Campaign Middle East’s latest issue – its Procurement, Pitching and Pricing Issue, alongside the long-anticipated Saudi Report 2026 is now available on stands and to read online.
The main issue dives into some of the most spoken-about topics at the moment, from procurement and pitching to generational marketing.
In this month’s cover feature, industry leaders reveal how pitch processes have become transactional and theatrical and suggest win-win alternatives for marketers, procurement teams and agencies before the current system collapses. Voices shaping the feature include Reema Al Shammasi, Vice President Marketing and Communications – West Arabia, Mastercard EEMEA; Passant El Ghannam, Chief Marketing Officer – Middle East and Africa, Kraft Heinz; Suad Merchant, Chief Marketing Officer, GEMS Education; Sevgi Gur, Chief Marketing Officer, Property Finder; Ghassan Kassabji, CEO – Dubai and Chief Growth Officer – MENA, IMPACT BBDO; Mazen Jawad, CEO, Horizon Holdings; and Ramzy Abouchacra, President – Media Practice, dentsu MENA.
Industry experts further weigh in on the topic of pitching, procurement and pricing through opinion pieces. Zenith’s Rita Kteiche, Monks’ Alex Oberberg, AKQA’s Jon Holloway, Havas Creative UAE’s Carlos Nadal look at what makes pitching processes work and what problems plague the processes. Acorn Strategy’s Kate Midttun, Omnicom Media MENA’s Daniel Shepherd, TBWA\RAAD’s Dany Aouad add to the conversation on good procurement processes and how the best pitches come to life.
The Industry Forum similarly dives into one of the key themes of the topic: client-agency working relationships. Multiple industry experts share their take on if the current pitching process is a fair reflection of the relationship that follows after the pitch.
Moving on to generational marketing. In the themed feature for the month, agency leaders explain why the smartest brands in the Middle East are building their marketing strategies on the foundations of behaviour, trust, attention and culture rather than age and traditional demographics.
OMD MENA’s Saleh Agha and MCH Global’s Saheba Sodhi dive further into topic explaining the new cultural context, emerging third spaces and five cultural constants that marketing should lean on.
The issue is rounded up with a special insights report from Publicis Middle East that offers a cross-sector view on how business leaders reacted during the period of regional disruption and what the next phase of business will look like.
Saudi Report 2026
The Saudi Report 2026 marks the second edition of the now bilingual report, carrying opinions and features about Saudi Arabia, featuring marketing and advertising industry leaders in both English and Arabic.
Contributing brand perspectives on the country, Saudia’s Khaled Tash, The Royal Commission for AlUla’s Melanie De Souza, Saudi Tourism Authority’s Arcan Murshid share insights on delivering memorable experiences, shaping how the country is seen and creating lasting cultural currency. Riyadh Air’s Osamah Alnuaiser discusses the test of readiness, resilience and long view within aviation, while AlMarai’s Nabil Sleiman explains why FMCG brands are not only the ones that are the most creative but also the ones with the toughest briefs.
Alat’s Hussain Abdrabalnabi, Noor El Zeinni, Kiran Haslam, Humain’s Abeer Al-Qadi share notes on personalisation, AI and being human in marketing, while Mohamed Yousuf Naghi Motors’ Bilal Hallab and Petromin’s Hussein Dajani call for the need for brands to play the long game of patience and building resilience. Saudi Government advisor Lucrezia Di Francesco and Mohammed Aljuhani round out the thought leadership pieces from Saudi marketers and brands.
Complementing the brand op-eds are takes from agency leaders in Saudi, including the likes of Havas KSA’s Eddy Hanna, Publicis Groupe Middle East’s Chris Solomi, FP7 McCANN KSA’s Samer AlHussein, WonderEight’s Boudy Nasrala, ExtendExperience’s Pascal Vrinssen and Interesting Times’s Roupen Markossian.
On the Arabic side, contributors include TBWA\RAAD’s Najla Ali, PHD KSA’s Imran Khalid, WPP Media’s Samer Majzoub, Nithar’s Riyouf Al-Rumaih, Liwa’s Adham Abdullah, Entourage’s Amani Alghamdi, North Seventyfive’s Iman Issa, Hewar’s Loma Jaber, Rawi’s Majed Alnahawi, The Bold Group’s Abeer Alessa, Horizon FCB’s Tony Rouhana, Klick’s Asma’a Al Maraghi, Hashtag’s Maha Al-Awlaqi, Takkah’s Anwar Ramadan and MMS’s Ahmad Al Sahhaf.
The report also includes a directory of Saudi agencies, along with a selection of Saudi work.
Read the Procurement, Pitching and Pricing Issue and Saudi Report 2026 here.
