September 12, 2023
August 5, 2022
Podean has officially launched in the Middle East with our new regional headquarters in Dubai now operational. Podean is the first independent global Amazon services provider to offer full marketplace marketing solutions to both international and local brands in the region.
With ecommerce growing rapidly in the Middle East and North Africa region (MENA), Amazon is already the leading player and presents a formidable sales channel for brands that get established early.
Research conducted by Podean in September 2020 found that 45% of United Arab Emirates adults shop regularly on Amazon. The most popular category is food and grocery with 26% of respondents having purchased items in the category over the past month, followed closely by electronics and home appliances with 25%, The research also shows that the benefits consumers value most are best prices, speed of delivery and range of products; all factors that play to Amazon’s strengths.
Podean’s physical presence will equip brands to drive incremental revenues among the region’s combined population of 230 million people across the United Arab Emirates, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Turkey. In the UAE alone, ecommerce is expected to grow 30% from 2020 to 2021 and consumer confidence in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia ranks second highest in the world.
Podean will offer brands strategic consulting and holistic Amazon retail and advertising solutions, supported by the company’s global network of experts. Globally Podean boasts more than 80 leading brands as clients who leverage the company’s experience across all categories and facets of marketplace marketing, from retail to analytics, logistics/supply chain, creative, content, voice and media management. The agency will also provide non-endemic brands – that don’t sell physical products in the marketplace – the ability to drive optimal marketing results by leveraging display and video advertising through Amazon’s DSP (demand-side platform).
Founder of Podean, Mark Power, commented: “We are excited to be launching in the Middle East, a sophisticated consumer market experiencing strong ecommerce growth. While the world continues to face uncertainty due to Covid-19, we know that Amazon’s model will meet these changing consumer needs. Our company is uniquely positioned to help brands grow their revenues in the Middle East, and to support their global ambitions. The addition of this office further reinforce Podean’s reputation as the leading global Amazon agency network.”
Podean has appointed Paul Hart as Managing Director MENA, an experienced business leader who has been building partnerships with brands in the region for 13 years. Hart commented “I am delighted to be joining a dynamic company who are shaking things up in the Amazon services space and running at the speed of Amazon. Through Podean’s global network we are able to provide the experience, expertise, specialist resources, tools and technologies to our MENA clients that no other agency in the region has access to. I cannot wait to drive incremental sales for the many great brands in the Middle East.”
Podean will also be launching its proprietary tools including JourneyTM, the first ever Amazon media-mix-modelling and channel planning tool that optimizes investment across all Amazon advertising products. It will also launch ProphetTM, a groundbreaking analysis framework that optimizes brands’ Amazon business beyond just ROAS/ACoS and addresses all critical elements to drive success, from strategy to supply chain through to content and media. The combination of both platforms has seen Podean clients increase revenues by upwards of 40% and profits by 60%.
Podean is headquartered in New York and has offices in Los Angeles, Sydney, London, Singapore and now, Dubai.
September 12, 2023
September 12, 2023
August 5, 2022
Emily…
James comes to Podean with a wealth of marketplace knowledge having worked at Amazon Corporate for 5+ years. He worked in many different roles and groups during his time there from Seller Support to Vendor Management. From recruiting and onboarding 3P sellers to new categories, handling highly escalated executive level contacts, and managing vendor relationships he brings an inside understanding of how Amazon works. James is passionate about online retail and brings a client and customer centered approach as the Head of US Retail Operations. Before his e-commerce focused life, James worked across industries that have always focused and delivered results in customer service, account management, and inventory management.
With more than 15 years of experience Alejandro has led some of the most edgy projects in the LATAM region and has built-up high-performance teams from both agency and brand sides. Working with Havas he put together a Consumer Engagement unit for Pepsi. He led a WPP digital solution for L’Oréal and while working with Mediacom he redesigned Coca-Cola’s media team. Most recently he was a fundamental part of Danone’s media transformation into a brand salience unit. He was born and raised in Mexico City, loves being outdoors, listening to music and spending time with his 7-year-old daughter.
Danielle leads media globally for Podean. She previously led the Amazon and e-commerce division at performance marketing agency, Merkle (part of Dentsu). Danielle has deep expertise across all facets of Amazon advertising – DSP, sponsored ads, audio, out of home and beyond. She has delivered significant growth for some of the world’s largest brands including Nestle, managing tens of millions of advertising spend on their behalf.
Before Podean, Travis Johnson was Founder and President of Dentsu’s Amazon-focused consultancy, Sellwin. Prior joining Dentsu he was Global CEO of Ansible Mobile in New York, and also held CEO positions in Australia for media agencies UM, Initiative and Cadreon. He was an Adweek Media Allstar in 2017 and has won over 50 International Awards across his career.
Maddie leads our client management team and also marketing for Podean. Maddie’s team operates as an extension of our client’s teams – anticipating their needs, thinking proactively, and always delivering on time. Maddie is also responsible for all aspects of Podean marketing, from blogs and email newsletters to PR, content, and advertising.
Lizzy manages the Podean media team across any, and every, media solution offered by Amazon and other marketplaces. Whether it’s search/sponsored ads, DSP display and video, Twitch, audio or activations we have the experts to deliver. Every client that her team has worked on has seen a step-change in media effectiveness and sales versus their previous operations.
Jonathan Hawkins leads Podean’s European operations, working with clients spanning all categories. His team assists brands with every aspect of setup and optimization across the region including supply chain advice, logistics, retail operations, analytics and media management. P Before joining Podean, Hawkins was Commercial Director of Square Up media, owners of media properties including Escapism, Foodism and Square Mile. During his decade at Square Up he led editorial, content and most recently commercialisation and sales with a focus on digital products and ecommerce growth.
We have hand-picked the best and brightest Amazon talent from around the USA and the world. Our delivery team of 6 New York based, and 17 Amazon and marketplace marketing specialists ensure our clients receive the best campaign performance. They are experts in retail management, performance media optimization, but also video, analytics, AMC, voice, creative and higher impact executions.
Ashley has covered all aspects of digital marketing in his career, having led digital media for Initiative Media Australia, then managed a team of cross-functional digital salespeople at Mi9 (MSN) and was most recently the Managing Director of ecommerce conversion optimization software company, Ve. Ashley’s leadership, collaboration skills and entrepreneurial spirit drive the Australian business.
Mark is a 20+ year digital leader and before Podean was EVP at Reprise where he successfully launched IPG’s Amazon Center Of Excellence. Prior to this, Mark led mobile and innovation agency Ansible. Earlier in his career he was the Founder and CEO of Concep, an email and performance marketing agency with offices in the UK, USA and Australia.
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