Posts

New online magazine launches

/0 Comments/in /by

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.”

Apple Watch runs apps from third-party developers

/0 Comments/in /by

During the highly anticipated Apple event last night – which announced the launch of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 plus – it was confirmed that the Apple Watch, set to be released early 2015, will be offering more than just a selection of Apple-designed apps; which include iMessages, Health, Calendar, Weather, Mail, Photos, Camera’s shutter button, Apple Maps and Siri, as well the expected dedicated fitness and workout apps in partnership with Nike.

Apple’s first wearable gadget, which will integrate with iOS 8 devices, has offered access to third-party developers by introducing WatchKit APIs, enabling developers to make their apps compatible with Apple Watch. During the event, Apple demonstrated a number of social media applications that will be available on the Apple Watch, including –

  • Facebook updates and notifications
  • Twitter notifications with favourite/retweet/dismiss buttons
  • The Twitter app, which allows you to read your timeline, see what’s trending and create a tweet
  • Posting to Pinterest, which offers up nearby sites

The Apple Watch will be available in three models – Apple Watch, Apple Watch Sport and Apple Watch Edition – with various sizing options and features on offer for each.

Twitter tests ‘buy’ button in the USA

/0 Comments/in /by

Twitter has introduced a ‘buy’ button to a limited number of users on its US service. A number of people on iOS and Android will start to see tweets which include an option to buy products directly from their timeline – shifting the social media platform into the e-commerce arena.

“We are beginning to test a new way for your to discover and buy products on Twitter,” says Tarun Jain, Group Project Manager, Twitter. “For a small percentage of US users (that will grow over time), some Tweets from our test partners will feature a ‘buy’ button, letting you buy directly from the tweet.”

According to Tarun in his blog announcement, an entire purchase can be completed with only a few clicks. Tapping the ‘buy’ button will lead to additional product information and you will be prompted to enter your shipping and payment details – which will be encrypted and stored after your first transaction. With that complete, the order will then be sent out for delivery.

To launch the new commerce system, Twitter has partnered with a small group of brands which includes shopping platform Fancy, click payments provider Stripe, e-commerce brand Gumroad and merchandise and ticketing company Musictoday.

Twitter is also starting the test with a group of artists, brands and nonprofit organisations, including Burberry, Eminem, (RED), Pharell and Panic! At The Disco.

New Arabic daily newspaper launches

/0 Comments/in /by

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

/0 Comments/in /by

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.”

Stylist Arabia welcomes new editorial team

/0 Comments/in /by

Fashion and lifestyle weekly Stylist Arabia has welcomed the new members of its editorial team. In addition to Devinder Bains as Editor of the magazine, Laura Chubb joins as Acting Deputy Editor, with Dina Yassin as Acting Fashion and Beauty Editor.

Set to launch this October, the weekly ‘freemium’ magazine will start with a circulation of 50,000 across Dubai and Abu Dhabi, offering a mix of high-end fashion, beauty, entertainment and thought-provoking features to smart, sophisticated and successful women in the region.

ITP Publishing to launch Arabic women’s website

/0 Comments/in /by

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.

Twitter opens analytics dashboard to all users

/0 Comments/in /by

Twitter has released an analytics tool called the tweet activity dashboard, which aims to assist social network users in learning more about the impact of their tweets. Initially released to advertisers and verified users in July of this year, the analytics dashboard now allows all account holders to see how people are engaging with their tweets in real-time, comparing tweet activity from month-to-month and presenting how tweets are trending over time. By clicking on any tweet, it is now possible to get a detailed view of the number of retweets, replies, favourites, followers or clicks that each tweet receives. Tweet metrics are also available through the tool.

Currently, the dashboard is open to Twitter accounts that have been open for at least 14 days and available for tweets in English, French, Japanese or Spanish.

To access the tweet activity dashboard, visit analytics.twitter.com

 

Yas Marina Circuit launches YasHUB app

/0 Comments/in /by

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

/0 Comments/in /by

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.”