New beauty platform at Gulf News

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Falling under the umbrella of Gulf News Publishing, leisure title tabloid! has introduced a new dedicated beauty platform, The Beauty Beat. The new launch will be available online under the ‘Life&Style’ section of Gulf News’ website with a weekly printed version included in tabloid!’s Friday issue.

“The beauty world can be big and brash, especially for someone who is keen to explore the world of makeup and skincare,” says Jennifer Barretto, Copy Editor, Tabloid!. “There is no dearth of bloggers talking about products, and in this glammed-out world of selfie-perfect looks, we wanted to offer a simpler take on things. I’m just a regular girl with a lot to say about makeup. Hopefully, people will enjoy the column and connect.”

Times of Oman secures awards at ENA

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Following two gold and three silver accolades at the 2016 Wanlfra Middle East Digital Awards, Times of Oman has secured two Awards for Excellence at the European Newspaper Awards (ENA). The title was recognised in the category of ‘Online Infographics’ for its use of interactive digital graphics in the ‘Omani Dress’ and ‘Rio 2016’ features that were published on its online platform. The English daily also received four accolades in the ‘Sectional Front Pages’ category for its print newspaper. The award ceremony will take place during the European Newspaper Congress from May 21 -23, 2017, at the City Hall of Vienna.

“2016 has been a strong year for timesofoman.com for growth, both in audience and traffic as well as digital creativity,” says Scott Armstrong, Chief Executive Editor, Times of Oman. “We are already excited for what 2017 holds as we push ourselves further.”

PRCA launches new award

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Public Relations and Communications Association Middle East and North Africa (PRCA MENA) has introduced a new award category for the upcoming awards ceremony that will be held on February 8, 2017. The ‘Influencers Relations’ award aims to recognise and honour the efforts of PRs and marketers that develop successful campaigns with the help of targeted influencer relations.

“I am pleased to announce that the Influencer Relations award has been added to the inaugural PRCA MENA Awards,” says Leanne Foy, General Manager, PRCA MENA. “We are all aware that our work spans further than media relations and the demand for this category displays exactly that.”

iProspect launches in KSA

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Digital performance agency, iProspect has launched a new operation in Saudi Arabia. Part of Dentsu Aegis Network, the new agency headquarters will be located in Jeddah with support from the Dentsu Aegis team in Riyadh as well as the iProspect Hub office in Dubai. Headed by Digital Performance Director, Ruark Williams, the agency aims to introduce a wide range of digital marketing services to the Saudi market.

“As the second largest Middle Eastern market, Saudi Arabia presents a huge opportunity,” says Ruark Williams, Digital Performance Director, iProspect. “Digital spends have increased by more than 200% from 2015 to 2016 with continued exponential growth predicted moving into 2017 and beyond. The momentum highlighted the need for an on-ground presence of digital specialists who are able to proactively educate the market and ensure our clients are getting real ROI across all digital platforms.”

Dubai Lynx announces Advertiser of the Year

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The Dubai Lynx International Festival of Creativity has announced that Coca-Cola Middle East will be awarded the 2017 Advertiser of the Year. The award honours and embraces advertisers in the region for their innovation in creative communications.

“We are extremely proud to be honoured with this award.,” says Tolga Cebe, Marketing Director, Coca-Cola Middle East. “At the Coca-Cola Company, we continuously strive to engage with billions of consumers and make everyday moments special. We always challenge ourselves to enhance the way our brands connect with consumers leveraging both global and local insights. This award is a wonderful recognition for Coca-Cola and our agencies here in the region.”

Ink partners with in-flight magazine

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London-based travel media publishing company, Ink, has signed an agreement to relaunch and produce the monthly in-flight magazine, Oryx magazine for Qatar Airways. The agreement will see Ink produce a revamped edition of Oryx magazine and will be available starting from January 1, 2017, on board the Qatar Airways’ aircraft across all cabins. The revamped magazine will have a different theme every month and feature content about the Middle East as well as exclusive photographs and original story telling in both Arabic and English with an emphasis on luxury, lifestyle and travel.

“We are delighted to be partnering with Ink due to its wealth of international experience in creating the most inspiring and award-winning content today,” says Salam Al Shawa, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Corporate Communications, Qatar Airways. “The newly designed magazine will be available in all cabins and it will further elevate the on-board experience for our loyal passengers.”

Further media closures across the UAE

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Following the recent announcement that local newspaper 7days will cease operations this month, more print titles have declared closure by the end of 2016. Falling under the umbrella of the ITP Publishing Group, homegrown women’s monthly, Viva will discontinue operations after more than 11 years in publication, with their final issue on news stands now. In addition, Arab Publishing Partners’ quarterly titles Hello! Arabia and Hello! Indo Arabia have ceased publishing.