It’s the dawn of a new day in Qatar’s energy market as O2 Network help Energy City Qatar (ECQ) take off in 2010! The project was initiated in 2006 and they started construction early 2009, although it’s still not clear when the project will be finalized (possibly by the end of 2010).

Energy City Qatar is a fully integrated business cluster that will be the Gulf’s first oil and gas industry hub. ECQ will be a single point of access to the Middle East and global Oil & Gas players in the hydrocarbon value chain. The $2.6 billion project will consist of low-rise office & residential areas offering world class offices for 20,000 people and luxury residences for 10,000.

Envisioned by Gulf Energy, ECQ forms part of the major new city development, Lusail, which in addition to major business and entertainment districts will be home to up to 200,000 residents. Qatar is touted as the most progressive, business-friendly and the fastest growing economy in the Middle East. Home to the world’s third largest natural gas reserves, Qatar has a stable and maturing political environment, a free press, and internationally recognized regulatory environment.

Developing creative campaigns, launching new services and planning for the best whilst preparing for the worst, pretty much sums up O2 Marketing Communications. With two new prestigious clients, Al Qasba and Al Ain Dairy recently selecting O2 Marketing Communications as their partner, signs of healthy growth for 2009 are already evident reinforcing the notion that young and dynamic companies are the future of the PR and marketing industry.

ABOUT AL QASBA - Positioned as a prime tourist destination in UAE’s cultural capital, Al Sharjah, Al Qasba is continuously strengthening its efforts to reinforce the tourism industry in an emirate already known for its cultural diversity, liveliness and vibrancy. Since its opening in 2004, the vibrant venue offers families, residents and visitors an unparalleled entertainment option. Al Qasba has recently celebrated the 4th year anniversary of the state-of- the- art ‘Etisalat - Eye of the Emirates’ wheel; the 60 meters high wheel which has become a major attraction for local and regional tourists and is now considered a famous landmark that differentiates the Northern Emirate.

ABOUT Al AIN DAIRY – As the first established dairy farm in the UAE, Al Ain Dairy is considered today as the pioneer in the UAE’s dairy farm industry. Having heavily invested in its production phases and owning three cow farms and one camel farm, the company has developed its technological and medical approach to guarantee top quality, 100% healthy dairy products. Worldwide technology including high speed packaging machines, accurate bacteria testing machines and well equipped labs, has been a key factor in positioning Al Ain Dairy as a first choice for customers in the competitive market. Throughout all aspects of its operations, Al Ain Dairy strives for total excellence and quality management in manufacturing the highest quality local dairy products. From gaining HACCP certification in recognition of meeting the highest international standards of product hygiene and safety, to implementing a comprehensive corporate social responsibility program, Al Ain Dairy is committed to inspiring the highest levels of consumer confidence in its products and services.

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In its latest advertising campaign, Emirates has gone where no man has gone before, right to the top of the Burj Dubai. The new ad stars Sudakhar Golem, a 24 years old Indian labourer who works as a supervisor for all the hoisting cranes at the Burj Tower. Created by Leo Burnett in cooperation with the Emirates Corporate Communications Team, the campaign ‘Meet Dubai’ focuses on Golem’s positive experiences in Dubai as a labourer.

With an aim to generate demand for travel to and through Dubai, the ad has received mixed reactions with many slating the ad following recent allegations in a BBC documentary that Arabtec, the company building The Burj Dubai, has filthy and overcrowded labor camps.

None the less, dig a little deeper and the ad appears to be spot on. Its clever marketing does not hide the truth about Dubai but rather embraces the fact that Dubai is a diverse city and a city, like any other, that has both good and bad attributes.

The Emirates campaign appears to be saying that Dubai is unique and in its uniqueness stories of hope and joy can be found. The story of Sudakhar Golem, a worker who is thankful for his job and appreciative for the opportunities he has been given, is rare to find in Dubai and thus worthy of being highlighted to the world. The glass is clearly half full for Sudakhar Golem, a rare story which will hopefully inspire others to think positively, work hard and focus on what they have, not what they don’t have and last but not least not judge a book by its over. After all there is more to Dubai than one TV documentary.

‘Meet Dubai’ will be appearing in international magazines and newspapers including Time, Newsweek, the Financial Times, National Geographic and the Wall Street Journal. It will also be run locally in Australia, India, South Africa and New Zealand. The wider campaign will include press, online, TV, radio, cinema, in-flight and outdoor advertising and will reach over 300 million households across 6 continents.

Turn on your computers, redirect your browser and get ready to communicate and start twittering on the hottest online community website. As a trendy web service, Twitter allows family, friends and co–workers to communicate with each other and stay connected. Essentially it is a micro-blog, or a mini online diary where people can exchange information and answer the question; what are you doing?

Alongside many other social media websites, Twittering is becoming a major part of our every-day activities, used by our friends, heroes, movie stars and even our politicians. From President Barack Obama who used Twitter during his presidential campaign to Oprah Winfrey who recently tweeted; ‘Why I LOVED today’s show: puppies get saved. Prisoners get healed. Soldiers get helped. Full circle blessing. Thanks for watching,’ the message is clear and simple; if you are not Twittering, what are you waiting for?

Want to know who else is Twittering?

	The US police and fire departments - Updating the public on fires
	The Guardian newspaper – After 188 of communicating solely in ink – they have crossed the line into the realm of social media
	Pizza Hut - Recently created a position for a “Twintern” to be the company’s voice on twitter!
	Ashton Kutcher - One of the most popular celebrities to follow with a whopping 5 million increase in twitter users,
	CNN - Many Many followers from all around the world.

So what are you waiting for, start twittering today and let the world know what you are up to.

Using twitter tips:

Be brief: you only have 140 characters to broadcast your thoughts or status updates, so try to use the small words and abbreviations.

Frequency: despite the fact that there are no rules on the frequency of twitter use, people are less inclined to follow you if you update your twitter two dozen times a day.

Hash tags: hash tags can be used to show all similar tweets; for instance, using #EventUpdate to show updates related to that certain event.

Interacting: When replying to somebody’s question on twitter use the @ symbol in front of their twitter name to show that this response will come up in the “Replies” section in their account, this way your reply won’t get lost with the constant updates.

Make sure you reply to people’s comments and messages to make the most out of twitter.
Re-tweet: using the “re-tweet” option to forward some else’s tweet into your own account.
Twitter is a cool and entertaining way to stay in contact with others, but be careful, things you post will remain on the internet forever, so chose your words carefully to stay out of trouble.

Go to www.twitter.com and starting twittering.

Sprite is not just a drink it’s a reason to escape the world of decisions. Decisions follow us round like a bad smell, from the small irrelevant things to life-altering decisions such as choosing a mate for life. Decisions can cause us to panic and to experience a feeling of fear, what I should choose and if I don’t what will be the outcome.

In their new commercials, Sprite focus on decision making with a clear cut message; think for yourself, pursue your dreams and follow your instincts. The commercial, which can be found on You Tube starts off with a young man and woman about to make a decision on what car to buy, or what career to chose, or where to spend the vacation, and everyone is trying to throw their two cents in on what they should do. Finally, the young man takes a sip of sprite and makes up his/her mind on what to do, saying “this is who I am.”

“This is who I am” is clearly clever as it appeals to the majority of us as we have all been there and wondered what we should be doing.

>> view video

Throughout time, men and women of all ages and nationalities have tapped into the extraordinary power of their minds to create ideas that have changed the world. From Isaac Newtwon’s theories on gravity and motion to Albert Einstein’s theories on relativity, history reminds us that one creative idea can change the course of history.

In celebration of Creativity and Innovation Week which took place from April 15th – April 21st O2 shared its tips and ideas on how to maximise creativity in the office. Here’s what they had to say;

	Deep Breathing Creative ideas come when the mind is still. As there is a deep connection between our state of mind (brain activities or mood) and our breathing pattern, we should aim to set aside time to quieten the mind and practice deep breathing. Deep breathing cleanses the mind, body and spirit and can bring many benefits; increased clarity, energy, relaxation and focus.  The session, which is 45 minutes, can help reduce stress, increase productivity and boost creativity.
	Reward your employees If you’re a manger and you need more results what can you do to jump start your employees and churn out creative ideas. Should you use the promise of rewards or fear (The carrot or the stick) to induce certain behaviour? Whilst it used to be said that fear and sadness spur creativity and results, recent research, according to a researched at Harvard, suggests that people are more likely to have creative ideas and thus produce more if they were happy the day before. Why? Because creativity is positively associated with joy and love. So, to generate creative ideas, love your employees, reward them and do what you can to make sure they are happy. It needn’t cost you extra – it is the small things that count. *The carrot and the stick, an idiom that refers to a policy of offering either reward or punishment to, states that people will be motivated either by fear or hope for reward. Appreciate your employees and they will work better, they will be more responsive and more productive. Giving appreciation certificates to employees who have done exceptionally well or even taking the office staff out for lunch can boost morale and thus creativity. If you can’t afford bonuses this year give away vouchers or take the office out for lunch or for an evening out after work. Otherwise a simple thank-you will often do the trick.
	Think BIG – think outside of the box If you think big you will be creative. By thinking big your mind will simply adapt to find a way of doing things. Thinking big opens the mind to new possibilities.
	Remain Flexible Write your goals in concrete and your plans in sand is an anonymous quote but one that bears a lot of truth. Basically, keep your eye on the goal but don’t worry about how you will get there. By remaining flexible the mind will create possibilities and new creative ideas will flow. This is also important internally with employees allowing them to move into departments and positions where they will naturally flourish and bring additional benefits to the company.
	Hire creative talent It’s not what you’ve done in the past it’s what you can do now and what you will do in the future.  Hiring the right people for the right job can be time consuming but in the long run it will pay off. When interviewing for jobs too often people focus on what they’ve done in the past, whilst this is relevant it is more important to emphasis what you can offer, what you can create and what creative ideas you can bring to the team.

Hosted by King Abdullah and Queen Rania of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and attracting 1,400 leaders from over 85 countries, the 2009 World Economic Forum Middle East that took place at the Dead Sea, Jordan, had 1 clear vision ‘Be role models to our youth’ and 2 major goals; increase conservation and provide our youth with education and development opportunities. In terms of environmental issues, increasing conservation, developing alternative energies and utilizing smart grids were discussed, whereas with regards to the issue of the region’s youth, 65% of whom are under the age of 25 years old, the forum urged leaders to ensure that the Middle East not only retains talent but attracts it. In addition to energy and youth, the forum also addressed the financial crisis, the region’s leadership crisis and the ongoing Arab-Israeli conflict. The next regional meeting will be held in Marrakech, Morocco 22-24 October 2010.

http://www.weforum.org

Thanks to Dr. Mohammed Al-Shaikh Yusuf, Head of the Syrian Cancer Society (CSS) women diagnosed with breast cancer can now undergo a non-invasive treatment. The treatment which was discovered by Dr. Yusuf and has been approved by the American Cancer Society (ACS) targets the tumour cells in advanced stages of breast cancer. Its results have so far been startling with decreased treatment and reduced expenditure. The research was conducted on 90 women with inoperable breast cancer, out of which 46 per cent had no signs of tumour after receiving only three doses of the medication, and the remaining 54 per cent received the full course of medication, 6 doses, out of which 66 per cent had no clinical signs of the tumour. This new treatment could be the beginning of a series of treatments that will eventually make tumours curable just like any other disease. Dr. Yusuf’s research will be published during the May 2009 American Cancer Society conference in Orlando, USA.