MENA Archives - Campaign Middle East

Is regional marketing more brand-led than campaign-led?

Ishwari Khatu — Tue, 02 Jun 2026 07:30:46 +0000

As marketers across the Middle East navigate the pressure to deliver immediate results while building brand, a key question continues to divide the industry: is regional marketing truly brand-led, or has it become overly campaign-led? For some, the region remains trapped in a loop of short-term activations, seasonal moments and performance-driven tactics that prioritise immediate […]

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Saudi Report 2026: The empathy illusion

Hiba Faisal — Tue, 19 May 2026 11:15:16 +0000

It is 11:47pm. You open an app you have used for years. A message appears: “Hi Hussain, we picked these just for you.” What follows is a carousel of products you do not want, offers that do not make sense and a tone that feels slightly off. You pause – not because you are impressed, […]

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Industry Snapshot: Why cultural instinct is now a brand advantage

Hiba Faisal — Thu, 14 May 2026 08:14:05 +0000

C&B’s Ahmad Itani explores why credibility, cultural instinct and market-specific insight are becoming the defining advantages in the Kingdom’s next era of brand-building. What are global brands still getting wrong about marketing in Saudi? Most global brands still treat localisation as translation. The tagline is in Arabic, while the rest of the campaign gets lifted […]

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Ruder Finn group launches RF Thunder in MENA

Shantelle Nagarajan — Tue, 12 May 2026 10:06:05 +0000

The Ruder Finn group has launched RF Thunder, an insights-driven communications consultancy in the MENA region. The launch marks a strategic expansion to support the region’s rapidly scaling SMEs, fast-evolving economic landscape, challenger brands, and high-growth businesses. Bianca Riley has been appointed General Manager to lead the new agency arm. The launch comes as the […]

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NorthStar Insights appoints Sadeq Al Fardan as Partner, Jonathan Mulligan as Senior Advisor

Anup Oommen — Tue, 28 Apr 2026 05:19:52 +0000

NorthStar Insights, a political risk and strategic communications consultancy, has appointed Sadeq Al Fardan as Partner and Jonathan (Jonny) Mulligan as Senior Advisor to its senior global advisory council. Al Fardan brings more than 18 years of experience across senior agency, in-house, and government roles, with deep expertise in strategic communications, public affairs, and stakeholder […]

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FP7 McCANN secures MENA region’s only International ANDY Awards win

Anup Oommen — Fri, 24 Apr 2026 13:20:57 +0000

FP7 McCANN MENAT has emerged as the only agency from the MENA region to secure a win at the prestigious International ANDY Awards, taking home an ANDY in the Idea category for its Not for the First Dates campaign for McDonald’s UAE. One of the most respected honours in global creativity, the ANDY Awards celebrate ideas […]

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Transparency first: how Foxpush is rebuilding advertiser confidence in MENA’s digital supply chain

Hiba Faisal — Thu, 23 Apr 2026 14:00:38 +0000

The digital advertising landscape in the MENA region is accelerating at an unprecedented pace. Programmatic budgets across the GCC are surging with double-digit growth, and brands that were cautious just five years ago are now directing the bulk of their media investment into performance channels. Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 and the UAE’s high digital penetration […]

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What it means to build from the Middle East

Shantelle Nagarajan — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 08:46:44 +0000

Resilience has long been the word most often used to describe this region. It’s an easy one, broad enough to cover its complexity, yet vague enough to avoid really unpacking it. But it has never quite sat right with me. Maybe that comes from my background. Growing up Lebanese, resilience was never something we spoke […]

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Why cutting marketing spend during crises backfires

Ishwari Khatu — Wed, 15 Apr 2026 11:14:41 +0000

Traditional marketing playbooks are not designed for geopolitical tensions, rising consumer activism and uneven economic pressure-driven environments that most Middle East marketers are operating in today. These are unpredictable environments where sentiments can shift quickly and have immediate commercial effects. In such scenarios, most marketers instinctively reduce their marketing spend or completely halt their activities. […]

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18 MENA entries shortlisted for Campaign AOY Global awards 2026

Shantelle Nagarajan — Thu, 09 Apr 2026 10:51:14 +0000

The sixth edition of the Agency of the Year Global awards has revealed its shortlist, with agencies from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region performing strongly against global competition. Eighteen entries from the region have been shortlisted for the Campaign AOY Global awards 2026, marking a significant increase from nine shortlisted entries in […]

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