{"id":287962,"date":"2026-02-12T18:34:10","date_gmt":"2026-02-12T18:34:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/287962\/"},"modified":"2026-02-12T18:34:10","modified_gmt":"2026-02-12T18:34:10","slug":"how-israels-innovators-and-creators-are-speaki","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/287962\/","title":{"rendered":"how Israel\u2019s innovators and creators are speaki"},"content":{"rendered":"

A first-of-its-kind conference was held Wednesday at the ynet offices<\/a> in Rishon Lezion titled, \u201cFrom Israel to the World \u2013 How to Communicate the Israeli Story on the International Stage.\u201d The event, organized in collaboration with Taboola, monday.com and Ifat Media, brought together media executives, tech leaders, public relations professionals and content creators to examine the challenges of communicating Israel\u2019s story globally.<\/p>\n

Hosted by ynet studio anchors Sharon Kidon and Alexandra Lukash, the conference featured keynote addresses from Sharon Shalmon Esman, CEO of ynet Global, and editor-in-chief Karen Shemesh, who offered a behind-the-scenes look at operating in the international media arena. Panels addressed public diplomacy, foreign media relations, message management, artificial intelligence tools and the broader challenge of telling an authentic Israeli story in a digital world.<\/p>\n

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A panel focused on the tech and marketing perspective, moderated by Alexandra Lukash <\/p>\n

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A panel on influencers and young audiences, moderated by Maayan Sarig <\/p>\n

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ynet studio anchor Sharon Kidon <\/p>\n

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The panel moderated by Lukash examined the issue from a technological and marketing perspective. Participants included Asaf Azulay, partner and chief marketing officer at Team8; Hilla Bakshi, founder of the HaMeetupistiot community for women in high tech; Dana Raz, acquisition and venture capital lead at TikTok Israel; and Dana Zax<\/a>, a marketing consultant for international brands.<\/p>\n

\u201cIsrael and innovation are almost synonymous,\u201d Lukash said. \u201cBut how do you translate that innovation \u2014 that Startup Nation mentality \u2014 from \u2018Israeli,\u2019 which isn\u2019t even Hebrew but a language of its own, to a global audience?\u201d<\/p>\n

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ynet studio anchor Alexandra Lukash <\/p>\n

(Photo: Oz Moalem)<\/p>\n

Azulay described a moment of upheaval in venture capital and marketing.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re in a period of almost perfect chaos,\u201d he said. \u201cWe talk about AI constantly, but we don\u2019t fully grasp how dramatically it\u2019s transforming marketing and investment.\u201d<\/p>\n

He noted that capital is increasingly concentrated in a smaller number of companies. \u201cInvestors are looking for the very best founders and the strongest funds. It\u2019s harder to raise money today if you\u2019re not truly innovative.\u201d<\/p>\n

At Team8, artificial intelligence is integrated into the company-building process from the outset. \u201cWe\u2019re using AI to predict how future customers \u2014 chief security officers, enterprise decision-makers \u2014 will think. It\u2019s part of how we build companies from day one,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

But technology alone is not enough. \u201cAt the end of the day, you\u2019re building a story, not just a company.\u201d<\/p>\n

Raz pointed to a fundamental shift in consumer behavior, accelerated by platforms such as TikTok.<\/p>\n

\u201cBefore, companies started with the product and only then thought about the audience,\u201d she said. \u201cToday, you have to understand your audience first.\u201d<\/p>\n

She encouraged founders to view social platforms as real-time focus groups. \u201cThere\u2019s authentic conversation happening from the bottom up. Companies once paid huge sums for research to understand what people were thinking. Now that dialogue is right in front of you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Differentiation, however, has become more challenging. \u201cUsers immediately recognize inauthenticity,\u201d she said. \u201cThey don\u2019t want you to interrupt them. They want you to integrate into their experience \u2014 to offer real value before asking for anything in return.\u201d<\/p>\n

In this environment, she added, attention has become more valuable than clicks \u2014 a reflection of what she described as a broader revolution in consumer behavior.<\/p>\n

Zax emphasized that Israeli brands now operate in a flattened, borderless media environment.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe world is flat,\u201d she said. \u201cBrands aren\u2019t competing only with other brands anymore. They\u2019re competing with every content creator.\u201d<\/p>\n

Understanding platform language and cultural nuance is critical, she said. \u201cYou can\u2019t just hire a native English speaker and assume it will work. You need someone who understands the cultural language of the platform.\u201d<\/p>\n

She recounted working with the Jerusalem-based company Lightricks on a collaboration with influencer Charli D\u2019Amelio. While the concept was strong, a small detail undermined its credibility. \u201cThe dollar sign was placed on the wrong side of the number,\u201d she said. \u201cFor an American audience, that immediately signals that you don\u2019t understand them.\u201d<\/p>\n

The lesson: global storytelling must account for local detail.<\/p>\n

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Bakshi framed marketing as fundamentally human.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re not products. We\u2019re people,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

She cited the recent $32 billion sale of Israeli cybersecurity company Wiz as an example of a story that resonated internationally not only because of its scale but because of the emotion it generated.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re still human. We\u2019re not robots \u2014 at least not yet. You have to connect to emotion.\u201d<\/p>\n

Trust, she said, is the foundation of any community. \u201cI won\u2019t promote anything in my community that I haven\u2019t tried myself. If I push something I don\u2019t fully stand behind, it simply won\u2019t sell.\u201d<\/p>\n

Communities provide a direct channel to consumers, she added \u2014 but only if credibility is preserved.<\/p>\n

The panel returned repeatedly to artificial intelligence. While Zax argued that \u201canyone who doesn\u2019t know how to use AI properly in their work is falling behind,\u201d she cautioned against overreliance and what she called \u201cAI slop\u201d \u2014 generic, personality-free content that erodes trust.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf your content, without a logo, doesn\u2019t clearly reflect who you are, you don\u2019t have a brand,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Another central panel, moderated by Maayan Sarig, head of communications at Meta Israel, focused on influencers and young audiences. Participants included content creators Rudy Rochman, Or Elkayam and Moriya Ben Harush.<\/p>\n

The discussion examined how young people and teenagers consume news and the challenge of building trust with a generation that questions nearly every source of information. According to data presented during the conference, 94% of young people consume digital content daily, with visual platforms and short-form video dominating.<\/p>\n

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A panel on influencers, moderated by Maayan Sarig <\/p>\n

(Photo: Oz Moalem)<\/p>\n

Elkayam, who began creating content during the COVID-19 lockdowns, described how his audience has grown alongside him. \u201cI was stuck at home with my mom, making videos for fun,\u201d he said. \u201cSuddenly people started recognizing me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Over time, he said, followers have connected with milestones in his personal life. \u201cThey\u2019ve grown with me \u2014 through my marriage, my life changes. Now some of them tell me, \u2018We grew up on you.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben Harush emphasized that younger audiences are highly attuned to authenticity. \u201cYoung audiences today are sharp. You can\u2019t fool them. If you don\u2019t activate emotion, they\u2019ll scroll,\u201d she said, adding that creators must provide meaning, not just marketing.<\/p>\n

Rochman, whose activism is rooted in childhood experiences of antisemitism in London, argued that younger generations respond to a different narrative framework.<\/p>\n

\u201cOlder generations focus on facts and achievements,\u201d he said. \u201cYounger generations care about human stories that make the world better.\u201d<\/p>\n

He suggested that Israel advocacy must move beyond highlighting technological success and articulate a deeper historical and moral narrative.<\/p>\n

The panel also addressed the tension between virality and responsibility. Elkayam recalled intervening in a case of online bullying, saying he came to understand the weight of his influence. \u201cI didn\u2019t realize at first that I had that kind of responsibility,\u201d he said. \u201cBut when I showed up for one girl facing harassment, it changed everything.\u201d<\/p>\n

Across panels \u2014 from public diplomacy and media strategy to venture capital and influencer culture \u2014 a consistent message emerged: Israel\u2019s global story cannot rely solely on translation or technological achievement.<\/p>\n

Whether communicating national narratives, promoting international technology brands or building online communities, speakers stressed the need for cultural fluency, emotional resonance and credibility.<\/p>\n

Innovation may be one of Israel\u2019s defining strengths. But at a time when the country\u2019s narrative is examined under a global magnifying glass, how that innovation \u2014 and the broader Israeli story \u2014 is told may matter just as much.<\/p>\n