2004
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GMR highlights Net ads
The growth of Internet advertising and its future potential is considered in depth in an article in the Gulf Marketing Review this month. It concludes that the survivors of the local dot-com bust now offer a powerful marketing platform with impressive traffic figures.
WPP, USD700m Samsung account
Samsung Electronics has chosen WPP Group to handle its USD700m global marketing account, boosted for the Olympic Games. But the official announcement is not out yet, reported Adage.com. The Korean consumer electronics company made incumbents Foote Cone and Belding and Initiative face off with WPP and Publicis Groupe.
Agencies call for media audits
UAE based advertising agencies are privately lobbying hard for full media audits of local newspapers, magazines and television. Sources said it was increasingly difficult to place adverts without proper statistical information about circulations, user bases and demographics.
CPI launches OK! magazine
CPI is to launch OK! magazine, the European celebrity title, in the UAE next month under licence from owners Northern and Shell. The magazine will be printed and published in Dubai and sold throughout the Middle East. Content will reflect the national and international celebrity market across the Middle East.
GMR Marketing Effectiveness Awards
Gulf Marketing Review is to launch the annual Marketing Effectiveness Awards in the wake of the success of its Gulf Brands of the Decade Awards. MD Barry Gray said the awards will be results orientated with effectiveness being measured against initial objectives and other quantifiable factors.
Kuwaiti MPs want Arafat answers
Kuwaiti MPs are maintaining pressure on the Minister of Information, Mohammad Abulhassan, over the airing of television condolences for the late PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat, reports Gulf News. They want to set up a committee to investigate assertions that more programmes about Arafat's life were shown after the initial broadcast on November 9, which resulted in the assistant undersecretary of news being suspended.
Expatwoman.com, 20,000 users
The website www.expatwoman.com has 20,000 regular users, an estimated 95 per cent of whom live in the UAE, reported Gulf News. There is no fee for joining and a monthly email newsletter keeps subscribers up with events. Its coffee mornings now attract up to 250 women.
Landor lands Oman branding
Oman is to be rebranded after signing a deal with international branding company Landor Associates. The deal will promote four sectors of the economy: tourism, trade, education and IT and telecoms. The aim is to create a positive image of the sultanate in targeted markets, said officials.
AD TV chief sacked over mourning
The chief of Abu Dhabi Television has been removed because his channel resumed normal programming during the official mourning for the death of the late UAE President Shaikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, reported Khaleej Times. Ahmed Ali Al Baloushi has been asked to stay at home, said informed sources.
BBC denies job loss plans
The BBC has strenuously denied media reports that it was planning to axe half its staff by the end of the year. However, large job cuts are still expected to go ahead, and some see the leaked report as a beginning of a public relations campaign to prepare staff for the blow.
Brand management, new study
Consultants Booz Allen Hamilton has published a new study on brand management which officials said had become vitally important in the Middle East. They said real estate developers such as Nakheel and Emaar showed the new relevance of brand management in positioning a regional brand.
BBC may fire half its staff
The BBC is planning to axe half its 28,000 staff before the end of the year, insiders told the Evening Standard yesterday. Unions have been told to prepare to meet management on December 6 and 9. Sources said all the bad news would be announced in one go. Director-General Mark Thompson has been reviewing operations since his appointment last June.
Qatar Airways, BBC World ads
Qatar Airways has launched a global TV commercial campaign on BBC World, the 24-hour news and information channel. The 12-month campaign, announced at World Travel Market in London, features four 60-second corporate profiles focusing on Qatar Airways' five-star service, hospitality and brand quality.
Leo Burnett, Dubai meeting
Directors of Leo Burnett Group gathered at the company's new headquarters in Dubai Media City to review 2004 and assess the challenges and plans for 2005 and beyond. More than 22 representatives from nine offices and four specialized companies, including brand agencies Leo Burnett and Black Pencil, Arc digital and CRM and MSL public relations, took part.
CNNArabic.com election a hit
CNNArabic.com saw the number of hits on the site reach its highest level this year after the November 2 US Presidential elections. There were 125,604 hits on the site on November 1, rising to 221,717 the next day and then a big jump to 340,265. Claudia Coles, Head of Marketing, said this is the first time this year that we have seen this level of hits for the daily news.
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