2025 has been a year that has sparked a spectrum of extreme emotions. It’s been 12 months of fragile stability threaded through with volatility. It’s been a year when going through the paces of work and life – however stressful – has helped many overcome the creeping feeling of helplessness that sets in when we look at the bigger picture of a polarised world.
On one hand, 2025 was filled with trade wars, natural disasters and a rapidly evolving market that forced the industry to constantly adapt, pivot, and – quite often – take a good, long look in the mirror. This was a war-torn year, with cross-border conflicts across Israel and Gaza; Russia and Ukraine; Israel and Iran; Pakistan and India; Thailand and Cambodia; Armenia and Azerbaijan; in addition to civil unrest in Nepal, Syria, Yemen, Sudan, Ethiopia, Myanmar and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
This was a year that shook the world with the death of a pope, the public assassination of a right-wing social media celebrity, the crash of a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, and the loss of tens of thousands of lives in earthquakes and typhoons.
However, on the other hand, this was also the year when American singer-songwriter Katy Perry went to space; when animated movie KPop Demon Hunters and its songs Golden and Soda Pop stole millions of hearts – young and old; when blind-box collectible Labubu dolls dug into deep celebrity pockets; when a jumbotron moment at a Coldplay concert became immortal; when schools banned the turn of phrase ‘6-7’ and nations banned TikTok and other social media platforms; when Sydney Sweeney’s denim advertisement broke the internet; and the catchy slogan “Nothing Beats a Jet2 Holiday!” became one of the most memorable and ‘meme-worthy’ jingles of the year.
Truth be told, there’s nothing quite as therapeutic as journalling the journey, poring over the paths we’ve tread together, and exulting in the knowledge that we made it to the other side of 2025 – against all odds. Campaign Middle East has lived through the ebbs and flows of the year gone by and has chronicled it all for the Middle East marketing, media, creative and communications industry. Here’s the year in review:
January 2025
The year began with a reminder that the world is a tapestry of oppositional cross-stitches. Fans of the 300: Rise of an Empire movie and Addams Family-themed TV show Wednesday rejoiced on 1 January 2025 when Bulgaria and Romania were deemed part of the Schengen Area and open to cross-border European backpacking.
Those closely following updates on international conflicts breathed a sigh of relief when Israel and Hamas reached a ceasefire agreement, followed by a hostage and prisoner exchange.
However, the good news didn’t last long in the West or the East, as a vehicle-ramming and shooting attack in New Orleans, Louisiana shook the United States, and a 7.1-magnitude earthquake claimed lives in Tibet and China.
Yet, even as tremors of crises rocked several continents, resilience shone through in the constant attempt to keep the economy running with business as usual. The media and marketing industry in the Middle East kept pace with a relentless rhythm of launches, mergers and rebrands.
While the external world paused to take in the constant geopolitical and socio-economic shifts in January, marketers in the Middle East powered through the pain with purposeful storytelling, built on audience intelligence and creative experimentation.
In a major departure from post-Covid hybrid working cultures, WPP announced a new policy requiring staff to work in the office at least four days a week, including at least two Fridays per month. The changes were confirmed by then-chief executive Mark Read in an email sent to staff on 7 January but took effect only in April 2025.
The year’s first major structural shift in agency networks also arrived in January, with Publicis Groupe merging two of its creative engines, Leo Burnett and Publicis Worldwide, into a single network branded simply as Leo – a move testifying to a global push toward streamlined creativity and fewer silos. Meanwhile, UM launched Full Colour Media to empower brand-building, differentiation and growth.
Setting the pace for a host of C-suite leadership changes in 2025, Publicis Groupe Middle East appointed Dyala Badran as Chief Content Officer; Omnicom Media Group appointed Christian Fedorczuk as CEO of PHD MENA; and Billups appointed Ranganathan Somanathan as its Chief Global Growth Officer.
The month also revealed rising appetite for local expertise and regional reach. Memac Ogilvy won the public relations and influence account for Al-Futtaim IKEA, while Gambit Communications was chosen as Samsung Gulf Electronics’ PR agency for five markets – UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman.
Two notable award-winning campaigns also emerged from January. First, easypaisa and Impact BBDO highlighted the importance of insurance – not just as a product, but also in terms of safeguarding lives and livelihoods. For the first time, billboard installers received complete medical and life insurance coverage, and were also provided with international-standard safety gear to protect them during the installation of this out-of-home (OOH) advertisement.
Second, Fixby and MullenLowe MENA created a staggering nine-hour film – with a twist – to highlight the rising problem of phone addiction among children. The film mirrored the shocking amount of time pre-teens, teens and youth spend on devices per day. It also highlighted the risks this addiction poses, and highlighted ways to protect children from its adverse effects.
The month also saw Qatar Airways debut Sama, the first AI-powered digital human cabin crew, to act as its brand ambassador – a signal of brands in the region striving to remain at the forefront of AI-augmented customer experiences.
Troy Ruhanen, President and Global CEO of Omnicom Advertising Group, joined Campaign Middle East on an interesting video podcast shortly after Omnicom revealed plans to becoming the largest advertising agency in the world by revenue, and established Omnicom Advertising Group.
February 2025
The second month of the year provided little respite from volatility in the global arena. Washington and Beijing scaled up their tariff war in February, while Sweden was left reeling after the deadliest mass shooting in its history at an adult education centre in Örebro.
Meanwhile, in the Middle East, a four-hour Saudi-brokered summit saw strategic dialogue lead to restored diplomatic relations between Russia and the United States. Yet, the visceral moment that went viral in February 2025 was the heated exchange between US President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and US Vice-President JD Vance, which was televised live from the Oval Office at the White House.
What happened that same month in the MENA? Well, on a far more positive note, Wynn Resorts, in collaboration with MCH Global and The Romans, staged the ‘World’s Highest Hole‑in‑One’ challenge. With an AED 1m prize on the line for charity, the campaign challenged professional golfers Padraig Harrington, Thorbjørn Olesen and Ryan Fox, alongside golf experts and sports personalities, to drive a hole-in-one from a teeing terrace 22 stories high to a floating green. When no ace was completed, Wynn donated the prize money to whom, creating a lot of buzz for the resort.
Another top campaign launched in February, which etched its name onto global and regional trophies later in the year, was OMO Arabia’s ‘The Art of Stains’ campaign – brought to life in collaboration with MullenLowe MENA, Current Global and Milkshake Media. The campaign communicated a critical message about period care to women in the Middle East through a culturally sensitive partnership with Henna artists.
February also witnessed a string of strategic appointments. New Balance appointed Ana Elisa Seixas as Head of Marketing for the Middle East, Africa and India (MEAI) region; Ogilvy named André ‘Dedé’ Laurentino as Deputy Chief Creative Officer for Ogilvy Europe Middle East and Africa (EMEA); Serviceplan Arabia appointed Sara Eid as Regional Creative Director; and Publicis Sapient named Oliver Reppel and Rohit Mathew as Co Heads of Financial Services – Middle East and North Africa (MENA).
Shortly after Omnicom revealed plans to becoming the largest advertising agency in the world by revenue, and established Omnicom Advertising Group, Campaign Middle East hosted Troy Ruhanen, President and Global CEO of Omnicom Advertising Group, on an interesting On The Record video podcast. Campaign also ranked the Top 10 Superbowl advertisements of 2025 and hosted round table discussions on changing consumer behaviours during Ramadan, calling for marketers to focus on togetherness, timeliness, targeted ads and, most importantly, meaningful messaging during the Holy Month.
At Campaign Middle East’s first event of the year, Campaign Breakfast Briefing: Ramadan Advertising and the Year Ahead for Media and Marketing, held on 7 February, industry leaders sounded a similar clarion call to move from clichéd motifs to meaningful marketing. Rather than sticking to traditional, rigid demographic segmentation of age, gender, income, occupation and nationality, marketers called for the industry to tug on the heartstrings of several cohorts of hyper-local regional communities, which have distinct dialects, cultures, lifestyles, media preferences and purchase patterns.
Leaders called for hyper-personalised, culturally sensitive campaigns that truly resonate with the local populace. They shared the need to communicate stories ‘of the people, by the people, for the people in the region’.
March 2025
March brought another grim reminder of the temporal and transient nature of the world. Two months after it was agreed upon, the Israel-Gaza ceasefire ceased, as Israel relaunched widespread aerial bombardments on the Gaza Strip. This effectively re-ignited a humanitarian crisis that came to dominate headlines and industry risk assessments for months to come.
Lebanon also experienced a significant escalation of conflict with Israel, marked by Israeli airstrikes on towns in southern Lebanon and the capital city of Beirut, raising fears of a wider regional war. In Asia, a 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck Myanmar, leaving thousands dead and tens of thousands injured. Expats working in the MENA region, with families at home in these nations, needed a double portion of hope and strength to get through the month of March.
Yet, despite the daily deluge of difficult news, the Middle East market stayed resilient.
Amid the adversity, another award-winning campaign was birthed: Puck, under Arla Foods, collaborated with Dubai Cares, renowned food critic Anthony Rahayel, creative agency FP7 McCann, production companies Craft and Tres Content, Current Global for PR to bring ‘Recipe for Change’ to life.
This campaign took the recipes of traditional home-cooked dishes, crafted by Lebanese mothers, to the menus of Lebanese restaurants across the UAE and KSA, pledging 50 per cent of the proceeds from each dish sold to Lebanese families affected by the ongoing conflict in their nation.
In the outdoor media landscape, BackLite Media introduced The Oryx, a digital out-of-home (DOOH) offering, as part of its Landmark Series, indicating a growing appetite for premium DOOH formats in prime corridors such as Sheikh Zayed Road.
On the appointments front, GymNation picked Rory McEntee as Chief Marketing Officer; TBWA\Raad named Derek Green as Chief Creative Officer; BPG Group elevated Norah Saud Alsaja to General Manager for BPG Arabia; and Sprinklr appointed Amjad Al Sabbah as Group Vice-President for the Middle East and Africa.
The month also brought a spate of entertainment‑framed moments: the first season of Daredevil: Born Again launched in the UAE. To build anticipation around its streaming release, Disney+ hosted an immersive premiere, which brought Hell’s Kitchen to life at Roxy Cinemas in Boxpark Dubai. Hans Zimmer also left his mark in the UAE, composing a signature brand score for Vox Cinemas.
Volvo released its first AI-generated film to ‘Come Back Stronger’ in Saudi Arabia, and an Apple AirPods 4 campaign got Pedro Pascal grooving on air in the UAE and KSA, which gave Campaign Middle East the perfect excuse to source a quote from The Last of Us superstar.
The first quarter of 2025 ended on the poignant note that marketers would need to light the spark of joy in a world starving for some happiness, balancing urgency with responsibility and scaling with sensitivity. Above all, people in the industry began to stand shoulder to shoulder, often leaning on each for support and strength through tough times.
April 2025
The second quarter of 2025 proved to be a test of faith and leadership. The world mourned the loss Pope Francis in April, who passed away at the age of 88, prompting a period of reflection. Deliberation over values and ethics also percolated into the marketing world, which turned its attention from an over-rotation on performance metrics and returns on investment (ROIs) to long-term purpose, social good, and lasting partnerships ahead of the annual Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity in June.
Also, for the first time in Cannes Lions’ 72-year history, the festival selected a government sector representative for its jury. Cannes Lions offered Khaled AlShehhi, Executive Director of Marketing and Communication at the UAE Government Media Office, a seat on its PR Jury, marking a milestone not only for the UAE but for public relations worldwide.
In April, leaders from the Middle East marketing, advertising and creative industry also came together at the Emirates Golf Club for the Dubai Lynx Awards 2025, the MENA region’s leading platform for creative excellence and effectiveness. The awards celebrated the most outstanding creative work from across the region, naming VML as the Network of the Year and recognising Impact BDDO as the MENA agency of the year.
Impact BBDO further cemented its industry leadership by successfully defending the BRF Sadia account in April. In Q2 2025, Impact BBDO Group was chosen by Saudi Entertainment Ventures as its communications partner, and by Saudi not-for-profit foundation OceanQuest as its integrated communications partner, notching up big wins in PR, media, and digital for Impact BBDO, Impact Porter Novelli and Impact Proximity. Seagulls Media Group named Adpro& Group as its agency partner during this period.
The month of April witnessed the rare coming together of two major out-of-home media asset owners. Al Arabia Outdoor Advertising signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Multiply Group’s media vertical to explore joint investments in the global DOOH sector. Also, WPP’s acquisition of InfoSum highlighted a broader trend toward data collaboration and privacy-conscious marketing.
Celebrities stole the spotlight across the global media and marketing landscape. American media personality and socialite Kim Kardashian brought Labubu dolls to the limelight, sharing her collection of 10 dolls. A month later, former English professional footballer David Beckham sparked the Labubu craze again, posing with a doll gifted to him by his daughter.
April was also the month that American singer-songwriter Katy Perry controversially claimed to be an astronaut after returning from an 11-minute sub-orbital flight with an all-female flight aboard Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin rocket. However, the manner in which the crew exited the rocket capsule in front of a live-streamed audience also sent conspiracy theorists spiralling down the rabbit hole.
Speaking of exits, April also marked the first of many exits from WPP in 2025. Industry veteran Nick Walsh hung up his agency boots after two decades of shaping some of the world’s biggest brands under the WPP umbrella with the likes of VML, VMLY&R Commerce, Geometry Global, and Ogilvy. Walsh then launched Migrate, a specialist consultancy designed to help global independent agencies land, expand and thrive in the Middle East.
Meanwhile, a new carbon intelligence platform, Climaty.AI, also launched in Dubai with a promise to embed climate accountability into the heart of advertising. Ravi Rao, the former CEO of GroupM MENA – now called WPP Media – joined Climaty.AI as Managing Partner to lead the sustainability-focused agentic AI startup’s expansion.
Adding to major moves in the industry, LIGHTBLUE appointed Adel Noueihed as Managing Director; Al Futtaim Automotive named Katib Belkhodja as Marketing Director for Toyota and Lexus in the UAE; and Landor appointed Basim Asaad as Managing Partner, KSA. In the adtech world, Platformance expanded to Egypt, opening a new office in Cairo.
Campaign Middle East marked a historic first, launching its inaugural bilingual edition: the Saudi Arabia Report 2025. This was a supplement dedicated to the Kingdom that witnessed Campaign’s first inclusion of Arabic language content in print in 16 years.
Shortly after, Campaign Middle East also launched its first Arabic website, offering brand and marketing leaders in the region – especially those who prefer to think, read and write in Arabic – a platform to voice their thoughts and catch up on the latest news and updates.
As April drew to a close, the global trade landscape darkened as US President Donald Trump issued sweeping global tariffs on several nations, accelerating a global conversation about supply chains, localisation, and the moral obligations of multinational brands navigating transnational markets.
Tensions between the nations of Pakistan and India flared up in April after militants opened fire on a group of tourists in the Baisaran Valley near Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir, India. This would later come to be known as the Pahalgam attack – the tinder box that lit up a spate of tit-for-tat cross-border missile exchanges and brought the nations to the brink of war in May.
May 2025
At the end of week 1 in May, after significant military action between India and Pakistan, which surpassed previous thresholds of systems deployed and infrastructure targeted, the nations agreed to a ceasefire.
At the global level, white smoke emanated from the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican in May, heralding a new pope, as 133 cardinal electors chose Robert Francis Prevost as Pope Francis’s successor.
Prevost assumed the name Leo XIV, becoming the first pope from North America, the first pope with Peruvian and US citizenship, and the first pope from the Order of Saint Augustine.
In the Middle East marketing sphere, the month of May witnessed real estate developer DAMAC Properties announced a long-term global partnership with Chelsea Football Club, marking the start to a series of high profile sports marketing sponsorships and collaborations in the region.
On the tech front, Meta and EssilorLuxottica officially unveiled the Ray-Ban Meta glasses in the UAE during an exclusive launch event on May 7 held at Gitano Beach Club. The Ray-Ban Meta glasses offered users the ability to record photos and videos hands-free, and pick up phone calls and send messages without touching their phones. The glasses also offered users the option to query Meta AI on the go, listen to music discreetly without any headphones or ear plugs, and have languages – including sign language – translated live.
Telecom and digital services provider du set a Guinness World Record for the ‘longest promotional livestream’, accomplished in collaboration with TikTok Live MENA, as part of its ‘Unstoppable Network’ campaign.
The campaign was brought to life by creative agency TBWA\Raad, production house Digital Tree, media agency Mindshare, and influencer agency GOAT, part of WPP Media, in partnership with TikTok Live.
Senior leadership moves were seen across the industry, as HAVAS Red Middle East promoted Dana Tahir to the role of Chief Executive Officer; AKQA appointed Jon Holloway as Managing Director for the MENA region; and C2 Comms picked Saurabh Dahiya as Head of Strategy and Planning.
Campaign Middle East crossed another milestone, launching its first Campaign Market Minds CMO Round Table. Conducted in partnership with Publicis Groupe Middle East, the event welcomed 12 of the UAE’s leading retail media marketers for an in-depth knowledge-sharing and community-building exercise.
The conversations reinforced the notion that retail media is no longer only a trade marketing channel. Leaders agreed that retailers need to focus more on long-term customer value, upper-funnel brand spend, joint value propositions (JVPs) and full funnel partnerships, while becoming true growth engines for organisations.
A striking campaign to cap the month of May was launched by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). The ‘Laws Under Attack’ campaign drew global attention back to the repeated targeting of hospitals and medical personnel in conflict zones. After one of the last operational hospitals in southern Lebanon became a direct casualty of targeted attacks, the ICRC partnered with TBWA\RAAD and Lebanese muralist Ghaleb Hawila to inscribe tenets from the Geneva Convention on to the building’s shattered walls.
Closing out the month of May on an extremely exciting note, The Walt Disney Company and Miral announced an upcoming Disney theme park resort in Abu Dhabi. More captivating than the news itself was the way the launch campaign was orchestrated.
In close collaboration with Momentum Dubai, Initiative MENAT, Weber Shandwick MENAT, HQ Worldwide Shows (HQWS) and Dejavu UAE, among other key stakeholders – and under a strict veil of confidentiality – a ‘decoy’ campaign was executed. More than 70 regional and global journalists were invited to the W Abu Dhabi hotel under the guise of a 15-year Yas Island anniversary celebration – complete with fireworks, drone shows and the presence of global celebrities such as supermodel Naomi Campbell and Hollywood actor Tyrese Gibson – before the on-ground experience turned into the reveal of the Middle East’s first Disney theme park.
June 2025
All eyes turned back to the Middle East in June 2025, as Israel conducted air strikes against Iran, killing several senior Iranian military commanders. Iran retaliated – and social media lit up with videos of high-altitude missiles seen over the skies of Kuwait, Bahrain and the UAE – raising fears of war and prayers for peace.
The United States got involved, carrying out B-2 bomber airstrikes on three Iranian nuclear sites in Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan. Iran responded, firing missiles at US bases in Qatar and Iraq. However, before matters could escalate beyond the point of no return, the nations agreed to a ceasefire.
In the northern hemisphere, Ukraine launched one of its largest drone attacks on Russian military bases as part of Operation Spiderweb, destroying more than 40 Russian aircraft in the process.
More tragic news shook expats working in the Middle East in June 2025, when London-bound Air India Flight 171 crashed shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad, India. The devastating event claimed the lives of 229 passengers, 12 crew members and 19 people at the site of the crash – leaving only one survivor.
June was also the month that WPP Global CEO Mark Read announced that he would step down after 30 years with the company. Within weeks, WPP picked Cindy Rose, a senior executive at Microsoft, to replace Read.
In one of the biggest announcements within the region’s OOH industry in 2025, Abu Dhabi-based investment holding company Multiply Group united three out-of-home (OOH) companies within its portfolio, including BackLite Media, Viola Media and Media 247 under a UAE-headquartered media entity called Multiply Media Group (MMG).
The scale of the newly formed entity now includes more than 3,000 advertising units across the UAE, including more than 75 premium assets on Sheikh Zayed Road, backed by long-term agreements with Mada Media, Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) and Abu Dhabi’s Department of Municipalities and Transport (DMT).
In other industry news, independent integrated communications agency Seven Media revealed five significant business wins, including Skyscanner, Emirates Foundation, Qasr Al Hosn, Yas Asset Management and Abu Dhabi Awards.
Saudi Arabia’s stc group selected media sales powerhouse Rotana Media Services (RMS) as its exclusive advertising partner for its premium streaming platform: stc tv. Meanwhile, Memac Ogilvy was appointed by technology and smart devices company Huawei as the public relations partner for the brand’s two core businesses – Huawei Consumer Business Group (CBG) for UAE, and Huawei Information and Communication Technology (ICT) for the Middle East.
The MENA region had a great run at Cannes Lions 2025 in June. Out of the 828 honours awarded to winners from 48 countries, the MENA region claimed a total of 32 wins – up from 22 in 2024. Impact BBDO led the region on total points and was awarded the MENA Network of the Year at Cannes Lions 2025. FP7 McCann Dubai, VML MENA and BigTime Creative Shop shared the most regional honours at Cannes Lions with seven wins each.
Campaign Middle East comprehensively covered all the top takeaways from the 72nd edition of the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, held from 16 to 20 June 2025, which highlighted the foundational pillars holding up the current marketing edifice: creativity – originally human and artificial intelligence (AI) assisted; technology – updates on generative AI, algorithms, platforms and social media; outcomes – building brand equity and bringing in financial returns; social impact – purpose-driven ‘marketing for good’ to heal a polarised planet; as well as culture and context – collaborating and co-creating with a vibrant content-led economy.
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July
As the summer months came calling in the Middle East, the marketing industry split its attention between indoor gaming and esports collaborations, and outdoor sports marketing opportunities.
Home to global sporting events such as two Formula 1 Grands Prix at the Abu Dhabi Yas Marina circuit and the Jeddah Corniche, UFC fight nights, World Boxing Council (WBC) matches, the Dakar Rally, several golf championships, and most recently the Esports World Cup, the Middle East region has witnessed the rise of state-of-the-art infrastructure, sports influencers, brand-building collaborations, sponsorship deals, naming rights, merchandising, media and broadcast tie-ups, and die-hard sports fan community bases.
Campaign Middle East covered the 2025 Esports World Cup (EWC) from Riyadh in July 2025, interviewing several key industry leaders, including Mohammad Al Nimer, Chief Commercial Officer, Esports World Cup Foundation; Munir Khoja, Managing Director, Marketing Communications, Jameel Motorsport; and Abdullah Al Dakhil, Senior Director –Global PR and Communications, Saudi Tourism Authority, among others.
The numbers from EWC were truly impressive. This year, the event attracted more than 750 million viewers, who contributed to a total watch time of 184 million hours, a testament to the audience’s deep engagement. On social media alone, the tournament generated an 8 billion impressions. On the ground, EWC transformed Riyadh into a global hub, drawing 3 million visitors to Boulevard City, the tournament venue, and an estimated 300,000 international visitors to the Saudi capital over six weeks of world-class gaming and esports.
Perhaps, the most significant achievement of EWC was not the marketing return on investment (ROI) data, impressive as it was, but the cultural shift that the event embraced. Today, Saudi Arabia stands proudly as a global esports destination, where two-thirds of the population describe themselves as gamers. The Kingdom not only staged a groundbreaking global event but also witnessed its own Saudi team of local gamers outperform global players in the public eye, with Team Falcons winning the coveted Club Championship trophy.
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Also, making the news in July, Dentsu launched its sports analytics division in the MENA region, anchored by the appointment of Samah Raydan as Vice-President, Dentsu Sports Analytics MENA.
Ethara, an events and entertainment company known for managing and operating some of the region’s largest sporting events such as the Abu Dhabi Formula 1 Grand Prix and UFC fight nights, appointed The Romans to lead its PR, offering the agency a multi-year retainer for corporate brand, live events and venues – such as the Yas Marina Circuit, Etihad Park and Etihad Arena.
Q3 2025 also turned into a period of strategic rebrands. In July 2025, Ahmed Seddiqi launched its refreshed brand, which dropped the historic “& Sons” from its name as part of its 75th anniversary campaign. Global social media-based creative agency We Are Social also rebranded Dubai-based company Socialize to We Are Social in July, expanding its strategy services to include influencer marketing and cultural insights.
Two moments that broke the internet in 2025 also arrived in July: First, American actress Sydney Sweeney appeared in a controversial advertisement for American Eagle Outfitters with the tagline ‘Sydney Sweeney Has Great Genes’.
Then, a jumbotron camera at a Coldplay concert accidently exposed a cosy moment between the then-CEO of Astronomer Andy Byron and the company’s then-Chief People Officer Kristin Cabot.
While on one hand, the Sydney Sweeney ad spurred several global debates about attention over intention, and provocation over purpose, and was criticised for being ‘tone deaf’, on the other hand, there were those who pointed to the massive uptick in the brand’s market capitalisation, which soared to $2.2bn following a 23 per cent increase in share price within a month of the ad’s go-live date.
As for the Coldplay ‘Kiss Cam’ moment, it goes without saying that the media and marketing world had a field day with this ‘meme-worthy moment’, and the executives at the centre of the controversy resigned from their respective positions.
On a positive note, several senior executives also took on new roles in the region in July.
Seedtag appointed Brian Gleason as its new global Chief Executive Officer; Suad Merchant was chosen as Chief Marketing Officer for GEMS Education; SRMG Media Solutions (SMS) picked Nedaa Al Mubarak as Chief Executive Officer; and Deepanshi Tandon was appointed Head of Brand for Edelman UAE.
August
Traffic on major arterial roads in the region eased in August as parents took families on well-deserved vacations, cashing in on annual leave while school was out.
Those who held the fort at their desks were left toying with and testing the fifth generation of OpenAI’s generative artificial intelligence (Gen AI) model GPT-5, which was released in August. This was also the month that a famine in Gaza City was confirmed for the first time after the UN-backed body responsible for monitoring conditions in Gaza raised the food insecurity classification to Phase 5, the highest and worst level, sparking international outcry.
Despite being a slower than usual month, August outdid itself with a large share of high-profile agency launches, appointments and key client wins. This proved to be the month when the agencies reaped the harvest after months spent pitching for new clients and defending current clients.
Campaign Middle East reported the scoop on George Clooney and Amal Clooney-founded Clooney Foundation for Justice (CFJ) choosing relationship marketing agency MRM MENAT to enhance the Foundation’s digital presence; Hearst appointed The Vantage as its official MENA media representative; Danube Home picked MoEngage to power hyper-personalised customer journeys; ONE Development selected Kenshō Mindful Communications as its PR partner; OSN Group chose Current Global MENAT as its exclusive public relations agency; GODIVA appointed Brazen MENA as PR agency for the UAE and KSA; and Samsung Gulf selected Flourish as its Middle East CRM agency of record.
Meanwhile, Paris-based creative agency The Refreshment Club launched its MENA hub in Dubai; SPANDY launched as a MENA agency for film directors and photographers; UK-founded community-driven content creator agency Buttermilk launched operations in the Middle East with offices in Dubai and Riyadh; and Campaign’s Independent Agency of the Year 2024 winner tactical. launched MAiK: an AI creative studio for social-native content.
The month also marked some marquee marketing appointments as Saudi Arabia’s King Salman Park picked Simon Shaw as its Chief Communications and Marketing Officer; CFI Financial Group chose Omar Khaled as Group Chief Marketing Officer; and HSBC appointed John McDonald as Global Chief Marketing Officer.
September
The power of social media and the influence wielded by youth dominated headlines in September. Thousands of teenagers and young adults ousted incumbent parliamentarians in Nepal after social media outcry boiled over into mass anti-government protests on the nation’s streets.
The juxtaposition of youth protestors celebrating while emoting their angst against politicians was immortalised in videos of them recreating the viral dance of Rayyan Arkan Dikha, ‘the canoe kid of Indonesia’, outside a burning Parliament building.
In a first-of-its-kind shift in power, the decision to raise the former chief justice of Nepal, Sushila Karki, to the office of interim prime minister was taken by the nation’s youth population on a social media platform: Discord.
In September, concern and outrage echoed across social media following the assassination of 31-year-old, right-wing influencer Charlie Kirk, an ally of US President Trump. Reactions to the killing further highlighted how algorithms have polarised people who are constantly consuming content on social media platforms, even though their daily lives across the globe are quite disconnected from the geopolitical and contextual realities of the United States.
On the regional front, Dubai Media Incorporated (DMI), the official media organisation of the Government of Dubai, ended its partnership with Choueiri Group’s Middle East Media Services (MEMS), which markets and sells advertising space in the region, marking an end to a partnership that lasted 24 years.
The top merger of the month, which was discussed in hushed whispers until the news went live, was Publicis Groupe Middle East’s acquisition of Chain Reaction – a strategic move that reinforced the Groupe’s leadership across performance marketing, content and experience design.
Also, making waves in September was the news that global communications agency Burson appointed Fouad Bou Mansour – the former Vice-President, Creative Studio at the Saudi Tourism Authority – as its new CEO for the Middle East, North Africa and Turkey (MENAT) region.
Rounding off other top appointments, Saudi Arabia’s ROSHN Group picked Waseem Khashan as Chief Marketing Officer; Dentsu Sports International chose Ali Aljehani as Senior Vice-President for the MENA region; Kekst CNC appointed Luciana Blackwell as a Partner in its Abu Dhabi office; Omnicom Media Group – MENA (OMG MENA) promoted Elie Bachaalani to the role of Chief Investment Officer; Hypermedia chose Dylan Temple-Heald as Head of Programmatic (pDOOH); Multiply Media Group picked Nouman Usmani as Chief Financial Officer; and Zenith offered Rawan Yaqub the role of Head of Saudi Arabia. Closing out the month, Campaign Middle East marked another first, launching its official Marketing Game Changers Awards in September.
This recognition was neither editorially nor commercially led. Instead, it was organised as a full-fledged annual award category – with clear eligibility and evaluation criteria, a panel of 34 respected judges, and formal submissions, with the winners recognised at the annual Agency of the Year Middle East Awards ceremony and highlighted in this edition of the magazine.
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October
The final quarter of the year brought with it a sense of cautious optimism amid hard diplomacy, cultural milestones and corporate transformation.
The Gaza peace process moved into its first phase, with negotiations that facilitated temporary ceasefires and the release of hostages and detainees.
Also, dominating headlines in October, social media videos of a high-profile heist went viral after some of the French Crown Jewels were stolen from the Galerie d’Apollon of the Louvre in Paris. A German company got inadvertently embroiled in the heist because one of its lifts was used in the theft. Instead of downplaying it, Werne-based firm Böcker published a social media post featuring the now-famous image of its furniture ladder extending up to a balcony outside the Galerie d’Apollon. This is one marketing stunt that fits the idiom: “No publicity is bad publicity”.
This was also the month that the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to social activist María Corina Machado of Venezuela, a decision that ignited international chatter about leadership, resilience and the politics of peace.
In the Middle East, October witnessed its fair share of top appointments: talabat MENA chose Chama Moumile as Regional Director of Communications; Publicis Groupe Middle East appointed Chris Solomi as Chief Digital Officer; Havas picked Bertille Toledano, CEO of BETC, as the CEO of Havas Creative Middle East and President of Havas Creative Network; Initiative appointed Amine Adem as General Manager UAE; TBWA\RAAD appointed Priya Cima as Talent & Organisational Development Specialist; and Omnicom Media Group (OMG) MENA appointed Florian Pfeifer as Managing Director of Flywheel Commerce Network.
Globally, WPP and Google turned heads with a $400m partnership to enhance marketing with AI, while locally, Platformance and MCN’s launch of RADIUS, a retail media solution designed to unify and accelerate retail media growth, turned into the talk of the town. Elevision launched a new OOH residential media circuit at City Walk in October.
Publicis Groupe Middle East claimed its moments in the spotlight through a spate of strategic partnerships in October. LiveRamp, a data collaboration partner, partnered with Publicis Groupe Middle East to accelerate the growth and adoption of commerce media. Publicis Groupe Middle East and Altibbi also shook hands to unlock data-driven healthcare solutions in the region. At Athar Festival 2025, Publicis Groupe Middle East and Snapchat launched Youth Studio: a first-of-its-kind hub designed to help brands better understand and engage with Gen Z and Gen Alpha across the GCC.
Campaign Middle East extensively covered Athar Festival 2025 at the Diriyah Biennale Foundation in JAX District, Riyadh. More than 3,000 people and 250 speakers attended the event, which featured more than 100 hours of content across five stages, including more than 80 activations and eight masterclasses over two days.
November
Stepping into the penultimate month of the year, Campaign Middle East’s On The Record video podcast became the hot topic of conversation with an episode shot in the studio of CNN’s Emmy-award-winning Connect the World show in Abu Dhabi. Becky Anderson, Managing Editor, CNN Abu Dhabi, as well as Alireza Hajihosseini, Deputy Bureau Chief, CNN Abu Dhabi and Director of CNN Academy, responded to critical questions about differentiating fake news from credible sources of information, and the ethics and standards expected of journalists and storytellers across various formats and channels.
In global news, a massive fire engulfed an apartment block in Hong Kong, claiming more than 150 lives, and Cyclone Senyar wreaked havoc across Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia. While updates of the tragedies were a difficult watch on news channels, the extraordinary spirit of solidarity on display was heartwarming as people came forward to help each through spontaneous acts of kindness.
Supporting communities back home in the Middle East, delivery platform talabat took its brand promise of ‘Giving Back’ beyond a one-off programme to highlight it as a core brand value. In November, talabat released its annual Giving Back Impact Report, not only highlighting AED 6m raised to drive social impact but also reflecting lasting change in consumer behaviour. The report highlighted how donations grew 6 per cent year on-year and the average contribution per user more than doubled during the observed period of Q3 2025 compared with the same period the previous year.
Meanwhile, holding company MCN revealed a major expansion of its data capabilities and platform services across the MENAT region through Acxiom, part of IPG. This expansion strengthened the value proposition for brands seeking advanced personalisation and measurable business results. MCN also revealed a strategic data partnership with Foxpush, a leading adtech and data solutions provider, to deliver enhanced addressable media capabilities across the MENA region.
In other major news, Multiply Media Group (MMG), a subsidiary of 2PointZero Group – formerly Multiply Group – revealed the 100 per cent acquisition of London Lites, one of London’s leading digital out-of-home (DOOH) operators. The London Lites network comprises more than 65 premium digital signs across central London, including flagship sites such as The Cube at Flannels Oxford Street, one of London’s most recognisable multi-panel digital landmarks.
Meanwhile, Publicis Groupe Middle East launched Potentialis, an innovative talent-first programme that embeds a human-AI collaboration model across its agencies in the region.
Food delivery brand Keeta entered the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar with a bang – accelerating adoption by practising what it preaches: focus on people. The brand quickly gained a reputation for lowering commissions that delivery apps take on food ordered from restaurants, offering fair pay for riders, and providing consistently reliable service for customers.
Marking a milestone 20th year, Dubai’s RTA unveiled its ‘20 Years of Moving Dubai Forward’ campaign with an ‘RTA Meet Up’ hero film featuring local celebrities Kris Fade, Abdullah Raesi, Max of Arabia and Nyla Usha. Brought to life in collaboration with creative strategists at SOCIALEYEZ, the fully integrated digital campaign was also rolled out through creative reels, storytelling content, live coverage and social amplification across RTA’s platforms.
December
The final month of the year offered a time for introspection, consolidation and action.
Australia led the world by becoming the first nation to enact a legal ban on social media for users aged 16 and younger. Millions of children and teenagers lost access to existing accounts across Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X, YouTube, Snapchat, Reddit, Kick, Twitch and TikTok overnight. The nation also warned that platforms which do not comply run the risk of being fined up to A$49.5m.
Also, the ripple effects of Omnicom’s $9bn acquisition of Interpublic Group (IPG), which closed in late November, were felt in the Middle East region in early December. It began with minor changes on the email addresses of those representing agencies under the Interpublic Group (IPG) in the MENA region, including at MCN, which now bear the ‘Omnicom’ suffix after the name of the sender.
At the global level, Omnicom launched a major restructure, including nine global leaders in new roles, more than 4,000 redundancies – adding to previous cuts, and the axing of the DDB, FCB and MullenLowe agencies. That said, leaders in the region stated that Horizon FCB, under Horizon Holdings, and MullenLowe MENA, under MCN, would remain robust, strong and ‘status quo’ for the moment in the region with no direct impact on clients or existing portfolios.
Rounding up senior leadership changes in the final quarter of 2025, Motivate Media Group welcomed Thomas Woodgate as its Group Content Director. Meanwhile, Carla Sertin was appointed Head of Editorial Content at WIRED Middle East; BPG Arabia chose Tim Baker as President – Saudi Arabia; Media World and Pixels World picked Firas Salha as Acting Group CEO; and Serviceplan Group Middle East appointed Varun Kohli as Chief Financial Officer.
Also in the news, MCH Global strengthened its commitment to Saudi Arabia by opening a new office in the Kingdom.
In terms of key account wins in early December, Seddiqi Holding picked iProspect as its digital media agency of record, and Holcim UAE chose Catch Communications as its communication partner.
Meanwhile, Samsung Electronics MENA concluded its comprehensive media agency review for the region, confirming a rare dual-agency partnership structure that called for Publicis Groupe Middle East and dentsu to jointly manage the brand’s media planning and buying portfolio in the region.
Before the industry clocked out for the year-end break, the focus shifted to Abu Dhabi in early December as the UAE capital not only hosted the championship-deciding race of the 2025 Formula 1 Grand Prix season, but also welcomed global and regional icons such as English actor Idris Elba, Egyptian actress Yousra Naseem, Hollywood and Bollywood icon Priyanka Chopra Jonas, and HRH Princess Lamia bint Majed Saud AlSaud, Secretary General & Member of the Board of Trustees, Alwaleed Philanthropies, and Board Member, BRIDGE Alliance at the BRIDGE Summit 2025.
In December, Sri Lanka was hit by its deadliest natural disaster since the devastating 2004 tsunami. Cyclone Ditwah affected up to 10 per cent of the nation’s vast population and Reuters reported that recovery costs could reach upwards of $7bn. Here’s hoping that the year ahead bears better tidings.
All in all, 2025 felt like navigating a ship through a never-ending storm: the winds of geopolitics, climate shocks and industry turbulence buffeted the deck, yet the crew kept the vessel moving with a resolute focus on people, purpose and performance.
The Middle East region proved, yet again, that great marketing isn’t about dodging disruption but about embracing it, understanding it and resonating real emotions felt by communities because of it. Hyper-local storytelling, culturally sensitive campaigns and a clear tilt toward social impact kept campaigns from merely riding trends or reacting to volatility.
Three takeaways stand out: First, marketing in 2025 shifted gears several times from performance mode to sports mode to a people-first mode.
Secondly, the effectiveness of purpose-led campaigns amid geopolitical tensions and active consumer-led boycotts underscored that brands are being measured not only by ROI but also by their lasting impact on society.
Third, technology adoption and data-driven decisions matured beyond buzzwords to becoming the backbone of the industry. Conversations correspondingly moved from surface level takes on AI and authenticity to deeper dives into predictive analytics, hyper-personalisation at scale, automation, agentic AI, incrementality, advanced segmentation, enhanced targeting and real-time optimisation.
The invitation for 2026 is clear: keep investing in people and culture, harness AI as a creative co-pilot rather than a substitute for human judgment and deepen ethical storytelling that connects local realities with global ambitions. The marketing map for 2026 is being redrawn by brands that choose to be personal, purposeful and proudly local.
