Marvellous Marketers of Bahrain takes a peak into the lives, careers, motivations, and goals of Bahrain’s dynamic marketing professionals. From the hospitality sector, restaurants, and healthcare to educational institutions, the automotive industry, and beyond – we learn all that makes these successful brand champions tick.
Ghaidaa Mohamed AbdAlAziz is the Marketing and PR Manager at the American University of Bahrain. A young woman with extensive experience in the field, Ghaidaa has also been a bilingual emcee for some of the most prominent events and conferences in Bahrain, related to youth empowerment and entrepreneurship.
Bahrain Confidential caught up with Ghaidaa to find out more about her journey and goals as a Marvellous Marketer in Bahrain!
What drew you to marketing as a profession?
From a young age, I knew that I wanted a career that would allow me to discover and express the breadth of my creative side.
The need to constantly innovate was one of the strongest factors that led me to choose public relations and marketing. This bloomed further in college when I worked on several internship projects that exposed me to the practical perspective of this field.
I got to spend time on social media and public relations while working with content creation teams. This was the best part of all my internship experiences. I was able to reflect, listen to, and apply feedback which only made me more confident in my approach. It also instilled more confidence in me that I was on the right track.
I also enjoy working with media outlets, crafting compelling stories and content ideas, strategizing, analyzing the market, and keeping abreast of market changes which is the essence of influential marketing.
What career opportunities does marketing offer?
Marketing is dynamic, and it does offer a wide range of career-engaging opportunities.
I’d say that some career pathways include Social Media Coordinator, Digital Strategist, Social Media Manager, Events Manager, Account Manager, etc.
What are the big challenges you face in your job?
Marketing in general is about finding a way to insert your message into your marketing mix and channels without being too obnoxious. Marketing tools and techniques change rapidly, so finding the most current and effective tools to retain customers is one of the challenges marketers face.
Growth is the primary goal of any business. This growth and expansion of the business lead to expanding market penetrations. It brings along the need to diversify marketing strategies and tactics, messages, and campaign goals.
As a marketer, you need to balance daily work activities with exploring new opportunities on the ground. Growth within the field also requires a significant investment of time, effort, and resources in enhancing skills and learning the latest technologies that arise frequently.
What’s been your biggest lesson so far?
My biggest lesson so far is to never take “No” for an answer. I was given this advice in one of the interviews I hosted with the previous American Ambassador to Bahrain and oh, was this the most valuable advice!
Personally speaking, I have always been determined with a clear vision and set a path towards my goals. It is this determination and my desire to continue exploring opportunities that helped me accelerate my career at a young age. Now looking back at my journey, I would say what helped me the most was the fact that I had never taken No for an answer.
I constantly remind myself to revert to my framed vision, tweak things, and work my way around them, until I get things done. If I’d give out advice, I would say to stay focused, and compare yourself only to the older version of yourself; do this frequently to see how far you have come and to remind yourself that “you didn’t come this far to only come this far”, believe in your dreams, couple it with determination and hard work, and you will reap the fruit of your efforts.
What have you learned working in different sectors such as education, telecommunications, banking, real estate, and events?
Working across different sectors, I learned that all share a common goal and message focused on customer satisfaction. A successful authentic marketing strategy sells an experience to the customer, not just the product or service. In today’s world, customers are smarter than ever. They are exposed and inundated with numerous ads every day from wake up to bedtime. Working across diverse sectors such as education, banking, real estate, financial technology and on both the agency side and client side, I have realized that one needs to build a true relationship with customers, prior to selling to them.
All these sectors helped me acquire a diverse set of skills – soft skills that range from communication to negotiation as well as practical skills related to direct and indirect marketing.
All of these experiences, interactions with people, and dreams have taught me some of the most valuable lessons that I will continue to use.
What do you like to do in your free time?
I am a workaholic, so even when I take a break to recharge, you will find me doing another job as a hobby and side hustle. This quenches my thirst.
As a bilingual emcee and voiceover artist, I emcee some conferences and seminars in my free time, and I also do voiceovers.
That’s another passion, something that reminds me of how powerful one’s voice is, literally.
Also, I read a lot, and take language classes, I am currently learning a third language.
To unlock the door to my serenity, I meditate thrice a week, which allows me to maintain a balance in my life.