khouri successful brand in his own right
Last Updated : GMT 06:49:16
Arab Today, arab today
Arab Today, arab today
Last Updated : GMT 06:49:16
Arab Today, arab today

Khouri: successful brand in his own right

Arab Today, arab today

Arab Today, arab today Khouri: successful brand in his own right

London - Arabstoday

Elie Khouri is drinking his fifth espresso of the day - and the significance of it coming from a Swiss, rather than an Italian, coffee maker is not lost on him.As one of the Middle East's most prominent advertising men, you would expect the 48-year-old executive to recognise a clever marketing campaign when he sees one. But that hasn't made Mr Khouri immune to the caffeinated charms of Nespresso, Switzerland's brand of faux-espresso makers, which famously roped in the American actor George Clooney for a high-profile advertising campaign. "I'm surprised that a Swiss brand like Nespresso managed to conquer the world of coffee, as did an American brand like Starbucks. It's amazing, and it tells you the power of marketing," says Mr Khouri. "That's what we do," he says, smiling. Mr Khouri, wearing a smart suit and his trademark thick-rimmed glasses, sits in his expansive corner office in the heart of Dubai Media City. He is the chief executive of Omnicom Media Group (OMG) in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) - and has certainly earned his stripes in the region's competitive media industry. After almost 25 years in the business, Mr Khouri is counted among the elite guard of advertising executives in the Arab world, almost all of whom are Lebanese. His company does not specialise in creating advertising but helps brands to plan campaigns through its media-buying agencies OMD and PHD, which between them control between 15 and 20 per cent of the region's advertising spending. Yet looking at Mr Khouri's office, which features several pieces of contemporary art from his own collection of about 100 pieces, you would be forgiven for thinking he is one of the advertising industry's purely creative types. It is tempting to draw conclusions about Mr Khouri from the artworks on display. One is a transparent case containing red strips of shredded paper, which Mr Khouri says represents - to him, at least, organised chaos. Another is a model gun wrapped in real banknotes. "In the media business, money is power," says Mr Khouri. He may surround himself with art, but he has no pretensions of being an artist. For while he says being creative is essential, an advertisement is pointless unless it helps to sell more product. "Advertising is not art," said Mr Khouri. "It is a combination of art and science." Mr Khouri was born in Beirut in 1964. The peace of his early childhood was shattered when civil war broke out 11 years later. While many people fled the country, the Khouris did not have enough money to leave and endured the difficulties of a country at war. Perhaps that explains why Mr Khouri has a habit of turning a tough situation into a positive one. "I was an entrepreneur from the early days. During the war, I sold [items ranging] from firecrackers to canned foods," he says. Mr Khouri is Christian - his surname is Arabic for priest - and lived on the east side of Beirut. He faced several dangers when travelling to study at the American University of Beirut on the west side of town. "There were snipers," he says. "There was lots of scary moments, of being stopped at checkpoints, and being on the verge of being kidnapped a couple times." With financial help from his father, he completed an MBA and decided to try his luck in advertising. Aged just 24, he went to Cyprus to work for the advertising agency BBDO, which is also part of the Omnicom Group, earning US$500 (Dh1,836) a month. His boss in Cyprus was Lance de Masi, now the president of the UAE chapter of the International Advertising Association, and president of the American University in Dubai.from national news.

arabstoday
arabstoday

Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

khouri successful brand in his own right khouri successful brand in his own right

 



Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

khouri successful brand in his own right khouri successful brand in his own right

 



GMT 12:48 2016 Sunday ,27 November

Cilic, Dodig push Croatia to brink of Davis Cup

GMT 05:24 2017 Thursday ,28 December

Erdogan says 'terrorist' Assad cannot be part of Syria

GMT 12:59 2016 Saturday ,05 November

WB welcomes economic reforms in Egypt

GMT 18:40 2016 Saturday ,05 November

Egyptian GDRs in London down

GMT 10:57 2017 Wednesday ,06 December

Peru striker Guerrero has doping ban extended

GMT 17:51 2017 Tuesday ,07 March

Trump Signs New Travel Ban on Six Muslim Countries

GMT 10:30 2017 Wednesday ,06 September

Saudi Information Ministry praises media role during Hajj

GMT 15:29 2017 Tuesday ,24 January

Mind games really do help your brain

GMT 06:55 2015 Thursday ,01 October

Boston Red Sox beat Yankees

GMT 08:17 2017 Monday ,28 August

Bahrain celebrates World Humanitarian Day 2017

GMT 02:07 2017 Tuesday ,28 February

Opposition seeks Russian support at Syria talks
Arab Today, arab today
 
 Arab Today Facebook,arab today facebook  Arab Today Twitter,arab today twitter Arab Today Rss,arab today rss  Arab Today Youtube,arab today youtube  Arab Today Youtube,arab today youtube

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©

arabstoday arabstoday arabstoday arabstoday
arabstoday arabstoday arabstoday
arabstoday
بناية النخيل - رأس النبع _ خلف السفارة الفرنسية _بيروت - لبنان
arabstoday, Arabstoday, Arabstoday