transparency Archives - Campaign Middle East

The creator economy level-up

Shantelle Nagarajan — Thu, 11 Jun 2026 09:19:38 +0000

Creator marketing in the Middle East is entering a more demanding phase. The conversation is no longer only about reach, visibility or the number of followers a creator can bring to a campaign. Senior marketers, agency leaders and creators are now asking sharper questions such as: Which creator partnerships genuinely shift consumer behaviour? How should […]

The post The creator economy level-up appeared first on Campaign Middle East.

The industry doesn’t need better pitches; it needs better standards

Anup Oommen — Thu, 04 Jun 2026 06:14:44 +0000

The conversation around pitching in the Middle East has finally opened up. For years, the pitch process has been marked by frustrations around unrealistic timelines, speculative work, huge agency lists, procurement-heavy structures, unclear decision-making and, in some cases, pitches that simply disappear without closure. Yet despite how openly these conversations happen behind closed doors, very […]

The post The industry doesn’t need better pitches; it needs better standards appeared first on Campaign Middle East.

Saudi Report 2026: Leading with authenticity across borders

Anup Oommen — Tue, 12 May 2026 05:20:17 +0000

In a world saturated with noise, authenticity is what truly makes the difference. We live in an era where connection is constant, but understanding is rare. Social media has erased distance, yet empathy is still missing. What really resonates is not perfection, but honesty. Genuineness builds trust because it requires risk. When someone speaks their […]

The post Saudi Report 2026: Leading with authenticity across borders appeared first on Campaign Middle East.

From the Editor’s Desk: May 2026 – ‘We have an opportunity to do things better’

Anup Oommen — Mon, 11 May 2026 08:55:39 +0000

We have lived through some surreal times. A month ago, people across the Middle East’s brand and marketing landscape were juggling anxiety with resilience. Despite the dread of uncertainty, they stepped up to ensure business continuity. They empathised better with each other, kept lines of communication open with clients, quietly delivered on promises made, and […]

The post From the Editor’s Desk: May 2026 – ‘We have an opportunity to do things better’ appeared first on Campaign Middle East.

From comparison to conviction; from process to outcome

Anup Oommen — Mon, 11 May 2026 05:20:21 +0000

The pitch process is broken. There, I said it. I started as a client lead: managing accounts, holding the relationship and living with the consequences of how a pitch was run. Then, I moved into managing growth, pitching and chasing new business, learning how the system works from the inside. Now, I run an agency. […]

The post From comparison to conviction; from process to outcome appeared first on Campaign Middle East.

Cover Feature: From a pitch to a partnership

Anup Oommen — Mon, 11 May 2026 05:00:34 +0000

A strange paradox has been normalised at the heart of the brand-agency partnership landscape in the Middle East. Brands claim that they want sharper thinking, strategic consumer insights, stronger distinctiveness, larger share of voice, tangible returns on investment and creative work that connects with communities long after campaigns end. Yet, current pitch systems and the […]

The post Cover Feature: From a pitch to a partnership appeared first on Campaign Middle East.

Consumer sentiment driving spend towards small comforts amid geopolitical tensions: report

Anup Oommen — Mon, 27 Apr 2026 13:50:36 +0000

WARC has released its 2026 Global Consumer Trends report exploring the key issues that will influence consumer purchase decisions across brands and categories over the next year. Based on a comprehensive set of GWI surveys combined with WARC’s own research, case studies and analysis, the report focuses on five trends influencing brand selection, each examined through the lens of WARC’s proprietary GEISTE framework. The report reveals that consumers’ […]

The post Consumer sentiment driving spend towards small comforts amid geopolitical tensions: report appeared first on Campaign Middle East.

Beyond the reward

Shantelle Nagarajan — Wed, 08 Apr 2026 06:52:51 +0000

The spend-and-get era of loyalty is hitting a ceiling in the Middle East and Africa, where 33 per cent of consumers now explicitly demand gamified experiences. To thrive in 2026, CMOs must shift from transactional carrots to liquid loyalty, a blend of advanced gamification and sustainability. This evolution transforms loyalty from a traditional cost center […]

The post Beyond the reward appeared first on Campaign Middle East.

You don’t need a cheaper agency; you need the right partnerships

Anup Oommen — Mon, 23 Mar 2026 05:20:47 +0000

Social media in the GCC has become something most brands weren’t prepared for. Instagram, TikTok, WhatsApp and Snapchat are now, for many companies, the primary interface between business and customer, where discovery happens, purchases are decided and brand reputation is either built or quietly eroded. Most agency partnerships haven’t kept up with that reality. We […]

The post You don’t need a cheaper agency; you need the right partnerships appeared first on Campaign Middle East.

Lessons from the UAE: Crisis communications done right

Anup Oommen — Wed, 11 Mar 2026 04:42:02 +0000

For anyone working in communications, nothing tests your skills like a crisis. In theory, it’s easy to prepare for: build a solid playbook, anticipate relevant scenarios, draft pre-planned statements, and perhaps run an annual drill. But the real test is whether an organisation and its leadership can deliver on those principles under pressure, when uncertainty […]

The post Lessons from the UAE: Crisis communications done right appeared first on Campaign Middle East.