Career Day

Al Ahliyyah School for GirlsApril 4, 2009

Let’s play a little game

brands are valuable because they provide

recognition value focus

And that’s the business I am in

Corporate Communication

A little bit about Me

I’m a Working Mom

Graduated with honors and a BBA in 1995

Began my career in ’97 at a local ad agency before joining

Worked on Major Brands

2002 Communication Manager

2006 Commercial Communication Manager

Saraya in 2007 managing 9 brands and growing!

Back to Corporate Communication

What is Corporate Communication• How an organization communicates with its employees,

its stakeholders, the press and its customers • Corporate communications is all about managing

perceptions and ensuring:– Effective and timely dissemination of information – Positive corporate image – Smooth and affirmative relationship with all stakeholders

• Be it a corporate body, company, organization, institution, non-governmental organization, governmental body, all of them need to have a respectable image and reputation.

• With increasing competition, easy access to information and the media explosion, reputation management has gained even more importance. So corporate communications as a role has become significant.

The Work Environment• Advertising, marketing, promotions, public relations work closely with

top management.• It’s a stressful environment. Working under pressure, schedules change,

problems arise. But deadlines must be met.• There’s plenty of travel.

– Attending events we sponsor, – Traveling to meet a client or media rep – Attending conferences

• We work long hours!– including evenings and weekends. – More than 40 hrs/wk managing our brands!

• But it’s rewarding!

* Source: Bureau of Corporate Statistics

Education Level

• Depending on the career you choose:– College Degree in Marketing, Advertising, TV &

Film Production, Journalism, Business Administration, Graphic Design, Art History

– A Masters degree is a plus– Experience working in an advertising agency or in

any type of media before joining a company to work as part of the brand/communication team

Types of Jobs

• Advertising Officer/Manager• Graphic Designer• Production Manager• Media Manager• Creative Director• Producer• Director• Broadcaster• Public Relations Manager

• Creativity… • Strategic Thinking• Radio, TV, Film Production• Graphic design• Understanding Digital Media• Copywriting/Copyediting skills• Fluent in Arabic and English… I

can’t stress more on the importance of ARABIC

Technical Skills

The Role of a Communication Manager

• Manage the Brand• Create the reputation• To ensure customer affinity & relevance• Create customer loyalty

That’s how youknew Gucci and Disney… Brands that have become household names…

The Role of the Communication Manager

• My responsibilities:– Developing:• brand strategy, • positioning, • managing execution, • all communications campaigns.

– Brand management– Intellectual Property Management – Creating communication tools

Technology & Corporate Communication

• Technology has made my job more challenging and exciting…

• There are more ways to communicate to customers…

• And it’s also made it more challenging to track the development of the brand…

• Keeping up to date with the latest trends will keep you ahead of the competition and on top of your career…

Technology & Corporate Communication

• Blogs• Podcasts• Youtube• Mobile streaming• Digital TV• Ambient Media• 3D virtual environments

A little bit of Advice

Be Patient

• State what you need to say… say it once… don’t argue… sometimes your

ideas need time to be understood and

accepted…

It Takes Teamwork

You can’t do this job alone, there is so much to do to put the pieces of the puzzle together…

work with your team, delegate responsibility,

meet deadlines and give credit where credit is

due…

Respect Others, they’ll Respect You

If you love it, do it…

No matter what you decide to do, love what you do… don’t choose a career that you won’t enjoy doing…

You should wake up excited and happy to go to work!

THANK YOU