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Parody advertising is a double-edged sword. It can be pretty effective, but it can also backfire spectacularly. To understand what works and what doesn’t, Communicate spoke to Jaison Ben, Creative Director at Publicis Middle East, who was behind the campaign for Nescafe 3in1’s new packaging, unveiled earlier in the year. How to know when parody […]

App analytics and market data company, App Annie, have released a new report that sheds light on Gen Z’s mobile behavior, in order to help marketers develop effective strategies to reach them. 98% of Gen Z report owning a smartphone, on average receiving their first at the age of 10. They are also part of […]

Discover the heartbreaking realities and stories that Paal Uglefisk has witnessed on the island of Svalbard, Norway & find out what you can do to help!   Agora images are a free-to-use app social app. The app is for the global photography community, with more than 3.5 million users from across 193 countries. On a weekly basis […]

Experticity, the world’s largest community of influential category experts have released a new study that sheds new light on the importance of micro-influencers on the average consumer. The study was conducted with online interviews of more than 6,000 individuals from the United States drawn from Experticity’s micro-influencer network and the general population. In addition, more […]

Market research companies eMarketer and Global Web Index have collaborated together to release the 10th edition of the global media intelligence report. The report is a detailed compilation of data and insights about internet users’ traditional and digital media usage in 42 key markets worldwide. Communicate will be highlighting the key trends that are shaping the […]

Social Bakers, a global AI-powered social media marketing company has released the Q3 edition of their social media trends report. The report reveals where the industry is currently standing with regard to spending and engagement globally. Here are the key findings – ADVERTISING Worldwide ad spend increased by 56.4% in Q3 compared to where it […]

Communicate sits with David Fregonas, Accenture Interactive lead, Middle East to learn more about the company’s latest brand move and their recent shift in operations to the cloud. What is the strategy behind this new initiative? We’re following the same advice we give our clients in this time of relentless change: act with great agility and […]

Kaizen is less of a productivity system and more of a philosophy. Earlier this year, when employees were forced to work from home due to the impacts of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, there were many outcries of employees struggling with the stress of the pandemic and finding a distinction between work life and home life. […]

Agora gave people all over the world the chance to share their vision of the future through photography. The result? 75 photos inspiring images now exhibited in celebration of the @United Nations 75th anniversary. Agora images are a free-to-use app social app. The app is for the global photography community, with more than 3.5 million users from […]

Global social listening and analytics company, Talkwalker, and inbound marketing and sales platform, Hubspot have released the social media trends for 2021. 2020 was a year no one could have predicted, mainly thanks to the impacts of Covid-19. But with regards to the report, Covid-19 is considered as a catalyst that expedited issues, ideas, and […]

In a newly released report, US-based content generation and analytics platform, Cohley and media publication, Digiday explores the changing state of user-generated content (UGC). The sweeping changes driven by a global pandemic and the resultant quarantine have scattered creative marketing teams, but they have also opened brands’ and agencies’ eyes to the promise of UGC […]

Programmatic advertising solutions provider, Pubmatic has published a new white paper that explores e the evolving programmatic OTT landscape and explain the essentials of OTT header bidding in six areas. Consumer video viewing habits are becoming increasingly fragmented. Alongside an influx of new streaming options, time spent with digital video on desktop, mobile and connected […]

Award-winning integrated creative network Ogilvy has released a new study titled “The Wellness Gap.” The study quantifies the gap between consumers’ wellness expectations of brands and how they judge delivery against those expectations in seven key sectors: food, snacks, skincare, airlines, hotels, cars, and banking. The study surveyed 7,000 consumers from 14 countries across four continents […]

92% of  MENA PR professionals believe that mental health and wellbeing are important to their overall quality of life. This was one of the key findings in the mental health reported that was jointly curated by PRCA MENA, the largest and most influential PR and communications membership body and international internet-based market research and data […]

The world comes alive at night, all you need is a little light! Be inspired by these night photography ideas from some of the Finalists from Agora’s #NightLight2020 contest. Agora images are a free-to-use app social app. The app is for the global photography community, with more than 3.5 million users from across 193 countries. On a […]

Google pledges to mentor local businesses and help them grow online in the UAE, especially those in retail and tourism. Google announced today ‘Grow Stronger with Google’, a new program to accelerate the MENA region’s economic recovery through digital transformation, by offering digital tools, training, and financial grants to support local businesses and job seekers. […]

Market research firm Ipsos has released a new report that explores how attitudes towards travel have evolved during the last few months in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Here are the key findings – The desire to travel has been steadily increasing People are increasingly expressing their desire to travel again, with many reminiscing about […]

World’s leading evidence-based insights and consulting company Kantar and multinational holding company WPP, have released the BrandZ study, which highlights the most valuable brands in the MENA region. With a combined value of $50 billion, the ranking includes consumer-facing brands from across a range of categories, from food to energy, which reflect the changing lifestyles and […]

Hootsuite partnered with Altimeter Group to better quantify how sophisticated organizations are using social to deepen customer relationships, increase brand value and media efficiency, and accelerate broader digital transformation. The report surveyed 2,162 marketers and conducted in-depth interviews with leaders working in large enterprise organizations with complex social media strategies. Here are the findings – […]

Market research company Global Web Index and video hosting platform Vimeo, released a new study that explores the shifts in workplace communications.  The 2020 pandemic is regarded as the longest experiment in understanding how remote work functions. The research finds that when it comes to workplace communication – sentiment varies quite a bit based on […]

TikTok commissioned Kantar to investigate the value of user-generated content (UGC), specifically hashtag challenges, for brands on TikTok. The desired outcome of the research was to provide an objective point of view on the impact of UGC through TikTok and provide practical and actionable guidance for creating breakthrough, brand-building UGC marketing at scale. The study […]

Mankind sometimes forgets that we’re not alone on this planet. We’re renting it with other living creatures as well and on this years’ World Animal Day, Agora images shared some breathtaking photographs of the most beautiful creatures on our planet. The competition using the hashtag #Animal2020 was created to instill a sense of urgency in […]

Launched in 2008, the Annual ASDA’A BCW Arab Youth Survey is the largest survey of its kind of the Middle East and North Africa region, covering its largest demographic – the youth. The findings of the survey provide governments, the private sector, civil society and academia with insights into the hopes, concerns and aspirations of […]

The concept of customer loyalty is very fragile in today’s economy. Communicate has earlier covered reports citing that consumers aren’t necessarily loyal to brands anymore but are skewing more towards timely delivery service. A consequence of the improvements in digital connectivity and service today. Hence the reason why many brands introduced loyalty programs to attract […]

At the beginning of September, Snap Inc appointed Jake Thomas as the Head of UAE operations. This comes as the company rapidly expands its local partner ecosystem and seeks to deliver more opportunities to consumers and brands than ever before. Communicate spoke with Thomas to understand how he plans to grow the company’s vision in the […]

Data is the most valuable currency in the 21st century. Data and analytics guru, Bernard Marr said: “While the average small business has less self-generated data than big players. . .this doesn’t mean big data is off-limits. In fact, in many ways, big data is more suited to small businesses, because they’re generally more agile […]

WARC, the global marketing intelligence service, released its latest report that highlights the rise in advertising spending on e-commerce platforms- as brands look to capitalize on the boom in online shopping, as a result of the Covid-19 outbreak. Advertising investment across e-commerce sites such as Amazon, Tmall and Rakuten, omnichannel retailers such as Walmart and […]

From crude rubber-soled inventions, the footwear industry has evolved into a multi-level hydra where hip-hop, luxury, and sports all come together and control the cultural zeitgeist. The market has grown substantially over the last five years, progressing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.1%. But the industry owes its success to the hype […]

2020 has been a year of constant stress and anxiety that forced many people to look inward to find a sense of calm. Many people began taking to practicing meditation and mindfulness to find clarity in all this chaos. These 50 photographs showcase different perception of the word peace under the hashtag  #Peace2020. Agora images are a […]

Global e-commerce consultancy, Wunderman Thompson Commerce releases the 4th edition of their Future Shopper report. The report seeks to identify trends in consumers’ digital buying behaviors, with the aim of helping to influence organizations’ strategies and to ensure that they are ready for the consumer and the channels of the future. Here are the key […]

Marketers are increasing their attention towards the GenZ audience group as they move into more lucrative spending brackets. Snapchat’s main demographic has long consisted of millennials and Generation Z. Its creators understood what the younger generation wanted from social media platforms. With their target audience clearly specified from the beginning, they developed an understanding of the […]

Global AI-powered social media marketing company, Socialbakers has released a new guide that helps marketers make actionable decisions based on the numerous data points surrounding their audience. 2020 and the global pandemic have upended the digital marketing landscape and consumer behavior. Marketers are in dire need of updated behavioral changes, in order to create a […]

Emojis are more important than you think. They’re not just a bunch of pictorial responses you use when your friends share funny texts or videos. They’re a constantly evolving, complex, robust form of digital language that aims to give representation to every community on our planet. 30 years from now, history will look back at […]

Nature & Wildlife photographer Jon Cleave believes his work to be a bridge that connects humans to the great outdoors. In the video below, Cleave tells the stories behind some of his work and how he tries to create a connection with the viewer through the work. Agora images are a free-to-use app social app. The app […]

Global custom research and analytics consultancy, PSB Research was commissioned by  Starzplay, the leading subscription video on demand (SVOD) service in the MENA region to study the SVOD trends during the period from January 2019 to May 2020. The study covered two key phases – the Covid-19 situation that led to a region-wide lockdown and […]

Market research company Global Web Index (GWI) has shared a new guide that provides insights into the essential changes in consumer behaviors and attitudes and the steps brands can apply to attract their attention in the post-lockdown world. But first, let’s lay the groundwork- the majority of the countries went into lockdown since mid-March. Since […]

The lockdown has introduced a new generation of gamers. In fact, it is being said that there are now as many gamers as there are people who watch TV. That can only mean one thing: brands now have a new potential audience group they can reach. But brands and advertisers need to first understand more […]

Agora and ONUart invite participants to share photographs that celebrate the unity and diversity of the human race in honor of  Human Rights Day. Agora images are a free-to-use app social app. The app is for the global photography community, with more than 3.5 million users from across 193 countries. On a weekly basis the app’s users – […]

We asked the industry: When you first heard about programmatic, what did you think it was?  Maya Khammar Client Services Director at Publicis Middle East When I first heard about the term ‘programmatic,’ I thought this was it, we’re finished. We’re really going to be replaced by the machines. Instinct will be completely replaced with hard […]

Consumers worry about privacy online but have been ready – at least so far – to give up some of their personal information in exchange for convenience. Communicate explores this paradox. We are often told that an increasing number of people are concerned about online privacy, afraid that their data would be used improperly or, […]

Communicate felt like doing a little bit of reminiscing today. Meet Donald Yip, a travel and landscape photographer from Melbourne, Australia. In the video below, Yip shares the inspiration behind his winning photograph for the competition #Landscape2019. Yes, 2019, the year that feels almost like a century ago. Agora images are a free-to-use app social app. The […]

The title might’ve felt a little misleading right? Considering everything that’s happening with the platform right now around the world; banned in India, undergoing a bidding war in the US. Sheesh, tech companies can never catch a break these days. But despite these issues, research from analytics and technology consultancy AnaVizio highlights how the platform […]

Mobile advertising platform, Ad Colony recently published the results of their survey, which asked marketers regarding their strategies and results for user acquisition (UA). The meteoric growth in mobile app usage has bred major competition in the marketplace. Creating a stellar app is just the beginning for developers. With millions of apps in the Google […]

The Middle East Public Relations Association (MEPRA) will be hosting the sixth edition of their annual leadership majlis virtually this year. The majlis will include a series of daily sessions starting from 30th August till 3rd September with communication leaders from the Middle East and abroad. Communicate speaks with Jonty Summers, Chairman of MEPRA and Managing Director […]

The Middle East Public Relations Association (MEPRA) Youth Board recently announced an outreach initiative to support local businesses in Beirut following the devastating explosions that claimed the lives of more than 160 people, injured thousands, and left as many as 300,000 without a home. Communicate spoke with Nada Elbarshoumi, MEPRA Youth Board Member, and  Senior Manager […]

HalaHi, the region’s first platform that allows people to get shout outs from their favorite celebrities has announced a new addition to their services – HalaHi for Brands. The new vertical aims to cut out the middlemen and provide an avenue for brands and influencers to communicate and partner directly. American based video-sharing website, Cameo […]

Adnan Bashir, Senior Manager for Corporate Communications at Hansen Technologies, explains what you could maybe do better, or differently, in order to get your boss to listen and adopt your ideas. Ever since I made the fateful decision to switch careers and jump head-first into the unpredictable, yet exciting, world of corporate communications half a […]

Regional online platform StriveME approaches the automotive industry in a different way, stepping outside of the usual technical details to grab the audience’s attention from a lifestyle perspective. Communicate spoke with Managing Director and Co-Founder Samah Safa, to better understand what difference this strategy makes. What is the thinking behind your editorial approach? In order […]

Khaled AlShehhi, Executive Director – Marketing and Communications for the Public Diplomacy Office at the Ministry of Cabinet Affairs and the Future, on why Fortnite is taking on Apple and why it matters. It seems that people at Apple have a memory problem and have forgotten their classics. They don’t go as far back as […]

Wedding and portrait photographer, Asim Ijaz considers capturing portraits a work of art. In the video below, he explains his process on how to capture a beautiful portrait photograph. Agora images are a free-to-use app social app. The app is for the global photography community, with more than 3.5 million users from across 193 countries. On a […]

“A joke is basically two things that shouldn’t fit together, but you make them fit together with a really nice twist that your brain enjoys,” says Adam Hunt, Creative Director at White Label Comedy, a creative content agency based in the UK that is powered by comedy writers. Communicate spoke with Hunt to understand what goes […]

Broadcast specialist,  markettiers MENA has released the first-ever report that dives into the podcast market in Saudi Arabia. As the listenership for the podcast medium continues to climb globally, the report provides key details into the KSA market, to help marketers understand how to better reach their targeted audience. The research was conducted by Censuswide, […]

Over the past few months, as the pandemic began to loom across the MENA region and globally, many businesses were in a state of panic and uncertainty.  During this time, Ziad Rahhal, Head of Marketing Solutions at LinkedIn decided to create a series, comprising of extremely insightful and engaging discussions with industry experts across a […]

As a brand today, it’s really difficult to stand out on social media because of the massive overload of content that is present on these platforms. Brands, both established as well as newcomers have to be really strategic in their approach, in order to connect with their target audience. Influencer Marketing Hub, the leading resource […]

The growth of e-commerce was accelerated across the globe due to the pandemic and the measures that were implemented to curb the spread. Advertising investment has shifted into shoppable and e-commerce formats, and many companies have had to develop their e-commerce strategies on the fly. This is driving growth of the big platforms. But many […]

Victor de Valles was born and raised in Puigcerdá, Spain. His hobbies include nature, sport and photography and he specializes in underwater photography. After joining Agora Images over a year ago, Valles has won two editions of their weekly competitions and served as a guest judge on one. In the video below, he shares his […]

The National Research Group, an independent market research company was commissioned by Snap Inc. to conduct a study to learn how Gen Z and Millennials are engaging with mobile video entertainment, and what to expect as the world enters a new era of mobile-first experiences. The new study examines how demand for TV-quality mobile content […]

WARC, the global marketing intelligence service, released its latest report that focuses on advertising in gaming, exploring the opportunities within mobile gaming, working with streamers as influencers, and the potential of partnerships around e-sports. Here are the key takeaways – MOBILE GAMING Mobile gamers are casual players and skew older than average; ‘gamer mums’ are […]

Since the issue of the death warrant of third party cookies on the Chrome browser was announced earlier this year, the company has been hard at work to provide new tools for both users as well as advertisers to have a more safe and secure experience. Communicate attended a press conference last week to get a […]

Elie Aoun, CEO of Ipsos Media in MENA, will take the helm as the new global leader for Adex service. Communicate spoke with Aoun to learn more about the service and how it’ll benefit the region. What is Adex? Adex (Advertising expenditures), is a service that measures the advertising expenditures on different media, in different markets. […]

Now more than ever, the world is taking a stand against racism. The storytellers of Agora have voiced their angst in this new video along with sharing their photographs for the hashtag #StopRacism. Agora images are a free-to-use app social app. The app is for the global photography community, with more than 3.5 million users from across […]

Social Bakers, a global AI-powered social media marketing company has released the Q2 edition of their social media trends report. The report reveals where the industry is currently standing with regard to spend and engagement globally. Here are the key findings – ADVERTISING Worldwide ad spend increased by 26.2% in Q2 but began declining by […]

WARC, the global marketing intelligence service, released its latest report that focuses on the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on strategy, across headcounts, budgets, and the role of strategy during the crisis. The report is based on a global survey of strategists that was fielded during the months of May and June 2020. […]

 American Landscape photographer, Ansel Adams once said, ” Landscape photography is the supreme test of the photographer – and often the supreme disappointment.” Agora Images leaves you to decide whether the submissions of these top 50 finalists for the hashtag #Landscape2020 are a masterpiece or not?  Agora images are a free-to-use app social app. The app is […]

Livestream shopping has been around since 2016 in China, but the recent lockdown measures that were implemented in the country caused a massive upsurge in this industry. Now livestreaming has become an indispensable format through which Chinese consumers shop. Major international e-commerce companies such as Amazon have already begun to put their money behind this […]

In lieu of the #WeareResponsible initiative introduced by the leadership in the UAE, Yardstick Marketing has introduced a series titled #InformAndInspire, bringing together experts from various different fields to instill hope and inspire the audience through their online channels. Communicate spoke with Anishkaa Gehani, Founder and CEO of Yardstick Marketing Management, to learn more about […]

Boutique lifestyle consultancy Catch Communications has launched its new training arm, Catch Academy in the UAE. Communicate speaks with Injeel Moti, Managing Director at Catch Academy and Catch Communications, to learn more about what the academy plans to offer. Why the need to introduce Catch Academy in the region now? The idea to set up Catch […]

Abdulrahman Inayat, Co-Founder of W7Worldwide, explains how the Covid-19 pandemic has impacted the communications industry in KSA and how his agency is helping businesses. The global outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic has had an unprecedented impact on economies around the world. Saudi Arabia was no exception, especially during the first stages of the crisis when […]

Smiling is a lot of things. Smiling is courageous, rebellious strength, free therapy, etc. These 50 photographs curated by Agora Images under the hashtag #Smile2020 are bound to put a smile on your face today. Agora images are a free-to-use app social app. The app is for the global photography community, with more than 3.5 million users […]

UAE-based Q Communications just announced its expansion to Europe, right in the middle of a pandemic. Co-Founders Elsa Roodt and Katie Harvey explain how such a move is indeed a challenge, but one that can be turned into a strength. “You shouldn’t open a business with your best friend.” “We are mid-recession, no one will […]

What content to use, where and when is the headache most organizations are now familiar with. Communicate lays out the groundwork for you. “Content is king,” famously said by Microsoft founder Bill Gates back in 1996. Two decades later, this view rings as true as ever. The catch is, the notion of ‘content’ now covers […]

Last month, Dubai launched the New Media Academy as part of its mission to prepare a future workforce, capable of leading the rapidly growing field of digital marketing. The academy aims to train media professionals in the public and private sector in everything related to digital, in order to nurture social media content creators. Communicate […]

Marwa Kaabour, Head of Marketing & Corporate Communication at Al Masaood Group, explains how an effective communication strategy brought the Al Masaood family closer during the pandemic. While some service organizations had the luxury of teleporting their service to a remote-work structure, others, industrial and automotive in nature, had to stay at the physical forefront […]

To mark its 75th anniversary, the United Nations has launched the biggest-ever global conversation-UN75. The UN is calling on the youth and groups not already engaged with the organization, to expand global cooperation and help them build the future. Agora supports the initiative through the hashtag #TheWorldWeWant. In the video below, storytellers from around the […]

Dubai-based data intelligence provider and social media listening platform, Crowd Analyzer releases the fourth edition of its State of Social Media report. The report targets brands and industry professionals that are eager to have meaningful engagement with audiences on social media. The annual report covers the countries of Egypt, Saudi Arabia (KSA), the UAE, and […]

Throughout the ages, tones, topics and styles in content marketing have evolved drastically. Communicate takes a step back and examines how the way we pitch changed over time.  

Global marketing agency, Dentsu Aegis Network has launched the latest edition of its Digital Society Index (DSI) survey. The study highlights the change in relationship between consumers and technology, as consumers have begun interacting with technology in a more positive way than ever before. The survey ran between March-April 2020 – the peak of the […]

As part of Ipsos MENA’s ongoing commitment to deliver fast, high-quality data, the company introduces a new online panel in the country of Iraq. Iraq is the latest addition to Ipsos Interactive Services’ (IIS) MENA panel which already covers Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, Morocco, and Kuwait. Communicate spoke with Joseph […]

 Communicate chats with Mauricio Sanaiote, Creative Director at Geometry MENA to learn how creativity has been impacted during the pandemic and what the Geometry Creative Week hopes to achieve. What is the Geometry Creative Week and what does the event hope to achieve? Normally at this time of year, we would all be getting together […]

Remember the days when people could plan a last-minute road trip to Jebel Jais or Al Qudra Lake without having to worry about anything. Ahh, the good old days. For now, reminisce about those adventures with the top 50 photographs for the hashtag #Roadtrip 2020, curated by Agora Images. Don’t worry, we’ll be back on […]

Talkwalker, a global social listening and analytics company reveals the list of most loved brands globally as well as in the region. With the world economy experiencing a downturn, brand love can really help a brand grow and connect with the audience emotionally during this difficult time. Using Talkwalker’s enterprise social listening platform, the company […]

Edelman Intelligence, a global insight, and analytics consultancy releases the 20th edition of the UAE Trust Barometer report. According to the report, the UAE government remains the most trusted of all four institutions, above businesses, NGOs, and the media. A key moment to celebrate, especially during a time when major distrust is brewing between citizens […]

Hani Weiss, CEO, Majid Al Futtaim – Retail, explains how to address crises and manage them efficiently from a communication perspective. Covid-19 has tested our communication skills in a way many leaders have not yet faced in their career. The unprecedented nature of the current crisis has required effective leadership and strong communication skills from […]

Group M releases their mid-year report for the MENA region, which forecasts the future of spending in the region’s media industry for the remainder of 2020 as well as 2021. In 2019, MENA advertising spend declined by 5.8%. This year, the number is expected to reduce even further as the industry faces a dual-shock from […]

Photography is a visual reflection of real-life moments. In the video below, Spartan Photography, a group of storytellers from Nairobi, Kenya, talk about their vision as a group of storytellers, and how their work is a reflection of the poetic moments in their lives. Agora images are a free-to-use app social app. The app is for the global photography […]

Marco Bertozzi, Vice President, EMEA Sales & Multi-market Global Sales at Spotify, tells  Communicate what users were listening to while social distancing was in effect around the globe and in the region.  What were the significant consumption trends by users on Spotify during the lockdown period? Audio plays a very important role in people’s lives, because of […]

How Covid-19 is changing the business and the industry at large, according to Mullen Lowe’s Chief Executive Officer of Middle East and North Africa. How is the Covid-19 crisis reshaping the marketing and advertising industry in MENA? The impact of Covid-19 was a sudden shock that forced everyone [in the industry] to quickly find solutions to […]

Stephen George, CEO & Founder of California-based Surkus, a platform that connects businesses with consumers, talks about the importance of brands standing in solidarity with people during social situations. “For once. Don’t do it.” Nike’s message in its recent ad campaign flips its long-standing tagline, with powerful results. The brand was one of the first big […]

How Covid-19 is changing the business and the industry at large, according to Memac Ogilvy’s Chief Executive MENA, and Ogilvy’s Chief Digital Officer EMEA, and Executive Partner Worldwide.  How is COVID-19 reshaping the marketing and advertising industry in MENA? When it comes to any major social or cultural transition, it takes time for us to be able to fully […]

Dubai-based media and ad tech company FutureTech has partnered with shopper marketing technology company Adimo to bring shoppability to MENA and South Africa. The company will utilize Adimo’s technology to create shoppable media campaigns for their clients and provide consumers across MENA & South Africa with frictionless paths to purchase. Since the launch of the partnership […]

Oleksandr Cherviakov, Senior Manager – Business Solutions at Annalect MENA, argues that automation will make marketeers stronger, not fewer. In this contactless, socially distant world that we’re building for ourselves as a result of the pandemic, there is much talk of dehumanization. We’re busy removing what makes us human –  a smile, a pat on […]

Looking at the world from a bird’s eye view really brings about a new perspective on life. From up above; all the fears, anxieties, social status, ego, worry are just tiny specks that don’t even matter. These 50 photographers from around the world submitted their view of the world from above for the hashtag #Aerial2020. […]

According to a recent study by TBWA\RAAD, 76% of CEOs in the region have taken to social media, to communicate and reassure their employees and stakeholders during the current crisis. But despite the surge in activity, the average business leader posts less than twice per month on social media. This poor frequency in communication will not […]

Amel Osman, Head of Corporate Practice at Golin MENA, on how both employees and employers need to adopt an entrepreneurial mindset to demonstrate their value. Across the UAE today, those of us still in employment will fling on our masks, brave the summer heat, and return to our places of work. Filled with a sense […]

Ayman Haydar, CEO of programmatic marketplace provider MMP World Wide, talks about how the tech giants are entering the world of e-commerce and the changes in sentiment towards digitization.  10 weeks. 70 days. 1,680 hours. Far too many Netflix binges to mention. Meaningless stats at any other time, but in the context of the coronavirus, […]

Meet Farah Souhail, Global Marketing Manager at Morgan Philips Group in London. When the world went into lockdown, Souhail got busy and launched her new podcast series called The MENA CMO. Communicate spoke with Souhail to learn more about the podcast and how it came into fruition. Can you give me an overview of the podcast? […]

How Covid-19 is changing the business and the industry at large, according to Group M MENA’s Chief Executive Officer. How is the Covid-19 crisis reshaping the marketing and advertising industry in MENA? The time has come to ‘re-optimize’ everything from brand purpose, positioning, company structures, processes and growth strategies. Consumers have become far too picky and […]

In the new age of podcasts and audio streaming, one wonders whether radio still garners any listeners? The answer is yes. According to a new survey conducted by data measurement firm Nielsen, the radio industry is still thriving in the UAE. The new study conducted by Nielsen’s UAE Radio Audience Measurement (RAM)- a service designed […]

The concept of beauty and what is considered to be beautiful has gone through a massive evolution in this past decade. There used to be a standard definition for it. Now, beauty really is in the eye of the beholder. What’s considered ‘beautiful’ is a reflection of that individual’s personality. Check out what these 50 […]

How Covid-19 is changing the business and the industry at large, according to FP7 MENA’s Chief Executive Officer. How is the Covid-19 crisis reshaping the marketing and advertising industry in MENA? The coronavirus has and will continue to restructure our everyday: actions, habits, feelings, need for safety and security, how we connect with others personally and […]

International marketing intelligence service, WARC releases the Global Ad Trends report which highlights the impact of Covid-19 on ad investment in 2020. According to the report, advertising spend is projected to be $563bn for 2020. This is a steep decline from earlier forecasts, which predicted a rise in spending by 7.1% to $660bn. The decline is […]

How Covid-19 is changing the business and the industry at large, according to DDB’s Chief Executive Officer for the Middle East. How is the Covid-19 crisis reshaping the marketing and advertising industry in MENA? There’s a lot of conversation going on around this subject. But with specific mention to the region, Covid-19 has accelerated our pre-existing structural problems. The […]

Blockthrough, a company that provides software and methods to counter adblocking – has released a report in collaboration with their subsidiary company PageFair, that highlights the significant new trends in consumer adoption of adblocking around the world. According to the report, the battleground of the adblock wars has shifted to mobile. Mobile is driving a rapid […]

Communicate’s virtual events series explores the steps to take after the event comes to an end. To create brand value and attract new audiences, it’s important to keep the conversation around the event ongoing, even after the event is over. There are multiple ways to keep the conversation alive. Here are the steps – Post-event […]

Organizations around the world are going to be facing even more difficult challenges, once the chaos of Covid-19 passes. One of them being, reintegrating employees who’ve been confined to their homes for the past 2-3 months, back into the workplace. In response to this challenge, United Minds, Weber Shandwick’s management consultancy specializing in organizational transformation […]

The fifth edition of Communicate’s virtual events series explores the different ways brands can monetize their virtual conference/webinar to earn revenue. While virtual events have been a great way to stay connected with customers during these difficult times, it also provides an opportunity for host brands to bring in cash flow.  Here are the different ways […]

As the world continues to battle this pandemic, Agora Images launched the #StayHome photo competition, as a way to inspire photographers to keep being creative from home and document the unprecedented situation in their home countries. In the video below,  the finalists of the competition share their experiences, and their message of hope through their photographs. Agora images […]

The fourth edition of Communiciate’s Virtual Events Series explores the strategies to consider while marketing a virtual event. With the increase in virtual conferences and webinars, it’s important to consider an effective strategy to stand out from the clutter and help drive awareness and registrations to the event. Read our best practices to set up a […]

“It’s important for advertisers right now to be [aware and] connect with what’s happening on the platform,” says  Carla El Maalouli,  Head of Business Marketing at Twitter MENA. Communicate caught up with Maalouli to learn what the social media platform has been up to during this pandemic, and the new formats they’ve introduced, to communicate with […]

The Middle East Public Relations Association recently conducted a survey to understand the impact of Covid-19 on the mental health and wellbeing, of the region’s PR professionals.  The survey which comprised of 108 respondents from the MEPRA group, revealed some alarming findings. The number of respondents who suffer from stress tripled during the lockdown. 38% […]

During the holy month of Ramadan, food companies must abstain from showing food in their ads to avoid temptation during fasting. Sounds tricky, doesn’t it? However, McDonald’s and Leo Burnett KSA, have found a way to work around it. Their new Iftar Sandclock campaign features a virtual, live hourglass that counts down the time until […]

Ramadan is the month of coming together to celebrate. But the current pandemic has forced people to stay apart from one another. Many have resorted to connecting virtually, despite the occasion, to stay connected. Vodafone Egypt and Wunderman Thompson Cairo decided to provide a solution to this predicament by lanching “Stay Home, Stay Connected/Entertained,” a short […]

“And they may only win some creative award for trying, says Ahmad Abu Zannad, Regional Strategy Director at Leo Burnett MEA.” As we are going through the Covid-19 pandemic, we see brands tempted to play a more impactful role. Yet, at times, audiences are suspicious about the intentions behind these actions. For instance, when an […]

The global pandemic has brought the events industry to a complete standstill. Large scale annual and quarterly events such as the SXSW conference and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics have been canceled or postponed. These numerous cancellations have put a huge dent in the events industry. A dent that innovative companies are filling, by navigating another […]

“The main problem is certainly a lack of education around the subject,” said Yves-Michel Gabay, Managing Director of MEA at programmatic agency Gamned. With people confined to their homes due to the current situation, many professionals have taken time out to learn new skills in various subjects. In response to this growing trend, many firms […]

Sophie Simpson, CEO and Founder of Atteline DMCC, explains how Covid-19 has led society to be connected in new ways. Imagine it is the first day of 2020. Things are normal. We can meet face to face. Travel is possible. Daily essentials are easy to buy. But things have changed. Covid-19 has forever altered the […]

Ever wanted to get into doing underwater photography? Well, in the video below, Agora Images features Reiko Takahashi; a 5-time Agora Top 50 and underwater photographer, who talks about how she began her journey with the genre and her creative process. Agora images are a free-to-use app social app. The app is for the global photography community, with […]

With the global pandemic affecting businesses of all sizes in the region, the SME community, in particular, is being hit the hardest. In response to this, digital OOH company, Elevision Media launches a new initiative called, “Support your local community” to help small businesses navigate these difficult times by leveraging Elevision’s media assets. Communicate got a chance to […]

As part of the company’s COVID-19 relief efforts, Omnicom Media Group MENA joins forces with regional media owners in the Middle East- to provide complimentary media space to its long-standing partner charities. With their support, the NPO’s – Dubai Cares, Gulf for Good, and Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) will be able to reach a larger […]

Abdulrahman Inayat, Co-Founder and Director of KSA-based independent marketing communications consultancy W7Worldwide, on how to communicate with the community during the holy month.  The coronavirus pandemic is a reminder that we are all part of one global community and dependent on each other. This year, the holy month of Ramadan lands amidst efforts across the […]

Digital Advertising Specialist Chris Gregory-Pasha wonders, will travel brands be slow to adopt TikTok, or have they learned their lesson? With borders shut, planes grounded and hotels closed, travel marketeers are facing challenging times. While many hotels and airlines are trying to fill the void with bland, interchangeable videos reminding people that they will travel […]

WARC, the global authority on advertising and media effectiveness releases the anatomy of effectiveness report for the MENA region. The report aimed at advertising agencies, marketers, and media owners alike, highlighting five key priorities for brands seeking to improve their impact in the Middle East and North Africa region. The report has been created in collaboration with […]

As the region witnesses the surge in e-commerce popularity, retailers wonder as to what kind of new habits will this instill into the consumer. To learn more about the reasons for the changing habits in consumers and how it will impact the retail industry, Communicate sat with Sachinn J Laala and Richard Nicoll, CEO and Managing […]

The pandemic has brought about newfound creative interests in people, whether it is painting, starting a Youtube channel, etc. Having time for personal hobbies is essential, in order to keep the mind creative and engaged. But some folks are still struggling to find a balance between giving time for either. Somehow, the work tasks seem to […]

The third piece of Communicate’s virtual events series looks into the various tools that are available for brands and organizations to utilize, in order to showcase their webinars and conferences. It’s important for the hosting company to outline their requirements. The best tools should provide ease of access, opportunities for engagement, and overall a hassle-free […]

Multinational market research firm, Ipsos has released the fourth wave of COVID-19 MENA Consumer Sentiment Tracker from April 10 to April 13, 2020; a report on understanding attitudes, behaviors, and future expectations in various countries in the MENA region. The study covered KSA, UAE, Jordan, Lebanon, and Morocco and was conducted through online surveys. The tracker […]

Never before has humanity been so united to fight a common enemy. The video below showcases some of the most inspirational photographs submitted by the heroes of Agora Images, as they share their unique point of view during these difficult times. Agora images are a free-to-use app social app. The app is for the global photography community, […]

Earlier Communicate covered the pros and cons of creating a virtual event and how it provides an opportunity for brands and organizations, who had events lined up for the year, a chance to showcase not only their planned event but also their resilience, in the face of adversity. For those who are confused about how to […]

The International Advertising Bureau (IAB) recently conducted an online survey with 29 senior executives from the marketing teams of agencies and clients, to understand their media spending plans for the remainder of the year. The survey sample includes 62% representation from agencies, 24% from clients and 14% from other entities such as publishers. The respondents […]

Meet Pham Huy Trung, a photographer who lives in Ho Chi Minh city in Vietnam. He captured the winning shot for Agora Images competition for the hashtag #Light2020. In the video below, Trung explains where he took the winning shot and what inspired him to do so. The winning shot is kept as the feature […]

Geometry Global, WPP’s end-to-end creative commerce agency has appointed Safwan El Roufai to lead its experiential offering as Executive Vice President for Middle East & North Africa. Communicate got an exclusive interview with Roufai to learn more about his new role and what plans he has in store for the agency. Why make the shift from […]

Snap Inc publishes a new survey that reveals how people in the UAE are staying informed about the COVID-19 outbreak, and what they are doing to stay in touch with family and friends during this tense period. Communciate got insights from Hussein Freijeh, General Manager of Snap Inc on the results of the survey. “During this time of […]

As many professionals are required to work from their homes, finding a way to be productive in this new environment is crucial. The misconception many have is that, since they’re at home, they have more time on their hands- hence they can get more work done. This is hardly the case. There are so many […]

Gumgum, an artificial intelligence company that specializes in solutions for advertising and Spark Neuro, a neuro analytics company, conducted a global study to understand the effectiveness of contextual advertising. The study involved an experiment with 60 participants from the US, UK, and Japan. They were given six articles on different topics, each of which featured three […]

Human nature has always been designed to adapt to changing events in the environment. The advancement in technology has allowed the human race to adapt more quickly than ever. With the current ongoing pandemic, many of the conferences and events which have been scheduled for the coming months, have all come to a standstill. But […]

American aviator and author once said, “In the wilderness, I sense the miracle of life, and behind it, our scientific accomplishments fade to trivia.” These 50 photographs submitted under the hashtag #Wild2020 capture the wilderness in its most majestic form. Agora images are a free-to-use app social app. The app is for the global photography community, with […]

In late March, companies had requested their employees to work from their homes to help curb the spread of the virus. After two weeks under complete isolation in the confines of one’s home, employees are bound to begin feelings of disconnection, stress, and lack of motivation, which ultimately affects their overall morale. Communicate spoke with Dr. […]

The Journey, a video series created by digital media agency, Socialize and automotive brand Volkswagen combats the unrelatable and inauthentic portrayal of success stories online by featuring a diverse range of speakers who share their stories and reveal about the difficult hurdles one actually faces on their journey towards success. The trio behind the campaign includes Rhia Samuel- Senior […]

“Empty your mind, be formless, shapeless- like water.” The famous Bruce Lee quote describes the element in its truest form. Water provides a feeling of tranquility and peace, and these 50 photographs submitted under the hashtag #Water2020 manage to emit those same feelings. Check it out. Agora images are a free-to-use app social app. The app is […]

An interactive platform that houses the latest insights, tools and evocative predictions about culture and industries on the back of the COVID-19 happenings. As humanity navigates through an unprecedented time of unsettling realities, culture is shifting in every direction. It has become crucial for brands and businesses to weather the storm, by accelerating fundamental decision-making […]

The Sharjah Entrepreneurship Centre (Sheraa) recently launched their new initiative titled Access Sharjah, with a goal to help support and build the entrepreneurship community in the region. Their new program focuses on the digital content and publishing sector and has welcomed 14 startups into the program. Communicate got to have an exclusive chat with Najla Al Midfa, […]

As the podcast space in the Middle East continues to grow and evolve, Communicate shares some recent insights from social media analytics and listening tool, Talkwalker on where the MENA region currently stands. In July 2019, data released by Markettiers MENA stated that there were 1.3 million podcast listeners in the UAE alone, which is more […]

With the temporary closure of schools, parents are faced with a challenge on how to keep their kids occupied at home, while they manage their own workload. QiDZ, a family-friendly application created by mothers recently launched a sub-product called QiDZ at Home to solve this very challenge. The product offers free indoor activities that can […]

WhatsApp launches two initiatives to support the global fight against the Coronavirus pandemic: the global launch of the WhatsApp Coronavirus Information Hub in partnership with the World Health Organization, UNICEF, and UNDP, and a $1m donation to the Poynter Institute’s International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN). The WhatsApp coronavirus information hub which can be found on whatsapp.com/coronavirus,  provides […]

With the ongoing pandemic affecting the globe, social media platform Instagram has partnered with the World Health Organization (WHO) to tackle misinformation being spread online- in an effort to ensure the online community is safe, well informed on COVID-19 and following the appropriate health guidelines. Keeping our community informed With the influx of news being circulated on […]

American authors Juli Klassen who is known for her extensive work in creating regency romance novels consider portraits to be like ornamental headstones. “It is not for the subject, but for those who look upon it. For those you want to remember,” states Klassen. These 50 photographs of portraits under the hashtag #Portraits2020 manage to […]

 The WARC Rankings are a global index of creative, effective and media excellence in advertising. The WARC Effective 100 rankings take into account performance across top-tier strategy, marketing and creative shows around the world and are hence the most rigorous rankings. In the 2020 WARC Effective 100 rankings, McCann Worldgroup’s agency FP7 McCann was ranked […]

As life in China slowly begins to return to normal, the draconian measures that were earlier implemented to curb the spread of the virus have taken a toll on the country’s economy. The two-month-long pandemic forced businesses to halt operations and residents to remain indoors, causing a stint in the country’s economic growth. This also […]

“There is an evolution happening in our business,” says Bill Fordyce, CEO of Backlite Media, one of the leading outdoor advertising companies based in Dubai. With a global digital takeover,  Communicate got a chance to chat with Fordyce, to understand how a traditional medium like OOH is faring in this new environment. What is the status of […]

Geometry, WPP’s end to end creative commerce agency promotes Nick Walsh as the first-ever CEO of the agency in the region. A pioneer in the brand activation space, Walsh is credited with transforming the Dubai HQ internally as managing director of the firm and now in the new role, bigger challenges and opportunities awaits him. Communicate got […]

In the wake of International Women’s day, Agora is celebrating strong women all over the world with the best images for the hashtag #Women2020.  Agora images are a free-to-use app social app. The app is for the global photography community, with more than 3.5 million users from across 193 countries. On a weekly basis the app’s users – amateurs […]

With three months into the new year, Pizza Hut, the international fast-food franchise under the parent company Yum Brands appoints Pankaj Batra as the chief brand officer for Pizza Hut in the Asia Pacific region and Beverly D’Cruz for the same role in the META region. Batra, a veteran of Yum for over 20 years, […]

International women’s day takes place on March 8th every year to celebrate women’s rights and inspire people to act in the ongoing fight for gender equality. The theme for this year is #EachforEqual which is to remind everyone that it’s on each and every individual to help create a gender-equal world. History cites the origins of international […]

The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) GCC urges for greater participation in an industry-wide study to comprehensively measure the size of the region’s digital advertising market. The study which was launched in October of last year is designed to deliver an estimate of the GCC’s digital advertising market. However, the involvement by industry stakeholders has been lower than […]

“The counterfeit and counterpart of Nature is reproduced in art,” says American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. But do these 50 photographs curated by Agora Images under the hashtag #Nature2020, produce a counterpart or they do they show mother nature in her true essence? The video below will tell all. Agora images are a free-to-use app social app. The […]

OMD, a global media network that is a part of the Omnicom Media Group secured a trifecta of first place wins including- the title of Global Media Agency of the year for the second consecutive year by Adweek, a leading advertising industry publication.  The accolade marks the sixth time, that OMD has been named the publication’s […]

Mobile phones have become the one-stop destination for consumers-right from wake up calls to urgent shopping needs, instant messaging, etc. Naturally, this gave the rise to mobile advertising as a prime channel for marketers to communicate with their audience. With the advancing developments in the digital space, marketers need to stay on top of the […]

A new report by Hypeauditor, a technology that helps detect influencer fraud on various platforms using an intuitive machine-learning algorithm states that 53% of influencers in the UAE, use artificial means to grow their following and engagement. With the influencer marketing industry poised to become a $15 billion dollar industry by 2022 and an audience of 3.78 […]

According to the report released by the international marketing intelligence service, global advertising spend is set to rise by 7.1% to $660bn this year, guided by a 13.2% growth in internet investment. Quadrennial events such as the US presidential elections and the Summer Olympic games in Tokyo are expected to help TV spend to rise by […]

This past month, photographers from all over the world have submitted their best shots for the #Freedom2020 contest which was organized by Agora Images. Korchnoi Pasaribu, a geologist by profession and a native of Jakarta, Indonesia, won the contest. In the video below, Pasaribu talks about what inspired him to take the winning shot.   Agora images […]

The Michael Page salary and skills guide provides an overview of market and employment trends, including observations such as job seekers’ sentiments, while also highlighting salary trends per role within each industry. The report listed four key job market trends which were prevalent in the region: The top reasons for people living and working in […]

As the demand for Arabic content is on the rise, Communicate looks at understanding how this content is created and catered to the diverse community of Arabic speakers today. Karim Daoud, CEO of Webedia Arabia, one of the largest digital Arab networks which curate content under the various pillars of; fashion and beauty, pop culture, food, parenting, and gaming/e-sports, […]

“Black and white photography erases time from the equation,” says Jason M Paterson, acclaimed black and white photographer, and chief creative officer of the North American arm of Havas Group. These 50 photographs curated by Agora Images under the hashtag #BlackAndWhite2020, manages to capture more than just a still moment in time. They capture the […]

WPP’s end-to-end creative commerce agency names Roy Armale as its first global chief innovation officer. Armale began his career at Geometry working on the application of behavioral thinking in shopper marketing, to keep clients ahead of the transformation in retail. Since then, his work across the agency’s diverse roster has resulted in the adoption of […]

Talkwalker, a social listening and analytics platform partnered with market research and data analytics firm, YouGov- to gather data from communication professionals based in Africa, Asia-Pacific, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, and North America with an objective to understand how the industry functions today on a global scale. The report focuses on understanding how […]

There’s a love-hate relationship with influencer marketing. The need for it, in driving consumer attention is undeniable- 94% of marketers in the UAE believe so, according to a study by BPG Group in 2017. But despite the numbers, many have begun to question the ROI of collaborating with influencers, especially the macro ones who command […]

The world is full of citizen journalists and today, it only takes a phone camera to start telling a story. In the video below, Agora Images curates the world’s best images for the hashtag #Photojournalism2020. Take a look at humanity’s visual manifesto. Agora images are a free-to-use app social app. The app is for the global photography […]

Last year, Communicate shared Agora’s top 50 photographs for the competition with the hashtag #Hope2019 Coincidentally, the feature image for the piece, which was selected at random, also happens to be the winning shot. In the video below, the winner, Enrique Planelles, the Barcelona native who enjoys photography as a hobby, cites his inspiration behind the photograph […]

The term Sustainability embraces the idea of maintaining constant levels of consumption, without committing devastation on surrounding nature. The urgency for adopting a sustainable lifestyle, especially now, derives from considering and appreciating the interests of future generations. Agora Images, a free-to-use app social app, for the global photography community, organizes competitions on a weekly basis. The app […]

There is more content out there than at any other point in time. Some moments get more eyeballs than others, though. Communicate looks at the most-viewed content globally. Beijing Olympics Opening Ceremony (2008) The ceremony makes it to the top rank of yet another list. This time, it sits at the top for the most-viewed […]

There is more content out there than at any other point in time. Some moments get more eyeballs than others, though. Communicate looks at the most-viewed content globally. Despacito by Luis Fonsi ft. Daddy Yankee (6.24 billion views) (Image Credits – Youtube) Initially, the Spanish pop song was under the radar after its release in […]

American professional boxer, Muhammad Ali once said, “Friendship is the hardest thing in the world to explain. It’s not something you learn in school. But if you haven’t learned the meaning of friendship, you really haven’t learned anything.” Those words ring true even today. Well, at least these 50 photographers feel that way about the […]

There is more content out there than at any other point in time. Some moments get more eyeballs than others, though. Communicate looks at the most-viewed content globally M*A*S*H* (1983) M*A*S*H*, centered around a group of surgeons part of a mobile army surgical hospital (MASH) during the Korean War, aired during the Vietnam War and […]

There is more content out there than at any other point in time. Some moments get more eyeballs than others, though. Communicate looks at the most-viewed content globally. Beijing Olympics Opening Ceremony (2008) The Beijing National Stadium – better known as the Bird’s Nest – was home to the Beijing Olympics’ Opening Ceremony in 2008. […]

Derya Matras is appointed as the new regional director of Facebook in the Middle East, Africa, and Turkey. She will lead the company’s operations and help grow its economic and social impact across the region. Matras spent most of her career in emerging markets and was previously the Facebook country director for Turkey. Prior to joining Facebook, […]

“People these days want things that are smart and sexy,” says Carlos Watson, CEO of international media and entertainment company OZY Media. Communicate sat down with Watson for an exclusive interview to discuss how, in these times of content superabundance, companies can learn how to grab people’s attention.

According to Photography folklore, some of the best photographs are usually taken during the Golden Hour. The period of the day, just before the sun sets or after it has risen, when the light is redder and softer than usual- gives a magical touch to photographs. These 50 photographers with the #GoldenHour2020 gives that serene feeling. Agora images are a […]

Britain’s online measurement body has appointed Ipsos, as the new supplier of the UK industry-standard, for online audience measurement from January 2021. The appointment follows a broad industry consultation and a tender process, undertaken to ensure that media owners, advertisers, and agencies can continue to rely on UKOM endorsed data for audience reporting, and be confident […]

The leading on-demand music platform has managed to surpass over 10 billion streams in 2019, a new milestone for the service in the MENA region. As part of the celebration of this new milestone, the service launched the #Anghami2019InMusic campaign. Through its platform, Anghami users can now check what happened musically in 2019 across the region […]

The California Consumer Privacy Act is a new privacy law that came into effect on January 1st, 2020. According to the law, companies are required among other things to inform users of their intent to use the individual’s personal data for monetization purposes with the option of opting out of the same. If consumers choose […]

In less than two centuries, the evolution of moving pictures has dramatically changed the way we consume images. Communicate illustrates the timeline of how content transformed from a horse in motion to Disney+. This article is published in Communicate’s December edition

Earlier Communicate looked at some of the most glorious moments in tech from this decade. While there were too many great moments to count, there were also some moments that didn’t quite live up to the hype. Here’s a list of those moments in the world of tech. IGTV While Instagram falls under one of the […]

What’s the point of doing something if you’re not having fun? Much of man’s pursuits in life are out of the sheer expectation of being able to experience fun. If there’s no fun, the task becomes mundane. These 50 photographers with the #Fun2019 show us what it really means to have fun. Agora images are a free-to-use […]

What do you do when you’ve fallen? When you’ve been outnumbered and down on the ground? Do you stay down or do you get back up? Communicate lists the brands that are looking to bring the fight back to the table in 2020. Toys R Us  Earlier this year, the famous toy retailer reincarnated from the […]

Rima Chammas, senior marketing director at Majid Al Futtaim sits with Communicate to discuss their latest campaign – a digitized catwalk show which you can watch on Google Street View and how the marriage between Technology and Shopping is going to transform the retail experience. What led you to use this medium of communication in particular […]

Now get a job through Snapchat! The quick-service restaurant chain launched a recruitment campaign in the month of October, targeting Saudi Nationals through Snapchat Lens, making it the first brand in the MENA region to do so. The aim of the campaign was to fill 850+ positions across multiple roles including manager trainees, guest experience leaders, […]

“Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things. And good things never die.”, says Andy Dufresne, the protagonist of the cult classic film, The Shawshank Redemption. In a time where turmoil is present almost everywhere, people look for hope to help guide them. These 50 photographs with the hashtag #Hope2019 are an illustration of the power of […]

While the ROI on Influencer marketing is still debatable, the concept has become a popular medium for brands and advertisers to include in their marketing mix. But where did it all begin? Did it only start recently? Or was it around for longer?  Sit back and relax, as  Communicate takes you on a field trip through […]

Social Media has turned into a cultural phenomenon this past decade, with many unique platforms entering the space in hopes to become the most popular one among the lot. While there were many that succeeded, there were others that dropped the hat. Communicate lists the platforms that called it quits. MySpace Once regarded as the most popular […]

With only 14 days left until the end of the decade, Communicate decides to go back in time and look at all the marvelous innovations in tech that transformed the way we connect, commute and communicate. Sorry, couldn’t help it. Instagram What started in 2010 as a simple application for sharing photographs of your favorite moments […]

Snapchat has launched ‘Swipe up to call’, a new feature exclusive to users in the Middle East, which will make it easier for customers to connect with businesses through the platform. Swipe up to call literally allows customers to make a direct phone call with a business they see advertised on Snapchat – with no […]

As part of the organization’s new strategic endeavors, Ian Fairey, former international business director at Yazzle Media joins Future Tech as the new general manager. He will oversee all managerial responsibilities and lead the sales, technology and product operations for the Dubai branch. With over 18 years of industry experience, Fairey joins with a wealth of […]

Dubzplay, a development company specialising in AAA mobile games and applications announces the launch of StyleCity, the mobile game created in the region, for the region. Within the first two days of its release, the game garnered over 200,000 downloads and topped the App store charts making it the fastest downloaded game in the UAE. […]

Colors are able to evoke emotions and trigger certain reactions. They can even go as far as subliminally communicating an idea or brand message. These 50 photographs with the hashtag #Red2019 will change the way you perceive the color. Agora images are a free-to-use app social app. The app is for the global photography community, with more […]

The world’s leading data, insights and consulting company recently conducted a study on whether brands across different sectors have met the five performance pillars of customer experience. The sectors which were taken into account included shopping malls, furniture chains, retail banks, e-commerce,  after-sales service for cars, telecom services, and car insurance. The five performance pillars were: […]

The Multi-Award winning creative director joins the management team of the independent retail consultancy and will be responsible for the creative direction of four creative teams. He will play a crucial role in leading a team of 20, towards integrating their retail, direct and shopper marketing capabilities, whilst driving the growth of Liquid as a renewed […]

Happiness has been a human pursuit for as long as we can remember. In scientific literature, happiness is referred to as hedonia, the presence of positive emotions and the absence of negative emotions. These 50 photographs with the hashtag #Happiness2019 will definitely light up your mood. Agora images are a free-to-use app social app. The app is for the […]

Ali Inam, head of marketing at on-demand fuel delivery app Cafu, considers the service to be much more than an app: he sees it as a learning organization as well. Communicate sat down with Inam to learn about Cafu’s one-year journey as a digital-first brand, ongoing campaigns and the road ahead. How did Cafu begin? Cafu […]

Communicate sat down for an exclusive interview with Siddharth Puri, CEO of Tyroo, to talk aboutVidtech.ai, the new AI-based tech solution that converts data into video content. How did the idea for Vidtech.ai come about? Back in 2016, we were creating this e-commerce company with a 24-hour video experience. And we thought that if we wanted to […]

Communicate sat down with Matteo Ippoliti, CEO of translation agency Langpros, to discuss the power of language in communication, how it shapes our reality and the number of names for pasta in Italian. How can technology help with translation today? Technology is an integral part of the production process when it comes to translation. The revolution […]

WARC, the global marketing intelligence service, released its ninth annual Marketer’s toolkit for 2020. The toolkit is based on a survey of nearly 800 marketers around the world and interviews with 10 leading brand marketers and serves as a guide to help marketers be aware of the near-term trends, which will help them stay ahead in the market. The […]

With the rise of e-commerce shopping, redirection of advertising budgets towards digital over mainline, integration of influencer marketing as part of the marketing mix, Group M MENA released a report to help marketeers understand the key trends that are going to dominate the industry in 2019 and beyond.   Trend 1 – Most of the […]

It’s always a great travel shot that really triggers the wanderer in a person. These 50 photographs with the hashtag #Landscape2019 ignite the wanderlust spirit and will guarantee to make you start planning for your next adventure. Agora images are a free-to-use app social app. The app is for the global photography community, with more than 3.5 […]

Edition 1 of the Marketing & Sales Show opened its doors today at the Festival Arena in Dubai. The event gathered professionals from all across the region in one space to discover, discuss and develop ideas. The event is structured around six key streams: Business to Consumer (B2C) Marketing, Business to Business ( B2B) Marketing, Sales Innovation […]

Horizon FCB Dubai was tasked with designing the logo and creating an iconic identity for the world’s first 7-star VIP terminal for Dubai South. Dubai South is an emerging master-planned city leveraging its strategic location which connects both air and sea mega-ports to create a self-sustained destination that will empower businesses, families and individuals. The logo needed […]

The digital arm of the Choueiri Group will oversee advertising operations of ZEE5, the largest and most comprehensive OTT platform for Indian content globally in the Middle East. ZEE5’s content caters perfectly to not only the South Asian diaspora in the Middle East but also the local population that loves Bollywood movies. The platform offers […]

The former regional managing director of OMD MENA, will now add the North African and UAE offices to his remit along with Levant, Egypt and the Gulf as he takes the helm as the new COO of OMD MENA. During his 16 year tenure at OMD, Najjar has proved instrumental in spreading OMD’s culture and difference across all […]

BPG Group and YouGov released the results of the 2019 Social Media Influencers’ Survey. This year’s survey focused on consumers’ views about Social Media Influencers. The survey which is currently in its fourth year, analyzed 1,000 female and male respondents, aged 18 – 35 years across the UAE and KSA. Here are the key takeaways […]

The eyes, chico. They never lie. Some of Tony Montana’s greatest lines from the 1983 film, Scarface. The eyes are the most captivating part of the human body. They are an entry into a human’s soul. They tell so much but do so less. They tell joy, anger, sadness, frustration, betrayal, disappointment. They speak volumes […]

Socialbakers, a media analytics firm hosted its sixth Engage conference at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Dubai today. The event brought together a variety of experts from the digital space, to deliver insights into the latest trends that are happening in the social media spectrum for the audience and how they can take advantage of […]

Patrimony Media signed an exclusive partnership with ELLE International to license all print, digital and event extensions of ELLE Arabia in the Middle East. “We are very happy to strengthen our cooperation with Patrimony Media for the publication of the ELLE brand in the Middle East with this new multi-year partnership with Patrimony Media. Since […]

Saudi-based online entertainment network, UTURN Group and digital media company, Webedia have joined forces to create Webedia Arabia. Webedia Arabia stands as a new key entrant and one of the largest networks in the digital media landscape. The company has a following of 30 million across all social media platforms and four million monthly visitors […]

Malcolm Devoy, chief strategy officer at PHD Worldwide, gave a powerful speech on what it means to be a challenger at Brainscape’s 10th edition last week. Following this passionate keynote address, Devoy sat down with Communicate for an exclusive interview and discussed his own journey, efficiency vs effectiveness, data privacy and digital transformation.   1. […]

A report by Polar, a format management platform, unveils some interesting insights on where digital advertising expenditure is heading, which platforms are soon going to rise in popularity, and why the cookie is dying. Where is digital advertising spend going? Digital ad spend increases by 18% year on year and soon will account for 50% […]

The brand has begun to roll out fresh, youth-centric digital programming across popular social media platforms. The initiative is part of its commitment towards engaging its growing tech-savvy audiences across popular social media platforms in the MENA region. As part of the programming’s innovative content, Sky News Arabia has partnered with Facebook to use the […]

Nelson Mandela defined Education as the great engine of personal development. He went on to say that through education, the daughter of a peasant can become a doctor, that the son of a mineworker can become the head of the mine, that a child of farm workers can become the president of a great nation. It […]

MCN has changed its logo to incorporate the Pink Ribbon as a symbol of its participation to the Global Breast Cancer Awareness throughout October. To drive further awareness, both internally and externally, MCN has updated all of its brand collateral including its website, Intranet and all social media pages.     The awareness initiative was […]

Saudi Arabia is set to host the region’s first-ever Global AI Summit in March 2020 to promote the development of artificial intelligence (AI) and related technologies. The Summit will take place in Riyadh on 30th and 31st March, and will be the leading international forum to advance AI and create knowledge sharing and interchange among global AI […]

What is a woman? These 50 photos tell the story of strong, independent and brave women all over the world using the hashtag #Women2019. Agora images are a free-to-use app social app. The app is for the global photography community, with more than 3.5 million users from across 193 countries. On a weekly basis the app’s users – […]

Industry experts from various disciplines have joined forces to co-author a report that will define the trends to shape the industry in 2020. To understand this ever-changing landscape we’re currently experiencing; Talkwalker and Hubspot have gathered industry professionals from MENA and abroad to provide, insights, analysis, and actions that will shape the future of marketing […]

The Middle East’s leading English language daily, has launched a Japanese online edition as part of its global expansion. Arab News which is a part of the Saudi Research and Marketing Group (SRMG). It has been the English newspaper of record for Saudi Arabia and the region for over 40 years. The Japanese-language edition is the […]

Social media platform Snapchat just announced it signed 18 new video shows produced in the region for Discover, its subscription-based video content feature. In the era of online streaming, content has become more diversified and region-specific. An increasing number of brands and production houses are working with streaming and social media platforms to create and […]

MRM/McCann, one of the leading global customer relationship agencies has enlisted Hande Guler to oversee the company’s creative operations in the region. Hande comes with a global perspective on the industry after having a career that spanned across 3 countries. She specializes in developing integrated campaigns and products, designing and leading digital transformation strategies, and […]

Serviceplan Group Middle East has a new executive creative director. Akhilesh Bagri began his career in advertising 15 years ago, and he hasn’t looked back since. Today, he plays a key role at Serviceplan Group Middle East. We had a chat with him about his journey in the business, where he finds inspiration and his […]

WPP’s GroupM MENA’s former head of digital now is Experience Services Lead for Accenture Interactive in the Middle East. With nearly two decades of industry experience in the US and the Middle East, TJ Lightwala was officially appointed Experience Services Lead for Accenture Interactive in the Middle East. For seven years, Lightwala was leading regional […]

  Octavi Royo Olazaguirre is the CEO and co-founder of Agora Images, a free-to-use social app for the global photography community. The app hosts weekly competitions where users- amateurs and professional photographers have to submit photographs based on the hashtag for the week. In this video, Octavi talks how about Agora empowers its users and […]

We asked the professionals in the industry: which city is the most creative? Christopher Ghorayeb, Associate creative director at TBWA/RAAD “Beirut, and I’m not only referring to the creative industry, but to the people themselves. Their inherent ability to transform every problem into an opportunity, is where their creativity lies. With all the challenges they face […]

The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) announced on October 2nd,  the start of a new study aiming to evaluate comprehensively the actual size of the region’s digital advertising market. Adopting tried and tested methodologies from IAB Europe and financed by industry stakeholders, the new research will strongly focus on delivering a neutral perspective and ensuring the […]

On Sunday, Epic Games, the developer of online battle royale video game Fortnite, tweeted a cryptic phrase stating: “This is the end.” As of right now, the Fortnite Twitter page is live streaming a black hole, with no tweet left to read and a black icon as its display picture. Much like the snap of […]

We have all seen the ad and some of us have questioned, why Chris Hemsworth. Here is Sahar Khan, Marketing Director, Bayut answering us. Why was Chris Hemsworth chosen for such a ‘high impact advertising campaign’? What were the winning factors that made him an ideal brand ambassador for Bayut? When we first thought of […]

Dutch artist and innovator Daan Roosegaarde is on a mission to upscale the conversation about humans’ future. Instead of focusing on what people know scares them, Roosegaarde creates projects that tickle humans’ curiosity about the future, by merging technology and art in urban environments. His Roosegaarde Studio constantly comes up with a stream of innovative creations, such as the Smog Free Project, that […]

Built on the Jaddaf Waterfront in Dubai, the Jameel Arts Center is an independent initiative that aims to act as a dynamic platform fostering dialogue between the many contemporary art players in the UAE, the Middle East and South Asia. Founded in November 2018 by Art Jameel (an organization that supports artists and creative communities), […]

TikTok, has partnered with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), the world’s largest humanitarian network, to launch the #ForClimate campaign. The campaign has been  running from  September 16th to 30th, in which TikTok users can raise awareness of climate change by using three specially designed stickers depicting extreme weather conditions: […]

Mel Edwards is the Global CEO of the newly created agency, Wunderman Thompson. The agency is a creation of a merger between J. Walter Thompson (JWT) and Wunderman that took place months ago. “When we looked at our clients, we thought, actually, there was a huge amount of benefit and how we could collaborate and […]

The September print edition of Communicate is out this week, giving an in-depth look at creativity. There are many reasons why we chose to focus on this topic. First, whether society defines creativity as a way of life, a scientific mechanism or even some sort of magic, it is a phenomenon that makes our lives more […]

Last February at the World Government Summit 2019 in Dubai, Christine Lagarde, the first woman managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), sat in front of her audience and gave them some news: “AI and the fourth industrial revolution will have a more severe impact on women than men,” she told the crowd, explaining […]

Sophia can identify faces and have long conversations with others. Sophia is also a Saudi citizen. This might not come out as big news to you, until you learn that Sophia is a robot, imbued with artificial intelligence. Sophia, modeled after actress Audrey Hepburn, has been touring the globe, in a sign that the age […]

Van Gogh is unique. No other human being could mimic his work to perfection – but an AI could. A quick search on the Internet, and multiple images of art created by algorithms appear. In 2016, Ross Goodwin, creative technologist at Google Arts & Culture, pioneered a “creative AI” that decided to name itself Benjamin […]

As the industry grows worldwide,“the core principles of marketing effectiveness and growth actually remains the same,” said Traci Alford, Effie Worldwide’s President and CEO in an interview with Communicate. However, Alford explains the significance of maintaining a vision that ensures that the short term and long term plans are aligned in order to maintain the […]

Communicate’s upcoming issue, September 2019, is deep-diving into a topic that is close to our hearts: Creativity. As part of the issue, we look to see some work from creative people themselves. You can be a resident anywhere in the MENA region. Write a fiction piece, a poem or any other type of creative format […]

All around the world, machine-generated articles are finding their way from newsroom to readers.  The first newspaper to ever publish an article written by an AI was The Los Angeles Times in 2014; the story, reporting an earthquake, was written in only three minutes by an algorithm called Quakebot – which, as its name entails, […]

Muhammad Chbib may not be heading Tajawal as its CEO anymore, but his future plan is still brimming with his innovative ideas anticipated by the industry. He is currently working on a new online travel start-up, that is set to launch in the first half of 2019. The “trip builder” uses a combination of frontend […]

Starz Play achieved its multi million dollar vision by understanding what their customers wanted. Their niche of YouTube generation, that they targeted in MENA helped create a strategy unlike other similar providers. They provided paying streaming subscription as part of their mobile bill, empowering mobile phones, broadcasting Arabic content at the same time as local […]

Auto enthusiast, movie buff and ardent Disney, Spielberg and Steve Jobs fan, Colin Gottlieb is also the CEO of Omnicom Media Group EMEA and Chairman of OMD Worldwide. When he visited Dubai last month, we caught up with him to talk advertising, business and movies.  On why he was in Dubai I am responsible for […]

This media agency, for lack of a better term, has neither the word ‘media’ nor ‘agency’ in its name. Instead, it is a “data-driven marketing company,” says its MENA general manager Fadi Maktabi. We’re talking about Omnicom’s Hearts & Science that was first launched in North America in 2016 to handle the P&G business. A few […]

Ishani Pawar is the managing director of Magnet, a production company that facilitates and produces visual content for corporate clients and advertising agencies. Her work includes “Magnificent Mornings” for Philadelphia: Breakfast Pizza and “TummyFish”. 1. What are the challenges facing production houses? Finding a wide selection of acting talent. Time constraints: It is important for clients […]

When women (finally) took to the streets on June 24, the world – and automotive brands – marked a special moment in history. This moment is not only a positive step for equality in the Kingdom, but also one for the economy with it estimated to add as much as $90 billion to Saudi’s economic […]

BPG Group is asserting its independence through a restructuring that aims to make the group “more client-centric and more relevant as a marketing service provider,” according to a note sent out by Satish Mayya, CEO, BPG Max – the rebranded BPG Maxus. The structure The restructure will see BPG Bates, BPG Cohn & Wolfe, BPG Maxus and […]

The holy month of Ramadan is an introspective and spiritual time of the year, when people fast, pray, change their daily routines, catch up with their favorite TV drama series and spend more time with their near and dear ones. It’s also that time of year when television and digital screens are bombarded with commercials. […]

Following issues of brand safety, measurability, data privacy and transparency, tech giants – mostly Facebook – have got themselves in hot water. Just last month Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg appeared in front of the US Senate over the Cambridge Analytica scandal. Around the same time, users started a #DeleteFacebook movement with users deleting their account. […]

Brand safety. A term that has at least two things in common with Kim Kardashian. It broke the Internet and it keeps people (mostly agencies and advertisers) awake at night – although for entirely different reasons. A recap The topic of brand safety shot back into the limelight with two events that occurred in close […]

The media sector in Saudi Arabia, much like the country itself, is undergoing massive changes. In April 2017, new ministers for Culture and Information and Communications and IT were appointed with the responsibility of reshaping the media landscape of the Kingdom. Later in the year, MBC’s hard-hitting host of Al Thamina (Eight o’clock), Dawood Shirian, […]

“We are ready to embark on the next 15 years – with [a] heavy focus on accelerating digital, mobile and creating powerful content for our clients and their brands. We strive to be the most creative and proactive communications group in the region.” These were Reda Raad’s words at the agency’s 15th anniversary in the […]

Wissam Malaeb is the chief operating officer at Mirum, responsible for day to day operations. Wissam has 15 years of digital experience, particularly with innovation and VIP client management, 13 years of which were spent with Cleartag. With a solid programming background and lots of passion to innovate and create, Wissam has helped solve a […]

Omnicom launched the UAE chapter of its global initiative, Omniwomen, on International Women’s Day 2017. The initiative is dedicated to championing the number and influence of female talent within the company and is currently active in ten local chapters across the globe, including in the USA, the UK, Canada, France, Germany, China and the UAE. […]

Marketing used to be about the 4 Ps of price, product, promotion and place. But that isn’t the case anymore. In a world of increased connectivity and more options than ever before, marketing is no longer the same. This interview looks at the evolution of marketing as a function, and how it is reflected on […]

Last year’s brand safety debacle brought to light some key issues with digital advertising. Among these were viewability and ad fraud. Ad fraud is rather self-explanatory, but what is viewability? Viewability is essentially an online advertising metric that determines if an ad is actually ‘viewable’, and then, allows advertisers to pay only for ads that […]

A panel at the recent In2 Innovation Summit in MENA brought to light the issues of trust and transparency in the media and PR industry. The panelists were Valerie Tan, vice-president Public Relations, Social Media, Internal Communications, Emirates; Brian Lott, head of corporate communications, Mubadala; Paul Holmes, Founder & Chair, The Holmes Report; Faisal Abbas, […]

In yet another wave of dissing influencers, a story about an Irish hotel banning influencers is going viral. Social media influencer Elle Darby reached out to the Charleville Lodge Hotel in Dublin, Ireland asking for a free 5-day stay in return for exposure on her YouTube and Instagram channels, which have more 87,000 subscribers and […]

Huawei Mobile’s latest video featuring two influencers, Mo Vlogs and Lana Rose, is receiving some harsh criticism – understandably so. The video stars the two Internet celebs with Mo playing the role of an over-enthusiastic customer who knows all about the phone’s features and Lana playing the role of the salesperson who doesn’t need to […]

“People all around the world use WhatsApp to connect with small businesses they care about — from online clothing companies in India to auto parts stores in Brazil. But WhatsApp was built for people and we want to improve the business experience,” says the company in a blog post. According to Morning Consult study, more […]

Huawei Mobile’s latest video featuring two influencers, Mo Vlogs and Lana Rose, is receiving some harsh criticism – understandably so. The video stars the two Internet celebs with Mo playing the role of an over-enthusiastic customer who knows all about the phone’s features and Lana playing the role of the salesperson who doesn’t need to […]

McDonald’s has selected Publicis Groupe to handle its consolidated business portfolio in the GCC region. Publicis Groupe had designed a new operating model to further strengthen its collaboration with the fast food giant that put its entire business portfolio up for the pitch. The network brought together agencies and services from Publicis Communications, Publicis Media […]

In a world not so far away, the Internet was born. During its toddler years, it gave us connectivity, knowledge, and accessibility (among other things). Then came the teenage years and with it, annoyance – pop-up ads, malware, clickbait – and an odd rebellion – ad blocking, VPNs, incognito modes. The Internet – or rather […]

Executive search consultancy Hanson Search held a roundtable on 24th October to discuss the future of management consultancies bringing together clients such as Abed Bibi, former chief marketing officer, Meraas; agencies such as FP7’s executive creative director and President of McCann Creative Council Paul Banham, Hogarth Dubai’s managing director Lucy Miller, DDB Dubai’s managing director […]

After an extensive pitch process involving multiple global agencies, Zenith has been selected as the agency of record to handle the media assignment for Nestlé Middle East. The Publicis Media Group agency will manage the full scope of media services across the Middle East. The media communications duties span all strategic planning, media buying, digital […]

Following an extensive pitch process, Publicis Media’s agency Starcom continues its longstanding relationship with OSN, one of the leading broadcast satellite providers serving the MENA region. OSN consolidated its media account with Publicis Groupe back in 2015. Confirming the retention, Alex Saber, chairman of Publicis Media says, “The OSN retention is a validation of the incredible work […]

On Thursday, Facebook opened its new office as a testament to its growth in the region – 264 percent growth in the past five years in MENA, to be precise. When the office first launched five years ago, it was basically two people and a couple of chairs, said Jonathan Labin, managing director, MENAP, Facebook. The […]

The struggle for screen time evolved into that for eyeballs and then attention. In today’s Facebook-dominated age, the struggle is now about appearing on the news feed. The platform’s organic reach has been dropping every year with industry experts citing two percent as the average. This, of course, varies by publisher, fan base, content style, […]

Dubai-based global incentives brand, The Entertainer, has decided to go all digital starting 2018. This means doing away with the famous physical booklet after 16 long years to rely solely on the mobile app. “As we’ve transitioned from print to digital we’ve learnt so much about our customers and how they like to use the […]

Mint MENA started as a humble production consultancy in 2010 with a vision of extracting the TV producer resources from agencies to cut their overheads and drive efficiencies from a central pool of producers serving multiple agencies. With Dolly Saidy at the helm, the agency quickly transformed, over the next four years, from mere production […]

Because it’s not enough to have ads in the virtual world, Snap is now bringing ads into the real world. In May, the camera company (as it calls itself) announced Sponsored World Lenses, which allows users to add augmented reality (AR) elements in any picture or video captured through the app. However, the feature was […]

Mnawar Jamil Shourakaa is the founder of and chief copywriter at CopyArabia. With over ten years of experience in both, English and Arabic copywriting now, Shourakaa set up the agency in 2014 as a solution to his – and perhaps this region’s – biggest issue of “poor Arabic communications”. “This has been happening for a […]

The last two years have been a roller coaster for Publicis Groupe. Following the introduction of its “Power of One” philosophy, the group has restructured, reorganized, launched new agencies, merged some and so on. Now, it has once again, announced three new changes: Creation of Publicis Spine to fuse consumer and enterprise transformation Organization of […]

Following the Saudi Royal decree permitting women in the Kingdom to drive, automotive brands have been quick to adjust their marketing strategies. Most jumped online to congratulate Saudi women ­– Nissan being the most prominent among them. Ford, too, was quick to put out the below tweet garnering 15,456 retweets and 34,113 likes till date […]

According to industry sources, Publicis Media, MCN’s Initiative and GroupM are pitching for the Nestlé account, which has been with GroupM’s MEC, which recently merged with Maxus to become Wavemaker. Spokespeople from all the agency groups as well as Nestlé were unavailable for comment at the time of publishing.      

Global customer experience agency, Albatross CX launched its app at the TFWA Digital Village 2017. The CX app is a mobile solution equipped with tools to help elevate the customer experience. TFWA Digital Village is a new initiative to showcase creative digital solutions and services to the 12,000 duty free and travel retail professionals attending […]

Following the Saudi Royal decree permitting women in the Kingdom to drive, automotive brands have been quick to congratulate women – at least on social media. Here are a few: Volkswagen ME   الحين دورِك تجلسين في مقعد السائق #الملك_ينتصر_لقياده_المراه pic.twitter.com/XuRuVnA5Sn — Volkswagen ME (@VWMiddleEast) September 27, 2017 Ford Middle East   Welcome to the […]

(L to R: Justin McGuire, Nick Clements, Chris Quy) For a country that has seen close to a *ten percent growth in employment in just the marketing and advertising industry in the last year alone, it’s not surprising that there has been a flurry of recruitment firms spurring up. MCG& Group is one such recruitment […]

Four months into Ravi Raman’s role as senior vice-president of Khaleej Times, the media company has announced three new projects, partly revamped its subscription model and is on an aggressive hiring spree. Communicate sat down with him to see how he plans to keep Khaleej Times afloat amid tumultuous market conditions. More than a newspaper […]

Yesterday, Twitter announced that it is testing 280-character tweets. The option is randomly offered to certain users. Of course, Twitter and rest of the Internet reacted in typical style with a mix of ranting, humor and some love. In fact, according to a Twitter poll by CIPR UK, which has 378,000 followers, an overwhelming 64 […]

The e-commerce landscape has seen a great deal of movement in the past year. November 2016 saw the announcement of Noon.com – which is yet to be launched, following several delays and an investment by Alshaya – followed by Amazon’s acquisition of Souq and Emaar’s acquisition of Namshi this year. At the time of the […]

In May 2017, Al Jazeera became one of the many channels to partner with Snapchat in the region to be featured in its ‘Discover’ tab. However, Communicate has now learned that Al Jazeera is no longer visible for Saudi users (images below). In early June, six Middle East countries – UAE, KSA, Egypt, Bahrain, Libya […]

At its first regional Audio Day conference in Dubai yesterday, music streaming company Anghami announced a new global technology for ad-supported music streaming making it the first regional platform to introduce “dynamic creative audio ads” and “programmatic audio ads” along with “research-enabled audio offerings”. The new technology will assist brands and creative agencies better connect […]

In May 2016, YouTube launched the first edition of The Lantern, an award program to recognize the work of creative and media agencies, as well as advertisers in the MENA region during Ramadan. Now in its second year, The Lantern has announced the winners of its second edition. This year, Orange Egypt won the award […]

Following the announcement by GroupM of merging MEC and Maxus into one entity back in June 2017, we now have a name for the newly formed agency: Wavemaker. The new billion-dollar revenue –  $38 billion in media revenue, to be precise – agency will combine media, content, and technology. “Making waves happens when media, content and […]

As Twitter celebrates the 10th anniversary of the hashtag, we review the *top 5 brand-related hashtags in the Middle East – not just on Twitter, but also other social media platforms: #Mecca_Live During Snapchat’s launch in KSA, Saudis were looking to have Mecca to go live on the 27th night of Ramadan. A partnership with STC […]

Earlier this year, in May, Snap Inc. launched the Discover feature featuring local partners including Al Arabiya, Al Jazeera, Layalina.com, MBC, Sayidaty, Sky News Arabia, CNN and Zahrat Al Khaleej. Now, CNN has unveiled a new show exclusively for the platform called “The Update”. The daily show, which runs at 6 pm ET, provides a […]

Over the past year, geopolitical situations and economic challenges have left their mark on businesses across the globe, increasing the pressure on creative, media and PR agencies to reinvent themselves. “The greatest degree of reinvention is needed in ad [creative] agencies,” says BPG Group CEO Avi Bhojani, mainly because audiences now consume content and buy […]

Communicate speaks to Mazen Hayek, group spokesman, MBC Group, on the evolutions of TV Launched in 1991, MBC Group has grown into a multi-channel multi-platform media and entertainment group. With turbulent market conditions and various reports suggesting decreasing ad spends, we caught up with Hayek to hear his thoughts on what’s going on at the largest […]

Communicate caught up with Simon Davies, managing director EMEA, Quartz to discuss new media’s approach to advertising Respectful, un-intrusive and relevant. That’s the advertising motto of Quartz. Launched in 2012, the publishing platform describes itself as a “digitally native news outlet for business people in the new global economy.” We caught up with Davies to […]

Following a review that began earlier this year, Richemont has appointed MediaCom as its global media agency. Publicis Media’s Blue 449 was the incumbent although the account is handled by different Publicis Media agencies in different markets. A spokesperson from Publicis Media confirmed the news but declined to comment further while spokespeople from MediaCom remained […]

In early June, six Middle East countries – UAE, KSA, Egypt, Bahrain, Libya and Yemen – severed diplomatic ties with Qatar. Since then, there have been talks to resolve the crisis; however, Qatar has rejected the list of demands by the Arab states including that of shutting down Al Jazeera. The broadcasting network was first […]

Ravi Rao, CEO, Mindshare MENA, on why today everything is media  On challenges Rao believes Mindshare MENA has two challenges: to build on the current offering of the network and bring in global products and processes to increase effectiveness. That said, there are several big accounts including Unilever, PepsiCo and Kellogg’s, which are part of […]

Leo Burnett Dubai has won an 18-month assignment with Big Ticket Abu Dhabi. The new partnership will see Leo Burnett along with Optimedia and Prodigious provide strategy, creative, production, digital, social and media for the Big Ticket Abu Dhabi raffle draw in the UAE. The campaign will start in September 2017, and Leo Burnett will […]

(Ali Al-Zahid, CEO of Zain Iraq with Naji Bolous MD of Memac Ogilvy Beirut) Memac Ogilvy has partnered Zain Iraq, part of Zain Group to offer communication services following a lengthy review with competitors. Held at Zain Iraq headquarters in Baghdad, the signing ceremony was attended by senior executives from Zain Iraq and Memac Ogilvy […]

On July 26, users in the UAE found themselves unable to access Arabian Business’ website and were instead redirected to a page with the below message. Speaking to a journalist on twitter, the TRA commented, “This website was blocked temporarily for 1 month in accordance with decision of the comptent [sic] authority concerning media activities […]

The digital marketing ecosystem has undergone significant shifts over the past decade. The traditional approach that simply showcases products, services, and a brand image is no longer effective. The advent of social media initially sparked this change while its evolution and the transformation in consumer behavior have further driven this metamorphosis. Today storytelling, content and […]

Pierre Choueiri, Chairman and CEO, Choueiri Group, on what’s in store for Choueiri and the industry How are budgets changing in difficult times? How much is moving toward digital and is it at the expense of other channels? The media industry has been going through some tricky years, where in 2016, we saw an approximate […]

As much as 83% of marketers in EMEA will increase their budget over the next 12 months, and in five years’ time, 40% expect more than a quarter of their budget to be dedicated to mobile, according to new research from WARC and the Mobile Marketing Association. Based on a survey of 548 marketing professionals […]

Emirates has announced the renewal of its contract with Havas Media. The agency will continue to manage the global media strategy, planning, social, traditional and digital investments for Emirates across the airline’s 150 worldwide destinations through to 2020. Since winning the account in a hotly contested pitch in 2014, Havas Media has led the consolidated […]

Cognitev, formerly known as MENA Commerce, underwent a comprehensive rebranding effort in May. As a technology company that now concentrates more on marketing from a semantic point of view, the rebranding consists of four key upgrades: A revamped approach Advanced technology utilizing artificial intelligence New website New name “The digital marketing industry landscape requires a […]

First launched in Australia in February 2016, FoxPush is a web push notifications service provider that is now expanding to the Middle East with the opening of its Dubai office in April 2017. The tech provider’s services are based on highly advanced audience retargeting capabilities, enabling brands to send targeted and customized notifications to users […]

SOHAR Port and Freezone, the deep-sea Port and Freezone in the Sultanate of Oman, managed by Sohar Industrial Port Company, has renewed its media agency of record relationship with Initiative MENA. The win followed a competitive three-way pitch, marking this as the fourth consecutive year of the partnership. Initiative MENA was awarded the full-service media […]

Six Middle East countries – UAE, KSA, Egypt, Bahrain, Libya and Yemen – have severed diplomatic ties with Qatar. Qatari nationals in the UAE have 14 days to leave the country while diplomats have 48 hours to return home. UAE nationals are banned from traveling to or staying in Qatar or even, transiting through its […]

GroupM has announced that it will merge MEC and Maxus into one as yet unnamed agency, while strengthening its digital agency Essence to turn into a full-service agency. It’s not clear yet how or when the merger will be rolled out in the MENA region, especially considering that Maxus isn’t fully owned by WPP here. […]

Dimi Karavasilis, social media director, DDB Spain, conducted a workshop at Socialbakers’ annual Engage event on “Facebook advertising: do you know your ABCs?” Workshop recap: Having worked on the client and agency side, Karavasilis has worked his way up the social media chain watching it change from a fun playground to a dreadful nightmare for […]

Matic Babnik, digital communications coordinator at Renault, conducted a workshop at Socialbakers’ annual Engage event on “Strategize globally, engage locally” focusing on global strategies and local execution especially content. Workshop recap: Babnik’s talk focused on the usual behavior of global corporations tendency to focus on centralized content without always considering specifics of local markets. Local […]

Vesselin Popov, business development director for the University of Cambridge Psychometrics Centre, delivered a fascinating keynote at Socialbakers’ annual Engage event on the accurately creepy research at The Psychometric Centre that enables them to know a person better than even their spouse through their Facebook likes, and how brands can benefit from personality-based targeting. We […]

Now popularly known as the Marketoonist, Tom Fishburne started drawing cartoons on the backs of business cases as a student at Harvard Business School. His cartoons have grown by word of mouth to reach over 100,000 marketers every week and have been featured by the Wall Street Journal, Fast Company, and the New York Times. […]

As part of its strategy to develop its entertainment services, especially for the Arab audience, Zee Entertainment has announced a new VOD service through weyyak.com. The online portal is also available as an application for Android and IOS users. “Following the success story of our exclusive content and in-line with the new trend of Content-Consumption-On-The-Go we […]

Hani Ghorayeb, President of IAA UAE chapter has announced a new IAA UAE forum to represent specific goals related to the expansion and good practices of the film and video advertising production community in the UAE. As the demand for content production across multiple platforms grows there is a clear need to have a team […]

UAE-based digital, publishing and events company Mediaquest has partnered with third-party analytics firm, Moat. Accredited by the Media Rating Council (MRC), Moat specializes in “attention analytics” and works with brands, agencies, publishers and platforms to help drive more effective advertising, through better measurement, analytics and a shift toward attention signals. The partnership comes at a […]

According to a statement by the company, Michael Nederlof will transition from his role as CEO of Dentsu Aegis Network Middle East & North Africa (MENA) in September 2017 to pursue a new opportunity within the network outside of the region. Nederlof will continue in his current role as CEO until then, and his replacement will […]

PepsiCo gave audiences a glimpse of its potential foray into a futuristic AI-driven world with the Pepsi Smart Supermarket, a cardless cashless pop-up, and the Pepsi BOT’ler, a smart butler that took drink orders from users’ smartphones. We caught up with Dani Afiouni, head of consumer engagement and media MENA at PepsiCo to know more about […]

Global President of Carat and Festival of Media MENA 2017 speaker Will Swayne shares his thoughts about the changing world of agencies and technology with Communicate. What does global success look like for Carat over the next year? Maintaining the momentum that we have across the network, winning and retaining clients as well equipping the network […]

Global location intelligence company Blis is now stepping into a new frontier of geo-location-based mobile advertising through its partnership with TVTY. A “moment marketing company,” TVTY brings to the partnership the ability to launch location-based digital ad campaigns reacting to real-time events. These real-time events include “sporting events, changes in the weather or even stock market […]

Saudi-based English daily, Arab News, has entered an exclusive partnership with online polling firm YouGov. The deal will see YouGov conduct regular polls relating to the MENA, which will help shed light on regional sentiment toward international events, as well as producing credible research on international opinion on Arab affairs. The results of the polls […]

Following Deena Aljuhani Abdulaziz’s abrupt exit, Vogue Arabia has been quick to announce Manuel Arnaut as the new editor-in-chief. About Manuel Arnaut Arnaut joins from Architectural Digest Middle East, where he oversaw the launch of the magazine in 2015 as editor-in-chief. After initiating his career at Vogue Portugal, Arnaut held the position of Editor at GQ […]

Condé Nast International launched Vogue Arabia with Dubai-based publisher Nervora just three months back. Saudi princess Deena Aljuhani Abdulaziz was announced as the editor-in-chief of the fashion magazine back in July 2016, but has left her position after only two issues. The reasons behind her departure are due to be announced in the next few […]

FP7 MENA organized a four-day planning workshop last month bringing together young strategists and digital talents with senior leadership. Describing the workshop’s ambition, Tahaab Rais, regional head of strategic planning, FP7 MENA, says: “Helping brands play a meaningful role in people’s lives makes people want our brands more and makes our brands want us more. […]

Twitter has announced multiple new partnerships with third-party measurement providers including MOAT and Integral Ad Science. According to a statement issued by the company, the partnerships will “enable marketers to measure the reach of their video ad campaigns”. Twitter’s partnership with MOAT has already been rolled out in the MENA region. Speaking to Communicate, Walid […]

Omnicom launched the UAE chapter of its global initiative, Omniwomen, on International Women’s Day. The initiative is dedicated to championing the number and influence of female talent within the company and is currently active in ten local chapters across the globe, including in the USA, the UK, Canada, France, Germany, China and now the UAE. […]

Burning the midnight oil while chugging cups of coffee (or any other beverage you prefer) and staring into your screen(s) and/or space is not an uncommon sight for ad agencies around the world. Even Don Draper did it. What is different is the resurgence of what Lane Pryce did, although for entirely different reasons. On […]

FP7/DXB has officially won the Dubai brand launch project for Uber, who initiated a full-fledged creative communication pitch process in February 2017, with the objective of identifying a communication partner for its brand launch. Various multinational agencies participated in this pitch process. Sasan Saeidi, managing director of FP7 UAE Group, says: “Uber is a pioneer […]

Making the announcement at the opening of the STEP Conference 2017, Choueiri Group’s digital arm Digital Media Services (DMS) revealed its new brand identity and renewed brand mantra “Tap the full potential of your story”, amidst much fanfare at the highly-attended digital innovation and technology industry event. Speaking on the DMS Stage at STEP 2017, […]

Global location intelligence company Blis has released its latest innovation for the mobile advertising market: Blis Futures. Using proprietary deep learning technology, Blis Futures is an AI-powered, predictive location modeling solution. It identifies consumers most likely to visit specific locations, then provides advertisers a guarantee they will only be charged per consumer visit.  Working with Vizeum, Stella […]

Omobono Middle East,  strategic, creative and technology agency for business brands, released its What Works Where (WWW) study, revealing digital marketing trends for B2B companies. Communicate spoke to Francesca Brosan, co-founder, and chairman of the agency to glean some insights. B2B marketing has often been a much-neglected area of research. Unlike the consumer space, there is very […]

Sports news daily Sport360 has grown in the past seven years, launching extra editions – Monday Xtra and a Weekend special – as well as a web portal and the Sports Industry Awards, which is now in its fifth year. Aiming to evolve into something bigger – Version 2.0 of its lifecycle, as founder Michael […]

These were some of the thoughts that came out of the agencies’ feedback on what our mobile story should be on. Clearly, they couldn’t agree on one thing so we decided to let them talk about whatever they wanted to talk about. Over to the experts… Fahad Maghrabi, digital director, Initiative Riyadh   What are […]

David Parkinson and Rich Rust, former heads of digital for Nissan, have left to open their own company, Brave & Heart – something they describe as “a new kind of consultancy with an agile organization at its core and a central mission to drive transformative digital activity for clients.” Founded on a principle of being […]

It’s exciting times for Snapchat’s regional office, which has made a number of key appointments in the last few months. With ex-Yahoo Hussein Freijeh at the helm, the company has recruited LinkedIn’s Jake Thomas as head of agency development – MENA and now DMS’ deputy chief operating officer Rami Saad as head of content, according to […]

Landmark Group’s kids’ retail store, Babyshop, has reinvented its brand positioning to cater to the changing parenting styles and millennial mindsets. The new positioning, “It’s your Style”, is focused on three broad parameters of authenticity, openness, and playfulness, explains the brand in a statement. The new positioning isn’t just a fashion statement, but also a […]

Elan Media has launched Elan Live, which is a control suite that allows the company to control the content delivery to all 242 digital screens operating in Mall of Qatar, Doha Festival City, and Ezdan Mall. Elan Live allows for special executions and new opportunities for brands to connect with their audiences in what the […]

International digital and direct agency Flourish has added the Samsung Gulf Electronics CRM account to its client list following a competitive four-way pitch. The work will encompass digital CRM strategy and delivery, as well as creative across the entire consumer product portfolio including mobile, tablet, wearables, television, audio and home appliances. Flourish first started in […]

LinkedIn’s head of marketing solutions – MENA, Jake Thomas, has joined Snapchat’s regional office as head of agency development – MENA, according to industry sources. At the time of publishing, Hussein Freijieh, who is heading the regional operations, declined to comment.

Omnicom Media Group’s PHD has launched its latest operation in the Lebanese capital in response to growing client requests and as part of its Middle East expansion plan, which is expected to continue through the rest of the year. Beirut joins a regional network that includes Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Riyadh. In order to manage […]

Following Fatafeat’s appointment of Media International Services (MIS) as its exclusive media partner, we caught up with Amanda Turnbull, vice-president and country manager, Discovery Networks MENA. How is Fatafeat’s content different from its competitors in the market? Fatafeat is the leading and most-loved Arabic food network in the Middle East and North Africa, showcasing the best in […]

Discovery Communications has appointed advertising sales agency Media International Services (MIS) as the exclusive media partner for its flagship Arabic food network, Fatafeat across the Middle East and North Africa. Under the new appointment, MIS will be responsible for selling 360 solutions across Fatafeat’s TV, online and social media platforms and on-ground activations, including the […]

A programmer by education, practice and, most importantly, passion, Ziad Jammal has put his years of coding experience into his business venture, Datum Graph. After a stint at IBM, he joined Omnicom Media Group (OMG) in 2006 to help it build software capabilities for its business intelligence practices. After three years with the group, he […]

With a daily active user base of 76.5 percent in the MENA, Matthew Talbot, CEO, BlackBerry Messenger (BBM), is unsurprisingly confident about what the service has to offer users – and, of course, advertisers. Since its licensing deal with Indonesian media corporation Emtek, BBM has set up independent offices in Canada, Jakarta and Singapore, and […]

The growth of digital may not have killed traditional media, but it has resulted in a 40 to 45 percent drop in outdoor ad spend since 2015, admits the CEO of Hills Advertising, Sami Al Mufleh, rather candidly. Still, the company continues to transform outdoor, beyond the hoardings on Dubai’s Sheikh Zayed Road, creating the […]

In our annual tradition, we are back with list of the biggest spenders of 2016, based on research from marketing consultancy firm Ipsos. The top four remain the same in 2016: Saudi Telecom leads once again, with a 31 percent increase in ad spend, followed by Sedar, Pepsi and Dettol, all of them with increases […]

McCollins Media, an F&B specialized boutique PR and digital brand activation agency, has been appointed by Marrybrown to handle its social media communication. Marrybrown aims to attract its current and potential customers with interactive communication. McCollins Media will support the brand by devising integrated campaigns to help the brand achieve its objectives. Meghna Kothari, Director, […]

Sport360 has launched an in-house content marketing studio, Engage360, in response to an increasing client demand for unique and inspiring content. Engage360 will help brands have a deeper engagement with their target audience and provide the opportunity for clients to tell their story to the Sport360 audience in an authentic and creative way. Steve McClaughlin, […]

Facebook is challenging developers across the Middle East and Africa to create innovative bots in the Bots for Messenger Developer Challenge. The company says that this challenge is in tune with its commitment to promote innovation by providing developers and start-ups with the tools they need to “build, grow, monetize, and measure products and services.” […]

J. Walter Thompson Innovation Group MEA has released its Future 100 Trends and Change to Watch in 2017 report, which highlights the top 100 consumer trends driving change across the MENA today. Gene Editing, New Mental Health, Halal Tourism and The Year of Giving, are just a few of the trends that describe a region […]

Independent creative communication agency, tamra C2, recently revealed C2 NATIVE, a separate entity focused on delivering data-driven digital communications, technologies and solutions for brands in the region. The new entity has also been signed on as the second agency in the world for the Oracle DMP (Data Management Platform) agency model partnership that enables the […]

Omobono, a creative and technology agency for global brands, has opened an office in Dubai’s JLT. The agency was set up in 2001 to cater to brands across London, Chicago, Cambridge, Bristol and, since October 2016, Dubai. Last year, it won the title of B2B Marketing Agency of the Year at The Drum Network Award’s and […]

Represented by Shamel Food Company, Subway has selected Magna Global to build its communication strategy and execute its restaurant promotion campaign, as the company prepares for an expansion plan in the Kingdom. This selection comes just six months after Magna opened its Riyadh office, and reflects the agency’s expertise in communication strategies, digital content management, […]

Turner, the parent company of CNN and the Cartoon Network has officially become a subscriber of OOXmonitor. “Acquiring the account of Turner, the parent company of CNN and the Cartoon Network, is a high profile win for OOX,” says Fouad Bedran, co-founder and managing director, OOX. “Turner is a key addition to the OOXmonitor international […]

Facebook is refining its ad measurement offerings to give marketers more information about their campaigns on its ad platform. On Tuesday, the social network announced an expansion of partnerships with third-party ad tech companies, promising better quality data. Facebook said it was trying to give marketers a more accurate grasp of how ads on the social network […]

Meraas has revealed a new brand system that aims to reflect a modern look while linking its diverse portfolio across real estate, healthcare, F&B, retail, hospitality and entertainment. It’s also reflective of the company’s drive to play an active role in achieving the Dubai Plan 2021, which aims to enhance the emirate’s reputation as a […]

Described as an ad storytelling platform for millennials, mCanvas has partnered with IAS Media in the Middle East to bring its mobile ad formats to the GCC market. The partnership will give IAS Media exclusive access to mCanvas’ proprietary mobile ad technology for use in GCC while mCanvas will leverage IAS Media’s advertiser and publisher […]

(L to R: Kareem Monem, managing director of SapientRazorfish; Nigel Vaz, CEO, EMEA & APAC of Publicis.Sapient; Raja Trad, CEO of Publicis Communications)  Publicis Groupe’s restructure last year saw the group being restructured into Publicis Communications and Publicis Media. In addition to the four communications agencies, Publicis Communications also houses Publicis.Sapient, which consists of three […]

PHD’s opening account back in 2006, Arla Foods, has reappointed the media agency for the second time following a four-way market review with other agencies. The reappointment adds new markets to the scope of PHD’s contract. This is the second time that the media network has successfully retained the account since its original appointment. Over […]

Dubai-based creative tech house Brndstr has opened what it claims to be the region’s first dedicated bot (social chat robots) studio and VR lab. Established in June 2013 by ex-Groupon city planner Simon Hudson (pictured above), Brndstr set out to help brands integrate their internal systems into social media platforms allowing audiences to engage with […]

Grey Beirut has won the global advertising account for water pipe firm Nakhla Tobacco Company. Part of Grey Group MENA, Grey Beirut will orchestrate Nakhla’s brand, trade and consumer marketing initiatives globally. Karim Nader, Grey Beirut’s managing director, says in a press statement: “We are excited about our partnership with Nakhla. As part of our […]

Performance marketing tech company Criteo has launched ‘Kinetic Design,’ its patent-pending ad creation technology that delivers visually stunning, on-brand ads that are contextually optimized for every consumer and rendered in real-time without the need to define ad sizes or layouts upfront. Each client’s brand identity and ad requirements are translated into a comprehensive, machine-based framework […]

Gameloft Advertising Solutions has partnered with Moat, a SaaS analytics and intelligence company focused on building products for brand advertisers and premium publishers, to offer trusted third party measurement and the ability to transact on viewable impressions delivered through the Gameloft mobile advertising network. The mobile ad ecosystem has been growing exponentially and is expected […]

Following a multi-agency pitch process, Dentsu Aegis Network’s Carat has won the global remit for media strategy, planning and buying for Standard Chartered Bank, led out of Singapore across more than 60 markets, including the Middle East and North Africa. Sean O’Brien CEO Carat APAC, says in a statement, “We are very pleased to start […]

Dentsu Aegis Network’s digital creative agency, Digital Republic Linked by Isobar, has been appointed by Uber Egypt to for content marketing and ad-tech solutions. The agency will develop and manage online content and social media services as well as collaborate on supporting Uber Egypt with ad-tech solutions to help promote the service in that market. […]

Omnicom Media Group’s OMD has signed an exclusive agreement with Emerging Markets Intelligence and Research (EMIR) to provide brands with rich market insights and analysis. The move comes after several successful collaborations with EMIR and is another sign of the agency’s focus on data and analytics. EMIR, which was founded in 2013 by Trevor McFarlane, […]

Set up in the UAE in 2005, Magna Global – owned by IPG globally and by MCN in the region – has since grown across the MENA region with offices in the GCC and Levant. In 2008, it relaunched with a new positioning: The Power of Young. The new philosophy reflecting the blending of “expertise […]

Boutique PR and digital brand activation agency, McCollins Media has added DownTown Café to its roster of F&B clients. The agency is tasked with developing and handling the strategic communications, both social and PR for the brand. The agency will also be responsible for the launch of DownTown Café in the UAE. Commenting on the […]

Digital ad monitoring company OOX launched “mobile advertising monitoring” as part of its flagship service OOXmonitor last month. Using the advanced monitoring capabilities of next generation robots, the new service is the first of its kind in the region, claims the company in a press statement. “The launch of mobile advertising monitoring in Q4 2016 […]

2016 has been the year that wasn’t for the Middle East media 7DAYS closed down; Emirates 24/7 and Khaleej Times slashed jobs GN Media closed down four popular radio stations Newspapers and magazines adverting spend to drop by by 6.1 per cent and 4.5 per cent, respectively, in 2017 The year 2016 ended with yet […]

It’s funny – or not – how social media clout can open up new business opportunities and revenue streams. At a time when the number of followers and fans are a currency on their own, it’s no surprise that influencer-marketing companies have popped up, with brands continuing to jump into this space. Some have got […]

Facebook’s ‘popularity’ declined between 2013 and 2016 by six percentage points, according to a joint study by Northwestern University in Qatar and the Doha Film Institute earlier this year. The research was conducted across the UAE, KSA, Egypt, Lebanon, Qatar and Tunisia. However, Ipsos finds Facebook’s ‘reach’ has been stable for the past two to […]

Josh Partridge, vice-president of EMEA, LATAM and Canada at Shazam, on what the brand can offer advertisers Shazam, best known as the app that comes in handy when you hear a song you love but can’t remember its name, has actually been around as a SMS company since 1999. It wasn’t until the launch of […]

Samir Ayoub is a man who needs no introduction. Still, here’s one. After leading Mindshare MENA for close to two decades, he announced his resignation at the beginning of 2016 and has now set up his own media audit agency, Medpush. In his time at Mindshare, Ayoub went through his fair share of trials and […]

75% of UAE residents have friends or followers on social media that they don’t usually interact with Of these, half of friend requests accepted by 49% of people are from strangers 22% have more than 500 friends on Facebook 46% spend more than 1-2 hours on Facebook per day 50% of respondents have a public […]

Regional digital advertising agency, Hug Digital has launched what it claims to be the UAE’s first digital-only banking service, CBD NOW, for CBD. The new service aims to target millennials and digitally connected users. The mobile service combines smart notifications, mobile tools and ‘NOW’ themed rewards and offers around gaming, tech, food, music and sport. […]

Dentsu Aegis Network’s digital performance agency iProspect has launched a new operation in Saudi Arabia, which will be headquartered in Jeddah and supported by staff from Dentsu Aegis’ second Saudi office in Riyadh and the iProspect Hub office in Dubai. iProspect will introduce a complete suite of digital marketing services to the Saudi market, including […]

In partnership with Dubai Studio City, YouTube is launching its tenth YouTube Space in the world – and the first in MENA – in Dubai. YouTube Spaces are incubators that help YouTube creators with all the equipment and guidance they need to create content. This space will provide free access to high-end equipment, trainings, workshop […]

WPP veteran, Mohan Nambiar, who has been with MEC since its inception back in 1993 has resigned from the media agency, confirmed WPP in a statement. “We’re so proud of everything Mohan has helped us to accomplish. He’s enjoyed a long and incredibly successful tenure that saw us expand our offices across the Middle East […]

The UAE Chapter of the International Advertising Association (IAA) held elections for a new board of directors at their premises in Dubai Media City on 15th November 2016. The biennial elections saw members of the industry exercise their right to vote. The newly elected board of directors will steer the UAE chapter of the International […]

Since its launch, Rotana Cinema claims has been at the forefront of the non-encrypted channels in terms of being on top of the viewership and ratings, offering the newest Arabic movie productions firstly and exclusively to its viewers. test To complement this success and extend the channel’s potentials, Rotana TV Network is implementing tailor made […]

Andy Brown, CEO and chairman of Kantar Media, wrote in his letter to tview’s subscribers that its People Meter service for the Emirates Media Measurement Company (EMCC) will be discontinued from November 30, which is the last day of the five-year contract won by Kantar Media in 2010. In the letter he writes, “Whilst we […]

Facebook has announced new updates for business metrics and reporting and launched a new inbox app to allow businesses to link their Facebook, Messenger, and Instagram accounts. The new metrics updates will allow partners and agencies to have a clearer picture of the statistics provided on their campaigns. It’s also why Facebook is increasing third-party verification […]

Rocket Fuel has appointed Digital Venture as reseller of its programmatic marketing platform to distribute, promote, and market Rocket Fuel services to advertisers and ad Agencies across the MENA region. Digital Venture will act as an extension of Rocket Fuel’s own team, working directly with advertisers and agencies. Sami Hamade, Digital Venture FZ LLC CEO, says […]

BPG Group has announced a new enhanced structure with the aim of creating a stronger group-wide strategy and new business development team by appointing new leadership in the group’s advertising and public relations businesses and a renewed focus on the agency’s digital and social media offer. BPG Group CEO Avi Bhojani explains that the changes […]

In typical UAE style, the Dubai World Trade Centre set a Guinness World Record for most participants riding in a virtual reality (VR) roller coaster in one hour. Driven by Samsung, the activity saw 461 participants using Samsung Gear headsets to experience a virtual roller coaster ride in a 4DX theatre at GITEX. While the […]

Former founding partner of DAY creative business partners, Dennis de Rond, has rebranded his strategic and design firm to Skyne. Based in Dubai Design District (d3), Skyne’s mission is to move brands and businesses forward in order to meet tomorrow’s customer needs. De Rond, says in a press statement, “Our core business is to create […]

Nick Clements, CEO of BPG Bates is leaving the agency to join MCG Group as chief operating officer effective January 2017. MCG Group is made up of three companies: MCG Associates, a digital and creative recruitment agency; Kemistry, recruitment consultancy specializing in HR and administrative support staff; and Hopscotch, a platform dedicated to championing women […]

A tough year, tough market and a new business model within the group… That’s the scenario ten-year Havas veteran Houda Tohme is entering in her new role as general manager of Havas Media UAE. We catch up with her to learn more about her plans for the agency. So, tough year, tough market? Yes, it […]

“Calling me the head of innovation is too far-fetched,” says UM MENA’s head of innovation, Rasha Rteil, rather modestly. Innovation is present across the agency because it is more of a philosophy than a discipline – although it is being developed as one at the agency. “It is a DNA that needs to be bred […]

L to R: Steffen Thiel, associate director; Joumana Salem, partner; Dani Richa – CEO and Chairman MEAP; Oussama Gholmieh, director and Udo Klein-Bölting, CEO and managing partner Started in Germany in 2000, Batten & Company is the marketing and sales consultancy of the BBDO Network that is now setting up its Dubai office to cater to […]

ITP Publishing Group in expanding its scope with the launch of a new digital division, ITP Live. The division will extend the digital footprint of ITP and APP Media Group’s brands, and provide new content creation opportunities for commercial partners. ITP Live has five key business areas: what it claims to be the region’s largest […]

Meltwater, a media intelligence solutions agency, has launched its first agency partnership division in the region, following an uptick in business from digital, advertising and PR agencies in the Middle East. Meltwater’s managing director Mohamed El Wardani will lead the department. Zubair Timol, partner and area director for India, Middle East, and Africa, says in a […]

Today, J. Walter Thompson Company launches Mirum in the MEA region. Mirum brings together the group’s digital agencies, Cleartag, HeathWallace and Quirk. Known for their entrepreneurial culture, the three agencies will form, “what is effectively one of the largest technology and innovation agencies in the region,” says the company in a statement. J. Walter Thompson […]

London-headquartered ad tech company InSkin Media has finally opened its Dubai office following the announcement earlier this year. With offices in London, Hamburg, Sydney, Singapore and Hong Kong, InSkin Media employs more than 100 staff members and specializes in creating high impact rich media HTML5 formats for online branding. Toby Daniell, head of sales MENA, […]

Following the launch of Buzzeff.tv’s automated streamlined version of video ad buying in the MEA region, we caught up with Herman D’Souza, regional business head – MEA at the agency. Tell us about the programmatic offering Programmatic business automates and streamlines the buying process from Buzzeff’s premium inventory. This enhances targeting capabilities by processing our […]

With Dubai playing host to the season finale of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series,JCDecaux has teamed up with the brand and Dubai Airports to install 56 digital screens at the baggage claim area of Terminal 3 showing live updates about the event. The project uses live data to generate content through dynamic and […]

Omnicom Media Group has launched Hearts & Science in the MENA region. Touted as a data-driven agency, Hearts & Science was launched in the US exclusively for Omnicom’s P&G business and has since signed on telecom giant AT&T. The Dubai office will be headed by OMD UAE’s head of strategy, Fadi Maktabi, who has been […]

Hug Digital has won the digital business of global energy conglomerate Schneider Electric in the MENAP region across the UAE, KSA, Yemen, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, Pakistan, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Syria and Cyprus. The full extent of the services offered by Hug Digital encompasses handling the brand’s social assets while providing content creation, community management, full-fledged digital […]

Buzzeff.tv, an online video publisher agency, has introduced an automated streamlined version of video ad buying in the MEA region. This will allow  agencies and clients to access to enhance their targeting capabilities by processing audience data with minimal human input. The outstream format appears as a page break within editorial content. The content parts […]

Hopscotch, a six-month-old online platform that helps women to find flexible work, will set up free Workshops on the topic of “Personal Effectiveness”. Building on the first series of workshops offered by in May and June this year and on its One to One Training launched in August, a second Workshop, this time in partnership […]

Much has been said about millennials and what they want from their personal and professional lives. If popular notion is anything to go buy, it seems that they want travel, technology, and bean bags. We decided to find out what it is they really seek in their professional lives – and in the process dispel […]

Much has been said about millennials and what they want from their personal and professional lives. If popular notion is anything to go buy, it seems that they want travel, technology, and bean bags. We decided to find out what it is they really seek in their professional lives – and in the process dispel […]

Much has been said about millennials and what they want from their personal and professional lives. If popular notion is anything to go buy, it seems that they want travel, technology, and bean bags. We decided to find out what it is they really seek in their professional lives – and in the process dispel […]

Much has been said about millennials and what they want from their personal and professional lives. If popular notion is anything to go buy, it seems that they want travel, technology, and bean bags. We decided to find out what it is they really seek in their professional lives – and in the process dispel […]

Much has been said about millennials and what they want from their personal and professional lives. If popular notion is anything to go buy, it seems that they want travel, technology, and bean bags. We decided to find out what it is they really seek in their professional lives – and in the process dispel […]

Much has been said about millennials and what they want from their personal and professional lives. If popular notion is anything to go buy, it seems that they want travel, technology, and bean bags. We decided to find out what it is they really seek in their professional lives – and in the process dispel […]

Much has been said about millennials and what they want from their personal and professional lives. If popular notion is anything to go buy, it seems that they want travel, technology, and bean bags. We decided to find out what it is they really seek in their professional lives – and in the process dispel […]

Much has been said about millennials and what they want from their personal and professional lives. If popular notion is anything to go buy, it seems that they want travel, technology, and bean bags. We decided to find out what it is they really seek in their professional lives – and in the process dispel some rumors – and […]

Much has been said about millennials and what they want from their personal and professional lives. If popular notion is anything to go buy, it seems that they want travel, technology, and bean bags. We decided to find out what it is they really seek in their professional lives – and in the process dispel […]

Havas Middle East has made its foray into the Oman market through a majority partnership with Khimji Group. Starting with a 20 percent stake in agencies Asha and Paradigm, the group officially signed in June/July 2016 to formalize the 60 percent stake that has resulted in the integration of the two agencies under the Havas […]

beIN and Warner Bros. International Television Distribution have announced a long-term multi-year deal that will enable beIN to acquire premium content from the leading Hollywood studio. The announcement was made by Yousef Al-Obaidly, deputy CEO of beIN Media Group, and Jeffrey R. Schlesinger, President, Warner Bros. Worldwide Television Distribution. This deal represents one of the […]

YouTube has launched a new hub called Batala especially for female creators from the MENA, featuring more than 100 female creators from the region. Announced during an event in Riyadh, the channel has more than 1,000 videos and is categorized by genres such as comedy, education, fitness, and many more. The hub will also highlight […]

Keyade Middle East – part of GroupM – has been appointed by Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts to manage the company’s entire portfolio of search engine advertising campaigns worldwide. The move followed a global competitive pitch process, which included several international media agencies. Headquartered in Paris, Keyade is an online performance marketing agency set up in […]

Former CEO of Mindshare MENA – a role he held for over 16 long years – Samir Ayoub has now launched his media audit and consultancy firm Medpush. Heading the company as founder and CEO, Ayoub aims to not only assist marketers in improving the efficiency of their media plans, but also work with media […]

Integrated communications agency House of Comms has won the Nando’s business. The agency will be responsible for an influencer program for the brand. Keeley Duffy, senior account director at House of Comms, says in a statement, “As a team, we were super hungry to win this one and so we’rePERi excited to be supporting the introduction […]

Effective 2017, FrieslandCampina will work with MEC, Carat, Essence and Pervorm for media planning, media procurement and optimization with the aim of globally improving the effectiveness of its media and marketing investments for its consumer brands. MEC will be responsible for strategic planning and off-line media buying for the FrieslandCampina business group Consumer Products MEA […]

Senior creative at *Tonic International, Tony Ting, doesn’t apply his creativity only to his clients. The start of his studies in Australia back in 2001 was also the start of his now 15-year-long relationship with the camera and its subjects – his friends. “I was studying in Australia and meeting lots of people. Some were […]

Forty-one-year-old Saudi daily Arab News has signaled the beginning of its global and digital expansion by hiring Al Arabiya English’s editor-in-chief Faisal J Abbas in the same role. Ever since his move from London to Dubai in 2012, Abbas has become known as ‘Mr Arabiya English’. Under his leadership, Al Arabiya has grown to target […]

J. Walter Thompson has announced five young women selected for this year’s class of Helen Lansdowne Resor Scholarship recipients. Named after the industry’s and J. Walter Thompson’s first female copywriter, the HLR Scholarship is a global program launched by J. Walter Thompson and the 4A’s in 2014. It was designed to confront the disproportionately low […]

Ex-MD of The Telegraph Group, Hugo Drayton was appointed as CEO of InSkin Media in 2009. Since then, the digital landscape and with it, the agency has evolved to better cater to the needs of publishers and advertisers. Following the launch of InSkin’s MENA office we caught up with Drayton to hear his thoughts on […]

Formerly known as Facebook at Work, Workplace has now been made available to any organization across the MENA region that wants to use it. Facebook defines Workplace as a “communications platform that helps organizations collaborate better, using familiar Facebook features like News Feed, Groups and Messages.” Workplace will have the basics of the regular Facebook […]

MCG Associates, a recruitment consultancy specializing in marketing, communications, sales and technology, has now launched offices in London and Hong Kong to serve the media, marketing, digital and PR sectors globally. This move marks the appointment of Zena Alana as the associate director of the London office, which will focus on the media, design and […]

Unilever and Digital Republic linked by Isobar have partnered with Nafham, a free online educational video platform that provides students with five to twenty minute crowd-sourced educational videos. The Nafham platform currently has more than 23,000 videos covering Egyptian, Saudi Arabian, Kuwaiti, Algerian and Syrian curriculums, organized by grade, term, subject and academic schedule. The […]

Nation Media Group, an independent media house in East and Central Africa has appointed The MediaVantage, a Dubai-based international media sales representative, as its exclusive sales representative in the Middle East region following a competitive pitch last month. The MediaVantage has been awarded the rights to sell advertising and commercial opportunities in all the titles […]

Dubai-based Hug Digital, which already handles Al Futtaim businesses across the MEA region including Toyota and Lexus, has now won the digital businesses of the group’s subsidiaries including Hertz UAE, Al-Futtaim Automall and Toys R Us. The agency will be working closely with the respective brands’ teams to deliver its entire range of services encompassing […]

As reported by multiple industry sources, Snapchat is ready to make its entry into the Middle East market with its first office in Dubai toward the end of this year. Heading the operation will be Hussein Freijeh, who is best known for his long-standing role with Maktoob – and then Yahoo – for more than […]

Continuing its regional expansion, OMD has opened its newest office in the Sharq district of the Kuwaiti capital enabling it to better service its regional and local Kuwaiti clients. OMD manages a growing portfolio of Kuwaiti clients, including the recent addition of Al Babtain Group, whose businesses include the Nissan and Infiniti dealerships. The new […]

For the first time in the MENA region, Twitter is rolling out “Audio Cards” through its partnership with regional music streaming platform, Anghami. A Twitter Audio Card lets people discover and listen to audio directly on their timelines. Any tweet with an Anghami track link will play a 30-second preview of the Anghami tracks directly […]

Zee Entertainment, a media conglomerate present in 171 countries with over one billion viewers globally and over 75 television channels has confirmed the acquisition of UAE’s first and leading radio station Hum 106.2 FM. The network has been known for launching the first Hindi Satellite channel in India in 1992, introducing the first Bollywood TV […]

UM MENA, through its innovation and technology division UM Labs, is launching three playbooks covering wearables, proximity marketing and the creation of dynamic content in the MENA region. Currently, Empowered by Wearables is available online, while Proximity Matters and When Technology Pilots Content will be available in October and November respectively. The playbooks are the result […]

ELAN Media, the media arm of ELAN Group, has entered a multi-year strategic partnership making it exclusive media representative for Mall of Qatar (MOQ). Under this new agreement, ELAN Media will manage and drive the full range of MOQ’s media portfolio while delivering tailored creative advertising strategies. As a part of its strategy, ELAN Media […]

Forty-one-year-old Saudi daily Arab News has signaled the beginning of its global and digital expansion by hiring Al Arabiya English’s editor-in-chief Faisal J. Abbas in the same role. Ever since his move from London to Dubai in 2012, Abbas has become known as ‘Mr. Arabiya English’. Under his leadership, Al Arabiya has grown to target the […]

Meet the Snapchatters: Cortlan McManus, director of social, Starcom Ema Linaker, director of digital, Edelman Dabo Farah Shaer, content manager, UM Studios What is Snapchat? Snapchat is the coolest thing to happen to social in a few years – even Instagram is getting the ephemeral feeling! It’s a super interesting notion of time and documenting experience: […]

Mediavest | Spark’s “Memories Matter” campaign has been shortlisted for the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) EMEA 2016 Smarties Awards. This is the only entry from the Middle East to make it the shortlist of the global mobile marketing award program in two categories: Social Impact / Not For Profit and Mobile Social. The shortlist was […]

Clients want one partner to simplify the fragmentation and data – and today’s shops may not be among them Winter is coming. The old families are preparing their troops and poring over strategies in a race to secure their territory before it is invaded by new and unfamiliar forces. The best option might be to […]

For the first time, L’Oréal Middle East is participating in the group’s international business game Brandstorm. The game offers an opportunity for students around the world to get creative and apply their ideas to engage with international brands. Brandstorm gathered 45 teams from 58 countries where the teams had to role-play as international marketing director […]

MAM Food Co has selected Cheil MENA as its lead creative advertising agency for Papa Murphy’s in the UAE. Effective immediately, the agency will provide a full suite of strategic and creative services for the account including brand strategy, design and advertising activities aimed at building brand awareness and growing its customer base in the […]

Exponential, a global provider of advertising intelligence and digital media solutions, has put together a four-part series on “Trusting the Machine in Online Marketing”. The fourth part of this series is focused on Optimizing your Audience.Learn why it is important to trust automated optimization for evaluating audiences. This segment looks at: – Why should you […]

Earlier this year, YouTube announced a first of its kind competition for Ramadan ads on the platform. Titled the “Lantern Award”, the program celebrated the best Ramadan ad in 2016 based on an algorithm that took into account views, engagement, and qualitative elements. The winner of The Lantern Award went to VIVA Kuwait for a […]

Exponential, a global provider of advertising intelligence and digital media solutions, has put together a four-part series on “Trusting the Machine in Online Marketing”. The third part of this series is focused on Targeting vs Optimization. Learn about the importance of valuing users, creating a complex profile and the benefit of automating the optimization process. […]

Exponential, a global provider of advertising intelligence and digital media solutions, has put together a four-part series on “Trusting the Machine in Online Marketing”. The first part of this series is focused on Discovering your Audience. Data collection and analysis have grown immensely in the last few years, but is there still a case to […]

The number of influencers keeps increasing with every new social platform. As users find an odd familiarity with influencers that rests somewhere between friendship and fandom, brands have been quick to notice where there consumers and jump on to the bandwagon. We catch up with Maurice Hamilton, global CEO of The SMC Group, which specializes […]

With Facebook as its client, Lebanon-headquartered agency, Interesting Times designed a new campaign to launch Facebook Canvas targeting the tech company’s clients. The objective of the campaign was to launch the new product and create awareness about its benefits. Interesting Times, in partnership with Facebook, chose to leverage time spent online during Ramadan and launched […]

PGt Advertising, an Iranian advertising and marketing communications solutions agencies, and Grayling have signed an affiliation agreement to provide integrated communications, public affairs, design, and market development services to businesses, non-profits, and government authorities in Iran. The affiliation agreement will see both agencies working together to provide a full range of communications services to current […]

Independent media auditor Centre d’étude des supports de publicité (CESP) has audited the national TView people meter-based Television Audience Measurement (TAM) service in the UAE and found it aligned with international standards, reinforcing Kantar Media’s solution. The TView service delivers daily TV ratings and is funded and endorsed by media players in the UAE, including […]

In your talk at Festival of Media MENA 2016, you spoke about millennials. Do you think marketers are ignoring other consumers by focusing only on this demographic? We are starting to limit ourselves too much with demographic data. Simply because someone is between 18 and 25 years of age, it doesn’t mean they are not […]

“TBWA for Good” – the agency’s newly launched CSR initiative – had a two-fold objective this year: help refugees through a partnership with the UN and save the Lebanese Mountain Trail (LMT). The activity brought together team members from the UAE, KSA, Qatar and Lebanon offices to raise funds and awareness, as well as to […]

Maktabi’s tryst with doodle art began back in the fall of 1983, when he was in fourth grade. Back then, of course, it wasn’t doodle art – just scribbles standing in the way of his studies, as his then teacher pointed out. Fast forward to 30 years later, when his wife saw his scribbles and […]

Choueiri Group’s digital arm, Digital Media Services (DMS), launched its audience targeting solution toward the end of February, making it one of the few media representation companies to offer such a solution. We caught up with the agency’s head of data science, Youmna Borghol, to learn more about everyone’s favorite not-just-buzzword, data. Can you tell […]

Ezdan Holding Group and ELAN Media, the media arm of ELAN Group have recently signed a partnership where ELAN Media will be the exclusive media representative for the mall. The announcement was made during an official signing ceremony attended by senior executives from both companies. As part of the 10-year agreement, ELAN Media will bring […]

There’s no dearth of advertising award shows and, sometimes, winning can do more harm than good. This is why FP7 fundamentally focuses on the Effie Awards, Cannes Lions and the Dubai Lynx Awards. The global Effie Effectiveness Index has ranked FP7/DXB as the Most Effective Individual Agency – Global this year. The agency has been […]

Dentsu Aegis Network today announced the acquisition of gyro, an independent global creative agency dedicated exclusively to business-to-business (B2B) marketing. Following this acquisition, Dentsu Aegis MENA will add a B2B offering to its product porfolio in the region. Globally, Dentsu Aegis’ B2B media agency Interprise, which was launched earlier this year, will be integrated into […]

“In the Middle East, there have been many wars and recessions, and this is another recession. So, what do you do?” asks Elie Khouri. He not only seems unperturbed by the varied challenges the region is facing, but, more strikingly, he continues to be optimistic – even enthusiastic. We catch up with him to find […]

YouTube announced today the winner of the Lantern Award, a YouTube-first designed to highlight the best Ramadan ad in 2016 based on an algorithm that takes into account views, engagement, and qualitative elements. The Winner of The Lantern Award went to VIVA Kuwait for a very funny two-part series, Where is my bowl?, on misplacing […]

Katia Habshi has been appointed as the new group commercial director of Group Plus Media in Lebanon, replacing Tony Khoury. Habshi has been with Group Plus Media Lebanon for over 12 years. Following her promotion, she will now handle all media sales strategies and client-related activities.  

Facebook has recently announced new formats to advertise apps on the social network. With almost 90 percent of time on mobile being spent in apps and 58 percent of mobile purchases in the US being done through apps, clearly, mobile apps are the present and the future. However, not every person who installs an app […]

Nawaf Felemban is a rocket scientist turned management consultant. He recently founded Arabic website, Kasra. As a rocket scientist with Raytheon, he developed advanced algorithms for Military Radars. As a management consultant with McKinsey, he advised CEOs and Ministers on education and healthcare reform. A dual citizen between Saudi Arabia and the US, he worked […]

Earlier this year, the CEO of one of the region’s leading agencies announced, almost nonchalantly: “Like it or not, we’re in a recession.” And he’s not alone: nearly 53 percent of UAE residents think so too, says a Nielsen survey, released earlier this year. And, although this belief isn’t grounded in truth, at least for […]

UK-based ad tech company InSkin Media is stretching its wings beyond London, Hamburg, Sydney, Singapore and Hong Kong to set up its first MENA office in Dubai later this year. We caught up with the company’s chief commercial officer Steve Doyle and MENA head of sales Toby Daniell to see what they’ve been up to […]

Undeniably news and social media have developed an interconnected – if sometimes perilous – relationship. While certain platforms have encouraged citizen journalism, the real-time nature of others has changed the meaning of breaking news. Stemming from such social media platforms is a more personal service: messaging. While newsfeeds and timelines are inundated by brands almost […]

TCApr has been appointed as the Middle East representative of The Langham, London and Langham Hospitality Group. Nestled in the heart of the West End, The Langham, London has recently unveiled 115 new guest rooms, suites and residences that enrich the hotel’s commitment to exceptional hospitality. The property is part of Langham Hotels and Resorts, […]

Paris-based beauty brand L’Oréal has been ranked the 9th most attractive employer by business students in the Universum rankings this year, up from in 2015. The French cosmetics firm is the 16th most attractive employer for engineering students in the Most Attractive Employers Ranking. Last year, the brand was placed at 17 among the top […]

To mark the World Emoji Day which fell on Sunday (July 17) Pepsi launched a new PepsiMoji-filled video to demonstrate how emojis can be used to communicate in ways that traverse boundaries. Studies have suggested that emoji is the fastest growing language and it has already become a universal language. Pepsi has taken the emojis […]

Abdulla Al Gurg In a continuous changing market environment, operational efficiency remains important. However, retailers are leveraging data and new technologies to optimize demand processes, attract and retain more customers, and drive future growth. Understanding consumer behaviour is necessary, albeit challenging, as it not only helps in marketing your products better by increasing their visibility, […]

CNN has been named as the #1 international news channel in the Middle East, in terms of its reach to audiences in the region, a new Ipsos survey revealed.   The Ipsos Affluent Survey Middle East, which launched in Europe in 1995 has expanded to cover other regions including Africa, Asia Pacific, Latin America and […]

While the month of Ramadan is regarded as a spiritual time for Muslims around the world, Twitter users took the conversation onto the social network, sharing their most precious moments and events from the holy month with the world.   According to data released by the social network, tweets related to #Ramadan were viewed more […]

UAE residents spend an average of approximately five hours of their day on social media, a new YouGov survey finds.   Through surveying over 5,000 UAE residents, it was revealed that the time spent on social media varied among different age groups. Younger users, aged 18-35, spend between two to six hours of their day […]

Global marketing and communications group Publicis announced the signing of a strategic partnership with internet giant Tencent earlier this week at the Viva Technology Paris, a leading event devoted to start-ups and innovation.   Tencent, operates popular social and media platforms in China, and this partnership is claimed to be the first of its kind […]

UAE publisher 7DAYS has launched DEEP, its in-house content marketing studio that aims to work with advertisers to create content. We caught up with Charlotte Turner, head of content marketing, to understand the purpose and mission of the studio. Tell us a little bit about DEEP DEEP is the in-house content marketing team from 7DAYS. […]

Following a competitive pitch, Henkel has handed its regional digital accounts for DAC and Persil Abaya Shampoo to Buzzman. As part of the remit, the agency will develop and executive digital and social media content for both brands across the Gulf region. Commenting on the win, Adil Zghaoui, general manager, Buzzman Middle East, says in […]

Impact BBDO has teamed up with Google to create “smarter and more compelling commercial content,” says the agency in a press statement. As part of a longer term and global view, the agency network believes that the nature of the relationship with Google goes well beyond a simple collaboration: “It’s a perfect alliance, marrying the […]

The world’s largest advertising and marketing service groups have decided, for once, to put their competitive differences aside and collaborate and support the United Nations for the good of the world. Dentsu, Havas, IPG, Omnicom, Publicis Groupe and WPP pledged to launch “Common Ground”, a major initiative in support of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals […]

As users turn to social media platforms more and more during the month of Ramadan, so do brands. “During the month of Ramadan, between shortened working hours and natural instinct of our bodies to conserve energy, people’s minds turn to quiet exploration and discovery,” says Fahad Osman, brand strategy, Twitter MENA. During this period, Twitter […]

Initiative MENA, has been appointed to handle the media planning and buying business for DarkMatter, an international cyber security firm based in the UAE. Managing Director of Initiative UAE, Raffoul Mattar, says in a press statement, “Cyber security is a top priority for governments and businesses in the region. This is a new category for […]

As users turn to social media platforms more and more during the month of Ramadan, so do brands. “During the month of Ramadan, between shortened working hours and natural instinct of our bodies to conserve energy, people’s minds turn to quiet exploration and discovery,” says Fahad Osman, brand strategy, Twitter MENA. During this period, Twitter […]

With Cannes Lions 2016 on the horizon, YouTube has today released its special edition Cannes YouTube Ads Leaderboard celebrating the most popular global video ads since last year’s festival. These ads represent more than six million hours watched and 403 million views for the entire leaderboard. There are a few trends that stood out among […]

Have you ever wondered who funds the Internet? Who pays for all the content and services that we enjoy online for free? The answer is advertisers. They fund the “free Internet” and they are the reason we can enjoy all the content websites (Forbes, CNN, Times), the social networks (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram), search engines (horizontal […]

Dentsu Aegis Network agencies Carat and iProspect have jointly retained the account following a statutory review of Kellogg’s EMEA media planning and buying business over the past six months. The review, handled in-house by Kellogg’s media and procurement teams, includes all cereal and snack brands, including Pringles, across 31 markets in EMEA, including the MENA. […]

Cicero & Bernay Public Relations (C&B) is expanding its operation to KSA through a partnership with Jeddah-based public relations and social media agency Y&D Communications (Y&D). The collaboration will harness their combined capabilities expertise including strategic planning capabilities, public relations services and technical proficiency within the region, whilst also benefiting from their mutual insights and […]

Following a multiple agency pitch at the start of 2016, the digital creative duties for General Mills’ brand Betty Crocker were awarded to Socialize in February. Shortly after, the company awarded the digital communications mandate for the entire General Mills portfolio, including brands like Haagen-Dazs, Nature Valley, Bugles and Green Giant. Ali Shaikh, who recently […]

Volkswagen Group has selected Omnicom’s PHD as its global media agency following a lengthy competitive review. WPP’s MediaCom, which has a lengthy relationship with the automaker, had handled most of the business, including the US market. The review covered VW Group brands including Volkswagen, Audi, Porsche, Seat, Skoda and commercial vehicles. PHD was an incumbent […]

Paris-based trading desk Gamned is opening its Dubai office, serving the MEA region, next month as part of its global expansion plan. With offices in France, Switzerland, Benelux, Brazil and now Dubai, Gamned offers full service programmatic ad technology, with media trading, dynamic creative and a real-time insights technology platform. Based in Dubai Media City, […]

Effective July 1, Leo Burnett MEA’s experiential and shopper marketing division ARC will function as an independent agency, serving all Publicis Communications agencies in the region. The move follows the global restructure of Publicis Groupe, which Raja Trad spoke about earlier this year. Raja Sowan, currently regional director of retail engagement practice at ARC, will […]

Following a comprehensive review process, Unilever has tripled the remit of Duba-based digital marketing agency, Traffic, by adding three hair care and three skincare brands. From mid-2013 Traffic has managed the digital business of Unilever’s homecare brands including OMO, Comfort, Jif, Domestos and Lux Sunlight. From January 1, 2016, the hair care brands Tresemme, Sunsilk […]

SocialEyez has been appointed as the social media agency for Dubai Parks and Resorts, the region’s largest integrated theme park destination scheduled to open in October this year. The agency will manage all the social media activities, monitoring and listening, and content creation for the overall destination as well as motiongate™ Dubai, Bollywood Parks™ Dubai, […]

Dentsu Aegis Network today announces the acquisition of a majority interest in Digital Republic, one of the largest and most awarded independent creative and full service digital agencies in Egypt. Digital Republic will become part of Dentsu Aegis Network’s digital agency Isobar, bolstering the agency’s capabilities in the market whilst also extending the network’s proposition […]

Kaya Skin Clinic, a cosmetic dermatology chain in the Middle East, has appointed Socialize as its social communications and marketing partner across the region. Vikas Agarwal, head of marketing, Kaya Skin Clinic, says in a press statement, “Digital and social are now a vital part of Kaya’s marketing mix and we are happy to collaborate […]

UM MENA has won the media business of Saudi-based Saadeddin pastry with immediate effect. The mandate involves The mandate involves full service media strategy, buying and planning with a focus on print, OOH, TV and radio. The remit extends beyond Saudi to include GCC countries in which Saadeddin stores are located. The business will be […]

Elan Media, the media arm of Elan Group, has expanded its media representation of Novo Cinemas to cover the UAE. Based in Dubai and Doha, Elan Media will now be the exclusive advertising partner of Novo Cinemas across all Novo territories: Qatar, Bahrain, and the UAE, representing a total of 15 different locations. Jamie Ball, […]

Nike GCC has reaffirmed its six-year-long strategic partnership with J. Walter Thompson Dubai in the region. The partnership has produced a number of successful events in Dubai including the annual WeRunDubai; Nike Football’s LVL UP tournament and Winner Stays Magista launch, and Nike+ Training Club Tour for Women. Mohammed Sabry, managing director of J. Walter […]

Launched as a start-up at ArabNet Dubai in 2014, TaskSpotting began as a research and insight crowdsourcing app that actually paid its users for participating in a “mission”. Essentially, the mobile app relied on geolocation to let users know about missions available around them – whether it was trying a new restaurant or comparing prices […]

Unilever’s Lipton has appointed FP7/DXB for its digital and social business across the Gulf region. The agency will be tasked with overseeing Lipton’s digital communication and content strategy across its multiple products, including Lipton Black Label, Lipton Clear Green and Lipton Chai Latte. Sasan Saeidi, managing director of FP7/UAE, says in a press statement: “Lipton […]

Ciaran Bonass started his career as an animator in 1996, after which he moved on to DoubleClick in 2001 – even before Google acquired it – and then to TBWA, where he was instrumental in setting up the digital arm. In 2014, Bonass joined Havas Digital Middle East as creative director and, as the agency […]

Following the global reorganization of Publicis Groupe into four ‘solution hubs’ – Publicis.Communications, Publicis Media, Publicis Sapient and Publicis Healthcare – the chief executive officer of Leo Burnett, Raja Trad, has stepped up to head the MENA operations of Publicis Communications. The three brand agencies under Trad’s leadership are Leo Burnett, Publicis Middle East and […]

Earlier this year, Samir Ayoub left his home of the past 17 years. He will stay on as the delegate of the board until July, while chief client officer and Mindshare veteran Ravi Rao will take his place. Rao says he will build on Ayoub’s foundations, but it will also be a challenging journey, “because […]

Following the global restructure of Publicis Media, Alex Saber has been appointed to the role of chairman, Middle East, Publicis Media, while Steve Parker will serve as the chief executive officer. In light of this move, we caught up with Saber to see what he has envisioned for the region. Tell us about the restructuring […]

Sitting in his office full of Star Wars memorabilia made from recycled motorcycle parts and a life-sized frame of Han Solo stuck in carbonite, Samara has a quiet air of confidence and an edgy excitement about the new structure and future of OMD. We caught up with him to learn about the philosophy driving this […]

Just four months after joining MediaCom, CEO Tarek Abdalla has left the media agency, report industry sources. He was appointed to replace Nick Barron in November 2015, effectively taking the reins from January 2016. The agency hasn’t released any official comment yet.  

Full service growth agency Penso has been appointed by Abu Dhabi-based asset management business Miral to handle its social media, content, data and digital work for Yas Island. This win marks the agency’s move into Abu Dhabi – a key growth market for the business. Darius LaBelle, general manager of Penso, says in a press […]

(L: Rami Hmadeh, managing partner of Serviceplan Middle East; R:Azhar Siddiqui, managing partner of Mediaplus Espresso) Serviceplan Middle East’s media arm Mediaplus has acquired local agency Espresso, forming Mediaplus Espresso as the regional group for media within the integrated solutions agency. The new media agency aims to go beyond traditional buying through platform strategy, data […]

YouTube has launched the first edition of The Lantern, an award program to recognize the work of creative and media agencies, as well as advertisers in the MENA region during Ramadan. The Lantern award will recognize the most impactful commercial offered by the region’s advertisers during the month of Ramadan. An algorithm will determine the […]

AdZouk, a premium MENA SSP, has partnered with SuperAwesome, a kid-safe digital marketing platform, to bring kid-safe advertising to the Middle East. The agency claims that this is the first and only 100 percent kid-safe digital ad marketplace in the region where advertisers and publishers can engage young audiences using the industry’s most trusted technology. […]

Pay-TV network OSN has signed an agreement with Viacom International Media Networks (VIMN) to add Comedy Central to its offering of entertainment channels. Comedy Central HD is the third brand for VIMN in the region, complementing the existing presence of MTV and Nickelodeon/NickJr. From May 7, Comedy Central HD (OSN Channel No. 207) will be […]

Dubai Parks and Resorts has chosen Sekari to spearhead its search optimized content strategies in English and Arabic. Sekari has been tasked with ensuring that its websites make an impact within search engines. The agency will provide technical support for the launch of all four websites in English and Arabic, in addition to content production […]

To celebrate its 90th anniversary, has launched Publicis90, a global initiative to support 90 start-ups or promising projects in the digital field. Since the close of entries on February 29, 2016, two juries have evaluated the 3,555 eligible projects submitted: The first being the over 76,000 Publicis Groupe employees, and the second, a jury composed […]

Ipsos Connect has released the second wave of radio audience measurement data in the UAE for 2016, offering insights into the radio listening behavior. The survey was conducted between March 2 and April 1, with a national representative sample of 2,800 respondents who are residents in the UAE and aged 15 years and above, using […]

Performance marketing technology company, Criteo, has announced a worldwide partnership with Integral Ad Science, one of the leaders in quantifying digital media quality. The deal enables Criteo to continue to ensure top inventory quality and guarantees that strict brand safety requirements are met therefore helping marketers to protect their brand and maximize ROI. By teaming […]

As Saudi Arabia embarks on a journey towards a new future with the announcement of ‘Vision 2030’, the Kingdom’s ambitious plan will see much change occurring in business, society, trade, government spending and the daily lives of both locals and expats. Al Arabiya English, the English-language platform of Al Arabiya News Channel, which is designated […]

UAE-based creative production company, NDigitec, has revamped its brand identity in line with its future growth vision for the year 2020 in sync with Dubai’s Vision 2020, taking the industry to unprecedented levels of excellence. The newly revealed brand identity comes with a promise to be the enabler of inspiration for customers, and a commitment […]

ENOC/EPPCO customers can now experience easier, faster and safer refuelling visits to all service stations as Emirates National Oil Company (ENOC) announced the extension of its Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) based fuel retailing system to all customers across its service station network. Known as ViP (Vehicle Identification Pass), it is a completely automated and paperless […]

Dubai-based live communication agency, Entourage, has won the creative assignment for Jordan Tourism Board. Its first initiative is the “Yes, It’s Jordan” campaign across the GCC and North African countries showcasing hidden gems, and family holiday attractions for the Middle East market. The campaign was developed over two months with strategic inputs about target market […]

Dubai-based Traffic Digital has expanded its regional operations in Saudi Arabia with the opening of offices in Riyadh and Jeddah. The agency is already working on projects with various clients across the Kingdom including brands such as Unilever, Sipchem, Mamas & Papas, King Abdullah Economic City, Genesys GCC, and Dar Al Hekma University. Traffic Digital […]

Fadi Mroue, founder and creative director of Beirut-based Republiqué, has been selected to chair the digital and mobile jury at the Kyiv International Advertising Festival this May. Mroue will be leading the jury in the digital and mobile category to evaluate all digital projects including websites, online advertising, mobile apps, and social media campaigns.  

Hug Digital, which now has four offices in the MENA region, has launched a research department to compliment its existing creative, client servicing, media, social and content departments. This addition aims to meet the immediate and increasing research needs of clients such as Emaar Misr and Americana Group. The new department will focus on what […]

J. Walter Thompson Company has announced the second year of its Helen Lansdowne Resor (HLR) Scholarship, a pioneering international opportunity designed to support and promote talented, creative, female advertising students. Named after Helen Lansdowne Resor, the industry’s and J. Walter Thompson’s first female copywriter, the HLR Scholarship aims to support young women of diverse backgrounds […]

Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank (ADCB) has appointed Impact BBDO as its creative agency following a competitive pitch. The agency will work with the bank to elevate its position further and support its drive to be the leading bank in the UAE. This new appointment makes ADCB the financial partner for Impact BBDO. Dani Richa, chairman […]

Fox Networks Group has announced the launch of three new channels, Fox Family Movies HD, Fox Action Movies HD and FX HD. Sanjay Raina, general manager and vice-president of Fox Networks Group, said at the launch: “These sharply defined TV brands fulfill a void that has been identified by our partner affiliates. And they are […]

On behalf of the Dubai Health Authority, BPG Group has created ‘Dubai Health Experience – DXH’, a prestige brand to build Dubai’s standing as a leading global tourism destination. The Dubai Health Authority aims to make Dubai a regional and international hub for medical tourism and attract over 500,000 medical tourists by 2020. The authority operates […]

Twitter and Sky News Arabia have signed a MoU to launch an interactive panel discussion on Twitter. The initiative between the two is the first-of-its-kind with an Arabic language media entity. The panel discussion program featuring Twitter influencers from different fields and industries will hold monthly discussions, each dedicated to a certain regionally or globally […]

Netizency has won the Social Media business of Google’s “Think With Google MENA”. Netizency will be working with Google to help promote the content from Think With Google MENA to marketing professionals in the UAE and KSA through social channels. Netizency will also be responsible for working with Google on managing Think With Google MENA’s […]

Following the global restructure of Publicis Media, Iain Jacob, CEO of EMEA, Publicis Media has announced key market leadership appointments for the Middle East. Alex Saber has been appointed to the role of Chairman, Middle East, Publicis Media, and Steve Parker has been appointed CEO, Middle East, Publicis Media. Jacob says in a press statement: […]

The MediaVantage, a UAE-based media sales representative, has been awarded the exclusive contract to represent all media owned by IC Publications, a publisher of pan-African magazines. This partnership enables The MediaVantage to sell advertising and commercial opportunities in four African titles printed in English, as well as their French editions, to clients and media agencies […]

Susan Credle is the global chief creative officer (CCO) of FCB. Over her 30 years of experience in the ad industry, she has worked her way up from a secretary – back when there were secretaries – to global CCO, working across big-name networks. Along the way, Credle has won several accolades, such as being […]

Les Binet is the head of effectiveness at adam&eve DDB London and his title is as intriguing as it is deserved. Binet has been working with the agency since 1987 – that’s probably around the time when many of today’s young talents were born. He has dedicated his career to measuring and improving the effectiveness […]

Global PR and communications consultancy, Hotwire PR, has formed an exclusive co-branded partnership with Dubai-based digital, marketing and communications agency, Active. The move increases Hotwire’s global network of offices to twelve and is part of its strategy to offer clients’ pan-regional communications support and global opportunities for its staff. Active D.M.C is the second of […]

Dana Adhami Head of MENA at Maker Studios Inc. Adhami started her career in 2004 with independent agency Catch, where she grew from media manager to digital director – UAE over a period of four years. Since then, she has only grown further, specializing in the field of digital and, as a natural progression, mobile. […]

Following a creative pitch, Emirates Airline has appointed Leo Burnett as its full-service advertising agency in the Gulf, Middle East and North Africa. The account was previously managed by Impact BBDO and several regional agencies including the incumbent and FP7 participated in the pitch process. The partnership between Emirates Airline and Leo Burnett Dubai will […]

Omnicom Media Group MENA’s CEO for Saudi Arabia, Choucrallah Abou Samra, will leave his position in June. Faisal Shams, currently general manager of OMD in the Kingdom, will assume the leadership of the group’s three offices in Saudi Arabia. Abou Samra started his career with the company back in 2003. Since then, he has opened […]

Al Arabiya English’s Editor-in-Chief Faisal J. Abbas with the blog editor Eman ElShenawi Al Arabiya English launched a blog section on its website on April 6 with the aim of instigating debate and focusing on additional subject areas through contributions from a selection of prominent writers. The new section has attracted a host of international […]

At a time when advertisers are struggling to get mobile right, how do you think they should approach delivering innovation through new technologies such as VR? Virtual reality is gaining significant momentum globally, especially after Facebook’s $2 billion acquisition of Oculus, a leading brand in the VR hardware space. VR has attracted the attention of […]

MEC has launched MEC Wavemaker to create content that measurably improves a brand’s performance by bringing together existing teams in content strategy, social, partnerships, experiential, SEO, production, and creative services under one offering. Initially launching in 10 markets – including the Middle East – Wavemaker will launch in 20 more markets through 2016. MEC Wavemaker […]

Top CEO, the definitive platform for the recognition of exceptional business leadership of CEOs in the GCC, inaugurated its second edition on April 5 at the Westin Mina Seyahi Dubai. During the “When Tech Kills Your Business” session, one of the thoughts expressed was that although the full digital infrastructure is not available, innovators should […]

Hug Digital, which recently won the Emaar Misr account, has now added the Deerfields Mall account and Retailistic Commercial investments (ADL, Saraydan Cafe, Deerfields Nursery, OXXO) account to its portfolio. The agency will be responsible for all content creation and community management across their social media assets as well as the accounts’ media needs. “We […]

MCG Group has launched a subsidiary recruitment consultancy, Hopscotch, to bring together professional women who prefer flexible working options and companies looking for quality, shorter term hires. The brainchild of Helen McGuire and CEO of MCG Group of Companies, Justin McGuire, the company will work with professional women and the communications and administration/finance sectors to […]

Top CEO, the definitive platform for the recognition of exceptional business leadership of CEOs in the GCC, is back and inaugurated its second edition today. This time, the event, which gathers the region’s business leaders under one roof, includes a day-long conference followed by the Top CEO Awards ceremony later in the evening. Organized by […]

Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) has moved its corporate account from media agency Carat to PHD, which has been handling DWTC’s events and exhibition account since the past two years. Carat’s remit was due to its partnership with DWTC’s creative agency, Tribe, however, since that partnership ended, DWTC moved its corporate account, says an industry […]

Dubai Wholesale City has appointed Leo Burnett Dubai as its communications agency to launch the new initiative and generate interest and enquiries from wholesalers around the world. The assignment covered the B2B communications services including strategic brand planning, developing a full set of communications materials for sales and marketing purposes, and social media engagement and […]

Effective immediately, Al Ghurair Centre has appointed Blue Apple as its advertising agency for the UAE following a multi-agency pitch. Hani Dabash, vice-president of Mall, Residential & Commercial of Al Ghurair Properties, says in a press statement, “As our ambitions for the future are to break the traditional advertising conventions, we are very excited to […]

Hug Digital, that recently hired a new creative director, has won the Emaar Misr account and will be solely responsible for the brand’s digital needs for its corporate and real estate development brands including Uptown Cairo, Mivida and Marassi. The agency is tasked with creating digital content across all of Emaar Misr’s platforms. In addition […]

Just weeks after being awarded the 3rd best employer in the UAE – for the third consecutive year – Omnicom Media Group has been ranked 2nd by the Great Place to Work Institute in the Best Multinational Workplaces in Asia for 2016. The accolade is based on the aggregate performance of Omnicom Media Group MENA […]

The global ad market is on course for 4.6 percent growth this year, up from 3.9 percent growth last year, according to ZenithOptimedia’s new Advertising Expenditure Forecasts report. Global advertising expenditure will total $579 billion in 2016, and will exceed $600 billion in 2017, reaching $603 billion by the end of the year. The global […]

On its 10th birthday, Twitter is paying homage to the people and brands who have experimented, innovated and grown with the platform, transforming the role of the platform and of advertising itself in the process. Twitter is celebrating by listing the 10 factors that make the platform unique for brands and highlighting those brands that […]

The MediaVantage, a UAE-based media sales representative, has won the exclusive contract to represent all titles published by News UK, a UK-based American-owned publisher, and a wholly owned subsidiary of the American mass media conglomerate News Corp. The MediaVantage won the contract following a multi-representative pitch and will handle the business from its Dubai headquarters. […]

Great Place to Work®, a global research, training and consultancy firm that recognizes the best workplaces in over 50 countries worldwide, has revealed the Top Companies to Work For in the UAE for this year. Now in its sixth year, the list recognizes the top 20 companies in the UAE with outstanding workplace cultures. This […]

Exponential Interactive has announced the expansion of its brand performance offering into new markets across the EMENA region. Exponential’s performance offering is enhanced by Audience-Efficient Real-time Optimisation (AERO), an algorithm that transforms the performance of online campaigns by optimising them in real-time using transparent interest-based audience models. The technology scores each impression for each campaign […]

Dubai-based business title Middle East Economic Digest (MEED) has gone digital. The weekly magazine that started in 1957 will now be published once a month with a strong emphasis on online content. We catch up with MEED’s editorial director, Richard Thompson, to learn more about this move. On the timing The timing has been down […]

Nissan Middle East and Infiniti Middle East have selected OMD as their regional partner for media communications. Effective May 2016, the new agreement covers a plethora of services including data and analytics solutions and includes media planning and buying, content marketing, search as well as performance marketing. The multi-agency pitch started in Q4 last year […]

Publicis Groupe has announced a simplified structure and new leadership positions for its media arm, Publicis Media. “We are driven to get to the future first. Publicis Media is a fresh opportunity to simplify our organization, invent more modern approaches to gain efficiency, introduce structures for greater collaboration and effectiveness, and drive new levels of […]

AdZouk, a premium MENA SSP, and StackAdapt, a native advertising technology company, are expanding their advertising solutions with the launch of a video native advertising platform in the MENA region. The duo introduced programmatic native advertising solutions in the Middle East in 2015 to allow advertisers to tap into the native advertising ecosystem to buy […]

OSN subscribers in the UAE can now tune into all nine radio brands under the Arabian Radio Network (ARN) on their television. This follows the signing of an agreement between OSN and ARN. Following the simulcast distribution agreement, access to the ARN Network will be added to each OSN subscriber package free of cost. David […]

Twitter is partnering with Festival of Media MENA to launch its Live Marketing Award in the region, following the successful roll-out of the category in Asia. M&M Global spoke to Twitter’s head of brand strategy in MENA, Fahad Osman, about the rising trend for “live marketing”, and why engagement is what matters for advertisers. Why […]

The year of mobile. Cross-device targeting. Geofencing. Personalized marketing. Identity-based targeting. The small screen revolution. These are just some of the phrases that do the rounds when people talk about mobile – if not digital – advertising. However, there seems to be a certain bubble surrounding mobile advertising in the MENA region, where smartphone penetration […]

Starcom Mediavest Group has retained the Savola business in the Egyptian market, following a pitch between against six other agencies. SMG has been handling the account since 2012. Effective February 1, the assignment covers the entire portfolio of Savola brands, including Savola’s oil, ghee, sugar and pasta brands, and will see SMG provide communication solutions, […]

UAE-based full-service communications agency, Alsayegh Media, shifted from its old home in Cayan Towers, TECOM, to a brand new space in Dubai’s International Media Production Zone (IMPZ) in December 2015. Relatively new in the region, the company started only five years ago – no points for guessing – in a coffee shop. The move is […]

Coca-Cola, one of the world’s most iconic brands, announced a new strategy on January 19 in Paris that left some feeling a tad disappointed, and others curious. At its Dubai press event, the brand revealed everything that went into its new one-brand strategy and its new campaign, “Taste the Feeling”. The brief For the first […]

Ahead of International Women’s Day, YouTube is championing its community of women on the platform through a new yearlong partnership with the United Nations (UN) to appoint top YouTube female creators as the first Change Ambassadors to the UN’s Sustainable development action campaign. This first-of-its-kind partnership with the United Nations appoints top female creators on […]

Independent agency Socialize has launched its own influencer brand network, Front Row, which is a platform for Middle East influencers to meet and interact with brands. Akanksha Goel, director of the agency, compares it to a dating app, “but for online credibility”. “Working with digital influencers is becoming increasingly popular and, more importantly, it is […]

Effective Measure’s emPower audience data segments are now available in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) through Google’s demand-side-platform (DSP), DoubleClick Bid Manager (DBM). This partnership allows advertisers, agencies and trading desks to target specific audiences when purchasing inventory through DoubleClick’s DBM. After a testing period, in partnership with DoubleClick and Vivaki AOD earlier […]

JPd, a boutique branding and creative design agency in Dubai, announced today the launch of its new communications department. The move is aimed at strengthening the agency’s branding service range by introducing in-house PR and digital offerings. The new division will cover the breadth of all PR services for both B2B and B2C sectors. Offering […]

Communicate’s first published book, De-commoditizing the Ad Industry: How Ad Agencies Can Reinvent Themselves and Enjoy Exponential Growth, penned by Leo Burnett’s regional strategy director, Ahmad Abu Zannad, has won the LeoIntel Award. Established in 2004, the award recognizes and celebrates the best thought leadership work across the global networks of Leo Burnett and Arc. […]

Bruce Clay Inc. (BCI), the global Internet marketing optimization company with over 1,500 digital experts working across nine countries, has announced the launch of its operations in Dubai, UAE. Located in Tecom, the new office will enable BCI to establish a stronger presence in the region and provide local support to its UAE-based clients. James […]

Starcom Mediavest Group (SMG) has won the media planning and buying account for Qatari telco Ooredoo’s digital and offline media in Oman, beating the incumbent Far East Media, according to industry sources. The agency already handles Ooredoo in Iraq through its local operation Asia Cell, while its sister agency Zenith handles the account in Kuwait. […]

Global media intelligence firm Meltwater has launched its Media Contact Database in the UAE to deliver a solution for marketing and PR companies to target journalists and influencers for their campaigns. Zubair Timol, area director for India, Middle East & Africa at Meltwater, says in a press statement, “For a communications campaign to be truly […]

Dubai-based digital agency Socialize has won the digital account for General Mills brand, Betty Crocker. The agency will lead the strategy, set-up and execution for the brand’s social media presence and digital activations across the Middle East.

Ipsos has been awarded the online and digital business of Mediaquest. The newly signed agreement nominates Mediaquest as the exclusive data providers for Ipsos, who will also perform market research analysis covering numerous areas including online audience measurement, a hybrid approach that integrates data from site-centric and software panel measurement. This study enables websites to […]

Brand experience agency, Action Impact, has used gaming-style technology to build an interactive and versatile tool that turns a buyer’s imagination into on-screen reality. “Our clients in property and car sales spend a lot of time explaining to their customers how a villa might look when it’s built or how optional extras could transform their […]

Following the acquisition of regional communications agency Expression, M&C Saatchi has set up its Dubai operation this month. Scott Feasey, founder and former managing director of Expression, will lead the Dubai and Abu Dhabi offices as CEO with creative partner, Ryan Reed. Feasey will drive client business and growth across new business and existing clients […]

IBM announced the launch of IBM Studio – Dubai, a new center of experience design and digital expertise to help clients. The studio extends the footprint of IBM Interactive Experience, blending experience design with the full spectrum of business transformation capabilities, from industry and strategy consulting through systems integration. His Excellency Abdulla Abdul Rahman Al […]

Left: Raed Kablawi, head of MENA, SPORTS at SMG; Right: Robin Clarke, managing director EMEA, SPORTS at SMG Starcom Mediavest Group (SMG) has launched its sports division, SPORTS at SMG, in the MENA region on February 8, 2016. The launch event took place in Dubai and although the physical office of the new division will […]

In keeping with our annual tradition, here’s a list of the biggest spenders of 2015, based on data from marketing consultancy firm Ipsos. Saudi Telecom takes the lead, jumping up from third position with a growth of 45.68 percent, followed by 2014’s leader, Sedar. Pepsi also jumps up one position, coming in at third – […]

Saad El Zein, CEO, The Network Communication Group, on what’s the best and worst thing that can happen in 2016, and his mantra to make it through the year. What’s the best thing that can happen in 2016? The best thing would be to avoid what we went through in the last two quarters of […]

Nick Clements, CEO, BPG Bates, on what’s the best and worst thing that can happen in 2016, and his mantra to make it through the year. What’s the best thing that can happen in 2016? World peace and Chelsea winning the Champions League would be a good start, but both seem a little unlikely. Instead […]

Mounir Harfouche, CEO, LOWE MENA, on what’s the best and worst thing that can happen in 2016, and his mantra to make it through the year. What’s the best thing that can happen in 2016? We all know the facts: political instability, oil prices, economy going down, devaluation and so on. This is a reality […]

Filip Jabbour, CEO, GroupM MENA, on what’s the best and worst thing that can happen in 2016, and his mantra to make it through the year. What’s the best thing that can happen in 2016? Well, world peace! The whole sentiment of the region changes dramatically, whether it’s consumers’ confidence or marketers’ willingness or ability […]

Edmond Moutran, Chairman and CEO, Memac Ogilvy, on what’s the best and worst thing that can happen in 2016, and his mantra to make it through the year. What’s the best thing that can happen in 2016? There are several things that will be great if they happen in 2016: 1. Stopping the war in […]

Rafic Saadeh, Chairman and CEO, Horizon Holdings, on what’s the best and worst thing that can happen in 2016, and his mantra to make it through the year. What’s the best thing that can happen in 2016? From a business point of view, the best thing would be for 2016 to become a replica of […]

Pierre Soued, CEO, Havas Middle East, on what’s the best and worst thing that can happen in 2016, and his mantra to make it through the year. What’s the worst thing that can happen in 2016? The geopolitical situation, the price of the barrel of oil, not being able to contain Daesh, the problems between […]

Hubert Boulos, CEO, DDB Middle East, on what’s the best and worst thing that can happen in 2016, and his mantra to make it through the year. What’s the best thing that can happen in 2016? [My view] is a bit cynical. The political and economic situation around the world is so bad that the […]

Tarek Miknas,CEO, FP7 MENA, on what’s the best and worst thing that can happen in 2016, and his mantra to make it through the year. What’s the best thing that can happen in 2016? The best thing in 2016 would be greater political stability in our region. This is the last year for the Obama […]

Alex Saber, Chairman, SMG MENA, on what’s the best and worst thing that can happen in 2016, and his mantra to make it through the year. What’s the best thing that can happen in 2016? Better ad quality controls for advertisers. It is no secret that there a lot of hiccups when it comes to […]

Samir Ayoub, ex-CEO and present delegate of board, Mindshare MENA, on what’s the best and worst thing that can happen in 2016, and his mantra to make it through the year. What’s the best thing that can happen in 2016? The year 2016 is a continuation of the slowdown in our industry that started in […]

Raja Trad, CEO, Leo Burnett MENA, on what’s the best and worst thing that can happen in 2016, and his mantra to make it through the year. What’s the best thing that can happen in 2016? It would take a fortune-teller to predict what’s going to happen in 2016. The best thing that could happen […]

Remember when you wanted to find a plumber but didn’t know where to look? Or when you were done taking your guests to see the tallest building and the biggest mall, and ran out of options? Turns out that this is not uncommon, especially in a largely expat community like Dubai. There are magazines and […]

The past year has been the best on record for online advertising for the UAE, KSA and Kuwait combined, evidenced by a double-digit growth of almost 19 percent from 2014, according to OOXmonitor. In light of this, we take a look at the most prominent trends and numbers of 2015. Top 5 brands by Share […]

Following Initiative Talks “Stand Out Content”, we catch up with Ramzy Abouchacra, regional managing director of Initiative. Tell us a little bit about Initiative Talks… We created Initiative Talks as a platform to tackle specific subjects that are of interest at that point of time to trigger a conversation between different people or entities that […]

MENA Market Place (MMP) describes itself as a “premium programmatic advertising marketplace enabling leading publishers and premium brands to better monetize their digital advertising inventory”. Sound familiar? That’s because the company first launched in 2014 – and a lot has changed since then. Nader Bitar joined as director in August 2015, bringing with him fresh […]

Serviceplan Middle East has appointed Unnikrishnan “Unni” Kurup as general manager and head of digital. The agency says that “digitalization is key for Serviceplan”, and Kurup’s focus will be not just overseeing the agency’s day-to-day operations, but more importantly, expanding its digital portfolio across the MENA region. This involves consolidating clients’ online and offline strategies, […]

OSN and Gulf Film, a distributor of major studio productions and independent movies sign a six-year exclusive partnership through 2021 for premium film content. Marking a regional first, the partnership is underlined by OSN’s acquisition of the entire transaction window building exclusivity for the first-time across all platforms including over-the-top (OTT) content access available on […]

National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) has appointed Zenith Kuwait to handle its regional media planning and buying following a competitive multi-agency pitch process. The account marks a significant win for Zenith Kuwait and will see the media services agency communications solutions across a host of channels. Zenith will provide NBK, which was named best bank […]

Integrated full-service agency, Publicis Middle East has started 2016 with a three wins. It has been tasked with the The Sharjah Investment and Development Authority’s (Shurooq) Al Noor Island project. The agency’s scope of work for this assignment covers strategy development and creative functions, while its subsidiary agency, Optimedia Middle East, will be responsible for […]

Meltwater, the global media intelligence firm that offers tools for online news and social media monitoring, has now launched a mobile application. The app allows clients to monitor and access news, content and insights in real-time. The native mobile app is available for both iPhone and Android. Users can share content via text and email […]

Following the formation of MullenLowe Group in May 2015 – from the merger of IPG agencies Mullen in the US with global creative network Lowe and Partners – the network today unveiled plans for its new global corporate identity. The new brand identity has been created to reflect the positioning of MullenLowe Group as a […]

The Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) has announced its partnership with a number of partners to draw attention to the culture enrichment of Sharjah. Under these agreements, SCCI will collaborate with Twitter, Forbes Middle East, Brag Events, and Careem to raise awareness for the Emirate as a destination for entrepreneurs and established businesses […]

AdZouk has launched a native content recommendation platform solely in Arabic, called “Konnect”. As a premium MENA SSP, AdZouk designed “Konnect” to provide advertisers and clients who wish to promote their content, the ability to target exclusive audiences specific to their brand via several formats that can be managed and analyzed in real time. Highlights […]

OSN is set to launch six new channels in HD in the next two months. The channels include OSN Yahala Cinema HD, OSN Movies Family HD, OSN First HD Home of HBO and H2 HD, and promise to deliver “nowhere else” content. Five of the new channels will be launched on February 1 with other […]

Remember how we said signed documents are a rational way to ensure that relationships stand the test of time and rocky grounds? Yeah, turns out we were wrong. With that in mind, we review those who untied the knot – for better or for worse.   1. Cadillac leaves Leo Burnett for Saatchi & Saatchi […]

ZenithOptimedia’s global media network, Blue 449, has opened its office in the UAE, marking its eighth network launch around the world. The network launched globally in March 2015 with its headquarters in London. Till date, it has opened offices in the UK, France, Italy, Australia, Germany, Belgium and Spain, and now the UAE. Its UAE […]

For the first time, UM MENA has launched its annual trends for 2016 in a report titled “Next Thing Now”. The report features the insight of media specialists at the agency as well as professionals from Coca- Cola, Google, DMS and Yahoo! Highlights from the report include: Technology & innovation For 2016, brands must approach […]

Etisalat launched an exclusive partnership with video-on-demand service Starz Play Arabia to offer a range of Hollywood movies and series directly to Etisalat’s eLife TV customers. Etisalat’s eLife TV subscribers can now watch Hollywood movies, original series & kids entertainment for free with their 30-day trial, exclusively available in the UAE to eLife TV customers. […]

Sources at InMobi reveal that the acquisition is a false claim and no further information can be expected at this time. Earlier, SeekingAlpha reports that Microsoft is near to closing a deal to acquire mobile advertising company InMobi. The report indicates that the number InMobi is requesting is approximately $2 million, but does not confirm […]

Pepsi has chosen Egyptian professional footballer, Mohamed Salah as the new brand ambassador for Pepsi-Cola in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region in 2016. Salah is known globally for his football performances with professional Italian football club A.S Roma. “Mohamed Salah is a celebrated Arab footballer, a representative of local talent making it […]

OSN’s new and extended long-term deal with NBC Universal International (NBCUI) will give OSN exclusive access to content from NBCUI. The deal secures first pay window rights for OSN, in addition to exclusive over-the-top (OTT) content access on OSN Play, the free for subscribers digital platform, and GO, the non-subscriber based online TV service. OSN […]

Millward Brown has released its annual Digital and Media Predictions for the year ahead. Currently in its eighth year, the report aims to provide marketers with a guide on navigating the challenges and opportunities of the next 12 months. One of the predictions identifies the opportunity for marketers to develop clearer consumer journey maps, from […]

OSN, one of the region’s leading pay-TV platform will exclusively air BBC Worldwide’s premium drama channel BBC First in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) from February 1, 2016. The British channel will have two hours of primetime programming with Arabic subtitles. The new channel will launch series such as Sherlock and Luther alongside […]

FCB International’s chief creative officer made his first trip to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia last month to speak to female students about creativity in three different universities: Jeddah School of Advertising and Dar Al Hekma University in Jeddah, as well as Al Yamamah University in Riyadh. Intrigued, we caught up with him to learn […]

Brazen launched its representation division in November 2015 and has now added Ross Crist as its new client. Brazen will be handling all of Ross Crist’s media publicity and will be acting as representatives for all brand partnerships. Originally from the US East Coast, Crist has established himself as one of the most popular sports commentators […]

Al-Futtaim Group has appointed Omnicom Media Group’s PHD as the media agency for a portfolio of its brands, following a four-way market review. Up until Al-Futtaim has used an in-house model. The pitch was a result of the conglomerate seeking to look a different model. The group will now entrust the media communications briefs for its […]

A quiz from Kaspersky Lab has found that almost a third (30 percent) of social network users share their posts, check-ins and other personal info with everybody who is online – not just their friends. This is leaving the door wide open for cybercriminals to attack, as users remain unaware of just how public their […]

Following a three-month review for its media agency contract for 2016-2018, Unilever has appointed Middle East Network (MCN’s) media agency Magna as its agency of record. Magna’s assignment includes media planning and buying for non-digital media in the GCC and all media including digital in other markets, while OMG’s PHD handles the digital media planning […]

Following a four-month long pitch process involving six agencies, Abu Dhabi Airports Group has handed its advertising account to UAE-based boutique agency theAdkitchen. The scope of work includes Abu Dhabi Duty Free, Airport branding, corporate communications, the airport’s ground services, internal employees communication and ultimately, the launch of the new terminal, set to be one […]

Netflix launched its service globally in 130 countries around the world including the UAE at CES 2016 yesterday. The service went live as co-founder and chief executive Reed Hastings made the announcement. While largely available in English in most new countries, Netflix has added Arabic, Korean, Simplified and Traditional Chinese to the 17 languages it […]

OMD has been selected by luxury hotel company Jumeirah Group as its search engine marketing (SEM) agency. The competitive pitch resulted in the Omnicom Media Group-owned network adding the international SEM assignment to the media planning and buying contract it already holds. SEM is a critical element of the sales process for the tourism sector […]

What are the major issues with mobile advertising today? Some [mobile advertising companies] transfer what they do on desktop to mobile and that’s the start of bad mobile advertising. Ads should also be dismissible. Most ads do have a small X [option to close], but the problem with this is that users can accidentally launch […]

Remember when you were really engrossed in watching something (ahem, ahem) online and kept getting interrupted by pop-up ads? Or when you’d hidden a certain tab somewhere when a parent or boss hovered over you, only to have pop-ups give you away? Enter ad blockers. Today, they are living a second life, moving on from […]

Turner, a division of Time Warner, has partnered with beIN Media Group, a TV production, distribution and media rights acquisition organization. The partnership will see a move of Turner Broadcasting owned channels, such as Cartoon Network, Boomerang, TCM (Turner Classic Movies), HLN (Headline News) and CNN HD, in the region being offered on DTH (direct-to-home) […]

LinkedIn has revealed some of the most inspiring voices in the media buying and advertising world, naming the individuals who published the most engaging content on the platform as part of its Agency Publisher of the Year initiative. The initiative launched in August, encouraged agency professionals to publish long form posts on the platform offering […]

As the year draws to a close, Communicate looks back at who won what to determine its Agency of the Year ranking. We’re far from assuming that awards are all it takes to achieve success, but we can’t deny that they do play a role in achieving it. The list is based on a tally […]

Following intensive search and pitch, Sony Mobile – that had been working with BPG Cohn & Wolfe – has appointed Havas PR Middle East as its public relations agency for the region The agency will work on developing Sony Mobile’s communication strategy over the coming year, enhancing the premiere positioning of the brand, and raising […]

Millward Brown and comScore have signed a partnership designed to provide brands with an unprecedented understanding of how their digital advertising is performing. The partnership, which includes all markets outside the US, Canada and Taiwan, will enable brands and their agencies to assess the full value of their digital advertising. The combined data will also […]

Dubai Parks and Resorts has appointed PHD to manage its domestic and international media activities. The multi-themed park resort will begin communicating with UAE residents as well as tourists from the GCC, UK, Germany, Russia, India and China, ahead of its opening in October 2016. Its first year target is 6.7 million ticketed visits. The […]

Surprisingly – or unsurprisingly – Yahoo has announced that it will shut down its Dubai office by the end of April 2016. There have been talks of the company shutting down its Middle East operations since January 2015 when it cut its staff down by half. However, when Communicate reached out to Yahoo, we were […]

BMW Group Middle East has announced the renewal of its partnership with Serviceplan Middle East as the lead brand agency for the BMW and MINI brands following a multi-agency creative pitch. The agency has been holding the account since 2009, servicing the regional office in Dubai, as well as 14 importer markets across the GCC […]

McCollins Media, a boutique PR, and digital brand activation agency, extends its offering with the launch of a F&B division offering clients with a 360° integrated communication services. Along with PR and social media, the agency will provide augmented reality solutions, loyalty mobile applications, e-commerce F&B websites, food photography and videography, blogger outreach programme, touch […]

Joe Harland, head of visual radio at BBC, started off with how Radio 1 has been the “most influential music radio station of all time”. Not only was it the first station to play Jimmy Hendrix, the legend even created a jingle for it. It’s a channel with a “cultural legacy”, but in the digital […]

YouTube held its annual Brandcast event in the UK on October 13, bringing together independent content creators and brands for a night of knowledge-sharing and musical performances, with Rita Ora bringing the event to a close on a high note. It was also a celebration of the platform’s tenth anniversary. Communicate also got a chance […]

Recently, football club giant, Real Madrid and Emirates airline took their partnership to new heights, revealing a Real Madrid decal displayed on the airlines’ A380 aircraft this past weekend. Pictures of football maestros Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale, Sergio Ramos, James Rodríguez, Karim Benzema and Marcelo are plastered across the A380, visible on both sides of […]

This past October, McDonald’s launched its latest “Create Your Taste” (CYT) platform in Al Ghurair Centre. Since the original launch, McDonald’s has recently expanded the new concept to three more UAE branches, which offers customers table service and a variety of customizable gourmet burgers. The new experience allows customers to order on a touchscreen kiosk, […]

It’s not unsurprising that media professionals are seen as the guys with money – or at least that’s what Nick Vale, Maxus Worldwide’s global head of planning, would have us believe. “It’s the execution that gets paid; ideas are free. So, when you’re in the room with the creative [agencies], they look at you like, […]

On October 21, Digital Media Services (DMS), the digital media arm of Choueiri Group, announced a new partnership with Dailymotion, the global online video platform. The agreement gives DMS exclusive advertising sales representation in the MENA region. Marguerite Colas, EMEA sales manager at Dailymotion, sat down for a chat with Communicate. Dailymotion is the second-largest […]

This year’s theme at GITEX Technology Week was “The Internet Future of Everything”, where du showcased its initiatives to ensure that Dubai moves forward as a smart city. The week-long event took place from October 18 to 25 at Dubai World Trade Centre. In an attempt to demonstrate the immediacy of du’s smart city undertakings […]

Beiersdorf, the global skin care giant with its flagship brand Nivea, has concluded its statutory media agency review with the reappointment of OMD. The pitch was against the manufacturer’s other international agency of record and covered all above the line media investments in Middle Eastern countries, which monitoring sources estimated at over $58 million in […]

Open ad management company for multiscreen campaigns, Sizmek, announces its partnership with Future Tech Media, which aims to provide regional advertisers access to ad technology products.  Starting in January 2016, Future Tech Media will become Sizmek’s official partner across the MENA region, utilizing its open technology methodology and data intelligence to help advertisers create cross-platform […]

In a new study aimed at revealing mobile behavior, ZenithOptimedia and GlobalWebIndex (GWI) discover that by 2018, more time will be spent on the web via mobile than all other devices combined. GWI’s panel of 200,000 Internet users were polled across the 34 of the globe’s largest advertising markets. KSA has already reached this tipping […]

Djembe Communications, an African communications consultancy, announces the launch of its mobile application ‘Djembe Insights’. This is a mobile application that will provide free mobile access to perspectives on the African market, including research reports, thought leadership articles, trends and data, and event listings. Commenting on the launch in a statement to the press, Mitchell […]

Quest Arabiya, launched as a partnership between Image Nation Abu Dhabi and Discovery Communications, brings factual entertainment shows in Arabic to audiences across the MENA region. Mohamed Al Mubarak, chairman of Image Nation Abu Dhabi, says in a press statement, “There is a great need for more Arabic content across TV and digital, and by […]

On December 6, OMD hosted the Future of the UAE event at the Waldorf Astoria in Dubai. Throughout a series of talks and panels, the agency aimed to explore expectations and attitudes of consumers toward life in the UAE and its future. During the talks, results of a 2,000-person face-to-face survey of UAE consumers were […]

CNN International Commercial partners with Germany-based learning solutions provider Papagei.com to introduce a new English-language learning service, CNN Learn English. This partnership allows CNN International Commercial to expand the CNN brand as well as generate additional revenue streams in the English-language learning sector. The program, which will overlay CNN video content with Papagei.com’s translation and learning aids, aims to […]

In an effort to capture the nation’s pride for UAE’s 44th National Day, du launches a social media competition inviting users to upload a drawing, poem or video about why #UAEisHome onto du’s social media platforms (www.facebook.com/du, www.instagram.com/du and www.twitter.com/dutweets). In addition to the social media initiative, du released a #UAEisHome video addressing the diversity […]

Nickelodeon and OSN are making the Emmy Award-winning app, Nickelodeon Play, available for download in MENA starting today (November 29). The free app features both English and Arabic content and OSN subscribers will receive exclusive access to full episodes via their OSN credentials. The layout of the app is kid-friendly and offers children instant and […]

Google’s ‘Friends Furever’ campaign promoting Android has been named the most-shared ad of 2015 globally. According to video ad tech firm Unruly’s annual Top 20 Global Video Ads Chart, the clip has also overtaken Activia’s ‘La La La’ as the most-shared ever. The ad, depicting surprising animal friendships, has attracted 6,432,921 shares across Facebook, Twitter […]

In light of Havas Village Dubai’s September launch, Andrew Benett, global CEO of Havas Worldwide and Havas Creative Group, stopped in for a chat with Communicate. Having just opened the doors to the 35th Havas Village recently in Manchester, UK, Benett looks back at the Havas Together Strategy that was conceived in January 2014. He […]

In July 2015, Aaron Lau, CEO of Cheil Greater China, was tasked with additional duties as the president of international [operations]. He sits down with Communicate to discuss what’s next for Cheil Worldwide and how a company with Korean roots won’t soon forget its past, but has its eyes on a more global presence. How […]

WPP’s J. Walter Thompson agrees to acquire a majority stake in Cleartag, a regional full-service digital marketing agency. The digital agency will continue to trade as Cleartag, while strengthening J. Walter Thompson’s digital offering in the MENA region. Currently, its digital offering is represented by Heathwallace in the UAE and KSA. Cleartag was established in […]

(L to R: Saeed Al Falasi, Malek Al Malek, Mohammad Abdullah, Jamal Al Sharif, TECOM Group) TECOM Group has announced an investment of AED 60 million to set up a new innovation center for media start-ups and entrepreneurs, part of its wider goal to spend AED 4.5 billion on new innovation driven initiatives. Christened in5 […]

Communicate’s Middle East Ads Chart is devised using data compiled by the Unruly Viral Video Chart: a comprehensive source for video sharing data around the globe since 2006 that measures the share of voice and campaign effectiveness. Owned and operated by video ad tech company Unruly, the chart tracks and ranks the most popular videos […]

Currently, a viewable desktop ad is one where 50 percent of the pixels of the ad are visible for one second and 30 percent of the pixels of video ads are visible for one second. Since the release of the first set of guidelines by the Media Ratings Council (MRC) in June 2014, there have […]

The term Artificial Intelligence (AI) was coined in 1956 when American computer scientist John McCarthy defined it as “the science and engineering of making intelligent machines, especially intelligent computer programs”. AI, also known as machine learning, now refers to a machine’s use of algorithms to understand human activity and provide a response to it. There […]

Emirates NBD has launched the Emirates NBD Fitness Account that turns “health into wealth”. The Fitness Account is a mobile-based savings account that allows customers to earn higher interest on their balances by linking it to their level of physical activity. Customers will earn interest of up to two percent per annum (pa) on their […]

Recently, 20/20 Productions, a creative communications agency based out of Edinburgh, Scotland, opened the doors of its new Dubai office. The company’s directors claim to have made the decision to launch the Dubai presence because of various contract wins and an increase in demand from clients for support in the Middle East. The privately owned […]

Al Aan TV has assigned Intelligent Media Services (IMS) to be its exclusive advertising representative in the MENA region. The agreement allows the two companies to form a strategic alliance committed to developing various commercial offerings within the region. Armand Andrea, Al Aan’s Group regional sales director, says in a press statement: “The agreement with […]

Grey Group Middle East and Africa (MENA), global advertising and marketing agency, has landed the Riyad Bank account. Under an all-encompassing remit for the large banking group, the agency will handle Riyad Bank’s through-the-line communication, marketing and branding strategies. The win extends the agency’s roster of banks and financial institutions on both global and regional […]

Jumeirah Inside has been developed to provide travelers with a unique look into Jumeirah hotels. The web-based virtual reality application has been optimized for tablet, mobile and desktop, providing a Google Street View–like look into the group’s 23 hotels. Jumeirah worked alongside Google and MediaMonks, a production company, to develop the tool’s 360-degree video, photography […]

On September 18, it was revealed that German carmaker Volkswagen (VW) had been cheating its consumers and regulatory bodies in addition to lying to them. The wake-up call came when the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a notice of violation to the company. Turns out that VW cars being sold in the US had […]

AdZouk, a premium MENA region supply-side platform (SSP), has been announced as one of Google’s Certified Publishing Partners (CPP) for the region, to help publishers. AdZouk was chosen for this program, based on its expertise in Google AdSense and DoubleClick AdExchange, as well as high rankings in customer satisfaction. The Google badge for Certified Publisher […]

Pay-TV network OSN has signed an exclusive output agreement with Warner Bros. International Television Distribution for first and exclusive access to its premium content for the MENA region. The long-term agreement has been extended till 2020. This means, OSN subscribers will have continued first and exclusive access to Warner Bros.’ breadth of movies in the […]

The operation will be led by Puja Pannum, Blismedia’s managing director, Middle East. Pannum has previously held senior sales roles at Microsoft, AOL and Yahoo. Most recently, she operated as the business development director at digital media company Reach MENA. She will report to Paul Thompson, vice-president EMEA at Blis, who oversees the company’s regional […]

Publishers can now sell native and mobile video ads programmatically through Google’s DoubleClick, the company said last Friday. The ads can be sold through either DoubleClick’s open auctions or the private marketplaces run by publishers and can appear on websites or apps. The system will soon enable buyers to purchase an ad to run across […]

Pinterest introduced a feature on Monday that allows users to search for products with pictures instead of words. Dubbed visual search, the technology might make searching for that rondeau pot for your kitchen a little easier. For example, a user looking at an image of a living room could zoom in on a lamp and […]

Recently, Communicate had the opportunity to sit down with Tim O’Brien, Microsoft’s general manager of global communications, for a chat about Microsoft’s branding strategies and how they have changed since the tech giant was born. How has Microsoft evolved as a brand? In the earliest days of the company, most people associated it with a PC on […]

Communicate’s Middle East Ads Chart is devised using data compiled by the Unruly Viral Video Chart: a comprehensive source for video sharing data around the globe since 2006 that measures the share of voice and campaign effectiveness. Owned and operated by video ad tech company Unruly, the chart tracks and ranks the most popular videos […]

NARS, a global cosmetics brand owned by Shiseido, has appointed Social Eyez as its regional social media agency. With an established global presence of 1.9 million Instagram followers and 1.7m Facebook fans, the brand is now ready to branch out its social media presence in the Middle East. Fadl Al Tarzi, CEO of Social Eyez, […]

Facebook knows a lot about where you go online, but it also knows a lot about where you go in the real world. And now it’s going to start sharing some of that information with marketers. Starting in the US, Facebook will provide marketers with more information about the people in the vicinity of their […]

MEC and Wamda have signed a partnership to give MENA businesses access to innovation from the region’s start-up community. With this partnership, MEC can offer its clients an opportunity to meet and work with entrepreneurs and start-ups in order to create marketing transformation for brands. In return, Wamda will provide its community of new companies […]

Carl Erik Rinsch has signed an exclusive agreement with Filmmaster Productions to grow the roster of the production company in the advertising business for the Italian and Middle Eastern markets. Carl Erik Rinsch is a prominent personality in the advertising business. He has taken the lead on many award-winning commercials for top global brands such […]

PR and content marketing agency Brazen has launched a personal representation division. Its first client, Corrine Fuchs, is the founder of one the UAE’s blogs, Mommy in Dubai. Brazen will be handling all of Fuchs’ media publicity and will be acting as representative for all brand partnerships. At the core of the strategy will be […]

Communicate’s Middle East Ads Chart is devised using data compiled by the Unruly Viral Video Chart: a comprehensive source for video sharing data around the globe since 2006 that measures the share of voice and campaign effectiveness. Owned and operated by video ad tech company Unruly, the chart tracks and ranks the most popular videos […]

A year after first mooting a subscription model for users wanting to avoid ads, Google announced the launch of YouTube Red on October 21. Costing $9.99 per month, YouTube Red provides subscribers with access to all YouTube videos without ads, as well as original content featuring prominent vloggers such as PewDiePie, Lilly Singh and Joey […]

Data is arguably the hottest commodity in marketing, which makes it a tempting target for bad actors. But it’s not just Eastern European hacking networks that companies have to worry about. Marketers are also increasingly facing questions about how to keep other countries and even competitors out of their data troves. Data breaches in recent […]

AstroLabs, an entrepreneurship platform, launched the first Google-partnered tech hub in the MENA region in Dubai’s DMCC Free Zone. AstroLabs offers technology-based startups a space for collaboration, mentorship and business licenses for UAE operations. Additionally, AstroLabs Dubai’s partnership gives budding entrepreneurs access to Google for entrepreneurs’ global network and resources. Locally, Louis Lebbos and Muhammed […]

Communicate’s Middle East Ads Chart is devised using data compiled by the Unruly Viral Video Chart: a comprehensive source for video sharing data around the globe since 2006 that measures the share of voice and campaign effectiveness. Owned and operated by video ad tech company Unruly, the chart tracks and ranks the most popular videos […]

Nestlé Middle East, MBC Al Amal and the Arabian Radio Network launch United for Healthier Kids (U4HK). U4HK strives to help parents with children aged between four and 12 years develop healthier habits in their kids, educating them on healthy choices related to drinking, eating and lifestyle. The World Health Organization claims that global obesity […]

Jack Gleeson, famous for playing King Joffrey on Game of Thrones, tried out the new HTC Vive virtual reality (VR) headset when the HTC Vive World Tour stopped in the UAE. He checked out the gear alongside Dave Fennoy of The Walking Dead and Adam Harrington of The Wolf Among Us video games. “Our VR […]

In March 2015, Twitter announced its plans to open an office in Dubai. The plan saw the light of day in late August, marking the Middle East’s first Twitter office. Explaining why the company chose to open its regional office this year, Benjamin Ampen, head of sales at Twitter MENA, says that Twitter has been around […]

Elan Media, the media arm of Elan Group, has partnered with Integrated Media Strategies and The Huffington Post to become the official digital media sales representative and introduce the publication’s Arabic edition to the Middle East. HuffPost Arabi was officially launched in London on July 27, in a ceremony attended by Arianna Huffington, co-founder and […]

The Network Communication Group’s media agency, Equation Media, recently won eight new accounts: three each in the UAE and KSA, and two in Lebanon. The agency’s new portfolio includes Al Aan TV, Chili’s and Joe’s Crab Shack in the UAE; Timebridge, Patchi and H&M in KSA; and Think Kitchen and Grohe Blue in Lebanon. As […]

The UAE’s airlines, Etihad and Emirates, signed on Nicole Kidman and Jennifer Aniston, respectively, as their brand ambassadors earlier this year. Kidman faced a fair amount of backlash from the Association of Professional Flight Attendants (APFA) for being associated with Etihad, which has allegedly discriminated against its female flight attendants, especially considering that she has […]

Google’s YouTube unveiled a paid version of its video-sharing service, a new source of revenue for parent company Alphabet Inc. as the Internet giant tries to make the website more profitable and fend off competition from other premium content sites. The new service, called YouTube Red, will cost $9.99 a month and is available beginning […]

Zomato launched its Cashless product in Dubai earlier this year. However, on October 18, the company announced through a blog post that it’s shutting down this business “due to a lack of product-market fit in its current form”. Deepinder Goyal, CEO and founder of Zomato, lists the following reasons for shutting down the product: • […]

While creative agencies are constantly looking to increase their offerings with a well-rounded approach, salaries still play a large role in an employee’s choice to join a workplace or their loyalty to one. Perhaps it’s wishful thinking, but according to Hays’ “GCC 2015 Salary & Employment Report,” 41 percent of respondents expect a pay increase […]

Communicate’s parent company Mediaquest has announced its joint venture with Buro 24/7, the international and contemporary news website covering fashion and lifestyle. Mediaquest will be responsible for all aspects including content, sales and events. In just four years, Buro 24/7 has launched local versions in ten countries and regions, including Russia, Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, Ukraine […]

The Google logo as we knew it came into existence 16 years ago, when Google’s founders, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, were just PhD students at Stanford University – albeit students with a small company and a big vision. Ruth Kedar, principal at Kedar Designs and the designer of the old Google logo, was a […]

Following the launch of Sky News Arabia’s radio station in August, Communicate caught up with Nart Bouran, head of Sky News Arabia, to discuss how the company has embraced social media, radio, TV and everything in between. Tell us a bit about the venture into the radio space. At the moment, [our] TV and radio […]

Following a period of organic and new-business growth across the Gulf region, Penso, the Melbourne-headquartered creative communications and digital innovation agency, is opening an office in Dubai. Digital marketing and brand strategist Constantine Frantzeskos founded the agency less than three years ago. The move to create a foothold in Dubai was spearheaded by Penso’s ongoing […]

Whether an agency calls its work environment its “culture”, “dynamic”, or “DNA”, creative industries have tried to set the bar high when it comes to adding incentives beyond salary and generic benefits packages. As Sasan Saeidi, FP7 UAE’s managing director, says, “This industry is very demanding, especially in this part of the world where things […]

Rasamny-Younis Motor Company S.A.L. (RYMCO), the dealer for Nissan/Infiniti and other car brands in Lebanon, has tasked OMD Lebanon and Annalect MENA with its marketing analytics program. Designed to identify how successful its diverse marketing activities are in driving actual car sales, this partnership with the two Omnicom Media Group MENA companies will enhance the […]

How has the creative process evolved in the industry over the past few years?  The difference is that clients are now more savvy than ever before. I was one of the first members of the PR industry to be assigned a chief creative role in the late ’90s, when creativity wasn’t held in high regard; it […]