Richard Humphreys |
This article first appeared in the Summer 2017 issue of The Record.
The Government of Dubai Media Office (GDMO) is responsible for implementing strategic communication plans for the Government of Dubai as well as disseminating government-related news in cooperation with local government agencies.
GDMO also manages relationships and coordination between the Government of Dubai and local and international media. GDMO’s activities are driven by the objective of conveying an accurate picture of Dubai’s development process and communicating the city’s achievements and initiatives with clarity and objectivity.
In addition, GDMO manages the media affairs of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, vice president and prime minister of the UAE and ruler of Dubai, as well as crown prince of Dubai His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and deputy ruler of Dubai His Highness Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
GDMO teams are tasked with keeping a close eye on print, broadcast and social media to assess the global perception of Dubai and identify developments that require a strategic response. With this in mind, GDMO chose to trial the x.news platform, a research tool that transforms the way journalists work by monitoring the different sources (news agencies, social media sites, web and internal sources) all on one screen.
Running on the Microsoft Azure Cloud, x.news enables journalists to find, follow, collect and share all the latest information to deliver better and faster news reports.
“x.news provides us with timely monitoring of the most relevant news on the topics that are key to us, which significantly supports our international media strategy,” said Salem Belyouha, director of Media Services at GDMO. “The reports are provided in a reader friendly format, with all the context and data necessary for us to assess the impact of the news. Their service augments our internal media reporting capabilities and, by freeing up our time, enables us to be more proactive and strategic in our core functions.”
“We are delighted to welcome the Government of Dubai Media Office as an x.news customer,” added Andreas Pongratz, founder and CEO/CMO of x.news. “It is a highly sophisticated media monitoring operation, and has demonstrated that x.news can be a very effective tool for efficient and timely media tracking worldwide.“
After a successful trial with x.news, GDMO has now extended its contract for a further 12 months. “This illustrates the success and reliability of the platform,” concludes Pongratz. “I’m very happy to continue our work with GDMO and look forward to a relationship long into the future.”