Across the conversations at Vibe Marketing Tech Fest, Dubai, one idea surfaced repeatedly: marketing is becoming less about isolated metrics, channels and functions, and more about connecting the entire customer and business equation.
Participation should be viewed more as an opportunity for building sustained brand equity and consumer relationships and less as an indicator, says Hira Omar Aamer, Brand Strategy Director, Sprite, Eurasia and Middle East Operating Unit, The Coca-Cola Company.
Brands need to function as a connected unit grounded in a solid customer data foundation or else they risk missing hidden signals across their organisation, says Varun Sharma, VP & Head of SAP CX – Middle East Africa, SAP.
The Marquee Awards will culminate in a gala celebration on September 10 in Dubai, bringing together marketing and technology leaders to recognise outstanding digital campaigns, innovation, and technical excellence across the Middle East.
As enterprises move beyond simply unifying customer data, the next challenge is making that context actionable across marketing, AI and commercial systems, says Mohamed Ali, RVP MENA at Zeotap.
Merkle MENA’s Deepak Mankani outlines that only retailers who move from fragmented stacks to integrated, agentic CXM will bag higher conversion, bigger baskets, and lower service costs.
As AI accelerates marketing decisions, Sarah Maina of AppsFlyer explains why trusted measurement, reliable data and human oversight will determine whether that speed translates into sustainable business growth.
People may follow a hospitality brand because of a beautiful beach or an attractive offer, but they remain connected because of how the brand makes them feel, says Nina Mohamed, Cluster Director of Marketing & Communications at Mövenpick and Pullman Resort Al Marjan Island.
According to Roxana Nicolescu, VP, Brand Marketing & Social Media (Global), Wego.com, attention is not necessarily disappearing; it is becoming more fragmented, selective and rapidly reallocated between feeds, creators, searches, messages and cultural moments.
As footfall drops and delivery consolidates around fewer, more reliable restaurants, UAE F&B brands built for destination dining are missing the habitual, convenience-driven customers who are actually ordering right now.
