"being a brand manager means you have the product … being a media consultant means that you know where, when and how much would it cost." those were the words of (smg) managing director, ms. karine barakat.

ms. barakat under the spot light:

ms barakat has a b.a, advertising and marketing from the university of noter dame (beirut, lebanon) is a graduate candidate in "applied educational leadership and management" university of london. ms. barakat has a long track record in the filed of advertising and marketing communications. she is now the managing director of smg egypt and part of the middle east management team. she used to be an instructor at the american university of sharjah.

with a track record like that, ms. barakat is an expert that should be reckoned with. read on to know more.  

skill-link.com: what is the difference between an advertising agency and a media buying agency?

ms. barakat;" the difference between an advertising agency or a brand agency and a media buying agency, a brand agency is mainly concerned with every aspect that involves product branding and positioning. the people behind any brand agency are in charge of turning creative work into a communication message. they will think of the theme, feel, tone of voice and contract out a production company to physically make/film the ad. or they can offer those services in house.

whereas, - a media agency tend to buy and plan message carriers. there are some that just plan and others that buy. media agencies aim to place product in front of the consumer. when deciding message carriers, they consider, whether it is a product launch, reminder of purchase or increasing revenue thorough a line extension. target audience is the most important part of the plan because without it we have nothing. based on those findings, we asses and recommend certain times of the year, month, day, cost of media, competitor activity ( done monthly or weekly this varies from one market to the other and from one product to the other , one target audience to the other ) , company targets and so forth, vehicle/vehicles through which creative messages are to be channeled (adv. public relations activities, direct mail and so forth) .of course all such activities are  based on pervious experiences, statistics,  lots of market research and bench marking .

 media buying consultants devise a media plan within the commercial parameters (budget). after client approval and letting the creative agency knowing of the proposed plan - the buying department will buy the media space. once bought the media agency needs to monitor the campaign and make sure it is being aired as planned. brand key performers indicators are studied by media agency to study the outcome of the campaign awareness and top of mind.

skill-link.com; in the process of creating a media plan, do you resort to certain quantified data and how is this data different from those offered to advertising agencies?

ms. barakat; in the realm of brand agencies, the main concern is the creative message, positioning , branding and assessing consumer response to the advertising message , they conduct all sorts of qualitative research ( focus groups, link tests and so forth )that are pertinent to how consumers perceive communication or creative message ( does it hit home, will it make them buy product, would it be perceived the right way and so on ).

in the realm of media and media buying, we are concerned with the consumer attention economy; we mainly depend on figures, relevant statics on viewership and post quantitative measurements unlike brand agencies which are concerned with both post and pre- testing creative messages. our main goal is to reach consumers where they. and at smg we’re in the business of creating connections – places where consumers and brand messages intersect. to achieve and maintain our position as leaders of the attention economy we direct our energies into conceiving, creating, delivering and activating connections that captivate.

skill-link.com; what makes smg stand out?

ms. barakat; captivating consumer attention is both an art and a science. our goal is to maintain our position as the masters of consumer attention by having a well rounded picture of consumers and communications terrain. we also try to come up with and control touch points that captivate consumers. to do so we need to come up with innovative ideas that actually link and connect products to consumers. needless, to say we have to foresee and quantify consumer up shots  

skill-link.com; this all makes you one great company, so what is your approach to deliver on this promise?

ms. barakat; our approach is mainly focused on enthralling consumers and reaching out. we begin with a lucid and profound comprehension of both consumer and business challenges and problems. once we have pin pointed the challenge or the problem, we then move on to hunt down consumer insights that will deliver on brand promise. assimilating insights with brand promise paves the way to a clear and strategic road map. the operative word is captivating an audience or consumers our goal is not very different from that of brand agencies, we are more like a car that delivers the creative brand message to the right people, at the right time and place bearing in mind client's budget. this eventually leads us to more information for future reference. the crux is captivation... which needs to be assessed and confirmed and this we do.

skill-link.com; in a nut shell what is it that you offer to the market?

ms. barakat; based on smg systems we offer partnerships, links and touch points and connections that enthrall consumers, across all marketing commutations activities. we employ techniques that are created with intention to measure consumer intent.

skill-link.com; we are lucky to have an organization like yours in our life time. j this brings us to a very important question .what does it take for a junior entry level recruit to work for smg?

ms barakat ; dedication,  hunger of knowledge, foresight, work ethics ( we deal with confidential rates , statistics and client data ) , young people who have drive to become better and better everyday and young people who have the stamina and the knack to work both hard and smart. we basically ask for drive, passion, consumer behvior orination and hunger for knowledge.  we call the above back and front wheel hiring system. back wheel is basically concerned with technical background and front wheel is focused on personality and appearance.

skil-link.com; let me give you a hypothetical, say you found this candidate. what does smg offer and promise them?

ms barakat; we offer a career path. we offer them a work environment that both nurtures and believes in upgrading the human factor. we train, we send them overseas to be versed in on best practices, and we manage their efforts and invest in them. at smg, we understand how entry level staff operates, we know they need time to learn and understand the world of media and media buying and we are willing to go the distance for them.

skill-link.com; this brings us to a very interesting question, do you demand specific types of collage and university degrees?

ms. barakat; experience has made us rich. we do not demand a specific university degree or faculty. we just want people with stamina and drive. it does not matter where you had your degree from.. but it has to be a higher education degree (university degree neither does it matter from where you got it nor grades). we need someone who has a clear vision of their future and if they do not yet trying we will be there investing in them.

skill-link.com; should a recruit have some sort of an integrated marketing communication background i.e. a communications diploma, in order to affiliate to smg?

ms. barakat; if they do it would make them stand out among the crowd. but it is not really important at this stage. as we simply offer it to them when they join us and prove that they are worthy of it. they make money and at the same time learn the tricks of the book.

skill-link.com; what are the criteria of promotion is it any different from other industries?

ms. barakat; a lot we set objectives to each and every team member; we have them under the microscope. we see how they meet those objectives, there team efforts and finally we assess them … basically performance appraisals like everywhere else. but at smg, we will take them off the ground to the stars of media galaxy j so u need to be a visionary, you need to be fearless, you need to be innovative , you need to be brandj this is also criteria of evaluation. same smg concept back and front wheel j

skill-link.com; in terms of hiring candidates for senior and middle management positions what are you seeking ?

ms. barakat; we usually promote from within. in some cases it is a bit too early for some people to attain a management position, and in this case we tend to head hunt.

skill-link.com; you head hunt on middle management level!!?

ms. barakat; definitely, mostly we seek brand managers across all industries. it is not in our book, to head hunt from another agency.

skill-link.com; i am sure you know , that to be a great account holder is one thing and to be a brilliant manager with leadership skills is another thing . what is your say on this?

ms. barakat; we train those who have proved themselves technically, how to be managers and how to organize their staff. leadership training and management system training are at hand. senior management set an example. i always say, smg will survive but managers come and go. if you are tenacious enough and loyal to the organization you will hit the big time.

skill-link.com; just like you karine j

ms. barakat: thank you

skill-link.com; with all the above karine, i guess you should tell us more about that latest ground breaking news? and brief us on it

ms. barakat;  jjj yes this is my pride and joy, one month ago i was asked be a note speaker at the asia brand congress 2007 which was scheduled on 26th & 27th september 2007 at taj lands end, mumbai. this is a well recognized conference, as it is rendezvous of the best brains behind some of the world’s most successful and sought-out brands. it attempts to provide a platform for networking and experience sharing on the latest trends and best practices in marketing & challenges in brand building.

skill-link.com; and you were a speaker right, karine?

ms. barakat; yes, i had the chance to discuss ensuring brand clarity and consistency in today’s multi-channel world”. not only that but we won the prestigious award a brand leadership award".

skill-link.com: but i know that t it was you who won this award, in recognition of your professional efforts. especially, that you were chosen after extensive research done in the region. it is also, worth mentioning that it was your clients chose you .

ms. barakat; thank you so much, well at the end of the day, it shows that passion and hard work pays off. this is starcom culture manifested in each of the people that

skill-link.com; i am sure you are , this proves that with a vision like smg;s and great investment in the human factor almost always paves the way for a bright and successful organization. karine, thank you so much for your time. we were extremely happy to have met you.

ms. barakat; you are most welcome.