MxMIndia

Tag: MENA

  • Eyes Middle East and North Africa region

    TheSmallBigIdea opens Dubai office

    By Our Staff

     

    TheSmallBigIdea (TSBI), an independent digital agency, has announces its foray into the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) region with its office in Dubai, marking its international expansion.

     

    Speaking on the agency’s international expansion with the foray into the MENA market, Harikrishnan Pillai, CEO and Co-Founder at TheSmallBigIdea said: “Embarking on our growth journey in the Middle East is a pivotal moment for TSBI, marking the realization of a long-envisioned plan. We are delighted with the success of this venture, which serves as the initial stride towards transforming TSBI into a truly global agency, firmly rooted in its Indian heritage. By fusing our profound digital expertise cultivated in India with a nuanced understanding of Middle Eastern culture, TSBI Arabia emerges as our gateway to one of the world’s fastest-growing economies. As we collaborate with clients in the region, we are confident that our unique blend of Indian innovation and Middle Eastern cultural insight will propel us to possess a formidable presence on the global stage. With seasoned professionals who boast over a decade of experience in the market, TSBI Arabia is set to lead the way in the coming years, offering an exciting prospect for both our team and the industry at large.”

     

  • The WARC Prize for MENA Strategy is an annual free-to-enter awards recognising the best strategic thinking from the region

    WARC’s MENA Strategy Report highlights regional trends

    By A Correspondent

     

    WARC, the global marketing intelligence service, has released its second MENA Strategy Report, examining trends in marketing strategy in the Middle East and North Africa, with lessons drawn from an analysis of the entries to the WARC Prize for MENA Strategy 2018.

     

    Said Lucy Aitken, Managing Editor, Case Studies, WARC: “Based on an in-depth analysis of the results of this year’s WARC Prize for MENA Strategy, we are able to put the thinking behind the campaigns into context to establish how the best strategic ideas are responding to consumer needs and growing brands in the Middle East and North Africa.”

    WARC’s MENA Strategy Report 2018 highlights the following key insights and marketing trends in the region:

     

    This year’s winners demonstrated breakthrough thinking in sectors that are ripe for disruption. Whether it was Grand Prix-winning auto brand Nissan developing a new unit of measurement that was relevant to the region or a food brand encouraging families to be more conscious of waste around Ramadan, the campaigns that were successful showed how changing the conversation can be a powerful strategic statement.

     

    It is impossible to ignore gender equality as an issue among the winners of this year’s MENA Prize. While many campaigns have aimed to show their support for women, what was different about campaigns such as Nissan’s #SheDrives and Puck’s Cook with Her, was how they also targeted men, encouraging them to take an active role in progress and equality.

     

    Winning campaigns from local brands showed the power and significance of local insights leading to a strong strategic idea. Two campaigns from Lebanon demonstrated this: one understood and empathised with the country’s slow internet connection, while another tapped into the national pride felt by Lebanese living overseas.

     

    While the true value of influencers continues to be widely debated across the industry, this year’s winning entries offered some tangible examples of how influencers can be invaluable in brands’ quest for transformation.

  • The new brand identity reflects Air Arabia’s international outlook and long-term commitment towards making air travel affordable for everyone

    Air Arabia celebrates 15th anniversary with new brand identity

    By A Correspondent

     

    Budget airline Air Arabia celebrates 15 years of its operations in the MENA region by unveiling a new brand identity. The unveiling took place during a launch ceremony at the Air Arabia hangar in Sharjah International Airport where guests and press got to view the carrier’s new corporate identity.

     

    Commenting on the occasion, Sheikh Abdullah Bin Mohamed Al Thani, Chairman of Air Arabia said: “It was 15 years ago that Air Arabia and the low-cost airline concept were just an idea in the region, an idea of connecting people at affordable cost. Today we are gathered to celebrate the great success story that Air Arabia has become, redefining air travel in the region and providing great travel experience for over 80 million passenger to date”.

     

     

  • The 30-plus account wins include Unilever Digital business, SBI Life Insurance, Disney, Pharmeasy, Clubfactory, Intarem, IHG, Coverfox, Group SEB, Brussels Airlines, Urban Clap, Heritage Foods, Frankfinn, Mobiistar, Unibic, Hindware, Specmakers and Saloni Oil among others

    Not the #1 at Emvies, but Mindshare boasts of eventful year – 30+ new wins worth 1.1kcr

    By A Correspondent

     

    It may have lost the #1 slot to sibling Wavemaker but the largest media agency network has posted a healthy report of how it’s doing. New business aggregating up to Rs 1,100 cr in the last nine months of 2018 from 30-plus new account wins which include the Unilever Digital business, SBI Life Insurance, Disney, Pharmeasy, Clubfactory, Intarem, IHG, Coverfox, Group SEB, Brussels Airlines, Urban Clap, Heritage Foods, Frankfinn, Mobiistar, Unibic, Hindware, Specmakers and Saloni Oil amongst other.

     

    Prasanth Kumar

    Speaking on the new account wins, Prasanth Kumar, CEO, Mindshare South Asia, Africa and MENA said: “2018 has been a very exciting and rewarding year for all of us at Mindshare. Every account win or bagging of an award is a milestone and motivates us to do better and exciting work for all our clients. Winning these from across our offices is what makes it even more special. To add to it, we are happy that all our disciplines including digital, integrated business have been able to contribute to this success. We feel humbled and encouraged with every win or appreciation received from our clients and it adds to the motivation for us to do more for our clients with stronger focus and services.”

     

     

  • The Middle East & North Africa​ launch happens as the Arnab Goswami-owned channel completes six months

    Republic TV ​to launch in MENA on Nov 5

    By A Correspondent​

    English news channel ​Republic TV​ has announced its first international launch in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA​) ​with OSN, the pay-tv provider​. The launch happens on OSN Pehla, on November 5, barely six months post its launch in India in May 2017. OSN, short for Orbit Showtime Network, is a direct-broadcast satellite provider serving the Middle East and North Africa regions. It currently offers Pehla Variety and Pehla Prime packs to subscribers.

    ​Said ​Republic TV CEO Vikas Khanchandani​: ​“The demand from the market has been over whelming and we are extremely delighted to bring Republic TV to the audiences in MENA through OSN.  We will also look to create original content specific to the MENA markets in due course and Priya and her team will be offering advertisers the most impactful news media platform reaching discerning audiences in the region.”

    Added Priya Mukherjee​, President of Distribution and International Revenues​, Republic TV​: ​“Since our inception earlier this year, Republic TV has strived towards widening the reach of our cutting-edge content. While we successfully executed the reach of Republic TV across all households in the fragmented Indian cable distribution ecosystem during the first ​six​ months of the channel, our next target would be to reach audiences across the world. Our launch in the MENA region is our first foray in international distribution and we hope to expand our reach further with audiences around the world soon.”

    Commenting on the launch, Emad Morcos, Chief Content Officer, OSN said: “We are excited to have Republic TV available on OSN. Since the channel’s launch earlier this year it has generated a buzz in the Indian media for its unique and popular content. With Republic TV, we hope to reach the large Indian diaspora in the MENA region

  • Taranjeet Singh continues to be Business Head for India and remains the key client contact for Indian brand marketers and advertisers

    Parminder Singh too quits Twitter, Maya Hari is new India boss

    By A Correspondent

     

    Parminder Singh
    Maya Hari

    Maya Hari is Twitter’s new Managing Director of Southeast Asia and India replacing Parminder ‘Parry’ Singh who announced his decision to move on via tweets on Thursday. “We thank Parminder Singh (Parry) for his contributions and leadership over the past three years at Twitter. He has been instrumental in setting up a strong business foundation across Southeast Asia, India and MENA, including some of our most promising emerging markets,” an official statement noted. “Parry felt now is an appropriate time for him to pursue other passions and work on his next adventure to help a content-based startup in Singapore and India. Over the next month, he will be closely involved in transitioning the business to the new leadership for continuity and momentum.” “Fortunate to have worked with amazing clients & partners driving innovation, setting the agenda. Treasure the partnership & friendship!” Singh tweeted, adding: “Next steps – explore disruptive models to add value to Digital Content in Asia & step up pace to use technology for good!”

     

    Meanwhile, Twitter has announced a sales restructuring process with the MENA region now part of its EMEA business, while Southeast Asia & India remain part of Asia Pacific, headed by VP Aliza Knox. Hari will report to Aliza Knox. She previously managed Twitter’s Ads Product Strategy and Adoption for Asia Pacific, MENA and Latin America. “Look forward to driving Twitter’s growth and business in SE Asia and India,” Hari tweeted.

     

    Meanwhile, for India, Taranjeet Singh continues to be Business Head for India and remains the key client contact for Indian brand marketers and advertisers.

     

    It is not known whether Singh is going to be joining Rishi Jaitly who had also announced his resignation earlier this week, but the two exits in close succession have led to discussions on the stability in the microblogging giant’s India operations. Watch this space for more.