Author: Staff Writer

  • Spotted: New Outdoor Buzz in Cairo

    Spotted: New Outdoor Buzz in Cairo

    The outdoor market never fails to amaze us, it’s been a while since we’ve witnessed a buzz about a particular campaign.

    During the past few days, you might have noticed something different all around Cairo, the prevalence of a new teaser campaign stating إحنا_موجودين# which translates to “We are exist”.

    Confused? Well, you’re not the only one.

    People are wondering every day on their way to work and school, what could it be?

    What do these words and colours refer to?

    This teaser definitely stated a place in our minds, you can’t really close an eye on it, it’s everywhere, but when shall the curtains fall? Neither our minds nor our curiosity can wait.

    outdoor campaign in cairo 2019Just like any buzzing teaser campaign, there are so many questions raising among viewers, like:

    Who are they? Why are they all around Cairo? Will it be a message to be conveyed soon? An announcement for an upcoming event maybe? Or perhaps it’s just a new project that will be launched?

    And most of all, is it worth all the buzz buzz?

    We’ve searched for hints that might feed our curiosity, but unfortunately we found non. Anyway, this teaser‘s timeline should come to an end soon.

    Do you have any guesses yet? If yes, drop us a line on Facebook

  • Glade launches ‘Baby Abeer’ campaign with Snapchat for International Women’s Day

    Glade launches ‘Baby Abeer’ campaign with Snapchat for International Women’s Day

    On International Women’s Day, SC Johnson’s Glade brand will launch a national lens takeover using a new Snapchat selfie lens that celebrates the rich heritage and bright hopes of women in the Kingdom.

    Aligned with Glade’s new Elegant Amber and Oud™ fragrance, the Baby Abeer (fragrance) campaign invites every Saudi woman to make a wish for her future. Some of the wishes that women will be empowered to make for their country’s future generations include:

    • Inspire hope ألهمي الأمل
    • Have confidence تحلّي بالثقة
    • Be fearless كوني شجاعة
    • Embrace change تبنّي التغيير

    The campaign team has created the first-ever Snapchat Lens triggered by a user’s eyes, allowing women to convey their optimism about the future while still wearing their traditional dress.

    The World View Lens, Snapchat’s outward facing camera, also uses hand technology, meaning that a woman wearing a full burka can engage with the Lens in public in Saudi Arabia.

    The campaign is the first time that hand technology has been used in a Snapchat Lens in Saudi Arabia.

    Credit:

    Brand: Glade (SC Johnson)

    Agency: Ogilvy

    Media Partner: Snapchat

    Geography: Saudi Arabia

    Campaign Snapcode:

    baby abeer campaign snapchat snapcode

     

  • Careem Bus Deploys Free Rescue Rides Post Tragic Cairo Train Accident

    Careem Bus Deploys Free Rescue Rides Post Tragic Cairo Train Accident

    Careem Bus has launched a new nationwide initiative, offering free rides for people around the incident area of the tragic Cairo train accident who aim to donate blood to the injured – In light of today’s Ramses Railway Station fire in Cairo that killed at least 28 people and injured 50.

    Buses will transport blood donors to Central Blood Bank in Ramsis, as stated on Careem’s official Facebook page.

    Careem launched a similar nationwide initiative in 2016; Careem deployed a similar rescue ride in light of the explosion inside Cairo’s Coptic cathedral that killed and injured dozens of people.

    From its side, Facebook has activated Crisis Response in Cairo to help families and friends know the status of their loved ones, as well as let people offer help to people in need.

  • Cairo-based online grocery startup ‘GoodsMart’ secures additional funding from Algebra Ventures

    Cairo-based online grocery startup ‘GoodsMart’ secures additional funding from Algebra Ventures

    ​GoodsMart​, the household shopping app that has transformed the shopping experience using unattended delivery, has announced that it has secured additional funding from ​Algebra Ventures​, Egypt’s leading venture capital fund, ahead of its upcoming Series B round.

    Pioneering unattended delivery in the MENA region, GoodsMart offers clients an effortless and hassle-free shopping experience using the GoodsMart box, a sleek app, a wallet system for easy payment, and an efficient delivery model.

    GoodsMart is the smartest and easiest online household shopping experience. GoodsMart wants its clients to let go of their daily errands, enjoy fresh products daily, and save money. Their mission is to free up their clients’ time for themselves and for their loved ones through unattended delivery. They offer reliable daily delivery and ensure product safety through their innovative GoodsMart box.

    The innovative service has proven itself indispensable to clients, engaging customers and fostering exceptional brand loyalty and advocacy. Amr Fawzi, GoodsMart’s founder and CEO, attributes the product’s stickiness to a laser-like focus on customer experience and a company culture centred on user satisfaction. ‘Client happiness is our goal,’ says Fawzi. ‘Every single person on the team works to push client satisfaction to unprecedented levels. This is clearly reflected in our customer testimonials and organic engagement on social media, and in our cohort retention rates of over 70% a year in.’

    The opportunity has continued to excite their initial investors, Algebra Ventures, who invested $750k in GoodsMart’s Series A round in April 2017.

    ‘GoodsMart is a uniquely innovative company with tremendous upside potential,’ says Tarek Assaad, Algebra Ventures’ Managing Partner. ‘Their customer-centric approach continues to deliver exceptional results. Since we made our first investment, Amr and his team have improved operational efficiency, added key members to the executive team, signed strategic partnerships, and strengthened the company’s technology platform. We’re delighted to continue supporting GoodsMart beyond our initial investment.’

    This investment comes as GoodsMart prepares to raise its Series B investment round. GoodsMart has grown its business three-fold in the last six months and plans to use the acquired investment to further scale its business, upgrade its warehouse facilities, and bolster its operational capabilities.

    Speaking about plans for the acquired investment, Fawzi adds, ‘We’re going to use this investment to prepare for the upcoming expansion phase while continuing to maintain awesome client experience.’

    Algebra Ventures is a $50-million Cairo-based venture capital fund that invests in early-stage technology companies in Egypt and the MENA region. Its LPs include Cisco, the European Commission, EAEF, EBRD, IFC, and private family offices. Algebra has invested in many transformative tech startups, including HolidayMe, Eventtus, Elmenus, POSRocket, and Halan.

  • Marriott International Launches Dedicated Dining Platform in UAE

    Marriott International Launches Dedicated Dining Platform in UAE

    Marriott International has launched a dedicated dining platform in the UAE, MoreCravings.com, which allows guests to discover a wealth of food experiences across its properties all in one place.

    As one of the leading restaurant and bar operators in the Middle East and Africa, Marriott International offers an incredibly diverse range of dining options with more than 350 outlets to choose from in the UAE alone. The More Cravings website features Marriott International’s restaurants and bars, making it simple for everyone to discover great experiences at the click of a button.

    From the Latin soul of Toro Toro at Grosvenor House, a Luxury Collection Hotel, to the Oak Room headed up by MasterChef Tom Aikens at the Abu Dhabi EDITION, visitors can search by cuisine, experience, location and deal to select their ultimate food adventure.

    Not only this, connoisseurs will be able to read reliable, authentic and honest reviews from everyday foodies in the blog section. As part of their search to ‘Find the Next UAE Foodie’, Marriott International has selected four passionate food writers to impartially review their outlets on More Cravings across four categories: Luxury Dining and Fine Casual; Family-friendly; Casual and Cafes; and Bars.

  • Top Six Digital Supplies that Businesses Should Order

    Top Six Digital Supplies that Businesses Should Order

    Businesses are currently operating in an era where digital incorporation is a critical factor in the success of the entity.

    As a business leader, you need to migrate your organization from the paper and manually driven operations to a digital era. Where most of the activities are carried out by robots and automated office equipment.

    Therefore, there is a need for new supplies that will be supporting and helping your business to embrace the digital era.

    Here are some of the digital supplies that you need to order from your business supplier.

    1. Accounting Software

    One area where you would want to revamp and make it more digital is the accounting and finance department.

    Thus, you need essential accounting software that will help you to process payments within a short period.

    Every aspect of the accounting department should be automated. With the sole purpose of serving the customers and suppliers within a short period.

    Some of the common accounting software that you can consider include QuickBooks, Peach Tree, and Sage among others.

    2. Supply Industry

    Personal selling, printing media, and broadcast media are not as effective as they once were.

    Although they remain relevant in the industry, there are other effective marketing strategies that companies are using.

    Coastal Business Supplies has been in the supply industry for a longer period, and it may be better suited to recommend some of the best uses of vinyl, heat presses and sublimation blanks that you should buy.

    3. Human Resource Management Software

    After managing the human resource department for a longer period through manual practices. It is time to incorporate a comprehensive digital software that can help your business to organize and manage its human resource.

    Supplying agencies will provide customized software that meets the specific tastes and preferences of your business.

    Human resource management software is an important digital tool. It keeps critical details about your employees in a secured storage and quick retrieval.

    A comprehensive human resource management software should also support web-based online recruitment among other tools.

    4. Stock/Inventory Management Software

    The era of managing stock manually is over.

    You should make sure that your business has an inventory management system that will be used to track the stock at hand at any given time.

    Stock control is a crucial concept in any business that wants to remain competitive and relevant in the industry.

    Manual inventory management has proved fatal in some cases where stock at hand gets depleted without notice. Leaving the business with no option but to turn customers away.

    Having an automatic stock management system will help your business to keep track of the stock at hand. As a result, there is no time the business will have to turn away customers.

    5. Digital Printers

    Old printers have now been replaced with modern and sophisticated printers.

    The new gadgets are energy efficient and can print many documents within a short period.

    They have self-diagnosing strategies. Which means that businesses will not be using huge resources for repair and maintenance. They are also easy to operate and can perform multiple functions such as photocopying, faxing, and scanning among others.

    Moreover, digital printers can print a document through a wireless medium. Which means that it is now possible to print a document in the phone without cable connections.

    6. Cloud Computing Services

    At this digital stage, cloud computing is a vital aspect of the success of any business.

    Issues with cybercrime have brought a scenario where organizations have to store their data securely.

    The only realistic and secure way is sourcing cloud services from various digital suppliers.

    Cloud computing will help your business to store critical data safely where it cannot be accessed by unauthorized personnel. Cloud computing is a vital business acquisition as it will help employees to work on the move.

    Digital transformation is an essential aspect of the growth and success of any business. Organizations that want to attract customers and offer extreme competition to other entities in the same industry must embrace digital migration.

    Many business suppliers are ready to supply various digital products to companies. So, companies need to prepare a transition platform and move with speed before they become irrelevant in the industry.

  • KarmSolar, Cairo3A Poultry sign US$90 million agreement

    KarmSolar, Cairo3A Poultry sign US$90 million agreement

    KarmSolar, Egypt’s fastest growing solar energy  company, has signed a US$90 million solar distribution contract with Cairo3A Poultry, a subsidiary of Cairo3A Group, a leading company in agriculture, poultry production and grain trading.

    The deal will see KarmSolar connect the project which is located on Wahat Road to the national grid and provide 100 % of the company’s energy needs from solar power.

    This new deal marks KarmSolar’s biggest signed agreement. With the contract projected to double KarmPower’s pipeline of committed projects to date, which today reached a total of almost 80 MW to be implemented by the end of 2020.

    “This is an important milestone for KarmSolar, as we continue to drive the growth of the private solar energy market in Egypt. KarmPower, our subsidiary, through its rapid expansion and commitment to taking on new projects is set to maintain KarmSolar as the largest private sector solar energy provider in the country,” said Amr El Sawaf, Chairman of the Board of KarmSolar.

    “Cairo 3A welcomes the signing of this new agreement. It is a tremendous honour for us to be working alongside KarmSolar, with their impressive background, and breadth of experience in the sector. We look forward to more ongoing collaboration between our two companies ,”said Dr. Amir Iskandar, CEO of Cairo3A Poultry.

    KarmPower is a subsidiary of KarmSolar that invests in private solar Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) and is the first private solar company to hold a power distribution license in Egypt. Their current projects include a 23.5 MW project for Dakahlia Group and a 20 MW power generation and distribution project for El-Badr for Investment and Commercial Spaces

    (Arkan Plaza). Once operational, these stations will join KarmPower’s existing portfolio of clients, which includes Juhayna, Fridal, Mazar Mall and Orion Food Industries.

  • How I earned $300 on my trip to São Paulo

    How I earned $300 on my trip to São Paulo

    I’m Allan, an avid surfer and traveler. I wanted to share my experience of how I earned $300 on my trip from Miami to São Paulo. Apparently, getting paid to travel is not too good to be true.

    I discovered Grabr a while ago. The basic idea is, shoppers order common products sold abroad and if you happen to be traveling to their city, you can offer to buy and deliver their order to earn some money.

    I thought my trip to São Paulo would be a great chance to try this out. 3 weeks before my flight, I created a trip on Grabr and started making delivery offers. It definitely makes it easier to start this as soon as possible so you have time to get more of your offers accepted.

    My advice is, feel free to make more offers because not every offer you make may be accepted. I refreshed the São Paulo order page a few times a day to find new orders. Once a shopper accepts your offer, they pay for their product and your delivery reward into Grabr’s escrow account so you don’t have to worry about them changing their mind.

    Earn Money Every Time You Travel

    My goal was to earn a decent amount with the deliveries. Plus I wanted to qualify for the $100 bonus (you earn an additional $100 if you deliver 10 orders or more on your trip). After my offers were accepted, I ordered the products online (mostly from Amazon) and had them shipped to my home. This part is pretty easy because all the products just arrive at your doorstep.

    After I received my orders, I started unboxing them so I could fit everything into my suitcase. I even did a bit of recycling. 🙂 Then it was off to São Paulo!

    grabr, Earn Money Every Time You Travel

    When I arrived, I messaged all of my shoppers and gave them a few time windows and places to meet at. Everything went perfectly and all of my shoppers were super nice. It was a great feeling to make someone’s day! One guy had the biggest smile after receiving his favorite hoodie from Deus Ex Machina.

    All of my shoppers confirmed their deliveries in person and I received the payments a few days later. You get reimbursed for all the products and receive your rewards for each delivery. I also got the $100 delivery bonus because I delivered 11 products (you need to deliver at least 10 orders on one trip to qualify.) All in all, I got an extra $300 spending money to enjoy my São Paulo trip!

    Grabr

    If you’re traveling somewhere this year, I would recommend giving this a shot. There are shoppers who publish orders from almost every part of the world, so you should be able to find something to deliver no matter where you’re flying.

    See what you can deliver

  • Netflix updates logo animation that runs before all original shows

    Netflix updates logo animation that runs before all original shows

    The streaming video service Netflix is adding an enhanced animated logo for every original show it produces. Starting today, the company will begin rolling out a short clip that features the familiar red “N” which then appears to zoom the viewer through the letter to reveal several colored beams.

    The sound will remain the same.

    Netflix’s new logo animation 2019

    In a blog post explaining the move, the company said changes reflect the increased “diversity and variety of our content.”

    “Our favorite part is when the Netflix symbol breaks out into an array of colors, inspired by the spectrum of stories, emotions, languages, fans, and creators that collectively makeup who we are as a brand.”

    The former ident was introduced nearly five years ago when Netflix started making originals. The service was available in a few countries then. Today, Netflix shows, films, and specials span genres and cultures. Members worldwide watch them in English, Arabic, Italian, Spanish, and more.

    According to a report by Fast Company, a Netflix spokesperson said the design took two years and was created by its in-house team with the help of an outside agency.

  • Facebook removes fake accounts from Iran

    Facebook removes fake accounts from Iran

    Facebook said on Thursday it removed pages, groups and accounts on both Instagram and Facebook, which are tied to Iran for using and coordinating fake accounts.

    These accounts targeted people across the world, although more heavily in the Middle East and South Asia, the company explained.

    Source: Facebook Newsroom