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BNC Publishing launches new awards

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Hotel News ME, part of BNC Publishing, is set to host its inaugural Leaders in Hospitality Awards 2016, on April 19 at The St. Regis Dubai in order to celebrate the best of the industry’s talent, properties and concepts. The awards are designed to capture the outstanding elements of properties, campaigns and people across a number of categories including Leading New Hotel, Best Spa and Best Room Refurb. Judges will be announced on hotelnewsme.com later this month.

“The Leaders in Hospitality Awards 2016 will celebrate and bring together professionals at all levels,” says Melanie Mingas, Group Editor, Business Portfolio, BNC Publishing. “The categories have been meticulously constructed to represent all sectors and levels of the industry, as opposed to the traditional people-only awards. We have categories that will distinguish exceptional concepts, properties and personalities across the industry.”

Publicis makes changes to structure and leadership

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Publicis Groupe has reorganised its media capabilities globally into Publicis Media, as part of efforts to increase growth and provide value to clients. The organisation has made a number of structural and leadership changes in order to do this; primarily consolidating its six global agency brands: Starcom, Mediavest, Spark, Zenith Optimedia and Blue 449, into four global agency brands: Starcom, Zenith, Mediavest|Spark and Optimedia|Blue 449. Each agency will be lead by a Global Brand President who will be responsible for leading clients, driving growth and enabling best work, with Lisa Donohue as Global Brand President for Starcom, Vittorio Bonori as Global Brand President for Zenith, Brian Terkelsend as Global Brand President for Mediavest|Spark and Andras Vigh as Global Brand President for Optimedia|Blue 449.

Publicis Media’s new structure will cover top 20 markets, led by Tim Jones, Regional CEO for the Americas. Iain Jacob will be Regional CEO for EMEA and Gerry Boyle will now be Regional CEO for APAC. There will also be four US CEO’s who will report to Tim Jones; Chris Boothe for Mediavest|Spark, Dave Ehlers for Optimedia|Blue 449, Lou Rossie at Zenith and Lisa Donohue continuing as CEO at Starcom.

“We are driven to get to the future first,” says Steve King, CEO, Publicis Media. “Publicis Media is a fresh opportunity to simplify our organisation, invent more modern approaches to gain efficiency, introduce structures for greater collaboration and effectiveness as well as drive new levels of scale and client value.”

Maurice Lévy, Chairman and CEO, Publicis Groupe, adds “The new Publicis Media imagined by Steve King is fully equipped to fit the future and best serve our clients. A leaner and simpler structure will bring more value to our clients and further accelerate our growth.”

Majid goes mobile

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Majid TV, part of Majid Entertainment, a subsidiary of Abu Dhabi Media, is set to launch a website as well as a new app in order to take its characters to a global audience. The website and app will bring characters to life through TV clips, music, games and issues of the magazine, all available at the touch of a button. Majid TV was initially launched in September 2015 due to the increasing popularity of Majid Magazine and Majid comics across the Arab-speaking world.

“This represents a significant step forward for Majid Entertainment, but more importantly we know it’s something that children can enjoy while their parents can be safe in the knowledge that they can trust the fun edutainment content being viewed,” says HE Mohamed Ebraheem Al Mahmood, Chairman and Managing Director, Abu Dhabi Media. “The launch of Majid TV has been a fantastic success and allows us to reach millions of households in the region. However, the launch of the website and app, which will also link into our videos on YouTube, means Majid Entertainment will have a global reach 24 hours a day.”

 

Aquarius launches bespoke covers

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Aquarius magazine has launched individually-named bespoke March 2016 issue covers for each of the magazine’s 1,500 subscribers. Each cover is a variation on the retail edition cover, but features the reader’s name as part of the main headline and reduced coverlines. Each personalised cover will be delivered directly to the subscriber’s door as part of the brand’s strategy for consolidating and growing its subscriber database and focusing on brand-to-hand activities. The magazine will also begin to include personalised advertising pages, with Home Centre personalising their artwork in the March issue. 

“Aquarius is in a unique position thanks to being a part of GN Printing and GN Distribution – which has allowed us to introduce this exclusive gift to our readers,” says Katie Heskett, Publisher of the Women’s Lifestyle Group, GN Publishing. “Creating personalised covers has been a team effort with all parts of GN Media working together for the benefit of our audience as well as our clients.”

Louisa Wilkins, Editor, Aquarius, adds “We always want to give back to our readers and an exclusive subscriber cover is just one way we’re doing that. From the magazine team to the delivery boys getting it to their door, everyone has been excited to be part of the process.”

JPd launches PR Department

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Boutique branding and communications agency JPd has launched a new PR department in an effort to strengthen its range of services in the UAE. The department will cover a spectrum of public relations for B2B and B2C sectors, as well as support the firm’s clients with communication and digital solutions in order to drive measurable results, lead by a team of senior consultants with experience in the public relations, social media, digital marketing and branding across the UAE, MENA and Europe. 

“This is an important step for us as the launch of a new PR and digital department underlines our commitment to offer integrated approach and better service to clients,” says James Pass, Managing Director and Creative Principle, JPd. “Through our new offerings we are now capable of supporting our client at all stages – from the brand creation to the product/service launch and ongoing communication to ensure effective engagement with their key audience.”

GN Publishing to launch high-end fashion title

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GN Publishing has signed an agreement with Le Grand Kapital to launch CitizenK Arabia and CitizenK Homme Arabia in the Middle East. CitizenK International is a leading luxury lifestyle and fashion magazine in France with a circulation in excess of 100,000 copies per issue. The magazine was launched in 1992 and is owned and edited by its Founder, Parisian fashion industry icon Kappauf. CitizenK Arabia will be published in a mixture of English and Arabic – with small dedicated sections in simplified Chinese, Russian and Farsi – four times a year from March 2016, and will cover the world of luxury fashion and lifestyle from a local and international perspective. CitizenK Homme Arabia will contain a unique mix of luxury fashion and lifestyle content targeted at a male audience.

Both magazines will be distributed together, with a total print run of 20,000 copies. They will be priced at AED40 in the UAE, with CitizenK Arabia and CitizenK Homme Arabia being distributed in retail across the GCC, to VIP homes and at selected boutique retail outlets, hotels and luxury venues in the UAE.

“I am delighted that we are launching CitizenK Arabia, an exciting new force in the GCC’s luxury lifestyle media space,” says James Hewes, Publishing Director, GN Publishing. “The opportunity to bring France’s premier luxury lifestyle magazine to this market is not to be missed and I look forward to working with Kappauf to deliver CitizenK Arabia to the region’s luxury consumers.”

Kappauf adds “CitizenK Arabia is the next step in our international expansion and is a project particularly close to my heart due to my Syrian origin.”

Sky News Arabia to launch on Canadian cable

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Sky News Arabia will now broadcast live via Rogers Cable, a Canadian cable television service by Rogers Communications Inc. Through the new service, the channel’s audience in Canada will be able to watch a host of its programs and bulletins on various platforms through subscribing to the service online.

“After reaching out to our audiences in the United States via Sling TV, joining Rogers Cable was the next strategic step.” says Nart Bouran, CEO, Sky News Arabia. “We have always been keen to provide our followers and audience, regardless of their location, with a continuous broadcast of our unique content on various platforms. This expansion aligns with our efforts as an international media organisation to provide quality content.”

Slava Levin, Co-Founder and CEO of Ethnic Channels Group Limited, adds “As the largest distributor of multicultural television content in Canada, Ethnic Channels Group brings with it a combination of cutting edge technology and distribution expertise. We share a common vision with Sky News Arabia to showcase premium news programming content to Canadian audiences. Sky News Arabia, which has already distinguished itself by its excellent journalism, can now claim its share of Canadian viewers and become the destination channel for world class news.”

 

IPREX opens in the Middle East

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Global communications network IPREX has opened in the Middle East, following the election of Iris Public Relations from Dubai as a partner. IPREX is a $250 million network of communications agencies, with 1,800 staff and 115 offices worldwide working across the spectrum of industry sectors and practice disciplines.

“Partners have worked successfully with Iris PR over the last couple of years when they were an IPREX affiliate agency so we are delighted to welcome them as a full partner, bringing the number of IPREX offices in our region to 30, across 18 countries,” says Mayte Gonzalez-Gil, President, IPREX EMEA.

Lisa George, Director, Iris PR, adds “We have worked with several IPREX partners in the past for clients such as Carefusion and MIT Centre for Real Estate and we enjoyed these collaborations. Joining IPREX will give us a global reach and an opportunity to share and adopt global best practices.”

 

Ahlan! on Dubai Life goes live

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Top selling celebrity magazine, Ahlan! – part of ITP Publishing – has launched a new weekly TV show, Ahlan! on Dubai Life. Hosted by Deputy Editor JJ Anisobi and TV presenter cum vlogger Anika Morjaria, the show airs every Saturday at 9pm, on Du Channel 423. Giving an insider overview on the latest celebrity gossip, fashion mishaps and must-see videos, Ahlan! on Dubai Life will complement the print title and online platform, while also giving a more in-depth look into VIP events and happenings in the UAE.

Ahlan! on Dubai Life can also be streamed live on dubailife.tv/live

SMG launches SPORTS at SMG

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Following launches in the US, Russia and Africa, Starcom Mediavest Group (SMG) is rolling out its sports marketing capability, SPORTS at SMG, in the MENA region. SPORTS at SMG will be headquartered in Dubai and offer fully integrated sports marketing capabilities for brands. Leveraging SMG’s market position, the division’s capabilities will include audience insights, strategic development, investment, management and evaluation.

“In an increasingly fragmented landscape, sports is still the number one driver of audiences in big numbers across multiple platforms, devices and multiple markets,” says Robin Clarke, Managing Director, EMEA, SPORTS at SMG. “New technologies are enabling rights holders and sports media vendors alike to evolve their offering to brands significantly. Helping our clients understand and invest in optimal ways in those spaces can deliver far greater effectiveness in investment and ROI. This is a key strength of our company.”

Raed Kablawi, Head of MENA, SPORTS at SMG, adds “SPORTS at SMG in the MENA region will ensure our clients understand the landscape, the opportunities and the routes to high value ROI from investing in sports at local, regional and global levels. As part of a world class media network, we are armed with the best supporting capabilities in digital, content, social, data and media planning/buying to do just that.”