What the media industry needs is non-traditional tools,” says Virginie Boyadjian, Founder and Managing Director of Frost [media]. Established in April 2015, Frost[media] offers the UAE market a range of traditional and non-traditional media with an innovative twist at various customer touch points.

The company’s latest project is ‘UseBox’, a branded power bank placed on tables covering 61 restaurants and cafes across Dubai and Abu Dhabi. The UAE boasts some of the highest smartphone and Internet penetration numbers in the world so it’s no surprise that people are always connected through their smartphones.

But, battery life continues to remain a problem. This is where UseBox comes in, by servicing a customer need whilst also adding value for advertisers. The UseBox network is currently in the midst of expansion, aiming to cover 200 restaurants in 2018. Not only does UseBox capture audiences’ attention by delivering on a simple need to power their devices, but it also gives advertisers from various industries the opportunity to reach out to them on a mass or targeted scale in a clutter-free environment, where audiences are in an attentive state of mind.

Moreover, considering that visitors stay for a minimum of 40 minutes at a restaurant or café, it also helps brands generate word of mouth by giving visitors something to talk about.

One of the first brands to sign up to UseBox is Etisalat. As a pioneer in innovative media platforms, Frost[media] is proud to have the telecommunication giant as its first client spear heading this unique network via its media agency, Initiative, which has played a prominent role in bringing this campaign to life.

Q&A with Virginie Boyadjian

What are the various solutions offered by Frost Media?

We offer several outdoor sites located at strategic locations within the UAE – for example a rooftop wherein the only bridge on Sheikh Zayed road (next to the water canal) has been constructed opposite the site, making the exposure “eye level” and evolving it into a landmark.

In parallel, we are focusing on non-traditional tools such as UseBox and creative media platforms within Champion Cleaners, which is a refined laundry and a benchmark for the global as well as regional retail laundry plants, targeting mid to high end audience.

What are your future plans for UseBox?

UseBox and Frost[media] are working together to expand the retail and media coverage within the UAE market. As for the UseBox units, they currently offer static (with die-cuts) branding opportunity; accordingly, we are looking at digitizing them to enable clients to communicate their digital ads and accordingly gain more leverage with different age group audiences.

What’s in the near future of Frost[media]?

Diversify Frost[media]’s portfolio whether on the media front or strategically unique projects to include innovative tailor-made offerings to clients and act as a one stop shop to their needs.

What is the biggest change you foresee for media in the next 5 years?

Traditional media will remain in the scene, as it is an integral part of advertising solutions. However, as technology progresses, digitized media solutions will take a bigger portion of media budgets, and accordingly we have plans to introduce other innovative mediums such as UseBox, in addition to expanding the geographic reach and scale of our entire portfolio.