United Arab Emirates (68)
The HTC Facebook shortcut
HTC has created their own one-button trend, the “Facebook share button”. HTC Salsa is one of the latest smartphones to hit the United Arab Emirates market. While all other phone functionality is done through the haptic touchscreen, only Facebook sits proudly and comfortably as a button.
Why it matters
HTC has raised the bar for social mobile phones. The need for easy and quick access to social media platforms is rising in the UAE and HTC is responding to that. How long will it take for UAE marketers to finally take the jump and start developing social media strategies? Is this new trend enough to provide them with an understanding of the role social media plays in this part of the world?
Baby banking steps
The Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank launched a product named ‘Banoun’ which is an account for children aged 8 and above. To appeal and grab their imagination, they created a character called Darhoom that tells the kids stories about how to save and manage their allowance.
Why it matters
Not only does this program help kids understand the concept of finance at an early age, it encourages parents to become more responsible by investing into their kids’ future. While this concept may be familiar in many western markets, it’s an innovative one for an Islamic bank in the Middle East. Will this encourage all other banks to open up to a new, even younger, Arab generation?
News with your brews
Gulf News has teamed up with Tim Hortons to bring coffee lovers morning news when ordering their beverage. Headlines from Gulf News' Twitter feed are printed on the sleeves of coffee cups, keeping everyone up-to-date every hour.
Why it matters
Coffee and morning news often go hand in hand. This innovative approach by Gulf News definitely manages to crawl its way into this morning ritual. Will it inspire other traditional mediums to consider unconventional ways to grab their audience’s attention?
