As our first student spotlight, we are proud to introduce Hana Hama, an undergraduate business student at AUIS. We interviewed Hana about PR challenges, trends away from traditional marketing, and the experience of working in a creative industry with a passionate team.
AEI: What was your biggest challenge in starting Canvas?
HH: My biggest challenge when starting Canvas was public relations. We are very young. And Canvas is a business-to-business firm. In the beginning, it was really challenging for us to reach business owners and managers to explain our services. We also had to choose the right approach to convince clients to try digital marketing because social media marketing was a new trend for Iraqi businesses. It was hard for them to try something new and give up their traditional marketing strategies.
AEI: What's the most interesting aspect your work?
HH: The most interesting aspect of our work is the chance to use our creativity to build art. The Canvas family, which includes a very young team of AUIS graduates and undergraduates with a massive passion for the field, is always looking for better ideas, better stories, and better visuals to compete in the market and satisfy our clients. Therefore, working with a highly imaginative and deeply inspired team with endless creative energy is the most interesting aspect of my work. Indeed, I am very satisfied with my team's creativity, endless passion, and sheer dedication for the art we are making.
AEI: What gap did you feel you were filling in digital marketing in Kurdistan by starting Canvas?
HH: When we started Canvas about two years ago, the market in Kurdistan was following traditional marketing; few businesses had a digital presence even though most of their customers used social media platforms. Therefore, my Canvas co-founder, Rebaz, and I started Canvas with the goal of converting traditional marketing to digital marketing to help businesses reach online users through social media.