Jenara Nerenberg

1. Google news dump! The search giant is letting all of us forgetful people now rely less on our memories to recall recently searched items and websites. “History” is the tab to look out for. Plus, Google’s keywords business opens up copyright restrictions to allow competitors’ results in searches. (Looking for Chevy info? Expect ads for Ford to pop up, too.) And finally, you can sign into multiple Google accounts at the same time in the same browser. Continuar leyendo «iFive: Google History, TV Tablet, Flickr Makeover, BP Progress, Tree Fight»

The Big Top Circus

The coffee lid business is booming. And it’s getting weird

By Benjamin Wallace
American Consumers Are Cutting Back. Except When They’re Not
Another must-have soldier accessory must now be added to Camelback canteens: disposable French press coffee lids. «A lot of deployed servicemen were e-mailing me, ‘We’re trying to get a good cup of coffee off the hood of a Humvee,’ » says Forrest Graves, a roaster in Cleveland, Ga. Graves knew just what to send them—the Xpress Lid. Made by SmartCup, the Xpress Lid incorporates a plastic strainer and plunger that transforms humdrum paper cups into disposable, single-use plunger pots. SmartCup sells to specialty shops and java enthusiasts for about 40 cents each. The lids are already making inroads in the Middle East. «We started shipping it to troops,» Graves says.

The coffee lid business is booming. And it’s getting weird

By Benjamin Wallace

American Consumers Are Cutting Back. Except When They’re Not

Another must-have soldier accessory must now be added to Camelback canteens: disposable French press coffee lids. «A lot of deployed servicemen were e-mailing me, ‘We’re trying to get a good cup of coffee off the hood of a Humvee,’ » says Forrest Graves, a roaster in Cleveland, Ga. Graves knew just what to send them—the Xpress Lid. Made by SmartCup, the Xpress Lid incorporates a plastic strainer and plunger that transforms humdrum paper cups into disposable, single-use plunger pots. SmartCup sells to specialty shops and java enthusiasts for about 40 cents each. The lids are already making inroads in the Middle East. «We started shipping it to troops,» Graves says.
Jamie Chung for Bloomberg Businessweek Continuar leyendo

BlackBerry Challenges Grow as Countries, RIM Collide

Aug. 2 (Bloomberg) — Research In Motion Ltd., maker of the BlackBerry smartphone, faces increasing challenges to its overseas expansion as developing countries tighten restrictions on mobile e-mail.

The United Arab Emirates, home to Middle East business hub Dubai, said yesterday it may suspend BlackBerry e-mail services in October because of concern the devices could be used in crimes. The move comes days after an official in India said that country may ban BlackBerry e-mail use and reports that Saudi Arabia could take similar steps.

“It’s a reflection of fears of cyber-security and espionage that now extend to mobile phones,” said Ron Deibert, director of the University of Toronto’s Citizen Lab, who helped colleagues uncover a plot against the Indian government that involved computers in China. “It’s the type of thing that will become more common for RIM as they grapple with public policy and ethical issues in emerging markets.”

: Image via Wikipedia

By Anthony DiPaola and Hugo Miller

(Updates with RIM’s global sales in fourth paragraph.)

BlackBerry Challenges Set to Spread as Governments, RIM Collide

By Anthony DiPaola, Hugo Miller and Vivian Salama

Aug. 2 (Bloomberg) — Research In Motion Ltd., maker of the BlackBerry smartphone, faces challenges to overseas expansion as developing countries tighten restrictions on mobile e-mail.

“It’s a reflection of fears of cyber security and espionage that now extend to mobile phones,” said Ron Deibert, director of the University of Toronto’s Citizen Lab, who helped colleagues uncover a plot against the Indian government that involved computers in China. “It’s the type of thing that will become more common for RIM as they grapple with public policy and ethical issues in emerging markets.”

RIM, based in Waterloo, Ontario, is focusing on countries including India, the U.A.E., Indonesia and Brazil as a decade of North American expansion slows. Revenue from outside North America and the U.K. nearly doubled last quarter as U.S. sales, which account for a quarter of revenue, dropped 7 percent.

For RIM, the pioneer in handheld e-mail devices, security is one of the main advantages it touts over competitors. All BlackBerry e-mails are handled by the company’s own enterprise servers, making the devices popular with companies and government officials including Barack Obama, who kept his BlackBerry after becoming U.S. president.

By Anthony DiPaola, Hugo Miller and Vivian Salama

Aug. 2 (Bloomberg) — Research In Motion Ltd., maker of the BlackBerry smartphone, faces challenges to overseas expansion as developing countries tighten restrictions on mobile e-mail.

The United Arab Emirates, home to Middle East business hub Dubai, said yesterday it may suspend BlackBerry e-mail services in October because of concern the devices could be used in crimes. The move comes days after an official in India said that country may ban BlackBerry e-mail use and reports that Saudi Arabia could take similar steps.

Breathtaking Visions of Earth Photos From National Geographic

National Geographic take some of most amazing photography related to vision of Earth. Editor picked photos and added in vision of Earth collection; this showcase consists of the best nature images from around the world and collected top 30 picks from last few years of Vision of Earth.

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Gulf of Aqaba – Surrounded by thousands of golden sweepers, photographer Magnus Lundgren spun his camera to capture this shifting school off Elat, Israel. After 200 tries he got it: a whirlpool of four-inch fish. (Magnus Lundgren)

Bemaraha National Park, Madagascar – Rocks turned to razors, eroded limestone pinnacles rise 300-plus feet (91.4 meters) from the forest floor of this park—challenging researchers who study the island’s rare and endangered species. (Olivier Grunewald)

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Freelancer’s Survival Kit

While some people recognize the saturation of the industry and worry about their future, everyday, there are new fresh talents trying to make it in the very same industry. This new influx of talents is a cause for celebration despite the concerns of the saturated market because sometimes, a new perspective is just what the industry needs to pick itself up. We all hold the key to our own future and the future of the industry.

If we want to ensure that we don’t drown from overpopulation and continue to strive upwards we need to all put our best foot forward and show the world that it needs all of us. However, in the event we cannot do so, we must also ensure that we have our bomb shelter ready and well stocked to survive the cold; then after the dust has settled, we have what it takes to go out there and do it again or rock another industry with our abilities.

In a field that is already highly saturated with very talented individuals, attempting to be a successful freelance designer is not an easy task to accomplish. Despite the tough competition, there is no need to be cut throat to achieve success. Today’s article shows you some ways to stand out from the crowd without stepping on anyone’s toes.

Image Credit: Bethany & Scott Continuar leyendo «Freelancer’s Survival Kit»

Prohibido y ya

Por Juan Gelman

Dentro de Israel y fuera de Israel. Dentro: los artículos de un proyecto de ley presentado a fines de abril en la Knesset, o Parlamento israelí, establecen la clausura o la imposibilidad de registro de las ONG locales “sospechosas de proporcionar información o estar involucradas en procesos contra oficiales o comandantes por violaciones del derecho humanitario internacional o por crímenes de guerra” (www.jnews.org.uk, 29410). Es la segunda ley que, con esos fines, se discute en la Knesset. El grupo ultranacionalista Im Tirtzu –Segunda Revolución Sionista–, por su parte, ha desatado una campaña contra estas ONG porque pretenden que esos crímenes sean juzgados fuera de Israel, ya que sus tribunales no procesan a los culpables. Otra muestra de la democracia israelí.

Por Juan Gelman