Yahoo to acquire video advertising platform

Yahoo is to buy programmatic video platform, BrightRoll, in a deal worth $640 million. According to an official blog post, the acquisition will accelerate Yahoo’s strategy to focus on search, communications and digital content through growth in mobile, social, native and specifically video advertising. With the acquisition to close in the first quarter of 2015, BrightRoll will strengthen Yahoo’s video advertising platform to make it the largest in the US, and is expected to clear $100 million in net revenue this year alone.

“Here at Yahoo, video is one of the largest growth opportunities, and BrightRoll is a terrific, strategic and financially compelling fit for our video advertising business,” says Marissa Mayer, CEO, Yahoo. “As with every acquisition we have been extremely thoughtful about our approach to the video advertising space. The acquisition will accelerate the growth of both companies – we can help BrightRoll scale to even more advertisers globally and they can bring their tremendous platform offering to Yahoo’s advertisers. The combination builds positive momentum for Yahoo’s broader display advertising business in 2015.”

Tod Sacerdoti, CEO and Founder of BrightRoll adds, “We believe that the next step for programmatic video advertising as an industry is to extend and standardise globally, make cross-device buying simple and measurable, and complement and integrate with TV. We are excited to join Yahoo to materially advance efforts in each of these areas. We’re still in the early innings as an industry, and together, BrightRoll and Yahoo are committed to the vision of helping grow the entire video advertising ecosystem.”

Lyla Loves Fashion appoints Brand Manager

Farah Banani has joined the Lyla Loves Fashion blog team as Brand Manager. Farah has previously worked as Account Manager at LOWE MENA, handling clients such as ADTV and MAF, and most recently acted as a creative services freelancer. In her new position with Lyla Loves Fashion, Farah will take care of all partnerships, collaborations and projects dealing with the blog.

“I am super excited to be joining one of the Middle East’s most recognised blogs,” says Farah. “Lyla Loves Fashion has definitely made its mark within the fashion industry and I look forward to taking the award winning blog to an international level.”

Zahra Lyla Pedram, Founder and Editor of Lyla Loves Fashion adds, “I am so happy to have Farah on board to really help Lyla Loves Fashion grow even further. She definitely thinks outside the box and will be a great asset to the development of the blog.”

Saffron Media welcomes Rickson Lucas

Rickson Lucas has joined Saffron Media as Business Development Director. Rickson brings with him a wealth of experience having spent the previous decade with ITP Publishing Group, most recently as Sales Director. In his new position, Rickson’s responsibilities will revolve around commercially growing Filmfare Middle East and Femina Middle East magazines, as well as ensuring that the team are constantly scaling new heights and pursuing new goals.

“I’m happy to have such amazing brands like Filmfare and Femina as my products,” says Rickson. “These lifestyle consumer magazine brands have been around for nearly 60 years, and it is a privilege for me to be representing the Middle East editions.”

Kevin Jones joins BPG | bates

BPG | bates, the Dubai-based advertising, design, events and activation agency, has appointed Kevin Jones as its new Strategic Planning Director. Kevin joins from Havas Worldwide Middle East, where he has been Strategic Planning Director since 2008. He will now work across all BPG | bates accounts, with a special focus on new business and will head the agency’s strategic planning department, as well as sit on the agency’s leadership committee.

“We are delighted to welcome Kevin to the team,” says Nick Clements, CEO, BPG | bates. “He brings a wealth of experience in strategic brand building with a focus on luxury, retail and household FMCG, and will further enhance the strategic guidance we can offer our wide ranging client base here in the region.”

Kevin adds, “I am very excited to be joining BPG | bates, a really dynamic agency with an impressive legacy. I’m looking forward to working with my new colleagues to help deliver big ideas for ambitious brands.”

Aby Thomas joins BNC Publishing

Aby Thomas has joined BNC Publishing as Managing Editor of Entrepreneur Middle East. Aby joins the team from ITP Publishing, where he was previously Editor of Facilities Management Middle East, and prior to this was a freelance journalist based in New York. As the new Managing Editor, Aby will liaise with the publication’s Editor-in-Chief, Fida Chabaan, to develop business-relevant content which engages readers across print, web and social mediums. He will also directly manage the in-house columnists, and facilitate the BNC Publishing team’s professional development, as part of its staff retention and growth strategy.

“I’m really looking forward to working with Fida and her team at Entrepreneur Middle East,” says Aby. “I’ve been following its work over the past few months and I’ve been very impressed by what they’ve achieved, so I’m quite excited to have my name attached to the publication!”

Fida Chabaan, Editor-in-Chief of Entrepreneur Middle East adds, “Appointing a Managing Editor for Entrepreneur Middle East was an arduous process. The right mix of dedication, skills and personality in a candidate for a senior-level position took me over six months to find. I was looking for a positive industry outlook, the willingness and ability to multitask effectively, and of course print, web and social media know-how. I consider Aby a valuable addition to the human capital of BNC Publishing.”

OMD Predicts 2014 to focus on trends in marketing

The 2014 edition of the OMD Predicts conference will focus on the aggregation of the three most fundamental trends transforming the practice of marketing. The sixth in the series of events designed to help marketers and media professionals future-proof their strategies, OMD Predicts will explore the way innovation, content and technology are reshaping marketing. Scheduled to take place on November 10, 2014, the conference will be held at Jumeirah Zabeel Saray’s Music Hall and is expected to gather more than 250 delegates.

OMD Predicts will bring international and regional experts to share insights and best practice to help marketers embrace and capitalise on the trends of content, technology and innovation – the three threads that are profoundly altering the way brands communicate with consumers. Guy Hearn, Chief Innovation Officer, Omnicom Media Group APAC, will discuss how showcasing media creativity in brands’ communications will separate the leaders from the followers. He will also highlight how to harness the innovation process and how it impacts advertisers, agencies and the media.

Content is becoming less the context for brand messaging and increasingly the message itself. In keeping with this, Shawn Amos, Founder and CEO of Freshwire, will focus on how brand storytelling and content marketing is evolving to add value to both brands and consumers, particularly in the context of evolving and emerging technologies.

Technology, perhaps the most transformational trend of all, will be the topic of a session presented by Whetson’s Founder, Thimon De Jong. Drawing from his experience on human behaviours, Thimon will explore the three most significant technological shifts that will alter not only brand communications but also business models.

“Planning for the future is never an easy task, but with OMD Predicts, we are aiming to establish a solid foundation from which one can start,” says Nadim Samara, Managing Director, OMD UAE & Lower Gulf. “Thanks to the knowledge and vision shared by this year’s speakers, future-proofing communication strategies will become a lot more achievable and fruitful. Rather than anxiety, this knowledge will allow us to look to the future with agility, anticipation, excitement and confidence.”