Marketing and PR Director, Volkswagen Middle East
Years in current position: 2
Experience in Company: 10
Section Size: 10+
previous work
• Senior Marketing Communications Manager VW ME
• Head of VW ME brand communications
• Deputy Client Director, Maymac Ogilvy
The last campaign
Despite the semiconductor crisis, it was still a busy year for Volkswagen in the Middle East. In 2022, we successfully launched two new products: the new Golf R and the updated T-Roc. We also created brand campaigns focusing on Volkswagen's core attributes - comfort, design, safety and technology. We did this in collaboration with Google to test whether there is gender and age bias in advertising and how it affects campaign performance. For the secondary market, an often overlooked area of the automotive business, we created our first TikTok campaign in partnership with a brand built around the ASMR trend.
What is your goal in your current position ?
So that marketing at Volkswagen works consistently in terms of branding and sales. Yes, marketing should support lower-funnel sales, but it shouldn't overshadow brand promotion. My goal is to make sure VW is doing well so I can continue to work on KPIs for the brand and sales.
Do you have a guiding principle?
Yes, I always believe in the phrase "Love what you do and success will follow". This is something I apply both in and outside of my professional career.
How do companies work?
First, faith. We have to remember that we hire these companies for a reason, and we have to trust them, trust that they have the best intentions for our brand, and trust their work. Also, I believe agency communication is very important. I don't just mean emails, phone calls and status meetings, but communicating with everyone because they're part of our team, so we all work together.
Who inspires you professionally?
Women, especially women who successfully play the role of mother, wife and leader. Elda Choucair is a true inspiration for me. I admire her as a mother and leader and for her faithfulness and career growth at Omnicom.
What is the biggest challenge in marketing today?
The tendency is to invest only at the bottom of the funnel, especially with targeted sales or budget cuts. As marketers, we need to be aware of brand value and ensure that marketing works to support the brand and sales.
What is the next big opportunity in marketing?
Metauniverse.
What can we expect from you and your brand in the coming year?
Ongoing collaborations, brand continuity and promotional strategies, as well as some exciting new products. Stay tuned for updates.
The latest hit
There is much to celebrate this year. First, sales information. We broke our own records this year with our best sales month in over 80 months and Teramont's highest sales month since its launch in 2018. Also, we have done this by maintaining and enhancing brand awareness and being the first choice across the region. None of this would have been possible without VW's marketing team and our agency partners, who I'm happy to say have all stayed with VW for the past 12 months and will continue until 2023.
Continuous shooting
- what are you doing
A lot of cool stuff. - Who are you following?
female protagonist - what do you want
Mother's Serbian kitchen. - Who are you hiding from?
money - Are you stuck on the program?
LinkedIn. - are you playing
Self-help audio books. - What are you listening to?
Self-help audio books. - what are you reading
Self-help audio books. - what are you looking at
Any horror, the scarier the better. - Where are you going?
Wherever there is a beach. - What is a good habit of yours?
A good listener. - What are your bad habits?
The conversation with you was very loud after listening to you.
Reference Organization
Simon Ashwin, Digital and Customer Director, Middle East and Africa, CHAIL
The pandemic brings a lot of uncertainty and the impact of one sector does not reflect on another. For the automotive industry, due to disruptions in the supply chain, Anya and the regional marketing team had to go back to the drawing board and rewrite the roadmap as there were no new models to launch. This meant doubling down on consumers with data-driven insights, resulting in highly successful brand attribution campaigns launched regionally. Based on the research, Anji's team found gaps and changed the narrative to focus more on the brand than the product to strengthen the foundation with Volkswagen's focus on quality, comfort, technology and safety. As supply constraints begin to ease, the Volkswagen brand is now in a strong position and capitalizes on dealership traffic.
It's hard to pick a collaboration I'm most proud of, from Disney to Lego to Carpool Karaoke and more, but I think the T-Roc launch tops the list. We identified a Saudi gamer and created a story around him to promote relevant local content that engages with the brand's new and younger audience.
Anya is articulate and highly focused, authentic in her approach, inclusive and engaged as a highly energetic and motivated team player.
From him, I learned how to build a strong and sustainable team that stays motivated and works together towards a common goal, involving different organizations and giving them a seat at the communication table.
