New online magazine launches

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Online ‘blogzine’, Style Vault Dubai, has launched its first issue. Co-Founded by PR professionals Zainab Imichi Alhassan and Natasha D’Souza, Style Vault Dubai offers a new perspective into the Dubai lifestyle, covering fashion, beauty, food, nightlife and creative people. With an online platform updated daily – stylevaultdubai.com – Style Vault Dubai is now available monthly with a free subscription.

“Style Vault Dubai was created as a platform to curate global fashion and lifestyle content and give it a Dubai point of view,” says Zainab. “We wanted something laid-back, young, modern and cool.

Natasha adds, “The magazine caters to Dubai’s tech-savvy and intelligent populace, and our readers are people who will match a Prada bag with a Zara dress. We are trying to create something cheeky, something different.”

New Arabic daily newspaper launches

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Al Araby Al Jadeed, a UK-based newspaper, has launched this week and will be distributed across global markets including the UAE. The Arabic daily newspaper will publish impartial reporting, and will be a platform for a wide range of views and opinions, allowing for freedom of expression and intellectual development. It will provide in-depth, engaging and professional coverage in politics, culture, economy, arts, society and sport at Arab and international levels.

Al Araby Al Jadeed has already launched alaraby.co.uk, which went live on March 30 of this year and provides Arab audiences with credible and independent news coverage; it has already developed a rapidly growing readership and a large Twitter following.

Published by UK company Fadaat Media Ltd, the Al Araby Al Jadeed newspaper will be available in local newsagents, shops and supermarkets across the UK, UAE and selected outlets in Europe.

MCN launches Transformers Program

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Middle East Communications Network (MCN) has today launched its Transformers Leadership Development Program. The unique program – a first in the region for the media and advertising industry – is part of MCN’s aim to develop best-in-breed talent for its future leadership across its multi-agency, multi-location footprint in the MENA region.

The roll out follows a selection phase undertaken earlier this year, to identify MCN talent who have shown consistently high performance and future leadership potential. The 50 key performers selected and nominated to undertake the study program are drawn from 11 MCN agencies and will undergo a 10-month academically focused curriculum that provides a formal training structure built around the key pillar of creativity and strategic leadership.

“I am delighted to announce the launch of the Transformers program at MCN,” says Ghassan Harfouche, CEO, MCN. “It is a unique academic collaboration in the region and it is a testament to our belief in the future of our young talent. We are constantly striving to improve our human capital base and this investment in our most promising young leaders will now ensure that our clients are in the best of hands today and tomorrow. This program facilitates and enhances creativity and innovative thinking. In partnership with the Berlin School of Creative Leadership, we are laying the foundations for our next generation of success and I wish everyone on the program the best of luck.”

ITP Publishing to launch Arabic women’s website

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ITP Consumer Publishing has announced plans to launch a digital-only, high-end, Arabic women’s website – AnaEmra’a. The site will be the first digital-only offering to join the company’s rising portfolio of lifestyle titles, and is set to officially launch in October 2014, with a series of events and bloggers’ teas across the GCC region.

Geared towards a savvy, internationally-educated, fashionable, Arabic speaking female audience between the ages of 20 and 45, AnaEmra’a.com aims to be a stylised source of information for women-on-the-go, providing up-to-the-minute content from the latest runway shows and fashion buys of the moment to luxury travel destinations, with the latest beauty trends and tips, health and fitness news and more.

“We are very excited to announce the launch of the first Arabic portal coming out of ITP Consumer Digital,” says Ali Akawi, Managing Director, ITP Consumer. “AnaEmraa.com is designed to be the imminent guide for Arab women living a stylish life in the Middle East. It encompasses the vibrancy and diversity of this region’s population and packages it into a contemporary platform.”

The site will be led by Nadine El Chaer, ITP Consumer Arabic Group Editor, and Ola Kseroof, AnaEmra’a.com Editor-in-Chief. With the expertise of Ola and Nadine, the aim of AnaEmraa.com is to reach a discerning Middle Eastern market. With an aggressive promotional online and offline campaign throughout the Gulf region, including Saudi Arabia, AnaEmraa.com will reach a digitally active audience that current print circulation does not touch.

Yas Marina Circuit launches YasHUB app

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Yas Marina Circuit has launched the YasHUB smartphone and tablet app. In partnership with SMG Mobility – the mobile division of Starcom MediaVest Group – and Flip Media, the app was developed to provide the latest news and information during the build up to the 2014 Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, as well as provide a seamless end-user experience for visitors to the circuit on race weekend. Yas Marina Circuit commissioned the app as part of its wider strategy on providing digital solutions to improve customer engagement experiences, as well as reinforcing its position in driving online motorsports content creation in the region. The app is available for free download at the Apple and Google Play Android stores and offers a range of features to users.

“This app really does enhance visitors’ experiences massively in the build up to and during the race weekend,” says Nick McElwee, Director of Sales and Marketing, Yas Marina Circuit. “But more importantly, its development signifies Yas Marina Circuit’s evolution away from our previous incarnation as a traditional advertiser for our first Grand Prix in 2009, and towards our new reality as a content publisher and media brand.”

Dimitri Papadimitriou, Director of Mobile at Starcom MediaVest Group adds, “This is a testament to SMG Mobility’s support for our clients’ leap into the mobile arena. Mobile is integral for our clients’ businesses, and we have created a suite of in-house digital capabilities to build mobile creative and develop apps.”

Clive Primrose, Client Services Director at Flip Media concludes, “This is a pioneering moment for apps in the Middle East. The focus on digital customer experience and bringing the pillars of the event to life through creativity and technology are what place it at the forefront.”

New online beauty magazine to launch

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A new online beauty magazine, Hello Pretty, is due to launch this month. The platform – www.hello-pretty.com – which goes live on August 20, 2014, will be updated daily, featuring expert tips, makeovers, beauty DIYs, shoots, tutorials and the latest beauty gossip. The online magazine is to be edited and run by founder Aseya Nasib, who brings nearly ten years of experience in the beauty industry, as well as make up and beauty experience in online and print media in the region with magazines such as VIVA, Cosmopolitan Middle East, Velvet and Good Housekeeping.

“There is so much growth in the Middle Eastern beauty industry, with some of the biggest international brands creating products specifically for the market,” says Aseya. “Now is the perfect time to create an expert guide to beauty in the region and being online gives us the opportunity to reach a much wider audience than print.”

Resolution MENA launches Current@Resolution

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Omnicom Media Group’s Resolution MENA, the global network specialising in performance and content marketing services, has launched Current@Resolution, a social marketing solution for brands. Current@Resolution provides consolidated live insights from paid, owned and earned (POE) sources to ensure brands capitalise on public sentiment with timely, relevant and engaging content.

Current@Resolution enables historical, real-time and predictive analysis to be conducted across brand, competitive and category-based metrics. It allows brands to turn real-world events into rapid response marketing opportunities and business results through rapid response content creation, supported by creative and speciality agencies across the Omnicom Group. Current@Resolution also facilitates the amplification of content, supported by core integration of real-time social media planning and buying services, as well as the use of unique data, social performance reporting and analytics.

“While marketers understand the value of data, many struggle to measure and synergise a range of varying data points,” says Dimitri Metaxas, Managing Director, Resolution MENA. “It’s also a common challenge to unify traditionally standalone disciplines. Current@Resolution brings together paid media and content marketing teams to work in a cohesive, intelligence-based environment. It ensures that key content opportunities are correctly evaluated and maximised.”

OLN launches JustFood.tv

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Online Lifestyle Network (OLN) has launched Arabic cooking platform JustFood.tv. With a collection of exclusive videos, recipes and chefs, JustFood.tv aims to create a platform that will provide women and men with expert advice to embrace cooking in the region. The new website launch complements OLN’s existing network of Arabic digital magazines, which include Nawa3em.com, gheir.com, Ra2ed.com and Chababs.com as well as OLN TV, the lifestyle and entertainment platform that streams video content in the Arabic language.

“With JustFood.tv we were looking to create a hospitable and sociable experience,” says Rudolf Jabre, CEO, OLN. “So, it was essential for our users to be able to easily explore premium content. We also wanted to showcase JustFood.tv as an ideal partner for brands and advertisers to create great culinary and consumer experiences in the region, as food and cooking represent a rich area in the digital world today. We’re very excited for the possibilities ahead.”

Zoya Sakr Jabre, Group Editor-in-Chief of OLN adds, “The food culture has evolved and changed so much in the last decade, and is about much more than sustenance; it’s about health and creativity. JustFood.tv reflects the food revolution in our culture, whilst also celebrating the Middle East’s exuberant and eclectic tastes.”

InsideOut Magazine launches redesign

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Gulf News Magazine’s flagship home and interiors title, InsideOut has undergone a complete redesign and resize as part of its wider brand strategy. After two months of development, the final look is on sale in all major retail outlets, led by Art Editor Sue Mae Easton and Acting Editor Sharon Parsons.

“Even the loveliest homes need redecorating every now and then, and we’ve taken that approach with InsideOut,” says Sharon. “A smart new logo, chic new size and fonts have been just the start! With comprehensive sections, greater depth of content and clearer signposting of the key editorial pillars – homes, decorating, shopping, design, gardens and property – we’re confident our discerning readership will find the modernised InsideOut more enjoyable, inspirational and useful than ever.”

Katie Heskett, Associate Publisher of Gulf News Magazines adds, “InsideOut has always been a huge success in the homes and interiors market and our plan is to expand on this with a comprehensive digital platform and a series of brand extensions – including events and standalone publishing projects. The starting point was to ensure our core brand was where we wanted it to be – and this new look is the perfect foundation for all our growth.”

Associated Press launches AP Middle East Extra

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Associated Press (AP) has launched AP Middle East Extra, a new service offering more unique video content centred on significant news in the Middle East. Created for media organisations in the region, as well as those outside with a strong interest in the MENA region, AP Middle East Extra is designed to meet customer needs in this significant growth area for the media industry.

The selected stories and features are regionally focused and cover the news, human-interest, cultural, economic and technology stories. AP Middle East Extra also includes reports, interviews and perspectives on international news for Middle East audiences and, alongside AP’s existing global video news service, adds depth to its coverage of the region. Content for AP Middle East Extra will be provided by a team of video journalists based across the region and five stories, with both Arabic and English scripts, will be delivered daily between Sunday and Thursday, as well as four special features every Friday.

AP Middle East Extra is available for delivery through AP Media Port and AP Video Hub. For more information visit www.ap.org.