Latest news with #PublicisMedia
Hindustan Times
a day ago
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Reddit rolls out AI ad tools to turn user conversations into marketing insights
Reddit has launched new artificial intelligence (AI) advertising tools designed to help brands engage more effectively with the platform's vast user discussions. The announcement came during the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity as Reddit marked its 20th anniversary. The company revealed that its new AI engine, called Reddit Community Intelligence, will transform years of user-generated content into useful insights for marketers. The new AI-powered tools are still in early testing stages and include Reddit Insights and Conversation Summary Add-Ons, according to the company. Both tools aim to harness the collective intelligence from Reddit's billions of posts and comments to offer marketers data-driven ways to improve their campaigns. Also read: A gamer's guide to high-performance laptops Reddit Insights functions as a social listening platform, which gives advertisers access to key metrics and analysis drawn from two decades of conversations on the site. It provides a dashboard where marketers can explore topics, track trends, and review popular posts within relevant subreddits. This tool will also help brands assess consumer perceptions and monitor cultural shifts that affect purchasing decisions. Also read: India's digital job scene to expand in 2025 with rise in AI and data-driven roles Publicis Media, a major advertising firm, is one of the first testers of Reddit Insights. According to Reddit, Publicis Media used the tool to refine creative ideas, conduct competitive research, gather user feedback, and identify emerging trends. Furthermore, the second tool, Conversation Summary Add-Ons, enhances ads by displaying positive user comments about the brand or product directly beneath the advertisement. An AI-generated summary of these comments accompanies the display to provide what Reddit calls 'social proof.' This feature aims to boost consumer confidence and speed up decision-making. Also read: India's AI Industry to Grow Threefold, May Reach $17 Billion by 2027 On the other hand, Reddit claims that internal tests showed ads using Conversation Summary Add-Ons achieved a 19 percent higher click-through rate than standard image ads. Early adopters of this feature include game developer Jackbox Games and the US electric vehicle company Lucid.
Arabian Business
27-05-2025
- Business
- Arabian Business
Dubai startup positions yerba maté as matcha rival in wellness beverage boom
A Dubai-based media executive has launched a startup targeting yerba maté as the region's next premium wellness beverage, aiming to replicate the global success of matcha tea amid an unprecedented boom in health-conscious consumer spending. Raji Tarabay, a senior manager at Publicis Media Group, founded his company, Yerba, in early 2025 after identifying an untapped opportunity in Dubai's competitive wellness market for the traditional South American drink, which has strong cultural connections to Lebanese and Druze communities. 'We're looking at a market that doesn't have any actionable ground or drive to it,' Tarabay told Arabian Business. 'There's a giant gap in the market with actual yerba maté products that have any branding behind them.' The timing aligns with explosive growth in the global wellness economy, which reached a record $6.3 trillion in 2023, accounting for 6.03 per cent of global GDP according to the Global Wellness Institute. The sector is projected to approach $9.0 trillion by 2028, with food, fitness and mental wellness among the fastest-growing categories. Yerba maté, a caffeinated herbal tea made by steeping dried leaves of the yerba maté plant in hot water, has long been popular in Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay and Brazil. Traditionally consumed from a hollowed gourd through a metal straw called a bombilla, it contains caffeine comparable to coffee but without the jitteriness some experience, due to the presence of theobromine – also found in chocolate. The beverage has remained largely confined to South American expat communities and certain Middle Eastern demographics, primarily Lebanese and Syrian consumers whose cultural connection to maté came via immigrants who settled in South America before returning to the Levant. What began as a side hustle for Tarabay and his business partner Bassel Malaeb has quickly evolved into a structured operation with seven employees. The founders are currently running the business as a direct-to-consumer e-commerce model but plan to expand distribution channels soon. 'We're running the business like a corporation, even though it's a startup,' Tarabay explained. 'It's just incredible to see right now. Yerba can scale to operate with 1,000 sales or 20,000 sales, and it would operate the same exact way.' Market positioning and health benefits The company's business strategy hinges on positioning yerba maté as a premium wellness product with significant health benefits, rather than simply a cultural curiosity. 'People are out there injecting themselves with all of these drugs to suppress their appetite and lose weight,' Tarabay said, referencing the popularity of GLP-1 receptor agonists like Ozempic and Wegovy. 'Something that they don't know about is that yerba maté contains aspects of GLP-1. It also has thermogenic properties, anti-inflammatory properties and reduces bloating.' This wellness-focused positioning mirrors the successful marketing strategy that propelled matcha from a traditional Japanese tea ceremony component to a global wellness phenomenon. Dubai has embraced such trends enthusiastically, with the city now hosting 'matcha raves' – alcohol-free, daytime parties where attendees sip matcha-based beverages while socialising. Yerba's strategy aligns with other successful functional beverages like kombucha, which has seen explosive growth globally over the past few years. The fermented tea beverage market was valued at $1.67 billion in 2019 and is projected to reach $7.05 billion by 2027, driven by consumer interest in gut health and probiotic benefits. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated these wellness trends, with 41.6 per cent of individuals in the Middle East and North Africa reporting increased consumption of fruits and vegetables during the pandemic, while 48.8 per cent reduced fast-food intake, indicating a shift towards healthier eating habits. Wellness tourism, another booming sector growing at 16.6 per cent annually, was valued at $651 billion in 2022 and is projected to reach $1.4 trillion by 2027. This reflects a growing consumer desire to integrate health-focused experiences into every aspect of their lives, including travel and social activities. Unexpected market penetration Market research and early sales data have revealed surprising consumer demographics, according to Tarabay. 'We didn't expect a certain audience to be very attentive to our product and brand, which was the local community,' he said. 'We see that the local communities are coming back time and time again.' Perhaps more significant for the business model, Yerba has achieved its early growth without formal marketing campaigns. 'Key influencers are trying out yerba by themselves, through their customer journeys,' he added, indicating that planned influencer marketing initiatives could accelerate growth further. Expansion strategy The company has ambitious plans for scaling operations across multiple dimensions. 'We are heading regional. That is the goal,' Tarabay confirmed. 'In terms of expansion, we're actually going to be growing our product lines very soon. We're doubling down on awareness and access for Yerba, it's going to be more accessible in different aggregators and different marketplaces.' While specific platforms remain undisclosed until partnerships are finalised, this multi-channel approach suggests a shift from pure direct-to-consumer to a more diversified distribution strategy. The company draws inspiration from global market developments, with Tarabay noting that in January 2024, popular neuroscientist and Huberman Lab podcast host Dr. Andrew Huberman partnered with Canadian investment firm Tiny to acquire a majority stake in Mateína, a Canadian yerba maté beverage company. This high-profile partnership coincided with Mateína's U.S. market debut and included the development of a sugar-free, non-smoked yerba maté beverage, potentially signalling growing mainstream interest in the product category. Yerba's market positioning balances authenticity with accessibility, recognising both the South American origins and Middle Eastern adoption of maté. 'Our branding is about honouring tradition, but with a modern twist,' Tarabay explained. 'We do believe that it is a great South American product.' This carefully calibrated approach aims to appeal to wellness-focused consumers seeking authenticity while making the product accessible to those unfamiliar with maté culture. Operational challenges However, building a new product category presents significant challenges, particularly in consumer education and securing reliable supply chains for premium yerba maté. 'Even when we were looking around and trying to find the suppliers, it was quite difficult to even find anyone that does this certain product,' Tarabay revealed, highlighting supply chain development as a critical business function. As Dubai's wellness market continues to mature, with consumers increasingly seeking functional beverages that deliver both health benefits and social cachet, Tarabay believes Yerba appears well-positioned to capitalise on emerging trends in a sector that shows no signs of slowing down. 'We genuinely hope that we're going to be achieving the numbers that we are seeing right now when it comes to matcha and kombucha parties,' said Tarabay, with the quiet confidence of an entrepreneur who has identified a genuine market opportunity. 'It does have a great addition to your health, to your lifestyle, and to the community as a whole.'
Campaign ME
07-05-2025
- Business
- Campaign ME
Publicis Media and Living Room partner to connect data and experience
Publicis Media Middle East has announced a strategic partnership with Living Room MENA, a creative tech and experiential agency, to integrate data-led media with experiential marketing. The collaboration will focus on aligning performance-driven strategy with creative activations, offering brands new ways to engage audiences through measurable and meaningful touchpoints. The joint approach combines Publicis Media's capabilities in media, data and audience insight with Living Room's expertise in immersive brand experiences. 'In today's fast-changing landscape, it's no longer just about reaching audiences – it's about engaging them in meaningful ways,' said Tony Wazen, CEO of Publicis Media ME. 'Publicis Media and Living Room MENA bring together two distinct but complementary strengths: data-driven media intelligence and immersive brand experiences. This partnership enhances how we connect with consumers and elevates experiential marketing at large, setting new industry benchmarks for innovation and impact.' Dani Oneisse, Founder and CEO of Living Room MENA, added: 'We are excited to join forces with Publicis Media ME, bringing together our expertise in experiential marketing and creative technology with their strengths in data, media and strategy. This partnership is not just about collaboration – it's about expanding our offerings beyond Dubai to the wider Middle East, with a strong focus on Riyadh and Abu Dhabi, where we see immense opportunities to strengthen our presence and deliver impactful brand experiences.' The partnership will also focus on strengthening the agencies' market positioning and offering, and include launch of a joint go-to-market strategy, with a focus on business development, cross-agency integration and scalable solutions for clients looking to align data-led media planning with experiential creativity. Living Room's past work includes immersive experiences for Expo City Dubai and public-sector activations with interactive AR technology. The agency also led stunt-based campaigns for entertainment and mobility brands. The new model is positioned to give marketers more cohesive tools for storytelling – linking media strategy with real-world audience connection.
