January 17, 2026
Zain Group completes group-wide media review, reappoints OMD
Zain has concluded a group-wide media agency RFP covering five key operating markets: Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Jordan and Bahrain, in addition to Zain…
RECENT NEWS
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Read moreJanuary 22, 2026
Blue Rhine, Kavalan partner to promote sustainable printing in GCC
UAE-based signage and printing solutions distributor Blue Rhine has entered into a strategic partnership with Kavalan to accelerate the adoption of sustainable, PVC-free materials…
Read moreJanuary 21, 2026
BBC announces landmark ‘partnership’ with YouTubeÂ
The BBC announced Wednesday a landmark new deal with American video platform YouTube which it said will showcase “the best homegrown storytelling and news…
Read moreJanuary 21, 2026
Gulf tech marketers say AI boosts efficiency, but creativity still drives brand edge
Nearly half of technology marketers and communications professionals in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia say artificial intelligence is improving efficiency, but that…
SPECIAL FEATURES
Show me the money!
As global ad spending grows, marketers and CFOs push AI-driven platforms to prove real ROI…Read More
How Web Summit and the GCO are rewiring Doha into the Middle East’s digital capital
For more than a decade, Doha has been quietly rewriting its global identity. Once defined…Read More
The $1 Trillion Wake-Up Call: Why Advertising Can’t Ignore the Open Internet in 2026
Advertising is still spending like audiences haven’t moved, but the data says otherwise. As global…Read More
Read moreJanuary 21, 2026
Sephora-Olive Young deal set to extend Korean beauty products to Middle East
Global beauty retailer Sephora and South Korea’s CJ Olive Young are preparing to expand access to Korean beauty brands into the Middle East from…
Read moreJanuary 20, 2026
Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre launches Digital Arabic Library on Amazon
Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre (ALC), part of the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi), has partnered with Amazon…
Read moreJanuary 20, 2026
Hypermedia Launches Real-Time Programmatic Digital Billboards Across UAE
Hypermedia, a subsidiary of W Group Holding, has launched what it says is the UAE’s most advanced real-time programmatic digital out-of-home (DOOH) advertising system,…
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January 20, 2026
Netflix Advertising Growth in Focus as Earnings Season Begins
Netflix and Intel are set to report earnings this week, with investors closely tracking whether advertising growth and artificial intelligence exposure can sustain their…
Read moreJanuary 19, 2026
AI upends global advertising as platforms tighten grip on data and spend
The majority of new-to-market small businesses in 2026 are bypassing traditional agencies, favoring self-serve AI tools within Meta and Google, both of which are…
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January 18, 2026
News industry faces twin pressure from AI and influencers in 2026: Survey
Politicians, business leaders and celebrities are increasingly bypassing traditional outlets altogether, opting instead to speak directly to sympathetic podcasters, YouTubers or social media personalities,…
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January 18, 2026
X Revamps Creator Payouts, Announces $1 Million Reward for Top Article
Elon Musk-owned social media platform X has unveiled a revamped monetisation model for content creators, including a $1 million reward for the top-performing article,…
Read moreJanuary 18, 2026
Kenyan Digital Marketing Firm Expands Operations to Gulf Region
Nairobi-based digital marketing firm More Classifieds Agency Ltd has announced its expansion into the Gulf region through a strategic partnership with Saudi Arabia’s Fauzia…
INTERVIEWS
The $1 Trillion Wake-Up Call: Why Advertising Can’t Ignore the Open Internet in 2026
Read moreAdvertising is still spending like audiences haven’t moved, but the data says otherwise. As global ad investment crosses…
How Is Hyper Precision Defining the Future of Advertising
Read moreAdvertising has never been this harder, yet smarter. For CMOs in the region, tighter budgets and ever-shifting audience…
A Journey of Light: Bringing Diriyah’s Story to the Heart of London
Read moreWhen a historic Saudi destination meets one of Europe’s most technologically advanced digital stages, the results are nothing…
GCC brands no longer want one-size-fits-all agencies, says migrate CEO Nick Walsh
Read moreThe agency model in the GCC is undergoing one of the most significant transformations. As brands across the…
FIX’s UGC strategy, limited editions keep the brand consistently viral
Read moreFIX Dessert Chocolatier has become one of Dubai’s most recognisable homegrown brands, known for nostalgic flavours, viral drops…
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EDITOR'S HIGHLIGHTS
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January 17, 2026
Zain Group completes group-wide media review, reappoints OMD
Zain has concluded a group-wide media agency RFP covering five key operating markets: Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Jordan and Bahrain, in addition to Zain…
- Read more
January 12, 2026
Show me the money!
As global ad spending grows, marketers and CFOs push AI-driven platforms to prove real ROI beyond hype. By Hadi Khatib In 2025, the traditional…
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January 6, 2026
How Is Hyper Precision Defining the Future of Advertising
Advertising has never been this harder, yet smarter. For CMOs in the region, tighter budgets and ever-shifting audience behaviour are making every decision critical.…
Read moreNovember 23, 2025
Entertain or Be Forgotten: Why Brands Are Losing the Attention War
By Mike Khouri, CEO, tactical. (Following the release of tactical.’s new report, Entertain Me or Die. – a study exploring how entertainment has become…
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November 21, 2025
What needs to change as social dominates MENA ad spend
The dominance of social is the most defining feature of the Middle East and North Africa region’s digital advertising scene, says Ian Manning, Executive…
Read moreNovember 20, 2025
Primark Lands in the Middle East, Making Value Feel Aspirational
When Primark, the Irish fashion giant, opened its first store in Kuwait earlier this month, it didn’t just welcome crowds, it set the Gulf’s…
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November 13, 2025
Omnicom–IPG merger sparks consolidation and potential 750 job cut fears across GCC agencies
As Omnicom’s US$13 billion takeover of IPG nears completion this month, speculation is intensifying across the GCC advertising sector about an impending wave of…
Read moreNovember 11, 2025
Leveling Up Marketing: How Saudi’s Gaming Boom Is Drawing Global Brands
As Saudi Arabia accelerates its ambitions to become a global gaming hub, ESL FACEIT Group’s new esports venue in Riyadh offers marketers a powerful…
Read moreNovember 11, 2025
Riyadh’s ultimate lifestyle forum Hia Hub postponed till Feb 2026
Hia Hub, Riyadh’s ultimate lifestyle forum hosted by Hia Magazine, has been missing from Saudi’s social calendar this November. Traditionally held around the same…
Read moreNovember 4, 2025
Wendy’s and Das Kapital Reimagine How Global Brands Speak Local
When Wendy’s, the iconic American fast-food chain famous for its square burgers and irreverent tone, decided to strengthen its presence in the GCC, it…
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September 25, 2025
TOP 20 CEOs in the Advertising Industry
The Communicate Top 20 CEOs in Advertising shortlist spotlights the leaders reinventing marketing across the region: the strategists, risk-takers, and boldest innovators whose decisions…
EVENTS & PEOPLE
Read moreJanuary 16, 2026
CARMA appoints Paula Jacobson as group people and culture director
Media intelligence firm CARMA has appointed Paula Jacobson as its new group director of people and culture, a senior hire as the company accelerates…
Read moreJanuary 10, 2026
At Dubai’s 1 Billion Followers summit, Sunny Varkey calls on influencers to spotlight education crisis
Education pioneer and philanthropist Sunny Varkey on Friday urged content creators and social media influencers to use their platforms to highlight the global crisis…
Read moreJanuary 7, 2026
New UAE media authority head calls for unified voice, global reach
United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan has issued two federal decrees appointing Abdulla bin Mohammed bin Butti Al Hamed as…
