Campaign’s Media Faces to Watch 2020 – Farah Ibrahim, Media manager, UM
Age: 28
Shreya Parker, media director: Farah has been working on the Johnson & Johnson account for over a year. In such a short time frame she has managed to become the glue of the Skin Health vertical, managing the biggest beauty and health brands in the region: Johnsons Adult, Neutrogena and Listerine. Farah is a marketer before she is a media expert and puts the consumer at the heart of planning. She demonstrated this consumer-centric thinking for the biggest beauty launch of Anti-Bacterial, which has seen a positive growth in market share in just two months. In light of Covid-19, she has also been keen to jump on media opportunities that showcase true agility and her mindset of ‘the next normal’.
Career highlights
My career has focused on the consumer packaged goods category and I truly believe that this where we I developed my planning rigour, given the dynamism of this industry. Having started my career working on the Coca-Cola Company and evolving to J&J Skin Health as a media manager, I understand that data, planning and agility are nothing if you don’t constantly think consumer-first.
I particularly enjoyed leading on Neutrogena and Johnson’s Adult precision and addressable campaigns and cascading the thinking across markets (Africa, ME, Turkey) where audience commonalities exist but local nuances are appreciated. Nevertheless. winning awards with Fanta Masters, being part of the trophy tour world cup with Coca-Cola and planning for Coke Studio have aided my strategic thinking and growth.
Guiding principles
I am constantly learning and no two days are the same. I learn from my team but also my clients. 1) Dedication and agility, 2) Team work, 3) As Harvey Spector says, “Work till you no longer have to introduce yourself.”
Dream job
I am lucky enough to already do what I love. In my ongoing career path, I would love to contribute in the marketing team of a big innovative tech company. I’ve always wanted to be part of a change that occurs at the intersection between humanity and technology.
Side hustle
Folkloric Dabke dancing. As a Palestinian I felt the closest way to keep our culture alive is through dancing. I have taken part in multiple shows, which led me to start teaching dabke to children, primarily grade 1-6 children in school.
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