Dubai – Page 240 – The Media Network

Sophie Wood joins Virgin Megastore ME

June 9, 2014/0 Comments/in Movers & Shakers /by Team TMN

Sophie Wood has been appointed as the new Senior PR and Events Specialist for Virgin Megastore Middle East. Sophie was previously with the Corporate Communications team at Havas PR Middle East, and has handled international brands such as Häagen-Dazs, Chic Outlet Shopping® by Value Retail and Peugeot. In her new role, Sophie will be looking after Virgin Megastore’s PR, social media and in-store events for the region.

“I’m thrilled to have joined the Virgin Megastore team, and am looking forward to getting settled into my new role,” says Sophie. “Virgin Megastore is such a fun brand to work on and I’m excited for all the opportunities ahead for 2014 and beyond.”

Georgina Enzer joins FinanceME

June 8, 2014/0 Comments/in Movers & Shakers /by Team TMN

Georgina Enzer has joined CPI Financial as Editor of FinanceME. Georgina was previously Editor of Oil & Gas Middle East magazine, in charge of the editorial content for the publication and arabianoilandgas.com website, as well as overseeing the publication’s Linkedin, Twitter and Facebook accounts. In her new role, Georgina will drive all of the editorial content for the magazine which focuses on the SME finance sector in the Middle East, and will be the force behind an editorial redesign.

“I am thoroughly enjoying working with CPI Financial,” says Georgina. “I can’t wait to help drive FinanceME forward in the region.”

COPIA signs Above Rooftop Lounge

June 8, 2014/0 Comments/in Account win /by Team TMN

COPIA has signed the PR and digital communications account for Above Rooftop Lounge. Set to open this month at the Sofitel Dubai Downtown Hotel, guests will be able to enjoy the venue throughout the year with its glass roof that can be opened in the winter for an open air space, and closed with ventilation during the warmer months.

“We are very excited to be working on this homegrown concept set to launch later this month,” says Rania El Sadek, Co-Founder and Managing Director, COPIA. “Above Rooftop Lounge is a welcome addition to our expanding portfolio of high-end lifestyle concepts.”

COPIA signs Gaydamak Jewellery

June 5, 2014/0 Comments/in Account win /by Team TMN

COPIA, a communication and luxury lifestyle management company, is now handling the PR account for Gaydamak Jewellery in the Middle East. Established in 2009 by sisters Sonia and Katia Gaydamak, the French jewellery brand is currently available in stores across France, Russia, Italy, Austria, UK, USA, Lebanon, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Cyprus.

“As we further expand our international luxury client base, we are very excited to be introducing the Gaydamak brand to the Middle East,” says Rania El Sadek, Co-Founder and Managing Director, COPIA. “With their huge international success and celebrity following, we have no doubt Gaydamak will prove popular in the region.”

Christina Sang joins Insignia PR

June 5, 2014/0 Comments/in Movers & Shakers /by Team TMN

Christina Sang has joined the Insignia PR team as Account Manager. Christina was previously with Esquire Financing Inc. in the Phillipines, where she set up the marketing team and managed business development initiatives. Subsequently, she was appointed as Project Manager of the Office of the Chairman, and handled the Chairman’s private equity development projects. Prior to this, Christina worked for Emaar Hospitality Group with Armani Hotels and Resorts in Dubai, dealing with events in luxury, VIP and corporate segments, as well as spearheading the launch of At.mosphere for which she handled the communications and events.

“Christina is a true third culture kid of today,” says Gabriela Asquith, Director, Insignia PR. “Her versatile background and multi-lingual capacity keep Christina in the know and adaptable to emerging international trends.”

Aquarius Magazine launches redesign

June 5, 2014/0 Comments/in New Launch /by Team TMN

Aquarius Magazine has undergone a full redesign and rebrand unveiled for this month’s June issue. In circulation since 2002, this is the first restructure of the women’s lifestyle magazine, and includes a new look, new logo and new attitude.

“While the title has always been very close to our hearts and a vital part of our portfolio, we wanted to offer readers a new and fresh look to compliment our new editorial attitude,” says Katie Heskett, Associate Publisher, Gulf News Magazines. “We have changed our focus to address all elements of a woman’s life – from careers and parenting to fashion and beauty, food and home. With so much more content on offer and various platforms that we are able to deliver it on – including our website, app, social media and monthly events – we wanted to have a fresher look that fitted a new era for the title.”

Louisa Wilkins, Editor of Aquarius Magazine adds, “Aquarius is such a well-loved and respected magazine with our readers. Our commitment to them remains our top priority, and this redesign and editorial direction will offer them even more great content and opportunities to engage with us. It’s amazing to see how the magazine has developed this year – we’ve done a lot of work and research with our readers to get this final results and the feedback from them has already been fantastic.”

Gulf News Publishing Director James Hewes further adds, “The magazine is one of the most important titles at Gulf News Magazines, and to see this exciting new direction is just one part of our ongoing development plans for our women’s lifestyle group.”

CNN International launches Future Finance

June 4, 2014/0 Comments/in New Launch /by Team TMN

CNN International has announced the launch of Future Finance, a new weekly segment showcasing future trends related to the global financial system that will feature in two of the network’s highest profile business shows – Quest Means Business and World Business Today. Future Finance will complement CNN’s business coverage by examining everything from a future without cash to high-speed trading that employs the power of laser beams.

Each month Nina Dos Santos will host a Future Finance 15-minute special programme highlighting the best in CNN’s series of short feature films, and offers global insight into what’s on the horizon at consumer and industry level. With stories from Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas; Future Finance will be an opportunity to gain perspective on possible future trends related to all areas of global business innovation. The weekly reports began airing on June 3 2014, with CNN’s first instalment of its 15 minute programme launching June 25, at 10.45 BST / 11.45 CET.

A dedicated microsite www.CNN.com/FutureFinance will feature Future Finance reports and supplementary content such as digital explainers, info-graphics and analysis. The material will also appear and be promoted across other CNN business and news web pages.

NCPR wins O’right account

June 4, 2014/0 Comments/in Account win /by Team TMN

NCPR has signed the contract to handle all PR activities in the UAE for organic hair-care brand, O’right. Established for over a decade, O’right’s green hair care products have become hugely popular in the USA as well as Asia and have won a host of environmental awards, including first shampoo and cosmetics company to be certified as ‘Carbon Neutral’.

“We were delighted to be approached by O’right to represent them in the Middle East,” says Naydene Commins, Managing Director, NCPR. “We feel the brand’s pioneering outlook is perfectly suited to our forward thinking approach to marketing, and we look forward to the brand achieving great recognition and success in this region.”

Spark* wins Harley-Davidson account

June 4, 2014/0 Comments/in Account win /by Team TMN

Dubai-based creative agency Spark*, which forms part of the Publinet Group, has won the account to handle Harley-Davidson’s activity in the Middle East. Spark*’s assignment for Harley-Davidson will cover 17 markets in the MENA region, with the agency’s remit to provide tailor-made solutions to the brand, including product launches, brand campaigns and activations.

“We are delighted to have won the Harley-Davidson account, which not only is an evocative name in motorcycling, but is also one of the most renowned global lifestyle brands,” says Yusuf Pingar, Managing Director, Spark*. “We are extremely excited about the new relationship and are looking forward to making the partnership a memorable one. Spark*has always excelled working with brands that allow creative freedom and are driven by strong core values – Harley–Davidson is certainly such a brand.”

Elsa Abi Nader, Regional Marketing Manager of Harley-Davidson MENA adds, “Spark* was selected as the winner for the Harley-Davidson account based on the quality of their ideas and the fact that effective team work was clearly reflected in their pitch. Each member of the team was involved in the presentation of ideas and what came over with their creative concepts was their passion. Harley-Davidson is a name that generates a strong emotional pull, and our partnership with Spark* is one that will drive it forward in the region.”

Winners of Transform Awards MENA revealed

June 3, 2014/0 Comments/in Award win /by Team TMN

The first winners of the inaugural MENA edition of Europe’s Transform Awards were announced last night in a ceremony held at the JW Marriott Marquis Dubai, with sixteen regional ad, branding and creative agencies honoured with the highly-contested ‘Best in Class’ titles.

“We’re absolutely delighted with the response to the first Transform Awards in the region,” says Andrew Thomas, Founder of Transform and Managing Director of Cravenhill Publishing. “There is a tremendous amount of work in the rebranding, repositioning and brand transformation space and we see huge potential for growth in the coming years. As we’ve seen from the awards, the level of talent in the region is quite outstanding, and we seriously hope that the Transform Awards will set a brand industry benchmark to take it to the next level.”

Reviewing and evaluating the categories were Flavia Barbat, Editor-in-Chief of Branding Magazine; Patrick Lloyd-Bradley, Brand and Marketing Communications Director for Averda International; Ammar Elkurdi, Brand Manager for Volvo Cars, and Stephen McCallion, Global Head of Marketing and Communications, Abu Dhabi National Energy Company.

Fellow judge, Syed Abdul Karim Tanveer, Director of Brand Experience at Mobily adds, “The Transform Awards are a great platform to celebrate the best from the world of branding. It is a wonderful opportunity for talent in the MENA region to be recognised for their work. This is key to inspiring others and helping the industry to evolve and mature.”

The categories and winners of the Tranform Awards MENA 2014 included – Best Use of a Visual Property – Seef Mall and Unisono; Best External Stakeholder Relations During a Rebrand – Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank and StartJG; Best Internal Communication During a Rebrand – Dubai Airports and StartJG; Best Implementation of a Rebrand – Gama Aviation and Brash Brands; Best Creative Strategy – Milaha and Bellwether; Best Brand Evolution – du; Best Strategic/Creative Development of a New Brand – Mubadala and Omnia; Best Rebrand to Reflect Changed Mission/Values/Positioning – Intel and Red Peak; Best Brand Consolidation – Toyota (Al-Futtaim Motors) and Bellwether; Best Rebrand of a Digital Property – Xplored for GardaWorld and Bladonmore (Middle East); Best Visual Identity from a Charity/NGO/NFP – Doha Film Institute; Best Visual Identity from the Technology, Media and Telecommunications Sector – MixFM and Turquoise Branding; Best Visual Identity from the Financial Services Sector – Emirates RE and Omnia; Best Visual Identity from the Industrial and Basic Materials Sector – Milaha and Bellwether; Best Visual Identity from the Property Sector – Mubadala and Brash Brands; Best Visual Identity from the Retail Sector – 1915 by Seddiqi and Brash Brands; Best Overall Visual Identity – Mihala; Best Overall Visual Identity Bellwether for its work with Milaha, and Grand Prix – du.

Alongside the awards, Transform MENA held a full day conference attended by branding and communications professionals from the MENA region. The conference included a lineup of sessions discussing the most successful rebranding, repositioning and brand transformation projects globally and in the MENA, and saw the launch of Transform Magazine, a global publication on brand development.

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