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Dentsu Aegis Network partners with The Hub

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Global communications network Dentsu Aegis will partner with The Hub Advertising & Marketing in Jordan. With offices based in Amman, The Hub will take full responsibility for the media planning and buying requirements of Carat and other Dentsu Aegis Network clients in the country such as Microsoft, adidas, MasterCard and Reebok on a local level, with the merged businesses jointly managing any new business opportunities.

“The opportunities in this market are endless and this partnership will form the foundation for future expansion plans in the Levant,” says Karan Hoyek, General Manager, Carat Levant. “With a shared vision and working synergies, we expect this to be the beginning of a mutually beneficial relationship for both agencies and our clients.”

Dr. Ruba Batayneh, CEO, The Hub Advertising & Marketing, adds “This partnership paves the way for us to provide our local and regional expertise while also learning and developing with a global network. The partnership will provide equal opportunity for both parties and create a momentum for future opportunities. We are proud to be the first local agency to take this courageous step.”

RECMA names Vizeum fastest growing media network

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Independent notation reports company RECMA has named global network Vizeum the world’s fastest growing network in its Overall Activity Billings 2014 report, published this week. Across the 16 global agencies assessed by RECMA, Vizeum increased activity billings year-on-year by 29.1%. Companies with growth rates in the top five Overall Activity Billings of 2014 list also included MediaCom and Dentsu media.

Vizeum was launched in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region in January, 2014, as part of Dentsu Aegis Network and has over 62 offices in 42 countries globally. The network aims to leverage the creative power of media in order to connect brands and consumers to help clients’ brands grow.

“We have achieved this impressive growth through our single-minded focus on making innovation in media create value for clients,” says Anouk Bondroit, General Manager, Vizeum MENA. “We leverage our globally consistent network and have witnessed great momentum over the last 18 months. This growth helps us to keep the agility required in the fast-paces media environment – It’s the only way we can credibly remain at the forefront of the industry and produce best in class work for our clients.”

Dentsu Aegis welcomes Simon Woodward

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Simon Woodward has joined Dentsu Aegis Network as Head of Amplifi Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Having previous agency experience with Universal McCann, GroupM and Mindshare across the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region, Simon was most recently Global Head of Agencies & Media Management at Microsoft Mobile Devices. In his new role, Simon will be based in Dubai reporting to Michael Nederlof and working with the teams of Abdalla Bibi, Head of Trading UAE and Siddhi Dhavale, Director of Amnet and Digital Buying.

“I am delighted to take this new role to lead such an integrated platform in MENA,” says Simon. “With the growing trends of convergence and globalisation, an agency’s media functionality needs to evolve beyond media efficiencies and rates. I believe Amplifi, which is structured to work collaboratively with our media, digital and technology partners, will bring out the best media performance and business outcomes through a cooperative approach.”

For further information, contact Sara Paye at sara.paye@dentsuaegis.com / +971 (0)4 447 4996

Dentsu Aegis acquires John Brown Media

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Dentsu Aegis Network has acquired John Brown Media. The agency’s experience in creating and publishing content is hoped to enhance the network’s existing content capabilities, to create a differentiated and innovative integrated content offering for clients worldwide.

Established in 1987, John Brown Media is headquartered in London and has offices in South Africa, Hong Kong, Boston and Dubai. The company provides clients with services including print and digital publishing, content management, website strategy and film production. Following the acquisition, it will retain its brand identity and operate as an external entity from Dentsu Aegis Network MENA. John Brown Media will now also work with iProspect, the network’s digital performance agency, as well as Carat’s content partnerships team in order to integrate publishing capabilities into Dentsu Aegis’ offering in the region.

“By adding a specialist content agency to the network, we are proving just how much the lines have become blurred between agency disciplines,” says Michael Nederlof, CEO, Dentsu Aegis Network, MENA. “Quality content is increasingly rewarded within the media eco-systen, particularly within search, and we are very excited to work with John Brown to create differentiated and specialised content solutions for our clients.”

Dentsu Aegis Network partner with ICA

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Multinational media and digital marketing communications company Dentsu Aegis Network has formed a new partnership with the International Communications Agency (ICA), in Iran. The newly branded Carat-ICA, is the first official partnership formed by the two agencies, though they have worked together since January 2015. With offices based in Tehran, Carat-ICA will take full responsibility for the media planning and buying requirements of Carat and other Dentsu Aegis Network clients in the country.

The newly formed and exclusive Carat-ICA alliance aims to add value to both clients and media stakeholders in Iran, one of the fastest-growing countries in the Middle East.

“Moving forward, we forecast a bright future for the Iranian market,” says Michael Nederlof, CEO of Dentsu Aegis Network. “The newly formed Carat-ICA partnership has on-the-ground capabilities and a ‘Generation Y’ team of digital and media experts. This, paired with our network’s global resources, skills and knowledge, will allow us to support the needs of our clients in Iran and add another key growth market to our offering.”

Ben Karmi, Managing Director, Carat-ICA adds “We were looking at ways we could further evolve and improve our offering to both new and existing clients. Carat’s, as well as the wider Dentsu Aegis Network’s focus on innovation and their entrepreneurial spirit made them the perfect fit.”

Posterscope appoints General Manager

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Out-of-home communications agency Posterscope – part of Dentsu Aegis Network – has promoted Abdallah Saab to the position of General Manager. Saab previously held the role of Business Development Director, having spent the previous seven years working for sister agency Carat.

Abdallah will continue his business development responsibilities in this new role, with focus on enhancing Posterscope’s offerings and driving the strategic direction of the business. His immediate responsibilities will include exploring new technologies, relationships and partnerships to meet the needs of the evolving out-of-home marketplace.

“Posterscope’s success is driven by consumer insight, innovation and market intelligence,” says Michael Nederlof, CEO, Dentsu Aegis Network MENA. “With more than a decade of experience within our network and unrivalled expertise in the region’s media, Abdallah is the perfect person to lead Posterscope and I am sure he will deliver a positive business advantage to both our network and his growing portfolio of clients.”

Abdallah adds, “Consumers are more connected with outdoors than ever before; this dynamic creates a tremendous opportunity for out-of-home to play a crucial role in solving our clients’ business challenges. I look forward to working with our clients and our partners to continue to evolve the Posterscope offering and drive innovation across out-of-home and the industry as a whole.”

Koji Watanabe joins newly launched Dentsu MEA

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Dentsu Aegis Network has appointed Koji Watanabe as Managing Director of newly launched advertising agency, Dentsu MEA. Reporting to Michael Nederlof, CEO of Dentsu Aegis Network MENA, Koji will take charge of account and product management for Dentsu’s clients in all 54 MEA markets and aim to employ the global network’s synergies within the region. Having been with the network for over 20 years, Koji joins Dentsu Aegis Network MENA from Japan after spending extensive time in Dentsu Alpha in Vietnam, as well as in the Phillipines. As Managing Director, Koji will look to expand and build Dentsu MEA’s client base, significantly with Japanese clients looking to expand into the Middle East and Africa, as well as with local brands in the region.

The launch of Dentsu MEA takes Dentsu Aegis Network MENA’s tally of brands up to six, along with Carat, iProspect, Isobar, Posteroscope and Vizeum.

“With the Middle East and Africa outpacing other regions of the world in terms of growth, it presents a fantastic opportunity for Dentsu to capitalise on both Japanese and international brands wanting to move into the region,” says Koji. “This, coupled with our unique business methods, will ensure that we deliver unparalleled results for our clients.”

Michael Nederlof, CEO of Dentsu Aegis Network MENA adds, “It was always earmarked to introduce Dentsu into the region and the agency’s offering to our clients as part of our suite of brands in the network. With Dubai’s geographical location, Dentsu Aegis Network MENA will offer Dentsu the opportunity to access Western and European markets alike. The appointment of Koji allows us to move forward in this delivery, as he brings an abundance of experience from within our network to add tremendous value to both new and existing clients.”

Carat predicts 5% global ad growth

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Carat, a leading independent media planning and buying specialist, has published forecasts for global advertising expenditure, predicting a boost of 5% for this year, as well as in 2015. Based on data received from 59 markets across North and South America, Asia Pacific and EMEA, the Dentsu Aegis network’s latest forecast shows an increase of ad spending from the 4.8% prediction made in March 2014.

Regionally, the Carat Advertising Expenditure forecast has predicted further positive growth from North America and Western Europe. Significantly, the US continues to show strong market growth, with levels of advertising expenditure in North America expected to exceed the pre-recession peak of 2007 for the first time by the end of this year. Western Europe is forecasted to return to positive growth of 2.7% after two consecutive years of declining advertising spend – driven by a strong UK advertising market prediction of 7.5% growth for 2014.

Although forecasts show a slight decline in growth when compared with March 2014 predictions, Asia Pacific and Latin America are still both forecast to outperform global predictions with growth rates of 5.4% and 12.1% respectively.

Digital ad spend growth is predicted to exceed previous predictions for 2014, with a year-on-year growth forecast of 16.1%. The digital sector will also increase its total share of spend, set to reach 20.5% in 2014 and 22.6% the following year, where it will outpace the combined Magazine and Newspaper global share for the first time.

The Print sector, while in steady decline, is expected to continue, and all other mediums are set to achieve year-on-year growths of approximately 3-5% in 2014 and 2015.

“Carat’s latest advertising forecast gives us increased optimism for the outlook of global and regional advertising spend,” says Jerry Buhlmann, CEO, Dentsu Aegis Network. “With the global recession further behind us and a healthy trend of 5% year-on-year global ad growth, there is positive momentum building across the industry. Whilst Digital continues to headline market trend discussions, the components within this dominant media now provide the interesting chapters, with the opportunities in mobile leading the debate. With changes and trends in consumer behaviour driving business opportunities, brands need to deliver innovative and integrated solutions to reap rewards ahead.”

For access to the full Carat Advertising Expenditure forecast, visit http://goo.gl/kCEnzw