Yousef Tuqan – Arabs be Like

The Dubai Chapter of The Marketing Society recently organized a breakfast session with Yousef Tuqan, Vice President, Marketing & Analytics of Careem, where he provided an in-depth view into the life of a modern Arab, and how regional and global brands are connecting with this audience.

Tuqan is one of the MENA region’s most experienced and respected technology entrepreneurs, with a diverse career in the UAE that spans over 19 years. Throughout this time, Yousef has led the digital strategy and delivery of some of the Middle East’s most iconic brands.

In his session titled 'Arabs Be Like' - A guide to the modern Middle East’, Tuqan spoke about the factors which have changed the Arab media landscape, resulting in mobile penetration in the region being among the highest in the world. He discussed recent studies which analysed the outlook of the Arab youth, who form 68% of the population in MENA, and how this has led to a deeper level of engagement in the digital space. Tuqan’s session asserted the important of recognizing the strong influence of social media on Arab society and how brands need to be built through consistent messaging over the years via the right channels.

Tuqan is currently the Vice President for Marketing & Analytics at app-based car booking service Careem, one of the fastest-growing companies in the MENA region. He was formerly the Chief Innovation Officer of Leo Burnett/Publicis Group MENA, and the CEO of Flip Media, a digital agency that was acquired by Leo Burnett in 2012.

Tuqan’s session was held at the Armani Hotel, Burj Khalifa and was attended by senior marketers across the MENA region who represent several of the world’s leading brands.

Below are few key quotes from Yousef Tuqan during the session:

• Arabs love a good conversation. They had an opinion before social media.
• Social media is not just influencing brands and marketing, it is influencing society.
• Consistent messaging with brands is important and needs to be built over the years.
• Social problems create innovation. Some of the best marketing campaigns in the region are not for brands, but for social issues.
• Facebook is currently the most sophisticated social media platform for brands to engage with their audience on.

Tina Varghese is Senior Account Manager at Weber Shandwick.

Read more event reviews in our Clubroom.