NDA has launched a new series on NDA, Marketing the Marketers, talking to the marketing and comms leaders behind the success of our leading companies. Next up is Samir Chabab, Head of International Marketing & Communications, Index Exchange.
Chabab joined Index’s London office in 2017. Shortly after joining the organisation, I also helped launch ‘Pride at Index,’ an internal affinity group championing the LGBTQ+ community at Index Exchange and beyond. Prior to Index, he held managerial roles at Google, Diligent Corporation, and Atout France.
What exactly does your job entail?
My role at Index is actually a pretty varied one – I head up international marketing & communications and our global events strategy.
This means leveraging all channels available to us from events to digital and communications to keeping up-to-date with our different industry organisations and partners. I also (and most importantly) lead a stellar team of marketers based around the globe; the team does a tremendous job of maintaining our brand profile across the diverse channels and markets we’re investing in.
In between the innovations and ongoing news – there’s so much greatness coming out of our industry, and I am really passionate about my role as a marketer, especially when my output helps ensure our customers are as prepared as possible for the next phase of our exciting ecosystem.
What campaign or piece of marketing/communications are you most proud of in your career and why?
I’ve been so lucky to be working on so many different campaigns with so many different people over the years. One of my favorites from recent memory was one we launched at DMEXCO last year.
I was really proud to collaborate with two colleagues on launching a cycling to dmexco initiative, where 2 Indexers and 3 customers cycled from Paris to Cologne and highlighted the importance of sustainability in our industry. We know how critical sustainability will be for the world we live in and the role our industry will have to play, and I was proud to play a role in making a difference.
Who has been your biggest inspiration in your career to date and why?
I get inspired by so many people on a daily basis; I believe in the greatness everyone brings to the table and really value the diversity of thought around me. I value people that break boundaries and challenge the future of marketing by including different perspectives – but most importantly allowing these perspectives to have a voice.
Bozoma St John, who was the previous CMO at Netflix, is definitely someone I’ve been looking up to and that has continued to inspire throughout her career.
What is the biggest challenge in your sector and how is your company helping to address it?
The biggest challenge in the digital advertising industry is the issue of ad fraud and a lack of transparency in the ad supply chain.
Transparency and accountability are essential to the growth and sustainability of our industry. Neither transparency nor accountability should be a differentiator in the marketplace; rather, these should be seen as shared values across the ecosystem. Table stakes.
What is the biggest opportunity in your sector and how is your company helping to make the most of it?
Realizing the true value of CTV automation is probably the largest opportunity within our industry, with a strong focus on Improving transparency across the supply-chain.
One of the key programmatic ad trends next year will be improving transparency and measurement to provide marketers with visibility into where their ad spend is going. In CTV, OpenRTB 2.6 was a major step in providing a consistent way to signal content information, and paves the way for media owners to deliver improved transparency.
How important, and why, are the following in helping your promote your ow company:
The press
Beyond promotion itself, I believe that the trade press is a channel that provides an agnostic education on what’s happening across our industry. It helps share / understand the perspective from the different folks that makes our industry so powerful and exciting.
Events
I love our industry events: the big trade shows, and the different conferences throughout the year are great ways to keep a pulse on what is happening and help share everyone’s perspective. I love the social side of it as well, and was really glad we could go back to in-person events last year.
Your company’s owned media
Again, I’m pretty lucky here to touch so many different channels at Index- we have so many opportunities available in many different languages that help expand on our messaging and ensure it lands as effectively as possible.
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