MEDPUSH

October 2016

After nearly a three-month hiatus, Samir Ayoub, former Chief Executive Officer of Mindshare MENA, has made a comeback in a new avatar. Mr Ayoub has launched a media audit and consultancy firm – MEDPUSH – that aims to not only assist marketers to improve their media plan’s efficiency but also work with media owners to improve their overall offer and drive accountability.

The firm has launched with Aujan Coca Cola Beverages Company as its first client.

MEDPUSH has begun operations in October 2016 with a staff of five. In addition to Samir Ayoub who is the Founder and CEO of the company, the top management team includes Imad Abi Rizk as Regional Audit Director and Rasha Abdel Hadi as Regional Consultancy & Client Service Director – both of whom bring more than 10 years of experience in the industry.

While MEDPUSH is headquartered in the UAE, and offers services to marketers across the Middle East & North Africa (MENA) region, over the next three years, it will expand operations to other key markets such as Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Egypt and Iran.

A Differentiated Offer
Media audit is a globally recognized concept that is commonly practised in the more advanced advertising markets. In MENA, it is still in its infancy. Mr Ayoub informs that the initial feedback towards the service has been positive. “We have begun with some buzz as many clients require our services,” he said, adding, “Media audit and consultancy firms are expected to add value to the advertisers’ media business. However, we have not created MEDPUSH to be just another audit firm. Our mission is to maximize efficiency and help improve the standards of the market.”

MEDPUSH will design its market plan and services promotion to benefit the different stakeholders of the industry. “Our role is to unlock hidden values and opportunities, eliminate doubts, validate, challenge the norms, push the boundaries and give peace of mind,” Mr Ayoub said.

At present, MEDPUSH does not have any direct competitors in the market due to the breath of service it has launched with. The international media audit firms offer services to brands in the region either directly or through local affiliates. “We do not have local competitors as yet. That being said, our point of difference is the experience we bring to the table. We are practical media experts who know the MENA markets very well and we believe that we can add more value.”

As is known, Mr Ayoub had held the position of Mindshare MENA CEO for 17 years before resigning from the post earlier this year. He continued to be affiliated with Mindshare MENA till July 2016 as its Board Member. In his reign, Mindshare grew its product from traditional media planning and buying to newer products and services in areas including data analytics and luxury as alternate revenue streams, while expanding to all markets in the region.

Bridging The Gap

Perhaps it is credit to this experience and MEDPUSH’s foresight that it has acknowledged the role that it can play in connecting the link between marketers and media owners, and truly driving efficiency across the media value chain. Also, digital is at the core of its services given the growing role of the medium. “We do not segregate between offline and online or ignore one medium. On the contrary, our services and products have been developed to cover each medium efficiently and fairly.”

MEDPUSH’s suite has access to technology and tools that can track and measure campaigns performance in digital.

Commenting from an overall perspective, Mr Ayoub said, “We believe there’s gap in the market between agencies, clients and media owners or vendors as commonly referred. Many people among media vendors do not talk the language of planning with agencies and clients. Our aim is to help in narrowing the gap through training and consultancy to media vendors. We want everyone to speak the same language for the benefits of the industry overall,”

Apart from media audit and consultancy, MEDPUSH will also provide training and coaching that will include both technical skills and soft skills to industry professionals.

MEDPUSH comes at an apt time when concerns around transparency have been tabled in both legacy and digital platforms. The stage is set for Mr Ayoub’s second inning – one that promises to have an impact on the media industry itself.