The Blog from Xische & Co.

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Our CEO Danish was asked to present a keynote on how ROI is measured for social media. He jumped at the opportunity because he believes asking to measure ‘ROI for social media’ is a bit like being asked to explain what the ‘ROI for a receptionist at an office is.’ It’s an absurd question. In his entertaining talk, Danish talked about why it’s the wrong question to ask, explains why brands are obsessed with nothing besides ‘number of fans’ and 6 key things to do in order to start measuring things that actually matter.

Meet Alan Jambaro.

Fav food? Music you listen to? Books you read?
I love Asian cuisine particularly Thai and Chinese.
I love happy, feel good music when im at work. It helps me to be motivated and always on the move. When im at home, I usually listen to house and club music. Often times the ones by David Guetta and Tiesto. Depending on the mood, I sometimes listen to religious songs.
I love to read management books and Journals.

What did you do before joining Xische (Professional background)?
I worked as a Business Analyst. Gathering and modelling software requirements, define requirements specifications and software roadmap was my specialty. I also help in building project plans, making sure that all activities are realistic and manageable. Having able to define requirements, I also lead software testing and at the same time help in providing technical support to our clients. (more…)

If you’re reading this, you probably know what we’re talking about. Personal stylists give fashion advice to ensure that clients will be able to showcase their desired fashion image. As a potential candidate, you need to provide insights on how wardrobes should be worn, what accessories will complement a particular outfit, what outfit colors and shapes will suit your client. You must be able to combine the latest fashion trends with the client’s personal taste and buy the items for the client.

A revolutionary new venture in Dubai from the Xische Holdings family aims to make stylists more accessible to the typical mall-hopper. Your eduction is less important than your personal style and your natural ability to understand fashion. You ought to have spent at least one year working in a fashion-centric position. You will be expected to work full-time from our Dubai-based offices. UAE driving license and a sense of humor is a plus.

If this sounds like you, get in touch quick with your CV, Linkedin profile and Twitter handle at the Xische Jobs microsite.

This post was published on The Shelter’s blog and was authored by Mary Ames. Download the full report here.

In September, Shelter Dubai hosted a panel discussion with regional experts in online business in the Middle East. What follows is a report on the conversation that unfolded:

Why online? Why Now?

To kick off the panel discussion, event moderator Danish Farhan, CEO and founder of Xische, questioned the panelist about the current boom in online business in the Middle East.

Michael Mansour, Group Director of Development and Platform Technologies for Microsoft in the Middle East, attributed the rise in Internet use among UAE residents to “the increase availability of internet-enabled phones, giving large swaths of the population access to the Internet by default,” Mansour said.

Akram Assaf, Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of Bayt.com, encouraged entrepreneurs to take advantage of the groundwork that has already been laid by web pioneers. “The pipes have been built. Start thinking about what can be put through those pipes, and how it can be monetized.” Assaf said.

Hot Topic: Social Media

As the discussion turned to social media and marketing, the panelists began to reveal some of the challenges and opportunities presented by the breakthrough technology.

“In two years, our advertising budget changed from being 90% spent on print advertising to 90% spent on digital ads,” said Narain Jashanmal, CEO of Voila Dubai.

Omar Kassim, Founder of JadoPado was quick to point out that social media is a requisite, not an option. “Every business is online,” Kassim said, “because someone [online] is talking about you.” (more…)

Just because you are a group buying website does not necessarily mean you have to look ugly. Grosper.com is a group-buying website that doesn’t peddle spa vouchers, meal discounts or other little memorabilia. They’re about deals that actually matter, and by that we mean cars, real-estate and travel.

We’ve been working diligently to help reflect the massive evolution of the business since the idea was originally invented by the two founders (they’re twins too!).  Yesterday, we unveiled it’s newly re-imagined brand identity to reflect it re-imagine business vision. Yup, you can hold Xische responsible for it. To add to the stakes (and fun!) our parent company Xische Holdings has invested in the business together with the supercool founders of Grosper.com too.

Although the website is still under wraps the unveiling of the new identity got Facebook and Twitter buzzing. The ‘launching soon’ page got a facelift followed by an appreciative applaud (See Twitter conversations hashtagged #reGrosper and Facebook here)

We believe in brand impact via the little things that matter: colors, shapes, typefaces, language and personality. Stay tuned as we unveil what we hope will be the most well-designed, clean and innovative user-journey in an otherwise cluttered marketplace filled with deals.

(Update: We’re thrilled to have won 3 awards! Details indicated below and on the organizer’s website)

It’s always nice to see our clients shine in the glory of work we had a little something to do with. At this year’s inaugural The Internet Awards, we’re humbled to see a treasure chest of our work nominated across almost every category.

*Best Government Website
DefinitelyDubai.com (Part of Dubai Tourism) - Won by Xische
Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC)

*Best Social Media Campaign – Consumer and Lifestyle
Burjuman – Safe & Sound - Won by Xische

*Best Arabic Website – Government & B2B
Dubai SME – Government of Dubai - Won by Xische

(more…)

Job Reference: XB110 / Location: Dubai / Experience: 2 years

Our social media squad (behind RAKBANK, City of Life & TEDxRamallah) is looking to add a motivated geek with a passion for blogging, tweeting, facebooking, content ideation and community building. A quirky sense of humor is a bonus. (more…)

Job Reference: XB109 / Location: Dubai / Experience: 2 years

We’re looking for a candidate with an OCD-type personality (read:obsessive-compulsive disorder) to fill the role of project coordinator. If you’re an ex-developer who understands the nitty-gritty of what goes on behind the scenes, then you have one up.

What do you have to be obsessive-compulsive about?
- manic list-making of project tasks — major and minor
- meticulously creating project schedules & following-up on milestones
- voraciously hounding colleagues for punctual deliveries
- routinely keeping clients in the loop, every step of the way

Its simple: You should be able to articulate clearly, show creativity, have loads of optimism, and be affable. If you’re not self-motivated and ambitious, then this is definitely not the place for you. Your formal education is a minor detail that can stay in the background; what is integral is attention to detail, and an eagerness to innovate internal systems for efficiency.

Our culture is the opposite of corporate. Ties are not allowed. We often work beyond the 9-5 PM barrier, but in a relaxed, playlist-shuffled atmosphere. Deadlines are non-negotiable. If you think this is a role for you, drop us a line at hello@xische.com with the job reference number right this minute.

Important note: we serve the best coffee in town, which you will be trained to make as part of the induction.

This morning, Xische attempted something completely untried in the design thinking process. Here’s how the story goes: Our friends at Alchemy Films ran a project last week with the students of GEMS World Academy in Dubai, teaching them film-making with Flip cameras. The project was to showcase each of their lives through short features. These videos would then be shown to children from underdeveloped areas in Bangladesh as part of another initiative. The project needed a brand name, identity and a website. We decided to experiment and challenge the way typical branding gets done. (more…)

So there’s two reasons to do this timelapse video of our offices in Dubai. 1) Ever wonder what 30 minutes at Xische’s Dubai Media City office look like? Well you need wonder no more. 2) We wanted to test the iPhone fish-eye lens we lapped up from PhotoJojo.com a few weeks ago. Here’s what it looks like. Pretty neat huh?

Soundtrack courtesy of Mr Beethoven of course.