House of Comms Acquires RUA Digital

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House of Comms has acquired international digital communications agency, RUA Digital and rebranded to House of Comms Integrated Communications. Following the rebrand, the agency will also be launching its new website – www.houseofcomms.com. Launched in 2012, House of Comms has a client portfolio that includes global, regional and local brands such as Virgin Atlantic Airlines, Grosvenor House Dubai, TDIC Abu Dhabi and BOUNCE Trampoline Park. Naomh McElhatton, former Managing Director of RUA Digital, will be joining the new House of Comms Integrated Communications team as Director of Strategy and Education, where she will lead on providing strategic guidance for clients and consultants alike while also spearheading the agency’s newly-founded Digital Training Academy.

“We established House of Comms to work with clients that we feel truly passionate about,” says Kaja Weller, Managing Partner, House of Comms. “Over the past three years we’ve been committed to delivering highly creative, innovative and strategic campaigns for clients across the Middle East. The acquisition of RUA Digital is testament to our vision for House of Comms and through this partnership we look forward to meeting the demands by brands for a truly integrated approach.”

Jamie Wilks, Managing Partner, House of Comms, adds “We’ve been planning to diversify into the digital space for quite some time as a natural step for the business, given the constant demand from our clients for support with digital content, complex social media strategies and SEO support. 2015 has been a huge year for House of Comms and we’re looking forward to the next chapter in the evolution of the agency. Watch this space.”

ELAN partners with the Huffington Post

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ELAN Media, the media division of the ELAN Group, has become the exclusive digital media sales representative for the Arabic-language edition of The Huffington Post, Huffpost Arabi. The division has partnered with Integral Media Strategies as well as The Huffington Post to introduce Huffpost Arabi to the Middle East. Founded by CEO Wadah Khanfar, former Director General of Al Jazeera Media Network, Integral Media Strategies is a digital content hub that produces online news catered to the Arab region. Based out of London, the hub will be working with HuffPost Arabi to produce and share the latest stories from the Arab world.

“We are proud of the partnership with ELAN Media, a company with established roots in the market and a developed footprint across many leading websites in the region,” says Wadah. “We are confident in their ability to promote HuffPost as a go-to advertising platform for companies in the Arab world. We want to publish great content that advertisers will be excited to support.

Jaber Al-Ansari, Group Chief Executive Officer, ELAN Group, adds “We are proud to establish The Huffington Post and even more so to help introduce their Arabic edition to the Middle East. We have been in the media market for over a decade and have developed extensive knowledge and practice in the region. Our partnership model allows us to leverage this expertise and partner with global brands that are experts in their respective fields, giving people of the Middle East diversity in choice and access to more substance than what is available. We believe our partnership with HuffPost Arabi will be mutually beneficial to both our audiences.”

Crowd funding begins for magpie magazine

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A crowdfunding project is underway to support the launch of magpie magazine, a new publication looking to cover artistic and cultural subjects across the UAE from a non-commercial perspective. A passion project of Dennis Jarrett, former Editor in Chief of Dubai Week and Abu Dhabi Week – part of Turret Media – magpie will cover fine art, sculpture and 3D work, literature, film, photography, music, theatre and dance, all in a format with a strong focus on design. magpie currently has 24 days of its crowd funding campaign to go and pledges can be made at http://www.pozible.com/project/201195.

“Over the last five or six years I’ve been watching the explosion here in arts, culture, design, performance and other creative endeavours,” says Dennis. “I’ve long felt that this exciting, buzzing scene needed a focal point, a kind of hangout-cum-information exchange that can highlight what’s going on and who’s doing it. Hence magpie, which initially will be a print magazine for the UAE, but we intend to broaden the delivery as well as the coverage to be online… lots of big plans, lots of ambitions.”

Communicate launches first book

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Communicate, a Middle Eastern magazine for the communication industry, has had its first book published. The first in a special collection series from the title and its publisher Mediaquest, the book is titled De-Commiditising the Ad Industry: How Ad Agencies Can Re-Invent Themselves and Enjoy Exponential Growth, and is penned by Ahmad Abu Zannad, Regional Strategy Director, Leo Burnett MENA. It will examine current challenges facing the communications sector, and seek to find solutions to ensure a bright future and will be distributed with Communicate’s October issue.

“Although there have been several assessments of the current status of the advertising industry, there hasn’t been a comprehensive overview that forensically analyses where agencies are today,” says Nathalie Bontems, Publisher, Mediaquest. “Ahmad Abu Zannad’s new book changes all that with its in-depth critique, its detailed assessment of the areas of concern and its structures reasoning for the way forward.”

 

twofour54 and ADMAF to partner

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twofour54 has renewed its partnership with the Abu Dhabi Music and Arts Foundation (ADMAF) for a sixth consecutive year, in an effort to support creative and cultural industries in the UAE, as well as nurture skills development for the media sector. Both parties have signed a Letter of Cooperation signifying a mutual interest to collaborate on programmes in various disciplines of media and creativity.

The two organisations will team up to develop joint activities that foster growth, development and awareness of media as well as the creative and cultural industries in the UAE, with a focus on young adult Emiratis and the wider Emirati community. The partnership will also establish a new mechanism for effective sharing of information amongst the filmmaking community, aiming to support emerging and established Emirati film-makers.

“Our partnership with ADMAF plays a significant role in supporting our mission to nurture young talent and equip them with the skills and knowledge necessary to lead successful careers in the media industry,” says Noura Al Kaabi, CEO , twofour54. “The agreement will provide talented individuals with access to twofour54’s unique offerings and services, helping to sustainably grow our local media industry.”

Hoda Al Khamis-Kanoo, Founder, ADMAF, adds “ADMAF and twofour54 share an unwavering commitment to investing in the creative and cultural industries of Abu Dhabi. Through collaborations that spawn media, the comic arts and film – in both training and practice – together, we are sowing the seeds of creativity and innovation among the next generation.  This Letter of Cooperation affirms the strong bonds between our organisations and gives welcome momentum to further joint initiatives in future.”

Executive Life relaunched

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Following a brief hiatus this summer, Executive Life magazine has been revamped and relaunched. With a different theme for every issue, the magazine is aimed at professionals interested in luxury living, covering topics from classic cars, timepieces and tailoring, to fine dining and luxury properties. Published once every two months by UMS International, Executive Life will be sent to all subscribers of Bloomberg Businessweek Middle East. The title will also be available from book stores and supermarkets, with the relaunched edition – The Style Issue – out now. An Executive Life website is expected to launch by November 2015.

“Each edition of Executive Life tackles vital issues like wealth management, looking and feeling good, traveling smarter and exploring new destinations,” says Ravi Raman, Vice President, UMS International. “It’s the perfect lifestyle accompaniment for our readers, who are discerning and demand an intelligent read.”

 

 

AAM to honour Noura Al Kaabi

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American Abroad Media (AAM) will honour Noura Al Kaabi, CEO, twofour54, at an awards dinner in Washington later this month in recognition of her role in leading the UAE’s growing media industry. This will be the third annual “Power of Film” awards dinner at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium in Washington, D.C., held to honour those whose work exemplifies the power of media to inform, educate and empower citizens about the critical social and public policy issues of our time.

“We are truly delighted to be honouring Noura Al Kaabi, a dynamic and outstanding leader,” says Aaron Lobel, Founder and President, American Abroad Media. “Her enormous contribution to the success of the media sector in Abu Dhabi, as well as her personality and leadership style, is an inspiration to young people in the UAE and across the Middle East and is an honorable reflection of the values of her country.”

PHD UAE to hold BrainScape conference

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PHD UAE is set to hold BrainScape, its annual thought-leadership conference in the MENA region, on October 12, 2015. With a focus on the future of Artificial Intelligence (AI), the event will be held at the Armani Hotel Dubai and will host over 200 marketing professionals. It will feature a comprehensive look at the future of intelligence, as well as products that marketing professionals will be using and the advertising and data models that will support them. Key speakers include Kevin Slavin, Assistant Professor of Media Arts and Sciences at MIT Media Lab. The conference is produced with Choueiri Group’s dedicated digital media representation arm, Digital Media Services (DMS), as strategic partner.

“This is an incredibly exciting time to work in marketing, as we undergo a revolutionary transformation of what we are capable of achieving, thanks to developments in AI,” said Elda Choucair, Managing Director, PHD UAE. “This year’s BrainScape will invigorate marketers and inspire them on how to capitalise on upcoming technology and take the marketing discipline to new heights.”

Posterscope partners with Blue 449

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Out of home (OOH) communications agency Posterscope is partnering with global media network Blue 449, in association with Hills Advertising and Elevision, to work on Project Everyone – Filmmaker and Founder Richard Curtis’ worldwide initiative to promote the United Nations’ global goals for sustainable development to end extreme poverty and tackle climate change by 2030.  The project aims to share the UN’s goals with seven billion people over seven days.

Posterscope and Blue 449 will be working with Hills Advertising, Elevision and other media partners across the globe to supply space for the adverts, designed by Richard himself, and raise awareness of the initiative. 125 partners have been engaged with the project to date, and the adverts will be shown in 450 cities, around 28 different countries in central locations with high footfall, such as Piccadilly Circus in London, Times Square in New York and Sheikh Zayed Road in Dubai.

“The best chance of the UN’s global goals being met is if everyone is aware of them and that’s where Project Everyone comes in, along with the support of its many partners,” says Richard. “I have been overwhelmed by the response of brands, consumers and institutions alike to this initiative. Posterscope and Blue 449 have been instrumental with getting out of home media owners on board to get our messages across, to really raise public awareness of the issue at hand.”

Annie Rickard, Global CEO, Posterscope, adds “It is a great opportunity to be involved in an initiative like Project Everyone. We are delighted to be able to capitalise on our media network and connections to help raise awareness around the issues at hand and hopefully, slowly but surely, change the way we live and the world we live in.”