Danone announces media agency pitch

For the first time, three of Danone’s business units – Al Safi Danone, Danone Nutricia and Danone Waters – are to consolidate their respective media planning and buying within the Middle East region by appointing one media agency. Havas Media, Mindshare MENA and Initiative MENA are the agencies which have been invited to take part in the media pitch, which will be held October 29 – 30, 2014, in Dubai.

The media agency review will have a clear strategic ambition – to select an agency partner that will help the three Danone businesses to move from a purely broadcast model to a greater engagement model over the coming years. Danone aims to ensure that its media investments reflect the changes in the media landscape by collaborating with a strategic partner who will provide leadership in digital media, integrated strategic planning and value creation.

Serviceplan ME to hold Competence Circle event

Serviceplan Middle East, an integrated corporate communications agency, is set to hold its inaugural Competence Circle event in the region. Established by the Serviceplan Group in Germany, the aim of the Competence Circle is to create a platform for marketing, sales and PR professionals – B2B and B2C – to benefit from discussions around the industry’s most relevant and emerging topics.

The Serviceplan Middle East Competence Circle will take place on October 29, 2014, from 1pm – 5.30pm, and will be held at the Arjaan Rotana in Media City, Dubai.

Speakers for the inaugural event include – Eleni Kitra, Agency Partner MEAP, Facebook; Alfonso de Gaetano, Agency and Branding Leader MENA for Google and Florian Gmeinwieser, Managing Director of Plan.Net Mobile.

The Serviceplan Middle East Competence Circle will focus on the revolution of social media in the Middle Eastern region since the Arab spring, and will address the following questions – What does this revolution mean for brands and their marketing decision makers? What can brands expect from social media channels? What is the outlook? Where do the channels see the biggest potential for brand building? How does this region differ from the rest of the world?

“I’m really looking forward to welcoming our notable speakers to the first ever Serviceplan Middle East Competence Circle,” says Rami Hmadeh, Managing Partner, Serviceplan Middle East. “It’s the Serviceplan Group’s most successful platform for gathering industry experts to tackle imminent trends and equips marketers and brand managers with new insights to build best brands. Hundreds of such professionals have benefited from these circles in Europe, and we would like to do the same and give back to the media professionals in Dubai who steer both big and emerging brands in the region.”

Alison Towle promoted at ITP

Alison Towle has been promoted to Advertising Director of the Grazia Middle East Group. Having joined ITP Publishing in 2012 for the launch of OK! Middle East as Senior Sales Manager, Alison was most recently Group Advertising Manager for Grazia Middle East. In her new role, Alison heads up the sales team across Grazia Middle East, Grazia Qatar, Grazia Luxury, Grazia Bahrain, Grazia Style Awards and Grazia Fest.

Fatema Moursy joins Strategies International

Fatema Moursy has joined the Strategies International team as PR Executive. Her first role in public relations, Fatema previously worked as Marketing and Communications Coordinator for Canadian fashion brand, Travis Taddeo, focusing on social media marketing and client communications. In her new position, Fatema will assist the PR managers on client portfolios, PR plan development, press kit distribution and onsite event support.

“I am absolutely thrilled to be part of this dynamic team of talented women,” says Fatema. “I’m excited to learn and gain experience from my new position, and I look forward to starting off my career with Strategies International.”

Snapchat introduces advertisements in the US

In a bid to increase its revenue, Snapchat has announced that it is introducing ads for users in the United States as of this weekend. According to a blog post by the social media app, an advertisement will be placed in the ‘Recent Updates’ section of the app, but will not use data to target users individually and will not appear in either Snaps or Chats.

“The best advertisements tell you more about stuff that actually interests you. Some companies spend a lot of time and collect a lot of data about you to figure that out. The product we’re releasing is a lot simpler.”

This is the first time that Snapchat has integrated paid content into the app, with users given the choice of watching the ad, which will disappear after being viewed or within 24 hours – similar to the way that individual Snapchats are currently used.

Australian tabloid names UAE in editorial blunder

The Daily Telegraph, published in Sydney by News Corp Australia, has made an embarrassing editorial blunder, by running a headline stating that Australian bombing raids killed dozens of terrorists in the UAE, according to the newspaper’s online platform.

While the story referred to bombings in Iraq – in which Australia’s super hornets conducted a total of 43 flights over the country since becoming operational almost two weeks ago – the prominent headline told a different story.

The headline has since been amended to citing the Middle East instead of the UAE, though the original URL remains.

Warrick Godfrey joins Namshi

Warrick Godfrey has joined Namshi.com as Chief Marketing Officer. Warrick brings to his new role a wealth of international experience across e-commerce, retail and travel sectors, having worked in both web and online marketing in his previous positions which include leading partnerships for Facebook’s products and advertising solutions across the Sub-Saharan Africa region, and Co-Founding Cobone.com. He will now direct the overall strategic direction and marketing efforts of the Middle East’s leading online fashion platform.

“This is an incredibly exciting move,” says Warrick. “Namshi already has a strong reputation for online fashion that sets the standard for others to follow in the Middle East. I look forward to telling the Namshi story and building on its existing success.”

Dina Butti leaves Dubai One TV

Dina Butti is leaving Dubai One TV after five years as a Presenter and Writer for the Dubai One Channel. Dina has most recently worked as a Presenter and Writer for Dubai One TV’s celebrity program, That’s Entertainment, which entailed reporting on local and international gossip stories, interviewing celebrities visiting the region and covering red carpet events – from DIFF to the 2014 Oscars. Dina has also previously presented on Studio One, Out & About, City Wrap and numerous live events.

“I will forever be grateful to Dubai One for allowing me to realise my dream of becoming a television presenter – I not only got to meet my idols, but I experienced an astounding number of adventures,” says Dina. “As I prepare to embark on my next creative challenge (more details to come soon), I will cherish the memories I have gained over the past five years and use them to inspire my future.”