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January 2026

A M OT I VAT E P U B L I C AT I O N

Agency of the Year Middle East Awards. P20

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January 2026

INTRODUCTION D

ear Campaign Middle East family, As we embark on a new chapter of life in 2026, can we challenge ourselves to be better? A look in the mirror tells us that we are a community of talented people who have the opportunity and capability to mould a better future for all. But that’s a choice. In a world that’s leaning in to large language models (LLMs) and artificial intelligence (AI) tools to give laziness and mediocrity a face-lift, can we hold ourselves accountable to our craft, culture, creativity and the client’s brand and business outcomes? Can we please choose to be braver, bolder and beautifully local? Let’s set aside egos, bury old hatchets in the sands of time, and look beyond competing on local and regional leaderboards to raising international standards and ANUP OOMMEN setting global benchmarks. Editor We have the excuse of a New Year’s resolution to do things differently. We have the chance to listen – truly pause and listen – to what clients and consumers want; to build experiences with less friction; to break decades-old silos within the industry; to move from cherry-picked flashy metrics to campaigns that leave an ineffaceable mark on people’s lives, on local communities and on the society at large. In a world where each of us reacts based on past trauma, can we choose to be empathetic and walk a mile in someone else’s shoes? In a world where there’s so much noise, can we contribute meaning? In a world where trust is hard to find – or offer – can we find a way to firm up its foundations? In a world where everyone seems to have all the answers – can we choose to unlearn, learn, adapt, test, experience and pivot? There’s a need to communicate with and work alongside agentic AI, as we would with a colleague, a boss or a team member. There’s also a need to narrate stories that let people speak from lived experiences in a language and nuance of their choosing, rather than tell stories that speak at them. The lessons from leaders in 2025 are the writing on the wall for 2026: People and culture are the core for growth. Take calculated risks. Learn to ask the right questions. Remain curious – constantly. Love the craft. Find that extra dose of courage each day. Give your brain the moments of peace it needs to come up with a spark, rather than letting it atrophy on the crutches of technology. Measure what matters. Invest in people. Lead with grace. If we get this right, we could possibly be the change we wish to see in this world; we could leave a legacy that lasts longer than the five-minute LinkedIn post we wish will go viral. There are those who have asked, “What does 2026 have in store for us?” Can I dare to ask: “What do we have in store for 2026?”

CONTENTS 04 (W)RAPPED 05 2026: SHIFTING FROM EXPLORATION TO ITERATION 07 THE RISE OF AGENTIC AI 08 THE YEAR IN REVIEW 20 AGENCY OF THE YEAR MIDDLE EAST AWARDS 64 TOP 20 NEWS STORIES 66 TOP 25 MOVERS AND SHAKERS 68 TOP 20 DIGITAL AND INTEGRATED CAMPAIGNS 70 TOP 10 EXPERIENTIAL CAMPAIGNS 71 MEDIA MILESTONES 72 TOP 15 FILM CAMPAIGNS 74 TOP 20 CINEMA ADS 76 TOP 10 PITCHES 77 YEAR IN ADTECH 78 TOP 10 YOUTUBE 79 SNAPCHAT TOP CREATORS

Motivate Media Group Head Office: 34th Floor, Media One Tower, Dubai Media City, Dubai, UAE. Tel: +971 4 427 3000, Fax: +971 4 428 2266. Email: motivate@motivate.ae Dubai Media City: SD 2-94, 2nd Floor, Building 2, Dubai, UAE. Tel: +971 4 390 3550, Fax: +971 4 390 4845 Abu Dhabi: Motivate Advertising, Marketing & Publishing, PO Box 43072, Abu Dhabi, UAE. Tel: +971 2 677 2005, Fax: +97126573401, Email: motivate-adh@motivate.ae Saudi Arabia: Regus Offices No. 455 - 456, 4th Floor, Hamad Tower, King Fahad Road, Al Olaya, Riyadh, KSA. Tel: +966 11 834 3595 / +966 11 834 3596. Email: motivate@motivate.ae London: Motivate Publishing Ltd, Acre House, 11/15 William Road, London NW1 3ER. Email: motivateuk@motivate.ae

80 PINTEREST PREDICTS 82 TOP 10 THE SPIN

www.motivatemedia.com EDITORIAL: Motivate Media Group Editor-in-Chief Obaid Humaid Al Tayer | Managing Partner and Group Editor Ian Fairservice Campaign Middle East Editor Anup Oommen | Senior Reporter Ishwari Khatu | Reporter Shantelle Nagarajan | Junior Reporter Hiba Faisal DESIGN: Senior Designer Thokchom Remy ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES: Chief Commercial Officer Anthony Milne | Publishing Director Nadeem Quraishi (nadeem@motivate.ae) | Sales Manager Tarun Gangwani (tarun.gangwani@motivate.ae) PRODUCTION: General Manager S. Sunil Kumar | Production Manager Binu Purandaran | Assistant Production Manager Venita Pinto HAYMARKET MEDIA GROUP: Chairman Kevin Costello | Managing Director Jane Macken The publishers regret that they cannot accept liability for error or omissions contained in this publication, however caused. The opinions and views contained in this publication are not necessarily those of the publishers. Readers are advised to seek specialist advice before acting on information contained in this publication which is provided for general use and may not be appropriate for the readers’ particular circumstances. The ownership of trademarks is acknowledged. No part of this publication or any part of the contents thereof may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form without the permission of the publishers in writing. An exemption is hereby granted for extracts used for the purpose of fair review. Campaign Middle East includes material reproduced from the UK Edition (and other editions) of Campaign, which is the copyright of Haymarket. Campaign is a trademark of Haymarket and is used under licence. The views and opinions expressed within this magazine are not necessarily those of Haymarket Magazines Limited or those of its contributors.

Cover designed by Thokchom Remy

January 2026

(W)RAPPED.

up. Finance circles the room. AI looks like relief. Cuts feel like a broom. But cut without thinking and you sever the spine. Amputate futures just to feel fine? For a quarter in time, you lose the long game. People cost isn’t expense – uh, uh – that’s a rookie name. It’s stored return. It’s the bank vault door. Unrealised potential waiting for more. Don’t reskill them? The gaps show fast. Don’t upskill them? The systems run past. Don’t mentor them? Relevance dies. Flattened by workflows they’ll never learned to guide.

Publicis Groupe Middle East & Turkey’s Tahaab Rais drops some bars on the year gone by – and the year ahead.

eah. Listen close. The calendar flipped, and the noise did start. A pulse. And then, a bang. 2025. Check it.

THE QUIET INVASION 2025 came in low, didn’t kick in the door. Didn’t scream ‘new world’, didn’t settle a score. No revolution speech, no dramatic ignition. Quickly, quietly changing the room, while we sat in position. It wasn’t a scene from a movie, nay no robots in the street. Just a shift in rhythm, a change in beat. AI didn’t knock, didn’t wait for its turn. Didn’t ask the boardroom what it’s allowed to learn. It slid into the walls, into the processes, into the pace. Into how work moves, decides and accelerates. Embedded in the drywall, living in the code. Rewriting rules of our heavy workload. Zoom out wide, watch the skyline bend. When scale started folding, it wasn’t about a trend. It was heavy systems learning how to move light. Overlap costs more than the value of size, right? Brands felt the squeeze, yeah, every channel pulled. Every platform claimed it’s the place where you ruled. Too many voices, and not enough core. Consolidation wasn’t fear, it’s physics at play. Gravity speaking in a very clear way. THE ENGINE ROOM Take it back to the engine room, where the real shift stayed. This wasn’t better

tools; it was how work gets made. We talk about speed but look at the chain. Agent speaks to agent, creating new brains. Work now moves faster than your coffee can cool. Decisions are being learnt, while we’re choosing tools. Agentic AI. Don’t soften the phrase, It’s not a helper on call for the lazy days. It’s momentum in play; it’s the gear and the clutch. Not just automation of tasks that you used to touch. But systems deciding what happens next too. The friction is gone; the view is brand new. THE SHADOW OF SILENCE And here’s what we whisper, not what we say loud. When friction disappears, fear gathers a crowd. Because speed feels like replacement when roles feel thin. When you don’t know where you add weight within. Let’s be clear – AI doesn’t eliminate people, that’s not the crime, Confusion does. Silence does. Neglect over time. Ignoring the human while upgrading the brain is how intelligence quietly turns into strain. Automation isn’t free, it just moves the bill. From hours to outcomes. From doing the work to deciding what’s right. So, people matter more, not less, not reduced. Agents can act, but they can’t choose the truth.

THE OPERATING SYSTEM Training isn’t a programme you tick and forget; it’s an operating system you constantly set. Not videos watched at 1.5x on a screen, But how to lead systems you didn’t build, but you mean to mean. Teach how agents work, where the bias creeps in. How to question the output before damage begins. How to push creatively, not blindly comply. How to say, ‘technically right, but emotionally dry’.

‘‘MARGINS TIGHTEN UP. FINANCE CIRCLES THE ROOM. AI LOOKS LIKE RELIEF. CUTS FEEL LIKE A BROOM. BUT CUT WITHOUT THINKING AND YOU SEVER THE SPINE. AMPUTATE FUTURES JUST TO FEEL FINE?” Because emotion isn’t noise, it’s market signal. Brands live in feeling, not logical ritual. No agent understands pride, shame, fear, or hope. Like a human who’s lived and learned how to cope.

THE COST AND THE CUT Here’s where the people cost enters sharp and clean. Where spreadsheets pretend that humans are screens. Margins tighten By Tahaab Rais, Group Chief Strategy Officer and Film Director, Publicis Groupe Middle East & Turkey

THE STRATEGY So here is the math you cannot ignore, The only investment that settles the score: Mentorship becomes insurance. Training becomes retention. Empathy becomes performance. AI won’t replace the workforce whole. But people who evolve will replace static roles. More jobs will come, but not the same shape. Hybrid minds setting the new escape. Leadership splits clean as the pressure grows. Those who step up. Those who master this new prose. You can automate output, automate scale. But care doesn’t code and culture won’t jailbreak. Here’s the close, no padding, no spin: Efficiency will be cheap, it’ll be the price of admission. Advantage would be the culture, the soul and the mission. AI won’t decide who stays in the game. Markets will. Clients will. Talent will name. They’ll see who built muscle, and who cut the bone, Who treated their people as the throne, not the stone. In 2026, the machine will be the means. People will be the strategy. Mic drop.

January 2026

2026: Shifting from exploration to iteration Marketers of 2026 will be builders; they will be part data scientists, part storytellers, part editors and part cultural listeners, writes Al Masaood Group’s Marwa Kaabour.

uring most of the past decade, marketers were taken by an endless cycle of exploration. They explored new platforms, new technologies, new audience behaviours and another wave of digital tools promising a competitive edge. We operated in a marketplace defined by rapid experimentation and constant reinvention, often pressured to chase the next shiny platform before the last one had even proven its worth. But 2026 is set to mark a turning point. The era of exploration and artificial intelligence (AI) is giving way to a new discipline of iteration. As the industry matures, as AI matures, and as technology shifts from novelty to infrastructure, leaders will increasingly ask: “what’s working, and how do we refine it?” instead of just “what’s new?”. Marketing will become more about making innovation purposeful, and how to move from frantic sprints to strategic cadence, where learning compounds, instead of resetting. THE NEW MARKETER MINDSET

Marketing teams in 2026 will shift from early explorers to iterators. In the exploration era, marketers were rewarded for discovering new channels and tools. In the iteration era, they’ll be rewarded for improving performance with surgical precision. AI has removed much of the guesswork. Marketers won’t blindly test dozens of campaign variations anymore to figure out what resonates. Algorithms now surface insights in minutes that once took teams weeks to decode. Predictive analytics can model outcomes before budgets are spent. With that level of visibility, the marketer’s role becomes more about refining. This means perfecting messaging based on real-time audience behaviour while continuously tuning creative assets instead of launching-and-leaving. It also means shaping brand stories through ongoing human feedback loops and editing campaigns day by day, not quarter by quarter. With that said, I believe that what exploration has done was creating noise, and upcoming iteration will be the one to create guaranteed impact. AI AS A SILENT SOLDIER

In the 2023–2025 phase, AI was the headline, the novelty. In 2026, it will become the quiet machinery running in the background. It will be the enabler, not the cherry on top. AI won’t be used to produce more, but better. How? Better targeting, better segmentation, better personalisation, better insights and better messaging. It will enhance overall the

entire narrative sensing. The industry will also see a natural shift away from AI-generated sameness. With humans becoming immune to machine language and become adept at spotting it, the winners of 2026 will use AI to power decision-making, but will keep human hands, minds and instincts firmly on the wheel when it comes to storytelling. MARKETING BECOMES A LIVING SYSTEM

Traditionally, marketers built annual plans, quarterly calendars and campaign bodies of work that were rolled out in large bursts. In the iteration era, marketing becomes a living, breathing organism that’s constantly updated, optimised and always informed by fresh data trends. Iteration models mean shorter cycles, lighter campaigns and faster launches. It also involves always-on listening coupled with learning. This elevates the importance of microinnovation, which hovers around the small incremental improvements that compound into major leaps. Think of a line of copy sharpened, a call-to-action (CTA) repositioned or a landing page refined. EXPERIMENTATION WON’T DIE

Let’s be clear, experimentation will always have a place in marketing. But in 2026, it will finally become structured and intelligent through on-going iteration. With those shifts, I’m more convinced that the marketer of 2026 is a builder. We will build systems, refine models and shape long-term brand value with our people and our digital agents. We will be part data scientist, part storyteller, part editor and part cultural listener. 2026 belongs to the iterators.

By Marwa Kaabour, Group Director of Marketing and Corporate Communication, Al Masaood Group

“Iteration models mean shorter cycles, lighter campaigns and faster launches. It also involves always-on listening coupled with learning.”

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January 2026

The rise of agentic AI Acxiom MENAT’s Karthik Kumar discusses the new intelligence layer rewriting the CEO, CMO, CTO and CDO playbook.

nterprises around the world are moving beyond traditional analytics and automation toward something fundamentally more powerful: agentic AI – artificial intelligence (AI) systems capable of taking action – not just generating insight. These systems don’t simply recommend; they interpret, anticipate, orchestrate, optimise and execute. They behave more like digital co-workers than software tools. This shift is not incremental. It is ushering in a new operating model where intelligent agents continuously learn and act across the organisation, driving growth, efficiency and customer value. And it is redefining the mandates of chief executive officers (CEOs), chief marketing officers (CMOs), chief technology officers (CTOs) and chief data officers (CDOs).

FROM INTELLIGENCE TO ACTION: WHAT MAKES AGENTIC AI DIFFERENT?

First-generation AI delivered predictions. Second-generation platforms delivered personalisation. Agentic AI delivers outcomes. It connects identity, audience intelligence, enterprise data and technology systems into an automated, agent-driven layer that can detect patterns, decide on actions, initiate workflows, adapt to real-time signals and self-improve with minimal human intervention. Gartner studies predict that approximately 40 per cent of repetitive, structured marketing & data tasks could be agent-driven by 2027 – especially in firms with strong data platforms, automation, governance and app ecosystems. Agentic AI is no longer theoretical. It is becoming the decision-making backbone of the future enterprise. CEOS: TURNING DATA INTO A LIVING ENTERPRISE ENGINE

For CEOs, agentic AI transforms years of accumulated data, disconnected systems and siloed teams into a single, alwayslearning intelligence layer powering the business. The gains are substantial. Clarity emerges through a unified, real-time view of performance across the enterprise. Speed accelerates as decision cycles and execution happen in minutes rather than planning cycles. Efficiency improves as agents automate repetitive, rules-based tasks. Growth follows through more accurate forecasting, enhanced customer outcomes and reduced revenue leakage. A recent McKinsey analysis shows that companies adopting agent-based decision systems see 10 to 20 per cent revenue uplift and 30 to 45 per cent productivity improvements within the first 18 months. For CEOs operating in competitive, digital-first markets, this is not a technology upgrade. It is an acceleration engine.

on demand, allocating budgets autonomously and attributing and optimising performance as it happens. With many marketers citing ‘audience understanding’ as their biggest challenge, agentic AI unlocks high-fidelity customer intelligence based on identity, intent and behavioural signals – not assumptions. This is especially critical in MENAT, where audiences are mobile-first, multilingual, culturally nuanced and expect relevance at scale. CDOS: IDENTITY AND DATA BECOME THE ENTERPRISE BRAIN

Agentic AI requires strong identity infrastructure and clean, governed data. This places CDOs at the centre of enterprise transformation. CDOs can enable the foundations: unified customer profiles, privacy-safe collaboration via data clean rooms, first-party data enrichment, advanced audience modelling and real-time decision signals feeding all systems. Research shows companies with a robust identity spine are three times more likely to operationalise advanced AI at scale. In markets like the UAE and Saudi Arabia – where governments are aggressively pursuing digital-first economic agendas – this becomes a genuine enterprise advantage. CTOS: ARCHITECTING AN AI-ORCHESTRATED ENTERPRISE

CTOs face the complexity created by legacy systems, fragmented data and an ecosystem of platforms spanning enterprise resource planning (ERP), customer relationship management (CRM), customer data platform (CDP), cloud infrastructure, data lakes, media and personalisation engines. Agentic AI sits above this stack as an orchestration layer, coordinating systems that previously required heavy manual configuration. McKinsey’s case studies show agentic designs materially speed modernisation efforts and deliver measurable productivity gains in enterprise settings. WHY MENAT IS POISED FOR AN AGENTIC AI LEAP

The region possesses the exact characteristics that accelerate AI adoption: a young, mobile-first population with over 60 per cent under 35; among the world’s highest digital and social media usage rates; government-led innovation mandates prioritising data and AI; and enterprise transformation agendas across retail, finance, travel, real estate and e-commerce. This combination positions MENAT to leapfrog legacy-heavy markets in scaling agentic AI.

CMOS: FROM MANUAL OPTIMISATION TO AUTONOMOUS GROWTH

THE PATH FORWARD

“The question for CXOs is no longer ‘Should we use AI?’ but ‘How do we build an organisation where AI can think and act on our behalf?’.”

By Karthik Kumar, Managing Director, Acxiom MENAT

CMOs are entering an era where media, content and customer journeys are shaped in real or near-real time by intelligent agents. Agentic AI transforms marketing by creating segments dynamically based on responsiveness, personalising communication across every touchpoint, generating creative assets

Agentic AI is not a trend. It is the next chapter of enterprise intelligence. The question for chief experience officers (CXOs) is no longer “Should we use AI?” but “How do we build an organisation where AI can think and act on our behalf?” Early adopters will gain advantage in speed, accuracy and market position. Those who wait will find themselves competing not just with companies, but with companies powered by intelligent machines. The rise of agentic AI is here. And it is rewriting the CXO playbook.

January 2026

THE YEAR IN

REVIEW

No, this review is not at all about AI and authenticity. From news of a new Pope to trending KPop Demon Hunters; from the ‘Nothing Beats a Jet2 Holiday’ jingle to Sydney Sweeney’s controversial campaign; from award-winning ads to work that resonated with communities and had a social impact; from major acquisitions to top appointments in the Middle East – this is a review that holistically wraps up 2025. By Anup Oommen

025 has been a year that has sparked a spectrum of extreme emotions. It’s been 12 months of fragile stability threaded through with volatility. It’s been a year when going through the paces of work and life – however stressful – has helped many overcome the creeping feeling of helplessness that sets in when we look at the bigger picture of a polarised world. On one hand, 2025 was filled with trade wars, natural disasters and a rapidly evolving market that forced the industry to constantly adapt, pivot, and – quite often – take a good, long look in the mirror. This was a war-torn year, with cross-border conflicts across Israel and Gaza; Russia and Ukraine; Israel and Iran; Pakistan and India; Thailand and Cambodia; Armenia and Azerbaijan; in addition to civil unrest in Nepal, Syria, Yemen, Sudan, Ethiopia, Myanmar and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

This was a year that shook the world with the death of a pope, the public assassination of a right-wing social media celebrity, the crash of a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, and the loss of tens of thousands of lives in earthquakes and typhoons. However, on the other hand, this was also the year when American singer-songwriter Katy Perry went to space; when animated movie KPop Demon Hunters and its songs Golden and Soda Pop stole millions of hearts – young and old; when blind-box collectible Labubu dolls dug into deep celebrity pockets; when a jumbotron moment at a Coldplay concert became immortal; when schools banned the turn of phrase ‘6-7’ and nations banned TikTok and other social media platforms; when Sydney Sweeney’s denim advertisement broke the internet; and the catchy slogan “Nothing Beats a Jet2 Holiday!” became one of the

most memorable and ‘meme-worthy’ jingles of the year. Truth be told, there’s nothing quite as therapeutic as journalling the journey, poring over the paths we’ve tread together, and exulting in the knowledge that we made it to the other side of 2025 – against all odds. Campaign Middle East has lived through the ebbs and flows of the year gone by and has chronicled it all for the Middle East marketing, media, creative and communications industry. Here’s the year in review:

January 2025 The year began with a reminder that the world is a tapestry of oppositional crossstitches. Fans of the 300: Rise of an Empire movie and Addams Family-themed TV show Wednesday rejoiced on 1 January 2025 when Bulgaria and Romania were

January 2026

deemed part of the Schengen Area and open to cross-border European backpacking. Those closely following updates on international conflicts breathed a sigh of relief when Israel and Hamas reached a ceasefire agreement, followed by a hostage and prisoner exchange. However, the good news didn’t last long in the West or the East, as a vehicleramming and shooting attack in New Orleans, Louisiana shook the United States, and a 7.1-magnitude earthquake claimed lives in Tibet and China. Yet, even as tremors of crises rocked several continents, resilience shone through in the constant attempt to keep the economy running with business as usual. The media and marketing industry in the Middle East kept pace with a relentless rhythm of launches, mergers and rebrands. While the external world paused to take in the constant geopolitical and socio-economic shifts in January, marketers in the Middle East powered through the pain with purposeful storytelling, built on audience intelligence and creative experimentation. In a major departure from post-Covid hybrid working cultures, WPP announced a new policy requiring staff to work in the office at least four days a week, including at least two Fridays per month. The changes were confirmed by then-chief executive Mark Read in an email sent to staff on 7 January but took effect only in April 2025. The year’s first major structural shift in agency networks also arrived in January, with Publicis Groupe merging two of its creative engines, Leo Burnett and Publicis Worldwide, into a single network branded simply as Leo – a move testifying to a global push toward streamlined creativity and fewer silos. Meanwhile, UM launched Full Colour Media to empower brand-building, differentiation and growth. Setting the pace for a host of C-suite leadership changes in 2025, Publicis Groupe Middle East appointed Dyala Badran as Chief Content Officer; Omnicom Media Group appointed Christian Fedorczuk as CEO of PHD MENA; and Billups appointed Ranganathan Somanathan as its Chief Global Growth Officer. The month also revealed rising appetite for local expertise and regional reach. Memac Ogilvy won the public relations and influence account for Al-Futtaim IKEA, while Gambit Communications was chosen as Samsung Gulf Electronics’ PR agency for five markets – UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman. Two notable award-winning campaigns also emerged from January. First, easypaisa and Impact BBDO highlighted the importance of insurance – not just as a product, but also in terms of safeguarding lives and livelihoods. For the first time, billboard installers received complete medical and life insurance coverage, and were also provided with internationalstandard safety gear to protect them during the installation of this out-of-home (OOH) advertisement. Second, Fixby and MullenLowe MENA created a staggering nine-hour film – with a

‘‘WHILE THE EXTERNAL WORLD PAUSED TO TAKE IN THE CONSTANT GEOPOLITICAL AND SOCIOECONOMIC SHIFTS IN JANUARY 2025, MARKETERS IN THE MIDDLE EAST POWERED THROUGH THE PAIN WITH PURPOSEFUL STORYTELLING.” twist – to highlight the rising problem of phone addiction among children. The film mirrored the shocking amount of time pre-teens, teens and youth spend on devices per day. It also highlighted the risks this addiction poses, and highlighted ways to protect children from its adverse effects. The month also saw Qatar Airways debut Sama, the first AI-powered digital human cabin crew, to act as its brand ambassador – a signal of brands in the region striving to remain at the forefront of AI-augmented customer experiences.

February 2025 The second month of the year provided little respite from volatility in the global arena. Washington and Beijing scaled up their tariff war in February, while Sweden was left reeling after the deadliest mass shooting in its history at an adult education centre in Örebro. Meanwhile, in the Middle East, a four-hour Saudi-brokered summit saw strategic dialogue lead to restored diplomatic relations between Russia and the United States. Yet, the visceral moment that went viral in February 2025 was the heated exchange between US President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and US Vice-President JD Vance, which was televised live from the Oval Office at the White House. What happened that same month in the MENA? Well, on a far more positive note, Wynn Resorts, in collaboration with MCH Global and The Romans, staged the ‘World’s Highest Hole-in-One’ challenge. With an AED 1m prize on the line for charity, the campaign challenged professional golfers Padraig Harrington, Thorbjørn Olesen and Ryan Fox, alongside golf experts and sports personalities, to drive a hole-in-one from a teeing terrace 22 stories high to a floating green. When no ace was completed, Wynn donated the prize money to whom, creating a lot of buzz for the resort. Another top campaign launched in February, which etched its name onto global and regional trophies later in the year, was OMO Arabia’s ‘The Art of Stains’ campaign – brought to life in collaboration with MullenLowe MENA, Current Global and Milkshake Media. The campaign

communicated a critical message about period care to women in the Middle East through a culturally sensitive partnership with Henna artists. February also witnessed a string of strategic appointments. New Balance appointed Ana Elisa Seixas as Head of Marketing for the Middle East, Africa and India (MEAI) region; Ogilvy named André ‘Dedé’ Laurentino as Deputy Chief Creative Officer for Ogilvy Europe Middle East and Africa (EMEA); Serviceplan Arabia appointed Sara Eid as Regional Creative Director; and Publicis Sapient named Oliver Reppel and Rohit Mathew as Co-Heads of Financial Services – Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Shortly after Omnicom revealed plans to becoming the largest advertising agency in the world by revenue, and established Omnicom Advertising Group, Campaign Middle East hosted Troy Ruhanen, President and Global CEO of Omnicom Advertising Group, on an interesting On The Record video podcast. Campaign also ranked the Top 10 Superbowl advertisements of 2025 and hosted round table discussions on changing consumer behaviours during Ramadan, calling for marketers to focus on togetherness, timeliness, targeted ads and, most importantly, meaningful messaging during the Holy Month. At Campaign Middle East’s first event of the year, Campaign Breakfast Briefing: Ramadan Advertising and the Year Ahead for Media and Marketing, held on 7 February, industry leaders sounded a similar clarion call to move from clichéd motifs to meaningful marketing. Rather than sticking to traditional, rigid

German company Böcker, which got inadvertently embroiled in the Louvre heist in October 2025 because one of its lifts was used in the theft, did not downplay the incident. Instead, it published an ad that read, “IF YOU’RE IN A HURRY. The Böcker Agilo carries your treasures up to 400kg at 42 m/min – quiet as a whisper thanks to its 230V electric motor”.

January 2026

demographic segmentation of age, gender, income, occupation and nationality, marketers called for the industry to tug on the heartstrings of several cohorts of hyper-local regional communities, which have distinct dialects, cultures, lifestyles, media preferences and purchase patterns. Leaders called for hyper-personalised, culturally sensitive campaigns that truly resonate with the local populace. They shared the need to communicate stories ‘of the people, by the people, for the people in the region’.

March 2025 March brought another grim reminder of the temporal and transient nature of the world. Two months after it was agreed upon, the Israel-Gaza ceasefire ceased, as Israel relaunched widespread aerial bombardments on the Gaza Strip. This effectively re-ignited a humanitarian crisis that came to dominate headlines and industry risk assessments for months to come. Lebanon also experienced a significant escalation of conflict with Israel, marked by Israeli airstrikes on towns in southern Lebanon and the capital city of Beirut, raising fears of a wider regional war. In Asia, a 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck Myanmar, leaving thousands dead and tens of thousands injured. Expats working in the MENA region, with families at home in these nations, needed a double portion of hope and strength to get through the month of March. Yet, despite the daily deluge of difficult news, the Middle East market stayed resilient. Amid the adversity, another awardwinning campaign was birthed: Puck, under Arla Foods, collaborated with Dubai Cares, renowned food critic Anthony Rahayel, creative agency FP7 McCann, production companies Craft and Tres Content, Current Global for PR to bring ‘Recipe for Change’ to life. This campaign took the recipes of traditional home-cooked dishes, crafted by Lebanese mothers, to the menus of Lebanese restaurants across the UAE and KSA, pledging 50 per cent of the proceeds from each dish sold to Lebanese families affected by the ongoing conflict in their nation. In the outdoor media landscape, BackLite Media introduced The Oryx, a digital out-of-home (DOOH) offering, as part of its Landmark Series, indicating a growing appetite for premium DOOH formats in prime corridors such as Sheikh Zayed Road. On the appointments front, GymNation picked Rory McEntee as Chief Marketing Officer; TBWA\Raad named Derek Green as Chief Creative Officer; BPG Group elevated Norah Saud Alsaja to General Manager for BPG Arabia; and Sprinklr appointed Amjad Al Sabbah as Group Vice-President for the Middle East and Africa. The month also brought a spate of entertainment-framed moments: the first season of Daredevil: Born Again launched

in the UAE. To build anticipation around its streaming release, Disney+ hosted an immersive premiere, which brought Hell’s Kitchen to life at Roxy Cinemas in Boxpark Dubai. Hans Zimmer also left his mark in the UAE, composing a signature brand score for Vox Cinemas. Volvo released its first AI-generated film to ‘Come Back Stronger’ in Saudi Arabia, and an Apple AirPods 4 campaign got Pedro Pascal grooving on air in the UAE and KSA, which gave Campaign Middle East the perfect excuse to source a quote from The Last of Us superstar. The first quarter of 2025 ended on the poignant note that marketers would need to light the spark of joy in a world starving for some happiness, balancing urgency with responsibility and scaling with sensitivity. Above all, people in the industry began to stand shoulder to shoulder, often leaning on each for support and strength through tough times.

April 2025 The second quarter of 2025 proved to be a test of faith and leadership. The world mourned the loss Pope Francis in April, who passed away at the age of 88, prompting a period of reflection. Deliberation over values and ethics also percolated into the marketing world, which turned its attention from an overrotation on performance metrics and returns on investment (ROIs) to long-term purpose, social good, and lasting partnerships ahead of the annual Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity in June. Also, for the first time in Cannes Lions’ 72-year history, the festival selected a government sector representative for its jury. Cannes Lions offered Khaled AlShehhi, Executive Director of Marketing and Communication at the UAE Government Media Office, a seat on its PR Jury, marking a milestone not only for the UAE but for public relations worldwide. In April, leaders from the Middle East marketing, advertising and creative industry also came together at the Emirates Golf Club for the Dubai Lynx Awards 2025, the MENA

region’s leading platform for creative excellence and effectiveness. The awards celebrated the most outstanding creative work from across the region, naming VML as the Network of the Year and recognising Impact BDDO as the MENA agency of the year. Impact BBDO further cemented its industry leadership by successfully defending the BRF Sadia account in April. In Q2 2025, Impact BBDO Group was chosen by Saudi Entertainment Ventures as its communications partner, and by Saudi not-for-profit foundation OceanQuest as its integrated communications partner, notching up big wins in PR, media, and digital for Impact BBDO, Impact Porter Novelli and Impact Proximity. Seagulls Media Group named Adpro& Group as its agency partner during this period. The month of April witnessed the rare coming together of two major out-ofhome media asset owners. Al Arabia Outdoor Advertising signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Multiply Group’s media vertical to explore joint investments in the global DOOH sector. Also, WPP’s acquisition of InfoSum highlighted a broader trend toward data collaboration and privacyconscious marketing. Celebrities stole the spotlight across the global media and marketing landscape. American media personality and socialite Kim Kardashian brought Labubu dolls to the limelight, sharing her collection of 10 dolls. A month later, former English professional footballer David Beckham sparked the Labubu craze again, posing with a doll gifted to him by his daughter. April was also the month that American singer-songwriter Katy Perry controversially claimed to be an astronaut after returning from an 11-minute suborbital flight with an all-female flight aboard Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin rocket. However, the manner in which the crew exited the rocket capsule in front of a live-streamed audience also sent

In May 2025, The Walt Disney Company and Miral Destinations announced an upcoming Disney theme park resort in Abu Dhabi. More captivating than the news of the Middle East’s first Disney resort was the ‘decoy’ campaign that lured journalists to the launch.

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Donald Trump issued sweeping global tariffs on several nations, accelerating a global conversation about supply chains, localisation, and the moral obligations of multinational brands navigating transnational markets. Tensions between the nations of Pakistan and India flared up in April after militants opened fire on a group of tourists in the Baisaran Valley near Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir, India. This would later come to be known as the Pahalgam attack – the tinder box that lit up a spate of tit-for-tat cross-border missile exchanges and brought the nations to the brink of war in May.

May 2025

Campaign Middle East was on ground in Riyadh at the Esports World Cup 2025, which drew 3 million visitors to Boulevard City and an estimated 300,000 international visitors to the Saudi capital over six weeks of world-class gaming.

conspiracy theorists spiralling down the rabbit hole. Speaking of exits, April also marked the first of many exits from WPP in 2025. Industry veteran Nick Walsh hung up his agency boots after two decades of shaping some of the world’s biggest brands under the WPP umbrella with the likes of VML, VMLY&R Commerce, Geometry Global, and Ogilvy. Walsh then launched Migrate, a specialist consultancy designed to help global independent agencies land, expand and thrive in the Middle East. Meanwhile, a new carbon intelligence platform, Climaty.AI, also launched in Dubai with a promise to embed climate accountability into the heart of advertising. Ravi Rao, the former CEO of GroupM MENA – now called WPP Media – joined Climaty.AI as Managing Partner to lead the sustainability-focused agentic AI startup’s expansion. Adding to major moves in the industry, LIGHTBLUE appointed Adel Noueihed as Managing Director; Al-Futtaim Automotive named Katib Belkhodja as Marketing Director for Toyota and Lexus in the UAE; and Landor appointed Basim Asaad as Managing Partner, KSA. In the adtech world, Platformance expanded to Egypt, opening a new office in Cairo. Campaign Middle East marked a historic first, launching its inaugural bilingual edition: the Saudi Arabia Report 2025. This was a supplement dedicated to the Kingdom that witnessed Campaign’s first inclusion of Arabic-language content in print in 16 years. Shortly after, Campaign Middle East also launched its first Arabic website, offering brand and marketing leaders in the region – especially those who prefer to think, read and write in Arabic – a platform to voice their thoughts and catch up on the latest news and updates. As April drew to a close, the global trade landscape darkened as US President

At the end of week 1 in May, after significant military action between India and Pakistan, which surpassed previous thresholds of systems deployed and infrastructure targeted, the nations agreed to a ceasefire. At the global level, white smoke emanated from the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican in May, heralding a new pope, as 133 cardinal electors chose Robert Francis Prevost as Pope Francis’s successor. Prevost assumed the name Leo XIV, becoming the first pope from North America, the first pope with Peruvian and US citizenship, and the first pope from the Order of Saint Augustine. In the Middle East marketing sphere, the month of May witnessed real estate developer DAMAC Properties announced a long-term global partnership with Chelsea Football Club, marking the start to a series of high-profile sports marketing sponsorships and collaborations in the region. On the tech front, Meta and EssilorLuxottica officially unveiled the Ray-Ban Meta glasses in the UAE during an exclusive launch event on May 7 held at Gitano Beach Club. The Ray-Ban Meta glasses offered users the ability to record photos and videos hands-free, and pick up phone calls and send messages without touching their phones. The glasses also offered users the option to query Meta AI on the go, listen to music discreetly without

‘‘CAMPAIGN MIDDLE EAST LAUNCHED ITS FIRST ARABIC WEBSITE, OFFERING THOSE WHO THINK, READ AND WRITE IN ARABIC A PLATFORM TO VOICE THEIR THOUGHTS.”

any headphones or ear plugs, and have languages – including sign language – translated live. Telecom and digital services provider du set a Guinness World Record for the ‘longest promotional livestream’, accomplished in collaboration with TikTok Live MENA, as part of its ‘Unstoppable Network’ campaign. The campaign was brought to life by creative agency TBWA\Raad, production house Digital Tree, media agency Mindshare, and influencer agency GOAT, part of WPP Media, in partnership with TikTok Live. Senior leadership moves were seen across the industry, as HAVAS Red Middle East promoted Dana Tahir to the role of Chief Executive Officer; AKQA appointed Jon Holloway as Managing Director for the MENA region; and C2 Comms picked Saurabh Dahiya as Head of Strategy and Planning. Campaign Middle East crossed another milestone, launching its first Campaign Market Minds CMO Round Table. Conducted in partnership with Publicis Groupe Middle East, the event welcomed 12 of the UAE’s leading retail media marketers for an in-depth knowledge-sharing and community-building exercise. The conversations reinforced the notion that retail media is no longer only a trade marketing channel. Leaders agreed that retailers need to focus more on long-term customer value, upper-funnel brand spend, joint value propositions (JVPs) and full funnel partnerships, while becoming true growth engines for organisations. A striking campaign to cap the month of May was launched by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). The ‘Laws Under Attack’ campaign drew global attention back to the repeated targeting of hospitals and medical personnel in conflict zones. After one of the last operational hospitals in southern Lebanon became a direct casualty of targeted attacks, the ICRC partnered with TBWA\RAAD and Lebanese muralist Ghaleb Hawila to inscribe tenets from the Geneva Convention on to the building’s shattered walls. Closing out the month of May on an extremely exciting note, The Walt Disney Company and Miral announced an upcoming Disney theme park resort in Abu Dhabi. More captivating than the news itself was the way the launch campaign was orchestrated. In close collaboration with Momentum Dubai, Initiative MENAT, Weber Shandwick MENAT, HQ Worldwide Shows (HQWS) and Dejavu UAE, among other key stakeholders – and under a strict veil of confidentiality – a ‘decoy’ campaign was executed. More than 70 regional and global journalists were invited to the W Abu Dhabi hotel under the guise of a 15-year Yas Island anniversary celebration – complete with fireworks, drone shows and the presence of global celebrities such as supermodel Naomi Campbell and Hollywood actor Tyrese Gibson – before the on-ground experience turned into the reveal of the Middle East’s first Disney theme park.

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Festival of Creativity, held from 16 to 20 June 2025, which highlighted the foundational pillars holding up the current marketing edifice: creativity – originally human and artificial intelligence (AI)assisted; technology – updates on generative AI, algorithms, platforms and social media; outcomes – building brand equity and bringing in financial returns; social impact – purpose-driven ‘marketing for good’ to heal a polarised planet; as well as culture and context – collaborating and co-creating with a vibrant content-led economy.

July 2025 Amid adversity, another award-winning campaign was birthed: Puck, under Arla Foods, took the recipes of traditional home-cooked dishes, crafted by Lebanese mothers, to the menus of Lebanese restaurants across the UAE and KSA, pledging 50 per cent of the proceeds from each dish sold to Lebanese families affected by the ongoing conflict in their nation.

June 2025 All eyes turned back to the Middle East in June 2025, as Israel conducted air strikes against Iran, killing several senior Iranian military commanders. Iran retaliated – and social media lit up with videos of highaltitude missiles seen over the skies of Kuwait, Bahrain and the UAE – raising fears of war and prayers for peace. The United States got involved, carrying out B-2 bomber airstrikes on three Iranian nuclear sites in Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan. Iran responded, firing missiles at US bases in Qatar and Iraq. However, before matters could escalate beyond the point of no return, the nations agreed to a ceasefire. In the northern hemisphere, Ukraine launched one of its largest drone attacks on Russian military bases as part of Operation Spiderweb, destroying more than 40 Russian aircraft in the process. More tragic news shook expats working in the Middle East in June 2025, when London-bound Air India Flight 171 crashed shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad, India. The devastating event claimed the lives of 229 passengers, 12 crew members and 19 people at the site of the crash – leaving only one survivor. June was also the month that WPP Global CEO Mark Read announced that he would step down after 30 years with the company. Within weeks, WPP picked Cindy Rose, a senior executive at Microsoft, to replace Read. In one of the biggest announcements within the region’s OOH industry in 2025, Abu Dhabi-based investment holding company Multiply Group united three out-of-home (OOH) companies within its portfolio, including BackLite Media, Viola Media and Media 247 under a UAEheadquartered media entity called Multiply Media Group (MMG). The scale of the newly formed entity now includes more than 3,000 advertising units across the UAE, including more than 75 premium assets on Sheikh Zayed Road, backed by long-term agreements with Mada Media, Dubai’s Roads and Transport

Authority (RTA) and Abu Dhabi’s Department of Municipalities and Transport (DMT). In other industry news, independent integrated communications agency Seven Media revealed five significant business wins, including Skyscanner, Emirates Foundation, Qasr Al Hosn, Yas Asset Management and Abu Dhabi Awards. Saudi Arabia’s stc group selected media sales powerhouse Rotana Media Services (RMS) as its exclusive advertising partner for its premium streaming platform: stc tv. Meanwhile, Memac Ogilvy was appointed by technology and smart devices company Huawei as the public relations partner for the brand’s two core businesses – Huawei Consumer Business Group (CBG) for UAE, and Huawei Information and Communication Technology (ICT) for the Middle East. The MENA region had a great run at Cannes Lions 2025 in June. Out of the 828 honours awarded to winners from 48 countries, the MENA region claimed a total of 32 wins – up from 22 in 2024. Impact BBDO led the region on total points and was awarded the MENA Network of the Year at Cannes Lions 2025. FP7 McCann Dubai, VML MENA and BigTime Creative Shop shared the most regional honours at Cannes Lions with seven wins each. Campaign Middle East comprehensively covered all the top takeaways from the 72nd edition of the Cannes Lions International

‘‘THE MENA REGION HAD A GREAT RUN AT CANNES LIONS 2025. OUT OF THE 828 HONOURS AWARDED TO WINNERS FROM 48 COUNTRIES, THE MENA REGION CLAIMED 32 WINS.”

As the summer months came calling in the Middle East, the marketing industry split its attention between indoor gaming and esports collaborations, and outdoor sports marketing opportunities. Home to global sporting events such as two Formula 1 Grands Prix at the Abu Dhabi Yas Marina circuit and the Jeddah Corniche, UFC fight nights, World Boxing Council (WBC) matches, the Dakar Rally, several golf championships, and most recently the Esports World Cup, the Middle East region has witnessed the rise of state-of-the-art infrastructure, sports influencers, brand-building collaborations, sponsorship deals, naming rights, merchandising, media and broadcast tie-ups, and die-hard sports fan community bases. Campaign Middle East covered the 2025 Esports World Cup (EWC) from Riyadh in July 2025, interviewing several key industry leaders, including Mohammad Al Nimer, Chief Commercial Officer, Esports World Cup Foundation; Munir Khoja, Managing Director, Marketing Communications, Jameel Motorsport; and Abdullah Al Dakhil, Senior Director –Global PR and Communications, Saudi Tourism Authority, among others. The numbers from EWC were truly impressive. This year, the event attracted more than 750 million viewers, who contributed to a total watch time of 184 million hours, a testament to the audience’s deep engagement. On social media alone, the tournament generated an 8 billion impressions. On the ground, EWC transformed Riyadh into a global hub, drawing 3 million visitors to Boulevard City, the tournament venue, and an estimated 300,000 international visitors to the Saudi capital over six weeks of world-class gaming and esports. Perhaps, the most significant achievement of EWC was not the marketing return on investment (ROI) data, impressive as it was, but the cultural shift that the event embraced. Today, Saudi Arabia stands proudly as a global esports destination, where two-thirds of the population describe themselves as gamers. The Kingdom not only staged a groundbreaking global event but also witnessed its own Saudi team of local gamers outperform global players in the

January 2026

public eye, with Team Falcons winning the coveted Club Championship trophy. Also, making the news in July, Dentsu launched its sports analytics division in the MENA region, anchored by the appointment of Samah Raydan as Vice-President, Dentsu Sports Analytics MENA. Ethara, an events and entertainment company known for managing and operating some of the region’s largest sporting events such as the Abu Dhabi Formula 1 Grand Prix and UFC fight nights, appointed The Romans to lead its PR, offering the agency a multi-year retainer for corporate brand, live events and venues – such as the Yas Marina Circuit, Etihad Park and Etihad Arena. Q3 2025 also turned into a period of strategic rebrands. In July 2025, Ahmed Seddiqi launched its refreshed brand, which dropped the historic “& Sons” from its name as part of its 75th anniversary campaign. Global social media-based creative agency We Are Social also rebranded Dubai-based company Socialize to We Are Social in July, expanding its strategy services to include influencer marketing and cultural insights. Two moments that broke the internet in 2025 also arrived in July: First, American actress Sydney Sweeney appeared in a controversial advertisement for American Eagle Outfitters with the tagline ‘Sydney Sweeney Has Great Genes’. Then, a jumbotron camera at a Coldplay concert accidently exposed a cosy moment between the then-CEO of Astronomer Andy Byron and the company’s then-Chief People Officer Kristin Cabot. While on one hand, the Sydney Sweeney ad spurred several global debates about attention over intention, and provocation over purpose, and was criticised for being ‘tone deaf’, on the other hand, there were those who pointed to the massive uptick in the brand’s market capitalisation, which soared to $2.2bn following a 23 per cent increase in share price within a month of the ad’s go-live date. As for the Coldplay ‘Kiss Cam’ moment, it goes without saying that the media and marketing world had a field day with this ‘meme-worthy moment’, and the executives at the centre of the controversy resigned from their respective positions. On a positive note, several senior executives also took on new roles in the region in July. Seedtag appointed Brian Gleason as its new global Chief Executive Officer; Suad Merchant was chosen as Chief Marketing Officer for GEMS Education; SRMG Media Solutions (SMS) picked Nedaa Al Mubarak as Chief Executive Officer; and Deepanshi Tandon was appointed Head of Brand for Edelman UAE.

August 2025 Traffic on major arterial roads in the region eased in August as parents took families on well-deserved vacations, cashing in on annual leave while school was out. Those who held the fort at their desks were left toying with and testing the fifth generation of OpenAI’s generative artificial intelligence (Gen AI) model GPT-5, which was released in August. This was also the month that a famine

in Gaza City was confirmed for the first time after the UN-backed body responsible for monitoring conditions in Gaza raised the food insecurity classification to Phase 5, the highest and worst level, sparking international outcry. Despite being a slower than usual month, August outdid itself with a large share of high-profile agency launches, appointments and key client wins. This proved to be the month when the agencies reaped the harvest after months spent pitching for new clients and defending current clients. Campaign Middle East reported the scoop on George Clooney and Amal Clooney-founded Clooney Foundation for Justice (CFJ) choosing relationship marketing agency MRM MENAT to enhance the Foundation’s digital presence; Hearst appointed The Vantage as its official MENA media representative; Danube Home picked MoEngage to power hyper-personalised customer journeys; ONE Development selected Kenshō Mindful Communications as its PR partner; OSN Group chose Current Global MENAT as its exclusive public relations agency; GODIVA appointed Brazen MENA as PR agency for the UAE and KSA; and Samsung Gulf selected Flourish as its Middle East CRM agency of record. Meanwhile, Paris-based creative agency The Refreshment Club launched its MENA hub in Dubai; SPANDY launched as a MENA agency for film directors and photographers; UK-founded community-

After one of the last operational hospitals in southern Lebanon became a casualty of targeted attacks, the ICRC, TBWA\RAAD and Lebanese muralist Ghaleb Hawila came together for the ‘Laws Under Attack’ campaign to inscribe tenets from the Geneva Convention onto the building’s shattered walls.

driven content creator agency Buttermilk launched operations in the Middle East with offices in Dubai and Riyadh; and Campaign’s Independent Agency of the Year 2024 winner tactical. launched MAiK: an AI creative studio for socialnative content. The month also marked some marquee marketing appointments as Saudi Arabia’s King Salman Park picked Simon Shaw as its Chief Communications and Marketing Officer; CFI Financial Group chose Omar Khaled as Group Chief Marketing Officer; and HSBC appointed John McDonald as Global Chief Marketing Officer.

September 2025 The power of social media and the influence wielded by youth dominated headlines in September. Thousands of teenagers and young adults ousted incumbent parliamentarians in Nepal after social media outcry boiled over into mass anti-government protests on the nation’s streets. The juxtaposition of youth protestors celebrating while emoting their angst against politicians was immortalised in videos of them recreating the viral dance of Rayyan Arkan Dikha, ‘the canoe kid of Indonesia’, outside a burning Parliament building. In a first-of-its-kind shift in power, the decision to raise the former chief justice of Nepal, Sushila Karki, to the office of interim prime minister was taken by the nation’s youth population on a social media platform: Discord. In September, concern and outrage echoed across social media following the assassination of 31-year-old, right-wing influencer Charlie Kirk, an ally of US President Trump. Reactions to the killing further highlighted how algorithms have polarised people who are constantly consuming content on social media platforms, even though their daily lives across the globe are quite disconnected from the geopolitical and contextual realities of the United States. On the regional front, Dubai Media Incorporated (DMI), the official media organisation of the Government of Dubai, ended its partnership with Choueiri Group’s Middle East Media Services (MEMS), which markets and sells advertising space in the region, marking an end to a partnership that lasted 24 years. The top merger of the month, which was discussed in hushed whispers until the news went live, was Publicis Groupe Middle East’s acquisition of Chain Reaction – a strategic move that reinforced the Groupe’s leadership across performance marketing, content and experience design. Also, making waves in September was the news that global communications agency Burson appointed Fouad Bou Mansour – the former Vice-President, Creative Studio at the Saudi Tourism Authority – as its new CEO for the Middle East, North Africa and Turkey (MENAT) region. Rounding off other top appointments, Saudi Arabia’s ROSHN Group picked Waseem Khashan as Chief Marketing Officer; Dentsu Sports International chose Ali Aljehani as Senior Vice-President for the MENA region; Kekst CNC appointed Luciana Blackwell as a Partner in its Abu Dhabi office; Omnicom Media Group – MENA (OMG MENA) promoted Elie Bachaalani to the role of Chief Investment Officer; Hypermedia chose Dylan TempleHeald as Head of Programmatic (pDOOH); Multiply Media Group picked Nouman Usmani as Chief Financial Officer; and Zenith offered Rawan Yaqub the role of Head of Saudi Arabia. Closing out the month, Campaign Middle East marked

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another first, launching its official Marketing Game Changers Awards in September. This recognition was neither editorially nor commercially led. Instead, it was organised as a fullfledged annual award category – with clear eligibility and evaluation criteria, a panel of 34 respected judges, and formal submissions, with the winners recognised at the annual Agency of the Year Middle East Awards ceremony and highlighted in this edition of the magazine.

October 2025 The final quarter of the year brought with it a sense of cautious optimism amid hard diplomacy, cultural milestones and corporate transformation. The Gaza peace process moved into its first phase, with negotiations that facilitated temporary ceasefires and the release of hostages and detainees. Also, dominating headlines in October, social media videos of a high-profile heist went viral after some of the French Crown Jewels were stolen from the Galerie d’Apollon of the Louvre in Paris. A German company got inadvertently embroiled in the heist because one of its lifts was used in the theft. Instead of downplaying it, Werne-based firm Böcker published a social media post featuring the now-famous image of its furniture ladder extending up to a balcony outside the Galerie d’Apollon. This is one marketing stunt that fits the idiom: “No publicity is bad publicity”. This was also the month that the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to social activist María Corina Machado of Venezuela, a decision that ignited international chatter about leadership, resilience and the politics of peace. In the Middle East, October witnessed its fair share of top appointments: talabat MENA chose Chama Moumile as Regional Director of Communications; Publicis Groupe Middle East appointed Chris Solomi as Chief Digital Officer; Havas picked Bertille Toledano, CEO of BETC, as the CEO of Havas Creative Middle East and President of Havas Creative Network; Initiative appointed Amine Adem as General Manager UAE; TBWA\RAAD appointed Priya Cima as Talent & Organisational Development Specialist; and Omnicom Media Group (OMG) MENA appointed Florian Pfeifer as Managing Director of Flywheel Commerce Network. Globally, WPP and Google turned heads with a $400m partnership to enhance marketing with AI, while locally, Platformance and MCN’s launch of RADIUS, a retail media solution designed to unify and accelerate retail media growth, turned

into the talk of the town. Elevision launched a new OOH residential media circuit at City Walk in October. Publicis Groupe Middle East claimed its moments in the spotlight through a spate of strategic partnerships in October. LiveRamp, a data collaboration partner, partnered with Publicis Groupe Middle East to accelerate the growth and adoption of commerce media. Publicis Groupe Middle East and Altibbi also shook hands to unlock data-driven healthcare solutions in the region. At Athar Festival 2025, Publicis Groupe Middle East and Snapchat launched Youth Studio: a first-of-its-kind hub designed to help brands better understand and engage with Gen Z and Gen Alpha across the GCC.

In December, Australia led the world by becoming the first nation to enact a ban on social media for users aged 16 and younger. Millions of children and teenagers lost access to existing accounts across Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X, YouTube, Snapchat, Reddit, Kick, Twitch and TikTok overnight.

Campaign Middle East extensively covered Athar Festival 2025 at the Diriyah Biennale Foundation in JAX District, Riyadh. More than 3,000 people and 250 speakers attended the event, which featured more than 100 hours of content across five stages, including more than 80 activations and eight masterclasses over two days.

November 2025 Stepping into the penultimate month of the year, Campaign Middle East’s On The Record video podcast became the hot topic of conversation with an episode shot in the studio of CNN’s Emmy-award-winning Connect the World show in Abu Dhabi. Becky Anderson, Managing Editor, CNN Abu Dhabi, as well as Alireza Hajihosseini, Deputy Bureau Chief, CNN Abu Dhabi and Director of CNN Academy, responded to critical questions about differentiating fake news from credible sources of information, and the ethics and standards expected of journalists and storytellers across various formats and channels. In global news, a massive fire engulfed an apartment block in Hong Kong, claiming more than 150 lives, and Cyclone Senyar wreaked havoc across Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia. While updates of the tragedies were a difficult watch on news channels, the extraordinary spirit of solidarity on display was heartwarming as people came forward to help each through spontaneous acts of kindness.

Supporting communities back home in the Middle East, delivery platform talabat took its brand promise of ‘Giving Back’ beyond a one-off programme to highlight it as a core brand value. In November, talabat released its annual Giving Back Impact Report, not only highlighting AED 6m raised to drive social impact but also reflecting lasting change in consumer behaviour. The report highlighted how donations grew 6 per cent year-on-year and the average contribution per user more than doubled during the observed period of Q3 2025 compared with the same period the previous year. Meanwhile, holding company MCN revealed a major expansion of its data capabilities and platform services across the MENAT region through Acxiom, part of IPG. This expansion strengthened the value proposition for brands seeking advanced personalisation and measurable business results. MCN also revealed a strategic data partnership with Foxpush, a leading adtech and data solutions provider, to deliver enhanced addressable media capabilities across the MENA region. In other major news, Multiply Media Group (MMG), a subsidiary of 2PointZero Group – formerly Multiply Group – revealed the 100 per cent acquisition of London Lites, one of London’s leading digital out-of-home (DOOH) operators. The London Lites network comprises more than 65 premium digital signs across central London, including flagship sites such as The Cube at Flannels Oxford Street, one of London’s most recognisable multi-panel digital landmarks. Meanwhile, Publicis Groupe Middle East launched Potentialis, an innovative talent-first programme that embeds a human-AI collaboration model across its agencies in the region. Food delivery brand Keeta entered the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar with a bang – accelerating adoption by practising what it preaches: focus on people. The brand quickly gained a reputation for lowering commissions that delivery apps take on food ordered from restaurants, offering fair pay for riders, and providing consistently reliable service for customers. Marking a milestone 20th year, Dubai’s RTA unveiled its ‘20 Years of Moving Dubai Forward’ campaign with an ‘RTA Meet Up’ hero film featuring local celebrities Kris Fade, Abdullah Raesi, Max of Arabia and Nyla Usha. Brought to life in collaboration with creative strategists at SOCIALEYEZ, the fully integrated digital campaign was also rolled out through creative reels, storytelling content, live coverage and social amplification across RTA’s platforms.

December 2025 The final month of the year offered a time for introspection, consolidation and action. Australia led the world by becoming the first nation to enact a legal ban on social media for users aged 16 and younger.

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Millions of children and teenagers lost access to existing accounts across Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X, YouTube, Snapchat, Reddit, Kick, Twitch and TikTok overnight. The nation also warned that platforms which do not comply run the risk of being fined up to A$49.5m. Also, the ripple effects of Omnicom’s $9bn acquisition of Interpublic Group (IPG), which closed in late-November, were felt in the Middle East region in early December. It began with minor changes on the email addresses of those representing agencies under the Interpublic Group (IPG) in the MENA region, including at MCN, which now bear the ‘Omnicom’ suffix after the name of the sender. At the global level, Omnicom launched a major restructure, including nine global leaders in new roles, more than 4,000 redundancies – adding to previous cuts, and the axing of the DDB, FCB and MullenLowe agencies. That said, leaders in the region stated that Horizon FCB, under Horizon Holdings, and MullenLowe MENA, under MCN, would remain robust, strong and ‘status quo’ for the moment in the region with no direct impact on clients or existing portfolios. Rounding up senior leadership changes in the final quarter of 2025, Motivate Media Group welcomed Thomas Woodgate as its Group Content Director. Meanwhile, Carla Sertin was appointed Head of Editorial Content at WIRED Middle East; BPG Arabia chose Tim Baker as President – Saudi Arabia; Media World and Pixels World picked Firas Salha as Acting Group CEO; and Serviceplan Group Middle East appointed Varun Kohli as Chief Financial Officer. Also in the news, MCH Global strengthened its commitment to Saudi Arabia by opening a new office in the Kingdom. In terms of key account wins in early December, Seddiqi Holding picked iProspect as its digital media agency of record, and Holcim UAE chose Catch Communications as its communication partner. Meanwhile, Samsung Electronics MENA concluded its comprehensive media agency review for the region, confirming a rare dual-agency partnership structure that called for Publicis Groupe Middle East and dentsu to jointly manage the brand’s media planning and buying portfolio in the region. Before the industry clocked out for the year-end break, the focus shifted to Abu Dhabi in early December as the UAE capital not only hosted the championship-deciding race of the 2025 Formula 1 Grand Prix season, but also welcomed global and regional icons such as English actor Idris Elba, Egyptian actress Yousra

Naseem, Hollywood and Bollywood icon Priyanka Chopra Jonas, and HRH Princess Lamia bint Majed Saud AlSaud, Secretary General & Member of the Board of Trustees, Alwaleed Philanthropies, and Board Member, BRIDGE Alliance at the BRIDGE Summit 2025. At the time of writing this article, Sri Lanka was just hit by its deadliest natural disaster since the devastating 2004 tsunami. Cyclone Ditwah affected up to 10 per cent of the nation’s vast population and Reuters reported that recovery costs could reach upwards of $7bn. Here’s hoping that the year ahead bears better tidings.

‘‘THE INVITATION FOR 2026 IS CLEAR: KEEP INVESTING IN PEOPLE AND CULTURE, HARNESS AI AS A CREATIVE COPILOT AND DEEPEN ETHICAL STORYTELLING THAT CONNECTS LOCAL REALITIES WITH GLOBAL AMBITIONS.”

All in all, 2025 felt like navigating a ship through a never-ending storm: the winds of geopolitics, climate shocks and industry turbulence buffeted the deck, yet the crew kept the vessel moving with a resolute focus on people, purpose and performance. The Middle East region proved, yet again, that great marketing isn’t about dodging disruption but about embracing it, understanding it and resonating real emotions felt by communities because of it. Hyper-local storytelling, culturally sensitive campaigns and a clear tilt toward social impact kept campaigns from merely riding trends or reacting to volatility. Three takeaways stand out. First, marketing in 2025 shifted gears several times from performance mode to sports mode to a people-first mode. Secondly, the effectiveness of purpose-led campaigns amid geopolitical tensions and active consumer-led boycotts underscored that brands are being measured not only by ROI but also by their lasting impact on society. Third, technology adoption and data-driven decisions matured beyond buzzwords to becoming the backbone of the industry. Conversations correspondingly moved from surface-level takes on AI and authenticity to deeper dives into predictive analytics, hyper-personalisation at scale, automation, agentic AI, incrementality, advanced segmentation, enhanced targeting and real-time optimisation. The invitation for 2026 is clear: keep investing in people and culture, harness AI as a creative co-pilot rather than a substitute for human judgment and deepen ethical storytelling that connects local realities with global ambitions. The marketing map for 2026 is being redrawn by brands that choose to be personal, purposeful and proudly local.

In September 2025, thousands of teenagers and young adults ousted incumbent parliamentarians in Nepal after social media outcry boiled over into mass anti-government protests on the nation’s streets. In a first-of-its-kind shift in power, the decision to raise the former chief justice of Nepal, Sushila Karki, to the office of interim prime minister was taken by the nation’s youth population on a social media platform: Discord.

January 2026

EVEN BEFORE YOU KNEW THAT YOU WANTED IT

With predictive personalisation, digital marketing takes convenience to another level, says OMD Egypt’s Ahmed Khaled.

t its core, digital marketing has always been about people – understanding them deeply enough to deliver the right message at the right time. For years, techniques such as interest-based targeting, retargeting, behavioural targeting, keywords and topic-targeting have been the holy grail. By tapping into browsing habits, purchase history and demographic data, brands could tailor ads and recommendations that felt relevant. But here’s the reality in 2025: these techniques alone don’t cut it anymore. Consumers are drowning in ads and personalised offers, data privacy rules are tighter than ever, and attention spans are shrinking by the day. The new frontier isn’t traditional targeting; it’s predictive personalisation. Previously, basic audience segmentation was reactive. It looked backward. You shop for flights to Dubai and, suddenly, your feed is flooded with hotel ads. You buy running shoes online, and you’re chased around the internet with more running shoes offers. Helpful? Sometimes. But mostly, it feels repetitive – even intrusive – and always one step behind. Today’s consumer expects frictionless, intuitive experiences. They don’t just want brands to make transactions simple and convenient. They want brands to anticipate and fulfil their future needs. This is where predictive personalisation marketing comes in and changes the

game. Instead of looking back, it looks ahead. Powered by AI, machine learning and real-time data, it allows brands to forecast what customers are likely to want – and meet that need before they even ask. We’re already seeing this in action. For example, Spotify curates playlists that you didn’t know you needed. Amazon has also invested heavily into its recommendation engine, taking into account purchase behaviour, feedback and suggestions to recommend new products. Finally, Netflix serves up your next binge-worthy show not just from your history, but from broader viewing patterns. The impact from this investment is clear – in their early growth phases, an estimated 35 per cent of Amazon’s revenue, and 75 per cent of what users watched on Netflix, came from the strength of their respective algorithms. That’s not targeting. That’s personalised prediction – and it makes experiences feel effortless. Predictive personalisation isn’t just smarter tech; it transforms the customer experience through three main pillars: convenience – it saves time and cuts decision fatigue; relevance – offers feel helpful, not pushy; and connection – when a brand ‘gets you’, trust and loyalty follow. An example of this is the Whoop app. It doesn’t just remind you to exercise but also suggests a recovery plan based on your workouts and sleep patterns. That’s the new standard customers are beginning to expect.

“WE SHOULD START INVESTING IN PREDICTIVE TOOLS ALONGSIDE ROBUST PERSONALISATION SYSTEMS.”

This shift to predictive personalisation is fueled by three main elements: AI and machine learning – spotting patterns beyond basic demographics; real-time signals – location, weather, wearable data and social trends; and integrated platforms – tools such as Salesforce, Adobe and Google AI. All these already bring predictive analytics within reach. Together, these elements move marketers from segmenting audiences to modeling intent – a far more powerful approach. Of course, predictive personalisation comes with strings attached that marketers need to keep in mind. These include privacy – people want convenience but reject ‘creepy’ surveillance; bias – algorithms can unintentionally reinforce stereotypes; and ethics – just because you can predict doesn’t mean you should. It all depends on the use case. The brands that succeed in the long run will be the ones that balance prediction with transparency and respect for customer boundaries. So, what should we do next? How would we prepare ourselves for this change and race ahead of the pack? The answer is simple: we should start investing in predictive tools alongside robust personalisation systems. It also requires us to adopt new approaches like shifting focus from past behavior to intent signals, designing ‘anticipatory’ touchpoints such as proactive support, pre-filled carts and timely nudges, and keeping empathy front and centre. Prediction should reduce friction, not pressure people into buying. We’re moving into an era where consumers won’t just ask “Does this brand know me?” but also “Does this brand understand me well enough to anticipate what I need next and help me make the right decision?” Yes, the goalpost keeps moving. After decades of data paucity, it’s no longer just about having the most data but it’s also about using wisely, responsibly and with empathy. Predictive personalisation isn’t about pushing harder – it’s about serving smarter.

By Ahmed Khaled, Director – Planning, OMD Egypt

January 2026

f you want to make people uncomfortable, tell the truth. Here’s one: a lie sits at the heart of our industry. We have more data, more channels and more complexity than ever before. But we have less clarity. The MENA region is a global leader in digital transformation, with enterprises allocating nearly 10 per cent of their revenues to it, and two-thirds of all ad spend flowing into digital channels. Yet, when you ask what the real return on that investment is, the answer is a four-to-five-year shrug. That’s not a strategy. It’s a gamble. This is the performance illusion. It’s a hall of mirrors built from vanity metrics, impressive dashboards and the relentless pursuit of the next new channel. We’re drowning in data but starving for insight. We can track a 40-touchpoint customer journey, but we can’t say with any certainty what mattered. We’re measuring activity, not impact. And in boardrooms across the region, the patience for activity without proven impact is wearing thin. The conversation we’re having behind closed doors needs to make it to the front of the room. The uncomfortable truth is that the current system benefits from this confusion. It’s a system built for channel-shifters – agencies that profit from moving budgets between platforms, taking a slice at every turn. More channels, more complexity and more fragmentation mean more opportunities to buy media, not necessarily to build value. When your business model is built on media commissions and platform partnerships, there is a fundamental conflict of interest. There is little incentive to ask the hard questions, to challenge the spend or to admit that half of it might be wasted. You’re paid to shift the money, not to prove it worked. This isn’t about capability or intent – many talented people work inside these structures. It’s about incentives – and incentives shape outcomes. This is where independents frame a different reality. They don’t have global media buying arms or legacy holding company deals. They aren’t paid for shifting budgets; they are paid for strategic thinking, for creative impact and for delivering outcomes. Their model is their mandate: if they don’t deliver measurable value, they don’t survive. This forces a different kind of discipline. It demands that they build what the networks can’t: a clear, unconflicted line of sight from marketing investment to business results. We are living in a patchwork market. Winning here depends on deep local relationships, on cultural nuance and on the ability to pivot services quickly around client needs and national agendas such as Saudi’s Vision 2030 and the Dubai Economic Agenda D33. These ambitious visions aren’t just about spending money; they are about smart spending that delivers tangible economic and social returns. They

demand accountability. They demand proof. The agencies best positioned to deliver that proof are the ones with no vested interest in the spend itself; the ones whose only currency is the result. This is why the most forward-thinking independents are becoming quant shops. They are building the capability to provide what clients are desperate for: certainty. This means investing in data science, in incrementality testing and in localised marketing mix models that

DROWNING IN DATA. STARVING FOR PROOF. C2 Comms’ Roy Aftimos explains why the future will be won by agencies who bring the most clarity, not the biggest ones.

understand the nuances of Arabiclanguage search and regional consumer behaviour. It means moving beyond reporting on clicks and impressions to measuring contribution to revenue, to profit, to customer lifetime value. It means having the courage to tell a client not to spend money on a channel if the data shows it won’t work. That is the real value of an independent partner. It’s not just about being faster or having more senior-level access, though those things are true. It’s about structural alignment. Our success is tied directly to our client’s success, not to the volume of media we can push through the system. This is how we escape the pressure on margins that plagues our corner of the industry, particularly in earned media and strategic communications where value is chronically underpriced. We stop being a line item to be squeezed and start being a strategic partner in value creation. The shift is already happening. Consumers now trust brands more than media or NGOs, but that trust comes with an expectation: prove the value you create. Consumers want economic hope and personal stability, not just purpose statements. They want to see results. So do boards. So do CEOs. The agencies that can deliver proof – not just promises – will be the ones that survive the next wave of consolidation and commoditisation. For years, the industry has run at a pace that isn’t sustainable, chasing scale over substance. But the ground is shifting. The work doesn’t need rescuing when the value is proven. The future won’t be won by the biggest agencies, but by the ones that bring the most clarity. The rest is still being written.

By Roy Aftimos, CEO, C2 Comms

January 2026

IT’S THAT TIME OF YEAR. LET’S TALK ABOUT MARIAH. WithFeeling’s John Smeddle delves into the emotions that Mariah Carey carols invoke during the Christmas season – whether we like them or not.

sturdy pillar of Christianity is the spiritual nobility of suffering. Especially during the run-up to their second most important day of the year, when Mariah Carey’s All I Want For Christmas Is You assaults our ears yet again from about mid-November. This ritual is currently celebrating its 21st birthday and I can guarantee that some of you will be hearing it right now, if your radio is on. The rest of you won’t be spared; you will certainly hear and feel its insidious presence in the next few hours. And, perhaps, just as nauseating are the smart alecks who will proclaim, “All I Want for Christmas is for Mariah Carey to Shut Up”, believing they alone have conjured up this witticism.

All aboard with the above sentiments? Well, you better start manning the lifeboats because you’d miss this song if the radio stations stopped playing it. Oh, yes, you would. Lovers of Christmas pantomimes are invited to answer back with the immortal “Oh, no, I wouldn’t!” You won’t miss it because the same sickeningly sweet tones that brought you Hero, Dream Lover or the unnecessary cover of I Want to Know What Love Is are worth cherishing. You’ll miss it because its timing invokes a sense of relief about year end, its subject matter triggers generosity and lightens purses, and its sugary sentiment imbues some sort of expectation about new kinship and romance. In other words, All I Want for Christmas Is You is the ultimate sonic branding for this time of year. And given that more discretionary income is spent at Christmas than at any other time of year, you, Mr. or Ms. Marketer, should be welcoming the benefits of Mariah Carey. There’s a generation of folk who will admit to loathing ABBA when they started owning the airwaves in the 1970’s. Actually, they’ll admit to loving this Swedish band now but lying about how they felt when first hearing them fifty years ago. Why confess to loving catchy, poppy, boppy, happy, silly songs when you’d rather be associated with punk, metal, rock and blues. This latter grouping of genres gave one an edge. The former just gave one an aura of frivolity. But what Dancing Queen, Waterloo and Chiquitita gave us was a reminder to just enjoy the now. Whereas Dazed and Confused, Paranoid and Brain Damage, iconic as they were, gave you every reason why you should be hating the now. I’m thinking all of this in relation to why the term ‘comfort zone’ became a disdainful slur, rather than a state of grace.

‘‘BEFORE YOU ROLL YOUR EYES AGAIN WHEN YOU’RE IN FOR MARIAH, THINK ABOUT HOW MUCH MERCHANDISE IS FLYING OFF THE SHELVES.” Like it or not, what ABBA achieved and what Mariah’s song continues to trigger, is an invitation to relax, to love and share ourselves. Our real selves, not the veneer with which society masks us. In 2010, the world was treated to a new sound in football stadiums. A sound which was roundly despised by everyone who has not lived in Africa. The vuvuzela was loud and tonelessly brash when blown with gusto at the FIFA World Cup in South Africa. Yet, it became an audio signature for Africa’s first hosting of the event. The power of sound is incredible, isn’t it? So, before you roll your eyes again when that damned xylophone starts chiming and you’re in for four minutes of Mariah Carey, think about how much merchandise is going to be flying off your shelves because of it.

By John Smeddle, Head of Creative, WithFeeling

January 2026

LESSONS FROM 2025:

MARKETING AND SUSTAINABILITY; THE STORY AND THE SUBSTANCE Breaking the silos between marketing and sustainability is now a business imperative, says the International Advertising Association’s Thomas Kolster.

here’s a myth we need to retire: that sustainability and marketing belong on opposite planets. In reality, especially across the Middle East they could be the best tandem since oxygen and fire. When aligned, they don’t cancel each other out. They ignite growth, connection and long-term brand value. And this isn’t limited to consumer brands. Some of the most exciting progress is happening in the business-to-businsess (B2B) segment, where sustainability can be a strong commercial driver. A standout example from the Middle East is ‘Move to -15’ by DP World, a UAE-based campaign rallying shipping companies and freight partners to cut emissions by 15 per cent. It reframed sustainability from a compliance burden into a competitive advantage.

PURPOSE THAT PAYS: DATA-DRIVEN PROOF According to Brand Finance’s 2025 Sustainability Perceptions Index (SPI), sustainability now drives a meaningful share of consumer demand. In categories such as automotive, discretionary fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), professional services and luxury, sustainability perceptions influence between 4 per cent and 23 per cent of demand – making it one of the most powerful commercial drivers in any brand toolkit.

A ‘MINI MBA’ BRINGING CMOS & CSOS TOGETHER The International Advertising Association, together with sustainable marketing pioneer Thomas Kolster is launching a new mini-MBA programme, which brings chief marketing officers (CMOs) and chief sustainability officers (CSOs) together. The programme is taught by leading CMOs and CSOs from brands such as P&G and Tony’s Chocolonely.

WARC’s analysis of a decade of its Effective 100 reinforces the same story: one in four of the world’s most effective campaigns used environment or social purpose as a central theme. Brands that engage people with meaningful issues don’t lose commercial impact – they multiply it. The evidence is clear: sustainability isn’t a cost. It’s an accelerant. WHY THE MIDDLE EAST IS PRIMED FOR THIS PARTNERSHIP The region is in the midst of rapid economic, generational and cultural change. Young populations, rising environmental awareness and fast-evolving consumer expectations create fertile ground for purpose-fuelled growth. People in the Middle East don’t want moral lectures. They want better choices: cleaner cities, healthier food, smarter mobility and stronger futures. Every year, I witness better and more meaningful work coming from the region, which is also reflected in the WARC research. This is where marketing and sustainability complement each other perfectly. Sustainability brings the substance. Marketing brings the spark. When the two align, they transform complex topics into human stories: progress over perfection, empowerment over guilt and innovation over sacrifice. WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE WHEN IT WORKS Authentic storytelling backed by credible action: SPI shows that brands lose billions in value when perception and performance don’t align. Marketing cannot fix an empty sustainability story, but it can amplify a real one. Campaigns that connect emotionally, not morally: WARC’s most effective purpose campaigns didn’t preach. They made people feel something and made sustainability relevant to everyday life. That approach resonates strongly across the Middle East, where emotional storytelling and cultural nuance matter more than corporate jargon. Positioning sustainability as value, not sacrifice: When sustainability is framed as smarter, healthier and more aspirational living, people lean in. When it’s

framed as a restriction, they tune out. Marketing’s job is to translate environmental, social and governance (ESG) frameworks into benefits people can actually see, taste, feel and enjoy. A POSITIVE CALL – NOT FOR PERFECTION, BUT FOR PARTNERSHIP Sustainability doesn’t succeed through moral superiority; it succeeds through collaboration. Through building trust, not fear. If sustainability is oxygen, marketing is the fire - one provides the fuel, the other sets it alight. The future belongs to brands that realise the two aren’t rivals but co-architects of value. The Middle East has everything it needs to lead this shift: ambition, innovation, young talent, and a consumer base hungry for brands that matter. The moment we stop seeing marketing and sustainability as opposing forces, we unlock the most powerful growth engine of the next decade: purpose-driven brands that are both commercially sharp and culturally relevant.

By Thomas Kolster, Member, Sustainability Council – International Advertising Association

January 2026

There was no shortage of confetti and cheers at the Campaign Agency of the Year Middle East Awards 2025, as the industry gathered on 11 December at the SO/ Uptown Dubai hotel to celebrate the region’s top marketers and agencies. Now in its fourth edition, the Awards continued to grow, attracting a record number of entries from 71 agencies across 11 markets. Notably, 41 agencies participated for the first time – a clear signal of the industry’s increasing appetite for credible recognition. This year also marked an expansion of the programme, with six new categories introduced to spotlight holding companies and agency leaders. The gala night also witnessed trophies handed to Campaign’s inaugural Marketing Game Changers Awards 2025 winners.

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL THE WINNERS

January 2026

WINNERS OF THE MARKETING GAME CHANGERS AWARDS 2025

Ian Fairservice, Managing Partner and Group Editor-in-Chief, Motivate Media Group (R), handed over the Marketer of the Year trophy to Khaled AlShehhi, Executive Director of Marketing and Communication, UAE Government Media Office.

Ibrahim Al Mayahi, Head of Commercial Brand and Marketing Communications, Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company (L), received the winning trophy from Serviceplan Group ME’s Rami Hmadeh.

Rami Hmadeh, Managing Partner of Serviceplan Group Middle East (R), honoured Avinash Babur, Founder and CEO, InsuranceMarket.ae, with the Marketing Game Changers Awards trophy.

Habib Wehbi, Chairman and Group CEO, W Group Holding (R), honoured The Royal Commission for AlUla’s Charlotte Eland, who was chosen by a jury panel as a Marketing Game Changers Award winner.

Passant El-Ghannam, Chief Marketing Officer – Middle East and Africa, Kraft Heinz (L), posed for a photograph after receiving the winning trophy from Conrad Egbert, Head of PRCA MENA.

Tarek Daouk, CEO of dentsu MENAT (R), honoured Marketing Game Changers Awards winner Michelle Lee, Vice-President of Brand and Communications at Dubai Airports, with a trophy on stage.

Maleeha Riaz Khan, Marketing Manager, NMK Electronics (L), was handed the Marketing Game Changers Award by Asmaa Quorrich, Founder and CEO, Think Big Consulting.

Nabil Sleiman, Head of Marketing Communications, Almarai (L), flew in from Saudi Arabia to collect his Marketing Game Changers Award from Khaled Ismail, CEO and Founding Partner, Tough Love Advisors.

January 2026

Publicis Groupe Middle East & Turkey won the Holding Company of the Year honour, securing one of the biggest awards of the night, presented by Manoj Khimji, Managing Director, The Vantage.

HOLDING COMPANY OF THE YEAR SPONSORED BY

Publicis Groupe Middle East & Turkey Tahaab Rais, Group Chief Strategy Officer, Publicis Groupe Middle East & Turkey

hat does this award represent at a group level, beyond individual agency wins? We have been winning at these consistently for the past four years now. What’s special about this particular award is what’s special about these awards overall – that they are judged independently by clients. This award for Holding Company of the Year is proof that our system works. We’ve had successful business wins, high client retention beyond the effective acquisitions and game-changing work from our company. The award recognises our operating model where creativity, media, data, technology and transformation are designed to move together, not compete internally. It validates Power of One, embedded in us, quite frankly, being a ‘Category of One’, as a real commercial and cultural advantage – not a slogan. As our Group CEO Bassel Kakish puts it, this is about being “a talent-first ecosystem and the best integrated marketing platform in the region”. That collaborative intelligence is our win. How have collaboration and integration shaped performance across the network this year? Collaboration stopped being episodic and became a default behaviour. It has not just been in pitch rooms but in daily delivery, client consultancy and problem-solving. Strategy sits upstream and downstream. Media informs creativity earlier. Data and CX shape ideas, not just measurement. This integration has driven a higher win rate, stronger retention and faster speed to value. Clients are not buying agencies; they are buying into outcomes. Internally, collaboration has also reduced friction, protected talent during volatile moments, and sustained performance when the market was anything but forgiving. The fact that we have also won Integrated Marketing Agency of the Year is recognition again from our clients of our integrated and collaborative intelligence and effectiveness; it positions us clearly in the market as the only ones who can do what we do for our clients.

Which industry shift most influenced how you operated in 2025? The single biggest shift has been accountability. AI accelerated everything, but it also stripped away excuses. Clients no longer accept activity without impact. In 2025, we operated with the focus that every idea, tool and dollar, for our paying clients, had to prove value. That pushed us to move from marketing services to marketing transformation, from outputs to operating systems and outcomes. AI is not treated as novelty or replacement, but as infrastructure. Creativity has had to work harder, faster and closer to business results. What role does scale play today and where does it need to be rethought? Scale still matters, but not in its old form. Size without integration is just noise. The real advantage now is intelligent scale, shared platforms, shared data, shared talent, deployed with precision. Scale needs rethinking where it creates complexity instead of clarity. Clients want fewer partners who can do more collectively, not more partners who do less each. The future belongs to companies that feel simple and accessible to clients but powerful and big behind the scenes. Much like technology platforms. How do you balance global frameworks with local market autonomy? Global frameworks give us structure and muscle memory. Local autonomy gives us relevance. The balance comes from clarity of intent, not control. We use global platforms, tools and standards as accelerators, not constraints. Markets are empowered to adapt, invent and lead based on cultural truth and client reality. The Middle East and Turkey region that we represent does not need imported answers. It needs global best practice translated through lived regional understanding. That balance is where effectiveness happens. What will define successful holding companies in the next phase of industry transformation? Successful holding companies will not act like holding companies. They will behave like growth partners, talent platforms and transformation engines. They will invest in people before products, in learning before tools. They will simplify structures, integrate capabilities and measure themselves on client impact – not internal agendas. Culture will become a competitive advantage again. The groups that win will be the ones that make complexity invisible to clients and opportunity visible to talent. What will matter most as the industry moves into 2026? Trust. From clients, from talent, from partners. Trust that AI is used responsibly. Trust that creativity still has a soul and will have a role. Trust that scale serves outcomes, not margins alone. 2026 will reward companies that take clear positions, back their people, and hold themselves accountable. The industry, globally, will not be short of technology. It will be short of leadership. Those who lead with clarity, courage and consequence will shape what comes next.

January 2026

Celebrating the win of one of the most coveted awards of the night, the Impact BBDO team posed with the Creative Agency of the Year trophy with Chair judge Emma Campbell (far right).

CREATIVE AGENCY OF THE YEAR Impact BBDO Dani Richa, Chairman and CEO, Impact BBDO Group of Companies

ow does this award reflect the culmination of your efforts in 2025? For us, this is not about a single year of success; it is about being consistent over time and across markets. In 2025, we focused on doing work that truly matters, driven by our teams across the region, spanning the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Egypt, Qatar and Pakistan. Winning this title three times in four years, alongside our seventh Regional Network of the Year win at Cannes, proves that creativity travels. It confirms that even in a noisy landscape, big, human ideas still win. This award belongs to our teams who refused to settle for good enough and pushed every brief further. Which industry pressure or shift most influenced how you operated in 2025? The pressures in 2025 were twofold. Geopolitical instability and fluctuating oil prices created a climate of economic caution, which naturally drove a demand for efficiency. Our response was to sharpen our focus on driving real value for our clients, delivering work with clear, measurable return on investment (ROI) that helped move business in the short term while continuing to build strong, resilient brands for the long term. This meant being more disciplined in how we applied our resources, more rigorous in how we measured impact, and more intentional in ensuring that every idea worked as hard commercially as it did creatively. How have expectations within the digital space shifted over the past 12 months? We have moved past the era of digital first into an era of authenticity first. Audiences in 2025 became highly sophisticated at spotting anything artificial, whether it was a generic influencer script or an

artificial intelligence(AI)-generated caption. Expectations shifted from hyper targeting to hyper relevance. Consumers no longer just want content that finds them; they want content that feels like them. They stopped rewarding brands that simply filled their feeds and started engaging with brands that genuinely contribute value to their culture and communities. What do you think the industry needs to change or fix as a priority in the months ahead? First, we must stop selling time and start selling value. The billable hour penalises efficiency in an AI driven world; pricing should be based on business impact, not minutes. Second, we need to fix the pitch process. It is time for remunerated pitches with a limited number of participants. The lack of pitch etiquette in our region is becoming a serious issue. The number of requests for proposal (RFPs) that go silent after agencies invest significant resources is unacceptable. We need a standard of professional respect that honours the work agencies deliver. In your opinion, what do consumers really want, and how can agencies help brands meet this need? People are tired of feeling like data points in an algorithm, and they are bored of the predictable. What they really want is to be surprised, to smile, or to feel understood by another human being. We need to help brands move from a top of mind obsession to a top of heart connection. Agencies can do this by bringing real emotion back into the conversation and encouraging clients to approve work that feels a little braver, because that is usually the work meaningful enough to make someone stop and pay attention. What will matter most as the industry moves into 2026? Moving forward, AI will be the baseline; it will be available to everyone. The real advantage will be human intelligence. We must ensure we do not become artificially intelligent ourselves. Instead, we need to use AI and data to unlock deep human insights and create work that moves people and drives business. The goal is for technology to free us from process so we have the space to think even bigger.

January 2026

MEDIA AGENCY OF THE YEAR SPONSORED BY

Magna Global MENA

Lara Arbid, CEO, Magna Global MENA

ow does this award reflect the culmination of your efforts in 2025? This recognition is the result of years of deliberate transformation that truly crystallised in 2025. We made bold decisions to fundamentally reorganise how we work, embedding artificial intelligence (AI) and automation into the very fabric of our operations – from planning and activation through to optimisation and core business processes. The impact has been significant: reduced manual workloads, increased speed to market, and enhanced precision across everything we do. Combined with new business growth that saw us establish ourselves in new markets while consistently driving measurable impact on our clients’ bottom lines, this award is validation for an entire team that has worked relentlessly to earn it. Which industry pressure or shift most influenced how you operated in 2025? The most significant pressure was the intensifying demand for accountability and efficiency. Clients operate in increasingly complex, fast-moving environments where slow decisionmaking, fragmented outputs and manual-heavy processes are no longer viable. Simultaneously, platforms, data, and consumer behaviours have evolved at unprecedented pace. This Magna Global MENA took home the Media Agency of the Year title. The award was presented by Ziad motivated us to move beyond traditional ways of working and Khammar, COO of DMS (right), a member of Choueiri Group and the category partners for the award. fundamentally rethink our approach. We accelerated investment in AI, automation, and proprietary tools to simplify complexity, improve speed to market, and deliver consistent optimisation to long-term value creation. Media investments should outcomes. This shift pushed us to operate less like a service provider be building sustainable growth, not merely chasing isolated and more like a strategic growth partner for our clients. performance metrics. How have expectations within media shifted over the past 12 months? Expectations have fundamentally shifted from delivery to impact. Clients now expect media to directly drive business key performance indicators (KPIs) – not just awareness or efficiency metrics. Speed, agility and real-time optimisation are no longer aspirations; they are table stakes. Transparency around performance has become nonnegotiable. Equally critical is the expectation that agencies bring genuine technology-led solutions to the table, not simply platform access or buying scale. This requires media teams to seamlessly integrate strategy, data, technology and commercial understanding – and that is exactly the capability we’ve built to deliver. What do you think the industry needs to change or fix on priority in the months ahead? The industry urgently needs to simplify and standardise how media is planned, measured and optimised. The fragmentation across tools, metrics and processes slows down decision-making and creates inefficiency across the board. AI adoption must move decisively from experimental pilots to full integration into everyday workflows. Equally important is rebalancing our collective focus from short-term

In your opinion, what do consumers really want, and how can agencies help brands meet this need? Consumers want relevance, simplicity and value. They expect brands to understand their needs and context without being intrusive or overwhelming. Today, attention is earned by being useful – not by being loud. Agencies have a crucial role to play here: using data and behavioural signals responsibly to deliver timely, contextually relevant messages, and designing media experiences that feel seamless across channels. It’s about respecting the consumer journey while adding genuine value at every touchpoint. What will matter most as the industry moves into 2026? Success in 2026 will be defined by operating models that combine speed, intelligence, and accountability in equal measure. We must continue automating the ‘how’ so we can focus our human intelligence on the ‘why’ – insight, strategy, and creativity. Outcome-based measurement will become the standard, with direct, transparent links between media investment and business growth. Equally critical will be talent that can navigate both technology and culture with confidence. The future belongs to those who can move fast without losing sight of what actually matters.

December 19, 2024

January 2026

INTEGRATED MARKETING AGENCY OF THE YEAR Publicis Groupe Middle East & Turkey

Publicis Groupe Middle East & Turkey claimed another award, collecting the Integrated Marketing Agency of the Year award from Mohamed Al Awadhi Vice President, Personal Banking Marketing , First Abu Dhabi Bank (front row, third from right).

PERFORMANCE MARKETING AGENCY OF THE YEAR Fusion5 Advertising

Nadeem Quraishi, Publishing Director, Campaign Middle East (far right) presented the Performance Marketing Agency of the Year award to the Fusion5 Advertising team.

January 2026

DIGITAL AGENCY OF THE YEAR SPONSORED BY

Assembly Farhad Miah, Chief Client Officer, Assembly MENA

ow does this award reflect the culmination of your efforts in 2025? This year marked the point where intention met execution. In 2025, the focus shifted to strengthening foundations and capabilities: improving team integration, deepening client partnerships, and aligning brand and performance more closely in practice. That work resulted in a clearer operating model and more consistent delivery across disciplines. Being named Digital Agency of the Year recognises not just output, but how the organisation evolved internally. The recognition reflects what teams and partners experienced throughout the year: clearer workflows, stronger digital systems and more reliable outcomes built on sustained collaboration. Which industry pressure or shift most influenced how you operated in 2025? The biggest pressure came from the speed of change across platforms and tools, particularly as artificial intelligence (AI) became embedded rather than optional. That pace exposed weak processes quickly. It forced us to be honest about what adds value and what doesn’t. In response, we focused on simplifying workflows, strengthening judgement and reducing dependency on constant optimisation for its own sake. The shift wasn’t about adopting every new capability, but about deciding where automation helps and where human thinking still makes the difference. How have expectations within the digital space shifted over the past 12 months? Advertiser expectations within the digital space have been shifting steadily toward greater accountability. Senior leaders are increasingly demanding proof that digital investment drives real organisational

impact. The days of measuring success through surface-level media metrics or follower milestones are fading. Over the past 12 months, this shift has accelerated, pushing marketers, agencies, and publishers to build more meaningful measurement frameworks. This has led to more disciplined digital planning and infrastructure decisions, enabling digital to play a more credible role in long-term brand and business growth. What do you think the industry needs to change or fix on priority in the months ahead? The industry needs to reset how partnership is defined and rewarded. Too often, agencies are expected to operate as true partners without the structures, trust, or commercial terms that support that role. Fairer remuneration would help enable deeper investment in people and capability. At the same time, many brands talk about automation and AI but stop short of real implementation. When implemented well, it can remove operational friction and give talented teams the space to focus on innovation, experimentation, and higher-value thinking. In your opinion, what do consumers really want, and how can agencies help brands meet this need? Consumers want brands that feel relevant, consistent and respectful of their attention across every interaction. They don’t experience channels in isolation, and they don’t respond well to disruption without substance. Agencies can help by focusing on connected storytelling, where brand purpose and performance reinforce each other. When creativity is grounded in real insight and delivered consistently across touchpoints, brands become more meaningful, credible and easier to trust over time. What will matter most as the industry moves into 2026? As the industry moves into 2026, focus will matter more than scale. Budgets remain tight, competition for attention is intense, and brands will need to commit to fewer, stronger ideas rather than spreading investment thinly across channels. Brand building will regain importance as a long-term growth driver, supported by more mature use of AI and automation. The shift will be away from chasing metrics for their own sake and toward clearer strategies that unify channels and deliver sustained impact.

The Assembly team celebrated on stage after being presented with the Digital Agency of the Year honour by Sherry Mansour, Managing Director – MENAT, Seedtag, category partner of the award.

January 2026

PR/COMMUNICATIONS AGENCY OF THE YEAR The Romans Joe Lipscombe, Partner, The Romans MENA

ow does this award reflect the culmination of your efforts in 2025? It was a bit of a unicorn moment for The Romans. We started work on our first officially retained client on October 1, 2024. So to win PR Agency of the Year 14 months later, for us, is a culmination of every single piece of client work and effort we’ve delivered since day one. It captures every idea, win, loss, risk and move.

Which industry pressure or shift most influenced how you operated in 2025? When we arrived here in 2024, we wanted to dramatically change how the marcomms industry saw PR from a creative perspective – where it sat and the role it played. We knew that PR clients were sick and tired of doing the “PR bits” of their colleagues’ creative work. They wanted to drive concepts from ideation to execution, with an earned focus. Our vision was to be the solution to that itch. To be the most disruptive creative PR partner in the region, bringing earned, culture-first pieces of work through new and traditional PR channels. Honestly speaking, we thought this would be a journey. But in 2024, we found that many of the brands we met didn’t need convincing. In fact, it was more of a “where have you been?” situation. That insight influenced how we turned up in 2025.

We went big, we went for the top projects and best brands, and worked with them to deliver fresh PR. We didn’t get everything right, but we held nothing back. And that was our promise. What do you think the industry needs to change or fix on priority in the months ahead? Start, and continue, to back PR agencies and teams to drive big creative moments. PR’s understanding of influence, story, culture, speed, agility, tone, perception and taste make it the ideal owner of large creative moments in today’s disconnected and complex world. Mark my words, we’ll be seeing more PR agencies winning at the major award shows and more clients asking for earned results as we move through 2026. In your opinion, what do consumers really want, and how can agencies help brands meet this need? Surprise, consistency, quality, and transparency. Agencies just have to remember these things when their brand partners are busy operating a business. We also have to remember that creativity is an avenue to connection and impact, not the destination itself. What will matter most as the industry moves into 2026? Consistency. The market suffers from a lack of consistent brands. Turning up frequently, for better or worse, taking risks, making a statement, backing themselves. I’d argue some of the best known brands in the region aren’t the strongest – they’re just consistent.

The Romans was named winner in the PR/Communications Agency of the Year category. Shyam Sunder, Vice-President – Marketing of TBO, presented the trophy.

January 2026

The MCH Global team celebrates after picking up their trophy for the Events, Experiential and Engagement Agency of the Year from Ahmed El Gamal, Executive Director of Marketing, Jumeirah (R).

EVENTS, EXPERIENTIAL AND ENGAGEMENT AGENCY OF THE YEAR MCH Global Uli Stanke, Managing Director, MCH Global

ow does this award reflect the culmination of your efforts in 2025? This award represents a defining moment for MCH Global and the culmination of an intense and transformative year. In 2025, we achieved significant growth across the business, expanding our team, delivering strong revenue results, and executing some of our most ambitious and impactful brand experience projects to date. Winning Events, Experiential and Engagement Agency of the Year felt like a timely acknowledgement of the breadth, depth and quality of work produced by the entire team. It marked a collective moment of pride and reflection, bringing everyone together to celebrate what has undoubtedly been the strongest year in the agency’s history. Which industry shift most influenced how you operated in 2025? The biggest industry shift influencing how we operated in 2025 was the rapid diversification of brands investing in experiential. We saw a clear move away from isolated campaigns toward the creation of long-term brand worlds, with sectors such as real estate, finance and technology joining the more established experiential categories like automotive and luxury. This widening of the playing field accelerated a strategic priority that was already part of our roadmap, pushing us to broaden our sector expertise and thinking. As more players entered the experiential space, diversification became both a competitive necessity and a catalyst for growth. What will matter most as the industry moves into 2026? As the industry moves into 2026, cultural relevance and emotional resonance will matter more than ever. Brands will need to look inward, identifying what is truly distinctive within their cultural right-to-play and translating that into experiences that connect more deeply with audiences. There will be greater appetite for bolder, braver ideas that move beyond simply delivering events toward creating meaningful moments. At the same time, the line between online and offline experiences will continue to blur. Technology, particularly data, personalisation and artificial intelligence, will increasingly support experiential by tailoring and optimising experiences at scale.

What do you think the industry needs to change or fix on priority in the months ahead? One of the most pressing priorities for the industry is a reset around value and self-worth. Increased market saturation has brought many new providers into experiential, which in turn has driven pricing pressure and a race to the bottom. This is ultimately damaging, particularly when experiential should be positioned as a premium, production-focused marketing discipline. Proven agencies need to hold firm on the value they deliver rather than cannibalising the market through short-term thinking. A stronger focus on quality over quantity, alongside greater specialisation across different experiential disciplines, would help reinforce credibility and long-term sustainability across the industry. How have expectations within events and experiential shifted over the past 12 months? Over the past year, expectations within events and experiential have risen sharply, particularly around quality and return on investment. Clients are no longer satisfied with experiences that simply drive awareness or generate leads. There is a stronger demand for activations that deliver measurable business outcomes and align closely with specific objectives. Experiential is increasingly viewed as a results-driven marketing discipline. In a crowded digital and ATL landscape, standout brand experiences offer a clearer path to impact, and this has raised expectations around the value exchange brands must deliver when investing in live experiences. In your opinion, what do consumers really want, and how can agencies help brands meet this need? Consumers today are far more selective about where they invest their time, and this is where experiential has a clear advantage. Traditional digital and above-the-line content often struggles to earn genuine attention, while live experiences offer a more meaningful value exchange. What consumers increasingly want is a sense of belonging, cultural relevance and a tangible outcome from their engagement with a brand. We refer to this as the experiential paradox. In an always-on world, time given to events and experiences must have perceived value for the consumer. Agencies can help brands meet this requirement by delivering higher-quality experiences that offer genuine participation, emotional resonance and a clear return for the time consumers choose to give.

January 2026

PRODUCTION HOUSE OF THE YEAR LPS Aasim Shaik, Managing Director, LPS

ow does this award reflect the culmination of your efforts in 2025? 2025 has been a pivotal year for us and in general, digital and social first agencies. As mainstream gets redefined, we have seen brands increasingly looking to work with us on briefs going beyond social media. As a result, we have invested consistently and proactively on resources with broader skills and cutting edge production infrastructure. This has opened up newer avenues and deepened client relationships. Our work is an outcome of this and the award vindicates our contribution to our clients. Which industry pressure or shift most influenced how you operated in 2025? The talent–agency relationship has shifted, so we’ve redrawn how we engage our people. Our team’s average industry experience is now under three years – a signal that the edge today is cultural relevance and fluency with modern tools, not tenure. Instead of forcing old models, we’ve unlearnt, listened and co-built new ways of working with our brightest minds. The result is a workplace designed with talent, not for them – faster, sharper and closer to what clients actually respond to. How have expectations within production shifted over the past 12 months? Production is now moving closer to the heart of the creative agency – and

that shift is intentional. We’ve restructured delivery around dedicated copy–art–creative producer trios, built to operate as a single unit from briefing to final output. Ideas are designed with feasibility, craft and platform realities in mind – not retrofitted later. The impact has been tangible: faster turnaround, cleaner execution, fewer revisions and stronger consistency across every touchpoint. And importantly, our clients feel the difference. What do you think the industry needs to change or fix on priority in the months ahead? Build the intersection of service delivery and deep vertical tech. Agencies can’t stay on the outside as ‘users’ of platforms – we need to operate as service-led enablers. In today’s vibe-driven world, functional fluency matters more than writing code: knowing what technology can do, how it behaves in culture, and how to deploy it responsibly at speed. Agencies must evolve into consultants, builders and implementation partners for communication and creative solutions – not just early adopters pressing buttons first. In your opinion, what do consumers really want, and how can agencies help brands meet this need? Consumers want personalised and co-created value – served at the right moment, in the right context, and within the communities and platforms they already trust. They don’t want more content; they want relevance, utility and respect for their time. Agencies can help brands meet this by shifting from a top-down ‘big idea’ model to a bottom-up approach: start with community scouting, culture signals, and platform dynamics, then build creative that earns attention. What will matter most as the industry moves into 2026? Teams will matter more than agency positioning. Clients increasingly choose to work with the people behind the work. C your team live up to the promises on the label? They want squads that bring a consultant’s mindset, ownership-level energy, and the ability to reinvent with humility as culture and platforms shift. The agencies that win won’t be the loudest; they’ll be the most reliable – sharp thinking, fast execution and consistent accountability that keeps brands relevant, not just visible.

Ahmed El Gamal, Executive Director of Marketing, Jumeirah (far right) honours the LPS team with the Production House of the Year award.

January 2026

BRANDING AGENCY OF THE YEAR Brand Lounge Zak McKinven, Chief Operating Officer, Brand Lounge and Pete Lysak, Head of Strategy & Growth, Brand Lounge

ow does this award reflect the culmination of your efforts in 2025? Being recognised as a leader in the strategic brand consultancy field is a great motivator to our team, and the recognition could not have been timed better. The culmination of our efforts has a much longer timeframe in our case, as we are closing in on 20 years of presence in the market, having been founded in the region. We are as driven and as fresh as we have ever been, with new launches coming next year. Which industry pressure or shift most influenced how you operated in 2025? As an independent consultancy, we don’t give in to pressure but respond to it positively. Our ethos is to give the best advice to our clients and partners to build brands that matter, to lead their thinking collaboratively in order to stay at the spear point of innovation. A great example of this is the opportunity to nurture our relationship with AI: to provoke and be provoked. This shift has only just begun, yet we are already starting to see how it will impact the relevance of businesses across categories. Is relevance being eaten up by complacency? 2026 will point to the answer. How have expectations within branding shifted over the past 12 months? The gradual shift continuing into the last 12 months is a recognition of what ‘branding’ best practice really means. For us, it has been clear for a long time: A realisation that brands matter – that ethos remains constant and feeds our passion. Starting with purpose and resulting culture, building through innovation and image across all touchpoints, the most successful companies understand that brands deliver

outcomes and build return on investment (ROI). They are as much internally driven as they are externally engaging. They outsource their potential to people and to communities – and, on a good day, they make our lives that little bit richer. What do you think the industry needs to change or fix as a priority in the months ahead? The industry needs to focus its efforts on building a shared value. Not on internal efficiencies. Can we get back to the ethos, please? Have the courage of conviction. Give more, take less. Be curious, yet risky, surprising, and selfless. Think. Be different. Invent. We have plenty of great chances ahead of us; the opportunity is exponential. In your opinion, what do consumers really want, and how can agencies help brands meet this need? It is not enough to meet the needs; you have to provide a valuable difference. Everyone has access to the same data, and everyone is leveraging the same standby insights. People want to engage with ideas that have purpose at their core. Building on that, brands need to act and be principled. Invite people to engage in positive experiences and outcomes. The time to pay lip service to mission, vision and values is over. I think we all realise that, even if we do not fully admit it yet. What will matter most as the industry moves into 2026? It seems to be quite clear: McKinsey has named 2026 as ‘the Return of Brand’ with chief marketing officers seeing the brand as the foundation of differentiation, trust and long-term growth. Their research confirms the place of brand at the strategic core of a business propels growth. This clarity has been a long time coming. The marketing industry has become increasingly fragmented and confused, with narrow, niche specialisations fighting the flavour-ofthe-month battle – losing the respect of clients and losing budgets. We know ambitious brands will lead the way out of the quagmire of only quick return (or not). Long live the brand. Matter, and win.

The Brand Lounge team was awarded the Branding Agency of the Year trophy by David Fairservice, General Manager, Motivate Media Group (far right).

January 2026

SOCIAL MEDIA AGENCY OF THE YEAR SOCIALEYEZ

David Fairservice, General Manager, Motivate Media Group handed over the Social Media Agency of the Year award to the SOCIALEYEZ team.

BEST AGENCY – LEBANON Impact BBDO Lebanon

The Impact BBDO team celebrated on stage after Marwa Kaabour, Group Marketing and Corporate Communications Director, Al Masaood (far right), honoured them with the Best Agency - Lebanon trophy at Campaign’s Agency of the Year Middle East Awards 2025.

January 2026

The Gambit Communications team were all smiles on stage after receiving the Best Agency - UAE trophy, handed over by category partner, Banan Abu Sitta, Commercial Director, Private Jet Media (R).

BEST AGENCY – UAE SPONSORED BY

Jamal Almawed, Founder & CEO, Gambit Communications

How do you balance global best practices with local nuance and relevance? I think the phrase ‘global best practices’ in itself is a self-defeating expression. Why do best practices have to come from outside? We’ve seen what the globe has to offer and the Middle East region, and the UAE in particular, is surpassing it on multiple fronts, and winning on every stage. In two of the past three years, the winners of the Gold PR Young Lions at the Cannes International Festival of Creativity have been the UAE team. We have best practices here based on principles, ethics, culture and ambition, and it’s time for the globe to come and learn from us.

ow does this award reflect the culmination of your efforts in 2025? It was the perfect ending to a record-breaking year for Gambit. We won major tenders like Samsung and PropertyFinder, grew our team to 50 Gambiteers, and won 40 industry trophies including PRCA MENA’s Very Large Agency of the Year and The ICCO’s Global Large Consultancy of the Year.

What shifts are you seeing in client expectations within the UAE market? The past two years have seen industry-shaking mergers followed by layoffs and efficiencies. Clients bore the brunt of this, and many had to deal with new teams and structures that they didn’t ask for. We’ve seen a clear preference forming for non-networked agencies that can offer stability and long-term relationships.

What industry shift most influenced how you operated in the last year? The entire premise that Gambit is based on is ‘make the first move’, so we try not to be influenced by industry shifts – on the contrary we try to initiate those shifts ourselves. This year our Gambit 3.0 strategy of creating four branded subdivisions – Pulse, Sage, Atelier and FWD – that represent four different types of storytelling, rather than sectors, was a gamechanger and we saw the impact on clients and RFPs. What we didn’t see coming was how popular it would be in recruitment. The amount of top tier talent applying to us and requesting a specific team has been a joy to see.

What do you think the industry needs to change or fix on priority in the months ahead? Smaller retainers and lower budgets coupled with salary inflation and rising cost of operations are making margins too tight. Many smaller operators will get squeezed out of the market and many of the bigger ones won’t have the agility to cope. This could be a cliff-edge for the industry and needs to be remedied with rational procurement approaches to suppliers. It’s the classic Monty Hall theory – the win-win solution is always the best in the long-term for everybody.

Gambit Communications

What market-specific insight has most shaped your approach over the past year? An MIT study earlier this year using actual Electroencephalogram (EEG) scans proved that the use of Chat GPT results in lower brain activity, reduced recall, reduced engagement and an overall drastically detrimental impact on intellectual performance. We didn’t need to worry about that as we banned it in the office from day one, except for researching or monitoring. We aren’t looking for cost efficiencies – we’re looking for the most active minds in the industry so we can inspire and engage them. Clients seem to like that approach.

In your opinion, what do consumers really want, and how can agencies help brands meet this need? In a fragmented world, consumers want to know that the brands they spend with match their values. Agencies need to help their clients fulfil that promise. What will matter most as the industry moves into 2026? Authenticity. Our most commonly used phrase in 2025 was ‘Is it AI or real?’ and already people are getting fatigued by not knowing what to believe – even their own eyes. Brands that try to communicate in an authentic and purposeful way will see the best returns.

January 2026

BEST AGENCY – SAUDI ARABIA UM KSA Mohammad Mannaa, CEO, UM KSA

ow does this award reflect the culmination of your efforts in 2025? This award is the cherry on top of an incredible year for the UM KSA team. It is a reflection of the passion, innovation and relentless drive we have poured into every campaign and partnership, but more importantly, it’s validation of the trust our clients have placed in us and the tangible results we’ve achieved together. Winning this recognition isn’t just about celebrating what we’ve accomplished – it’s fuel for us to set the bar even higher as we head into 2026. What industry shift most influenced how you operated in the last year? The digital landscape has been evolving at lightning speed, and 2025 was no exception. The rise of artificial intelligence (AI), the push for personalisation, and the balance between managing budgets across the messy funnel – we leaned into all of it. We embraced new tools and strategies to stay ahead of the curve while keeping the consumer at the heart of everything we do. That balance between innovation and human connection has been critical to our success this year. What market-specific insight has most shaped your approach over the past year? One thing that stood out this year is how much Saudi consumers value authenticity and cultural relevance. They want brands that truly understand them – brands that respect their traditions while inspiring their aspirations. This insight has fundamentally shaped how we approach every campaign. We’ve focused on crafting work that feels personal, meaningful, and deeply connected to local culture. When you get that right, the impact is undeniable. It’s about creating conversations, not just campaigns. How do you balance global best practices with local nuance and relevance? It’s all about blending the best of both worlds. We learn from our network’s global strategies and adapt them to fit the unique pulse of

the Saudi market. Our success as a team is finding the right balance between understanding what’s happening globally – from emerging technology to data infrastructure – and fusing those tools into our planning and execution in ways that resonate locally. That’s when the magic happens. What shifts are you seeing in client expectations within the Saudi market? Clients are raising the bar, and we love it. They’re looking for more than just creative ideas – they want measurable results and real business impact. There’s also a growing appetite for innovation and agility, with clients expecting us to pivot quickly and stay ahead of the curve. It’s challenging, but it’s exactly what keeps us sharp and motivated. These elevated expectations are driving the entire industry forward. What do you think the industry needs to change or fix on priority in the months ahead? Transparency and accountability need to be non-negotiable – across media buying, performance metrics, and client partnerships. But technology alone won’t save us. If we aren’t investing in our people to leverage these tools effectively, we’re missing the point entirely. Upskilling talent isn’t a nice-to-have; it’s critical. The industry’s strength won’t come from the latest platform or algorithm. It will come from transparent practices and teams capable of turning innovation into real impact. In your opinion, what do consumers really want, and how can agencies help brands meet this need? Consumers want to feel seen, heard and valued. They gravitate toward brands that are authentic, relevant, and genuinely invested in understanding them – not just converting them. Our role is to help brands connect deeper through data-driven insights, personalised experiences and campaigns that move beyond one-off interactions to building relationships that matter. When brands show up with authenticity and consistency, consumers don’t just engage – they commit. That’s the connection we build for our clients. What will matter most as the industry moves into 2026? 2026 is going to be all about agility, innovation and consistency. The brands and agencies that thrive will be the ones that can adapt quickly to change, embrace new technologies without losing sight of strategy, and stay focused on delivering real value. We’ll also see continued emphasis on accountability and measurable impact – clients will demand it, and rightly so. The fundamentals haven’t changed: understand your audience, be relevant, be bold, and deliver results. Those principles will carry us forward.

UM KSA was named Best Agency - Saudi Arabia, one of the key geography categories, with the award presented by Waqas Amin, Director – Creative Services Department at The Royal Commission for Riyadh City (far right).

January 2026

BEST AGENCY – QATAR OMD Qatar

Member of the Agency of the Year Middle East Awards 2025 jury Siddarth Sivaprakash, Head of Marketing and Brand at Home Centre, Landmark Group (left), awarded OMD Qatar the Best Agency – Qatar trophy.

BEST AGENCY – IRAQ Brodmann

The award for Best Agency - Iraq was handed over to Brodmann by Mitin Chakraborty, Head of Marketing – Babyshop, Landmark Group.

January 2026

Named Best Agency – Oman, the Kenshō Mindful Communications team collects its award from Thomas Woodgate, Group Content Director, Motivate Media Group.

BEST AGENCY – OMAN Kenshō Mindful Communications Islam Abdelwahab, Managing Partner & Creative Director, Kenshō Mindful Communications, Oman

ow does this award reflect the culmination of your efforts in 2025? This award is the result of mindful persistence. 2025 wasn’t just a productive year; it was a transformative one. We focused on crafting impact, not just campaigns. Winning reflects the maturity of our tribe and our ability to channel creative energy into meaningful work that resonates with audiences, clients and the broader culture. It’s a celebration of consistency, clarity and the courage to create differently. What industry shift most influenced how you operated in the last year? The shift from transactional communication to emotionally intelligent storytelling pushed us to rethink the role of agencies. Our work in Oman, the GCC, and with global brands became less about message delivery and more about cultivating relevance. AI added speed and scale, but soul remained our true differentiator. We used both – intellect and intuition – to remain radically human in an increasingly automated world. What market-specific insight has most shaped your approach over the past year? In our region, cultural fluency is creative currency. We’ve seen that audiences respond to brands that don’t just localise language but

truly localise meaning. Our campaigns for national initiatives, energy transitions, and social causes are rooted in a deep understanding of local heritage, pride, and aspiration. When we frame modernity through the lens of tradition, engagement follows naturally. How do you balance global best practices with local nuance and relevance? We treat global frameworks as guides. At Kenshō, we approach each brief with a craftsman’s mind, assembling insights from international benchmarks, then reshaping them to fit the cultural geometry of Oman and the wider region. More than adaptation, it is reinterpretation. Our formula? Start global, dig deep then build local-first. What do you think the industry needs to change or fix on priority in the months ahead? The obsession with speed is burning out talent and blurring strategy. The industry needs to slow down to create smarter. Briefs are getting thinner, and deliverables thicker. It’s time we refocus on depth, clarity and trust, on both sides of the table. This means better client-agency collaboration, more meaningful KPIs, and the return of thoughtful creative processes. In your opinion, what do consumers really want, and how can agencies help brands meet this need? People want clarity and coherence, not just in messaging, but in values. They seek alignment between what a brand says and what it does. Agencies must help brands behave like people, with empathy, conviction, and consistency. The role of the agency is evolving from storyteller to sense maker; translating complexity into clarity, especially in an age of information fatigue. What will matter most as the industry moves into 2026? Integrity. Not the loudest campaign, but the most honest one. As we move into 2026, brands that are transparent, consistent and culturally attuned will win. For agencies, this means having the courage to say no, the vision to guide, and the humility to listen. We believe the future belongs to the brave and the profoundly human.

January 2026

BEST AGENCY – JORDAN Adpro& Group

AdPro& Group takes home the Best Agency – Jordan trophy presented to them by Mitin Chakraborty, Head of Marketing – Babyshop, Landmark Group.

BEST AGENCY – EGYPT UM – Egypt

Awards jury member Wassim Derbi, National Director for Marketing and Brand Communications, Hyundai Motors UAE, confers the Best Agency – Egypt award to UM Egypt.

January 2026

The Hanging House team collected the winning trophy from Wassim Derbi, National Director for Marketing & Brand Communications, Hyundai Motors UAE, after being named the Independent Creative Agency of the Year.

INDEPENDENT CREATIVE AGENCY OF THE YEAR The Hanging House

ow does this award reflect the culmination of your efforts in 2025? Husam Haris, Co-Founder & Chief Operating Officer: This award is meaningful because 2025 was the year we focused on rebuilding ourselves from the inside out. We grew fast, expanded into new markets, strengthened our creative capability, and invested heavily in our people. What started in a garage with four people is now a 50-plus team delivering some of the region’s most ambitious experiential work. Winning Independent Creative Agency of the Year reflects the maturity of that journey. It shows that growth, culture, and creativity can move forward together when the team believes in the same vision. What industry shift most influenced how you operated in 2025? Luna Arja, Creative Lead: The move away from rented attention and one-off spectacle toward emotional relevance and belonging. Clients began stepping back from traditional media placements and instead invested in creating impact where audiences already exist, within culture, social behaviour and real moments. Excitement was no longer enough; it became expected. Audiences didn’t want to be sold to; they wanted to feel part of something. This shift pushed us to design experiences that are contextual, immersive and story-driven, personal, shareable and built to connect rather than interrupt. How has being an independent shaped your ability to respond to change or uncertainty this year? Anam Ahmad, Founder & Chief Creative Officer: Independence gives us the freedom to keep evolving. The world moves fast, ideas shift, demand doesn’t stand still and neither do we. Our ambition stays the same, but the way we achieve it keeps changing. Instead of cutting corners, we redesign the shape. That ability to adapt quickly without losing direction and do it so fast is what makes independence so powerful. How do you compete with scale while preserving agility and identity? Haris: We stay competitive by staying true to how we started. Our strength has always been speed, clarity and being close to the work. As we scale, we protect that by keeping decision-making tight, integrating strategy,

creative, production and tech under one ecosystem, and building a culture where people take ownership, not instructions. Larger agencies win with volume; we win with sharp problem-solving and experiences that feel personal. Our identity stays intact because it lives in our people, our way of working, and our belief that creativity should move culture, not just fill a brief. What does sustainable growth look like for independent agencies? Abdul Aleem, Lead Creative Technologist: Sustainable growth in today’s market is a long game rooted in clarity, courage, and cultural relevance. It means moving with conviction rather than chasing validation, and resisting trend-hopping that turns intent into noise and originality into imitation. Real endurance comes from creating belonging, not spectacle. That growth starts with people and culture, when leadership trusts teams, it unlocks speed, ownership, and pride in the work. Over-engineering processes can dilute the agility and craft that make independents competitive. Instead, sustainable scale comes from hiring intentionally, investing in learning, adopting evolving technologies, and building lattice growth models that encourage cross-functional collaboration, allowing agencies to grow without losing their identity. What do you think the industry needs to change or fix on priority in the months ahead? Ijaz Ibrahim, Creative Lead: Move away from chasing validation and volume, and go back toward conviction and originality. Too much work today is shaped by trends, algorithms, and safe repetition, which turns intent into noise. The priority should be building work that creates belonging and long-term value, not just momentary attention. That shift requires courage – from clients and agencies – to trust ideas that are culturally grounded, emotionally honest, and not designed to please everyone. In your opinion, what do consumers really want, and how can agencies help brands meet this need? Jean Oosthuizen, General Manager: Consumers are seeking authenticity, relevance and genuine connection. They want brands to show up with purpose, not just presence, and to create experiences that feel human, considered and meaningful rather than transactional. Agencies play a critical role in translating brand values into real-world moments, helping brands listen closely, respond with empathy, and design experiences that resonate emotionally while remaining culturally and contextually relevant. What will matter most as the industry moves into 2026? Ayush Tandon, Creative Lead: As we move into 2026, relevance will matter more than reach. Brands that show up with consistency, empathy, and a clear point of view will earn loyalty in a market where attention is no longer guaranteed. For agencies, this means designing for long-term cultural presence, not just campaign spikes, and helping brands build relationships that last beyond the moment.

January 2026

INDEPENDENT MEDIA AGENCY OF THE YEAR SPONSORED BY

Fusion5 Advertising Johnny Khazzoum, Managing Partner, Fusion5 Advertising

ow does this award reflect the culmination of your efforts in 2025? This award is the direct result of a deliberate, year-long strategy. We doubled down on integrating AI and automation into our performance marketing practice, while intentionally scaling our team’s expertise. Retaining our Independent Media Agency title showcases consistent operational excellence, but the Performance Marketing of the Year award win specifically validates our strategic pivot. It confirms that our focused investments and dedicated efforts have successfully elevated our capability to drive unmatched ROI in a highly competitive field. What industry shift most influenced how you operated in 2025? The dominant shift was the intense, board-level demand for accountable performance and measurable return on investment (ROI). This moved performance marketing from a specialist channel to a core business driver. In response, we pivoted from just buying media to building proprietary AI-driven optimisation frameworks. We operationalised data at the heart of every strategy, ensuring agility and efficiency, which allowed us to compete for and win the Performance Marketing Agency of the Year award against larger networks who have been key players in this space. How has being an independent shaped your ability to respond to change or uncertainty this year? Our independence is our greatest strategic agility tool. Being independent, we have maneuvered around our own set layers that allow us to pivot strategy, invest in emerging tech like artificial

intelligence (AI) and reallocate resources at speed. This was also key for us to respond decisively to 2025’s economic uncertainties by focusing client budgets on high-performance channels and agile testing. Our entrepreneurial culture means every team member is empowered to innovate and solve problems directly, ensuring we adapt faster than the wider industry players. How do you compete with scale while preserving agility and identity? We compete with scale by being smarter and more focused, not bigger. We leverage best-in-class technology and automation to access the same data and insights as global networks, while our independent structure preserves speed and a unified culture. Our identity as nimble, client-dedicated partners is our premium, and the fact that we offer a layer of senior-level attention and strategic agility that larger agencies cannot means we are adept at creating deep partnerships where we act as a true extension of our clients’ teams. What do you think the industry needs to change or fix on priority in the months ahead? The industry must urgently address transparency and rebuild trust, particularly around data ethics and AI application. There’s a pressing need for clearer standards on performance attribution across walled gardens. Additionally, we must move beyond vanity metrics and align entirely on business outcomes for clients. Finally, fostering genuine talent diversity and upskilling teams for an AI-augmented future is critical to remaining relevant and effective. In your opinion, what do consumers really want, and how can agencies help brands meet this need? Consumers want seamless, valuable and genuinely useful interactions. They desire personalisation that respects privacy, and brands that add relevance without being intrusive. Agencies help by leveraging data and AI not for broad targeting, but for crafting contextual, creative messaging that delivers genuine utility at the right moment. We must move brands from interruptive advertising to creating valued experiences, building trust through consistency and meaningful engagement across every touchpoint. What will matter most as the industry moves into 2026? In 2026, integration and intelligence will matter most. The winners will be those who seamlessly integrate first-party data, AI-powered analytics and creative execution into a single, fluid strategy. While the topic of a cookie-less future is still up in the air, it is still key to set the groundwork of navigating that inevitable landscape and the economic pressures that come with it. Ultimately, the focus must shift from channel-specific tactics to holistic business impact, where every marketing dollar is accountable for driving tangible growth, customer lifetime value and brand resilience.

Hypermedia CEO Philip Matta handed over the trophy for Independent Media Agency of the Year to the Fusion5 Advertising team.

January 2026

INDEPENDENT PR AGENCY OF THE YEAR Gambit Communications The jurors said: “Gambit Communications continues to embody the hallmarks of an established independent agency with steady financial growth, long-term client trust and creative dependability. Its strategic consistency across government, sustainability and corporate communication sets it apart as one of the most reliable full-service PR agencies in the region.”

Jury member Falak Jalil, Vice President – Marketing, Al Ghurair Foods (far right), presented the Independent PR Agency of the Year award to Gambit Communications.

STARTUP / NEW AGENCY OF THE YEAR The Romans The jurors said: “The Romans shows sharp growth, creative edge, and strong leadership. The agency has fire in their bellies as a start-up should, strong on inclusion and diversity. They are already financially robust and contributing to the industry in their first year.”

Al Ghurair Foods’ Falak Jalil (far right) honoured The Romas with the Startup / New Agency of the Year Award at Campaign Middle East’s annual Agency of the Year Awards 2025.

January 2026

TBWA\RAAD collected the Best Place to Work award from Khaled AlShehhi, Executive Director of Marketing and Communication, UAE Government Media Office (far right).

BEST PLACE TO WORK IN 2025 TBWA\RAAD Joe Lahham, Managing Director, TBWA\RAAD

ow does this award reflect the culmination of your efforts in 2025? This award is a powerful validation of a journey, not a moment. In 2025, we doubled down on culture as a strategic priority: empowering our people, investing in growth and wellbeing, and hardwiring creativity and collaboration into how we work. Being recognised as Best Place to Work in the Middle East – on the heels of the global title – confirms that our efforts are resonating locally and globally. It shows that a people-first, disruptive culture can be built, scaled, and sustained from this region. How have employee expectations shifted over the past year, and how have you responded? Over the past year, expectations have become sharper and more intentional. People want more than a job; they expect flexibility, psychological safety, visible career growth and a sense of purpose that goes beyond awards and campaigns. At TBWA\RAAD, we responded by evolving our hybrid model, scaling mental health and wellbeing support, and investing heavily in learning, mentorship, and leadership accessibility. We’ve also doubled down on inclusion and creative autonomy, ensuring every Pirate feels heard, stretched, and trusted. The result is a culture that attracts, retains and unleashes top talent. The goal is simple: an environment where people can do the best work of their lives, sustainably. What industry shift most influenced how you operated in 2025? The most significant shift was the acceleration of AI and data-driven creativity, and how this reshaped client expectations. Brands now want ideas that are not only disruptive, but also measurable, personalised, and delivered at speed across channels. In 2025, we reorganised around integrated, cross-disciplinary teams, invested heavily in creative and strategic AI tools, and upskilled our people so technology augments their talent rather than replaces it. This also meant new roles, new training paths and new ways of collaborating. Culturally, it pushed us to become even more adaptive, experimental and future-focused in how we operate every day. What does meaningful engagement and retention look like today? Meaningful engagement and retention today go far beyond perks or office design. People stay where they feel seen and supported. That means clear growth paths, continuous feedback and leaders who

coach, not just manage. It’s building teams around purpose, not just projects, and giving talent a real say in how we work and what we stand for. When people feel they can grow, belong, and do work that matters, retention becomes a natural outcome. At TBWA\RAAD, engagement is measured in the quality of conversations we have with our people, the opportunities they get to lead, and the trust we place in them to shape the work and the culture. Talented Pirates choose to build their careers here because they feel proud, challenged and genuinely valued How do you protect culture while continuing to scale or change? Protecting culture amid growth and change requires intentional leadership and systems that reinforce core values. We embed our ‘Disruption®’ mindset into hiring, onboarding, performance reviews, and team rituals – ensuring it’s lived, not laminated. Every change or scale decision is pressure-tested against these principles: We invest in strong, culture-carrier leaders, keep rituals that unite us, and create constant feedback loops with our people. Growth may change our size and structure, but the behaviours we celebrate stay consistent. Ultimately, it’s about balancing consistency in purpose with flexibility in practice, ensuring that every new hire or operational move strengthens – not dilutes – the unique environment we’ve built. What will matter most as the industry moves into 2026? In 2026, maintaining a consistent and resilient culture will be paramount. As the industry navigates rapid technological shifts and economic uncertainty, agencies must anchor themselves in a workplace environment where trust, creativity and well-being are non-negotiable. This consistency doesn’t mean resisting change – it means evolving intentionally, ensuring that growth, new tools and market adaptations align with core values. A stable, empowering culture will be the foundation that allows talent to innovate fearlessly and clients to partner with confidence, making it the ultimate competitive advantage in a volatile landscape. What do you think the industry needs to change or fix on priority in the months ahead? In the months ahead, the industry must prioritise transparency and talent sustainability. There is an urgent need to address burnout, improve diversity beyond surface-level metrics and create clearer pathways for career growth – especially as roles evolve with artificial intelligence (AI) and data. The best workplaces will be those that blend human-centric values with adaptive, future-ready practices, creating spaces where talent can thrive personally and professionally, no matter how the industry evolves. Culture will be the true differentiator.

January 2026

HEAD OF NETWORK Bassel Kakish CEO, Publicis Groupe Middle East & Turkey

ow does this award reflect the way your leadership has developed over the past year? I see this award as recognition of the leadership model we have built rather than a reflection of me personally. Over the past year, our focus has been on trust, consistency, and being a talent-first organisation that creates the right environment for leaders to move with confidence and clarity. When people are empowered to make decisions and collaborate without friction, performance follows. The award is a signal that the foundations we have put in place are working. What is your proudest moment from 2025 and what’s your key takeaway from it? In 2025, what stood out for me was reinforcing our ambition to operate as a Category of One. We continued to strengthen our artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities while bringing creativity, media, and technology closer together around client needs. As a result, we have outperformed market growth across the region year to date. That progress only happens when talent is trusted, enabled, and encouraged to work across disciplines and capabilities. How do you navigate the tension between shortterm performance and long-term ambition? For me, there is no real tension if the organisation is designed properly. Short-term performance should reflect long-term thinking, not work against it. We invest early in talent, integration, and platforms so that what we deliver today also builds future capability. At the same time, you need to stay agile and willing to adjust when conditions change. That balance allows ambition and execution to move in the same direction. What responsibilities do leaders carry as the industry adapts to new tools, structures and expectations? Leaders have a responsibility to be intentional. New tools, particularly AI, should enable people rather than replace them. I always use this analogy: AI is the suit, but without Tony Stark, there is no Iron Man. Our talents are the real superheroes. Technology on its own does not create impact. People do. Our role is to make deliberate choices about what we adopt, how we deploy it, and how we protect creativity, judgment and trust. Change will happen regardless. Leadership is about shaping that change with clarity and accountability. What skills or mindsets will define effective leadership for 2026? Technology and AI will increasingly become prequalifiers. They will be expected, not exceptional. What will continue to differentiate organisations are talents and how effectively they are enabled. Effective leadership will be about making deliberate choices around AI, investing in learning, and creating environments where people are empowered to apply technology with creativity, judgment and confidence.

Bassel Kakish, CEO, Publicis Groupe Middle East & Turkey, received the Head of Network award from Khaled AlShehhi, Executive Director of Marketing and Communication, UAE Government Media Office.

January 2026

HEAD OF AGENCY – PR Tariq Al Sharabi Managing Director, Cicero & Bernay

ow does this award reflect the way your leadership has evolved over the past year? This award validates a leadership approach rooted in consistency and accountability, rather than distance or hierarchy. Over the past 12 months, my focus has been on building an agency that is agile, integrated and people-led; I’ve stayed closely involved in every aspect of the business, from structuring and hiring to pitching and client delivery, ensuring we operate as one unit under a shared vision. What is your proudest moment from 2025, and what’s your key takeaway from it? My proudest moment in 2025 was scaling the agency while retaining clients, expanding teams, and growing regionally without compromising our culture. The key takeaway is clear: growth is only sustainable when people move forward together; our recent win of seven Gold awards at the 2025 MENA Digital Awards testifies to this. Strategy may set direction, but it’s alignment that drives execution. When teams feel ownership in the journey and operate as one unit, performance becomes a natural outcome rather than a forced objective. How do you navigate the tension between short-term performance and long-term ambition? Short-term performance is the proof point and long-term ambition is the direction; they are not mutually exclusive. We hold ourselves accountable to results today while deliberately building the systems, talent and capabilities needed for tomorrow. That balance comes from staying deeply connected to clients and teams via execution excellence that ensures our credibility and cements our vision. What responsibilities do leaders carry as the industry adapts to new tools, structures and expectations? As new tools and technologies emerge, our role is to ensure we optimise their adoption, ethically and with purpose. Leaders have a responsibility to guide; this is not about chasing trends or automating for its own sake but about understanding impact, setting clear guardrails,and protecting the quality of thinking and execution. However, equally important is leadership through change: offering clarity and direction while creating an environment where teams feel confident to learn and experiment. What skills or mindsets will define effective leadership for 2026? Effective leadership in 2026 will be defined by adaptability and emotional intelligence; leaders must be able to pivot quickly in response to change while maintaining high standards and consistency. While technical knowledge and tools are important, mindset is what ultimately differentiates leaders. Those who communicate clearly and lead with accountability and empathy will be best positioned to guide organisations through ongoing transformation.

Sholto Douglas-Home, Chief Marcomms and Sales Officer – Sales, Marketing and Communications at Expo City Dubai presents the Head of Agency - PR trophy to Cicero & Bernay’s MD Tariq Al Sharabi.

January 2026

HEAD OF AGENCY – DIGITAL SPONSORED BY

Tarek Esper Managing Director, SOCIALEYEZ

ow does this award reflect the way leadership has developed over the past year? This award really shows how leadership has shifted from being about big, intense moves to steady, clear guidance. Over the past year, the focus has been on making things simple and removing obstacles, so people can take the lead with confidence. It’s less about being loud and more about being consistent and present; showing up, making the tough calls, and trusting the team. This recognition reflects a quieter, more supportive leadership style and how powerful it can be in helping everyone perform at their best. What is the proudest moment from 2025, and what’s the key takeaway? Honestly, the proudest moment wasn’t one specific win, but watching the whole agency grow stronger together. Seeing different teams step up, new leaders come forward, and the business thrive across all areas was really rewarding. The award is a reflection of that collective effort, not just a single person’s success. The big lesson? When you invest in people, culture and structure all at once, momentum happens naturally. That’s what makes success feel real and lasting, rather than rushed or fragile.

Wassim Mneimneh, Managing Director of category partners MiQ MENAT honours Tarek Esper, Managing Director of SOCIALEYEZ with the Head of Agency – Digital award.

How is the tension between short-term performance and long-term ambition navigated? That tension is always there, especially in an industry where quick results are expected. The key is balancing immediate priorities with a clear long-term vision. Not every opportunity fits the bigger picture, and not every fast win is worth it. Focusing on steady progress, rather than noise, helps keep the team grounded and accountable. When people understand why we’re pushing, they’re more motivated to deliver now while keeping an eye on where we want to be. Where does bold or unconventional thinking fit into growth conversations today? Bold thinking is at the heart of how growth happens today. The market is crowded, clients expect more, and the old ways don’t always cut it anymore. We’ve learned that real growth comes from questioning how we do things, whether it’s our structure, services, or how we work together. It’s not about taking reckless risks but making smart, informed bets. Often, the biggest breakthroughs start with challenging ourselves internally before they show up in the work we do externally.

What responsibilities do leaders carry as the industry adapts to new tools, structures, and expectations? Leaders today need to guide change with both clarity and empathy. New tech, especially artificial intelligence (AI), can be exciting but also overwhelming. It’s important to frame these changes as opportunities, not threats, and focus on learning and growing rather than quick fixes. Protecting culture during change is just as important, making sure no one feels left behind. Adapting isn’t just about tools, it’s about mindset, communication and building trust. How change is handled often makes all the difference. What skills or mindsets will define effective leadership for 2026? Looking ahead, leadership will demand being adaptable, self-aware and decisive. The ability to stay calm when things are uncertain and simplify complex situations will be key. Emotional intelligence will matter as much as strategic thinking, especially as teams navigate ongoing change. Leaders will need to be confident in saying no, keeping focus, and prioritising long-term health over short-term distractions. Above all, authenticity will be the cornerstone; people follow leaders they genuinely trust, not those who just wear a title.

January 2026

big things on their own. I feel both are now important given where the industry is headed. Creative excellence is a must, but alongside that, leadership now demands a more human, collaborative style that prioritises talent, culture and long-term impact. What is your proudest moment from 2025 and what’s your key takeaway from it? I doubt I can pick one moment, since there have been a number of times in 2025 where I have seen my team take creative leaps with confidence. Owning ideas that were bold, culturally relevant, and effective, even when the path wasn’t obvious or easy. The key takeaway has been that when people feel trusted and supported, they rise to the challenge and they deliver consistently. Success wasn’t a result of pressure, but of belief. These moments reinforced the notion that leadership isn’t about pushing harder; it’s about aligning people around a shared ambition and giving them the environment to deliver their best work. How do you navigate the tension between short-term performance and long-term vision? Mostly by a mental organisation exercise of being clear about what must be delivered now and what we’re building for later; these two things should never be confused. My notebook even follows an Eisenhower grid to organise things on similar lines. Short-term performance is necessary to keep the business healthy, but long-term vision keeps it relevant and consistent. The role here is to protect both. That means making disciplined choices, saying no when needed, and ensuring today’s decisions don’t compromise tomorrow’s ambition. When teams understand how immediate outputs ladder up to a bigger vision, performance and purpose stop competing and start reinforcing each other.

Impact BBDO’s Regional Chief Creative Officer Ali Rez won the Creative Leader of the Year award for the third consecutive year at Campaign’s Agency of the Year Middle East awards.

CREATIVE LEADER OF THE YEAR Ali Rez Regional Chief Creative Officer, Impact BBDO

ow does this award reflect the way your leadership has developed over the past year? Over the past year, besides learning a great deal from my team as I do every year, I’ve tried to shift more from simply directing creativity to building the right environment in order to enable it for everybody in the agency. This has meant focusing more on creating the conditions for great work to happen: having clarity of ambition, access to knowledge, giving everybody the tools they need, a culture of fearlessnes and trust in each other. I’ve also learned to strike a balance between leading from the front by having a hands-on approach, and giving people the autonomy to create

Where does bold or unconventional thinking fit into growth conversations today? That’s a great question. I don’t think ‘bold’ is any longer a ‘nice to have’ in growth conversations; it’s a necessity. In a crowded, fastmoving market, incremental ideas don’t drive differentiation or value. Especially with an incoming flood of sameness driven by generative artificial intelligence (Gen AI), unconventional thinking will help brands cut through, build relevance, and create meaningful impact. Growth will come from ideas that challenge norms while remaining deeply rooted in business and culture, and take the bold step of being different. When creativity is treated as a growth driver rather than a risk, it becomes a powerful competitive advantage. What responsibilities do leaders carry as the industry adapts to new tools, structures and expectations? Leaders today must have a responsibility to be both curious and grounded. As new tools and structures, especially technologies such as AI, emerge, it’s our job to separate hype from value, and guide teams through change without fear. That means investing in skills, setting ethical standards, and ensuring technology enhances creativity rather than replaces it. Leaders must also protect culture during transformation by maintaining clarity, fairness, and humanity. Change is inevitable; how people experience it is a leadership choice. What skills or mindsets will define effective leadership for 2026? Effective leadership in 2026 will require adaptability, emotional intelligence, and strong decision-making, supported by real tech literacy. Leaders don’t need to code, but they must understand AI, data, and emerging tools well enough to ask the right questions and make informed choices. Command over AI will be essential to unlock efficiency, creativity, and scale responsibly. The most effective leaders will combine human judgement with technological fluency, using AI as a creative and strategic partner while keeping purpose, ethics, and people firmly at the centre.

January 2026

HEAD OF AGENCY – CREATIVE Nathalie Gevresse CEO, Publicis Communications – UAE

The Publicis Communications – UAE team collected the Head of Agency – Creative trophy on behalf of Nathalie Gevresse, CEO, Publicis Communications – UAE.

Jurors said: “This leader has reshaped the agencies into one hub that thinks, builds and delivers as one, faster, sharper, better. This leader unified three distinct creative teams to develop the Groupe’s overarching creative proposition. The submission highlights commitment to staff, passion for people development, and success in fostering a high-performing culture while achieving creative excellence.”

CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS & MARKETING PERSON OR TEAM OF THE YEAR Corporate Communications Team, Publicis Groupe Middle East

Anup Oommen, Editor, Campaign Middle East (left) presented the award for Corporate Communications & Marketing Person or Team of the Year to the Corporate Communications Team, Publicis Groupe Middle East, who were selected as winners by a jury panel of client-side marketers.

January 2026

OUTSTANDING WOMAN IN ADVERTISING OR MEDIA OF THE YEAR BROUGHT TO YOU BY

Nada Abisaleh Business Lead, Leo Beirut

ow does this award reflect the way your leadership has developed over the past year? I’ve learned to lead with clarity, not noise. Less control and more trust. To protect (good) ideas against all odds, back people, and make the tough calls when it matters. This award reflects my leadership style: one that creates impact without needing to be loud, while increasing the visibility, voice, and reputation of Leo Burnett Beirut. What is your proudest Nada Abisaleh moment from 2025 and what’s your key takeaway from it? My proudest moments and key takeaways? When people feel believed in, not managed, they do braver, better work. Simply said: Belief beats pressure every time, especially in our industry. How do you navigate the tension between short-term performance and long-term ambition? You don’t choose. You design for both. For the now and the after. You need to deliver now, but never at the expense of what you’re building. If it weakens the future, it’s not a win. What responsibilities do leaders carry as the industry adapts to new tools, structures and expectations? To make sure tools serve ideas, businesses, and processes. Not replace judgment. What skills or mindsets will define effective leadership for 2026? More than ever, effective leadership will be defined by adaptability without loss of our identity (and humanity), especially as AI is reshaping how we think, create, and collaborate.

On behalf of Nada Abisaleh, Business Lead, Leo Beirut – Publicis Groupe Middle East (inset on the right), Bassel Kakish, CEO, Publicis Groupe Middle East & Turkey, collected the Outstanding Woman in Advertising or Media award from Nicola Porter, Executive Editor of category partner Bloomberg Media.

But above all, the most critical mindset will be courage: the courage to make fewer, better decisions; to protect originality; and to lead with conviction in a time of constant acceleration. Technology will evolve fast. Our values must not.

January 2026

TALENT MANAGEMENT INDIVIDUAL OR TEAM OF THE YEAR People and Talent Team, MCN MENAT

The People and Talent Team from MCN MENAT pose for photographs on stage after being handed the Talent Management Individual or Team of the Year trophy by awards jury member Natasha Vaughan-Jeremy, Founder and Fractional CMO, The Luxe Narrative (second from right) at the Agency of the Year Middle East Awards.

STRATEGIC PLANNING TEAM OR PERSON OF THE YEAR SOCIALEYEZ From the jurors: “The team showed real strength in blending cultural insight with digital intelligence. Their integrated, people-first approach makes strategy a core part of every client success story.” Natasha Vaughan-Jeremy, Founder and Fractional CMO, The Luxe Narrative (far right) presented the Strategic Planning Team or Person of the Year award to the SOCIALEYEZ team.

January 2026

NEW BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT TEAM OR PERSON OF THE YEAR Growth and Innovation Team, Publicis Groupe Middle East

Anne Tulloch, Divisional Marketing Director, Alshaya Group (far left), presented the Growth and Innovation Team at Publicis Groupe Middle East with the New Business Development Team or Person of the Year award.

ARABIC COPYWRITER OF THE YEAR Manar Munjed, Arabic Copywriter and Associate Creative Director, FP7 McCann UAE

Manar Munjed, Arabic Copywriter and Associate Creative Director, FP7 McCann UAE was honoured with the Arabic Copywriter of the Year award by Anne Tulloch, Divisional Marketing Director at Alshaya Group.

Jurors said: “This entry demonstrated excellence, strengthened client trust, and attracted new opportunities. Consistently impactful campaigns that shifted social dialogue and brand perception. Collaborative and inspiring presence within creative teams. Bold leadership in gender and linguistic inclusivity.”

SILVER AWARD WINNERS

January 2026

ACCOUNT PERSON OF THE YEAR Hossam Sherif, Business Unit Director, OMD UAE From the jurors: “Hossam highlighted a clear balance between strategy, people and performance, and you can tell the team loves working with him. The entry proved great business impact, campaign outcomes – with strong quantitative and qualitative numbers – KPIs achieved and strong client testimonials.”

On behalf of Hossam Sherif, Business Unit Director, OMD UAE, his team members collected the Account Person of the Year award from Ian Fairservice, Managing Partner and Group Editor-in-Chief, Motivate Media Group (centre), at Campaign Middle East’s annual Agency of the Year Middle East Awards.

CSR INITIATIVE OF THE YEAR IMPACT BBDO

Ian Fairservice, Managing Partner and Group Editor-in-Chief, Motivate Media Group (third from right), handed over the CSR Initiative of the Year trophy to the Impact BBDO team.

SILVER AWARD WINNERS WINNERS

January 2026

STERLING WINS

In highly competitive categories, the jury panel for Campaign Middle East’s Agency of the Year Middle East Awards 2025 honoured deserving individuals and agencies with Silver trophies.

INTEGRATED MARKETING AGENCY OF THE YEAR Boopin

The Boopin team posed as party-popper confetti rained down on them to celebrate their Silver award in the Integrated Marketing Agency of the Year category.

MEDIA AGENCY OF THE YEAR OMD MENA Thomas Woodgate, Group Content Director, Motivate Media Group (far left) handed over the Silver trophy for the Media Agency of the Year to the OMD MENA team.

BRANDING AGENCY OF THE YEAR Yellow Branding Consultancy was honoured with the Silver award in the Branding Agency of the Year category by Motivate Media Group’s Thomas Woodgate (far left).

Yellow Branding Consultancy

SILVER AWARD WINNERS

January 2026

PR / COMMUNICATIONS AGENCY OF THE YEAR Brazen MENA

Thomas Woodgate, Group Content Director, Motivate Media Group, handed over the Silver trophy for Creative Leader of the Year to Sebastien Boutebel, CCO, Saatchi & Saatchi Middle East.

CREATIVE LEADER OF THE YEAR Sebastien Boutebel, In the PR / Communications Agency of the Year category, the judges chose to award Brazen MENA with a Silver trophy, which was handed over to them by Tarun Gangwani, Sales Manager, Campaign Middle East (far left).

Chief Creative Officer, Saatchi & Saatchi Middle East

BEST AGENCY – QATAR FP7 McCann Doha

The FP7 McCann Doha team collected the Silver trophy for the Best Agency – Qatar from Thomas Woodgate, Group Content Director, Motivate Media Group (far right).

SILVER AWARD WINNERS

January 2026

INDEPENDENT CREATIVE AGENCY OF THE YEAR tactical.

Ian Fairservice, Managing Partner and Group Editor-in-Chief, Motivate Media Group, presented the Silver trophy for the Independent Creative Agency of the Year to the tactical. team.

BEST AGENCY – EGYPT OMD Egypt

On behalf of Reda Raad, Group CEO, TBWA\RAAD, the Managing Director of TBWA\Raad Joe Lahham (right) picked up the Silver trophy for Head of Agency – Creative from Ian Fairservice, Managing Partner and Group Editor-in-Chief, Motivate Media Group.

HEAD OF AGENCY – CREATIVE Reda Raad, Group CEO, TBWA\RAAD

OMD Egypt were honoured with a Silver award for Best Agency – Egypt by Tarun Gangwani, Sales Manager, Campaign Middle East.

SILVER SILVERAWARD WINNERS

January 2026

ACCOUNT PERSON OF THE YEAR Dima Zaytoun Business Lead, Starcom Middle East

Catherine Bannister collects the Silver award in the Strategic Planning Team or Person of the Year award from Tarun Gangwani, Sales Manager, Campaign Middle East.

STRATEGIC PLANNING TEAM OR PERSON OF THE YEAR Catherine Bannister, TBWA\RAAD

Thomas Woodgate, Group Content Director, Motivate Media Group, awards Starcom Middle East’s Dima Zaytoun with the Silver award in the Account Person of the Year category at the Agency of the Year Middle East Awards.

BEST AGENCY – UAE Saatchi & Saatchi UAE

Campaign of theKaabour, Year Middle East jury panel chose Saatchi & Saatchi UAE as the Silver Winner in the Best Agency – UAE category. XxxxxxxATMiddle pickedEast’s up theAgency Eventropha Chffi cer Awards at Al Masaood.

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL THE WINNERS DIGITAL AGENCY OF THE YEAR Assembly MEDIA AGENCY OF THE YEAR Magna Global INTEGRATED MARKETING AGENCY OF THE YEAR Publicis Groupe Middle East & Turkey CREATIVE AGENCY OF THE YEAR Impact BBDO HOLDING COMPANY OF THE YEAR Publicis Groupe Middle East & Turkey CSR INITIATIVE OF THE YEAR Impact BBDO ACCOUNT PERSON OF THE YEAR Hossam Sherif, OMD UAE ARABIC COPYWRITER OF THE YEAR Manar Munjed, FP7 McCann UAE NEW BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT PERSON OR TEAM OF THE YEAR The Growth and Innovation Team, Publicis Groupe Middle East STRATEGIC PLANNING PERSON OR TEAM OF THE YEAR SOCIALEYEZ TALENT MANAGEMENT INDIVIDUAL OR TEAM OF THE YEAR The People & Talent Team, MCN MENAT OUTSTANDING WOMAN IN ADVERTISING OR MEDIA Nada Abisaleh, Leo

CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS & MARKETING PERSON OR TEAM OF THE YEAR The Corporate Communications Team, Publicis Groupe Middle East

BEST AGENCY - IRAQ Brodmann

CREATIVE LEADER OF THE YEAR Ali Rez, Impact BBDO Group

BEST AGENCY - LEBANON Impact BBDO Lebanon

HEAD OF AGENCY - DIGITAL Tarek Esper, SOCIALEYEZ HEAD OF AGENCY - CREATIVE Nathalie Gevresse, Publicis Communications UAE HEAD OF AGENCY - PR Tariq Al Sharabi, Cicero & Bernay HEAD OF NETWORK Bassel Kakish, Publicis Groupe Middle East & Turkey BEST PLACE TO WORK TBWA\RAAD START UP / NEW AGENCY OF THE YEAR The Romans INDEPENDENT PR AGENCY OF THE YEAR Gambit Communications INDEPENDENT MEDIA AGENCY OF THE YEAR Fusion5 Advertising INDEPENDENT CREATIVE AGENCY OF THE YEAR The Hanging House BEST AGENCY - EGYPT UM Egypt

BEST AGENCY - OMAN Kenshō Mindful Communications

BEST AGENCY - QATAR OMD Qatar BEST AGENCY - SAUDI ARABIA UM KSA BEST AGENCY - UAE Gambit Communications BRANDING AGENCY OF THE YEAR Brand Lounge SOCIAL MEDIA AGENCY OF THE YEAR SOCIALEYEZ PRODUCTION HOUSE OF THE YEAR LPS EVENTS, EXPERIENTIAL AND ENGAGEMENT AGENCY OF THE YEAR MCH Global PR / COMMUNICATIONS AGENCY OF THE YEAR The Romans PERFORMANCE MARKETING AGENCY OF THE YEAR Fusion5 Advertising

BEST AGENCY - JORDAN AdPro& Group

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WWW.AOYAWARDSME.COM Sponsorship opportunities: nadeem@motivate.ae | tarun.gangwani@motivate.ae | saifeldin.hemdan@motivate.ae

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January 2026

Campaign Middle East’s Publishing Director Nadeem Quraishi delivered the welcome address at the event.

Attendees engage with The Vantage’s activation: The Pubity Guest Book.

A MILLION MEMORIES

Attendees stepped inside the Campaign Middle East booth to get a rare shot on the ‘cover page’.

Chair Judge Emma Campbell, Director of Sector Marketing at DCT Abu Dhabi, opened up about the judging experience in her Chair’s Address.

Ibrahim Al Mayahi, Head of Commerical Brand and Marketing Communications, Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company (left), shared a photograph with Khaled AlShehhi, Executive Director of Marketing and Communication, UAE Government Media Office, at the media wall of the Agency of the Year Awards.

Ian and Janice Fairservice (centre) with guests John and Galina Rose and Ekaterina Fairservice (right).

Conversations flowed as attendees networked and connected in the pre-function area ahead of the awards ceremony.

January 2026

The Current Global and Dubai Airports teams were photographed in front of the media wall when they arrived at the venue.

The industry applauded and cheered for winners who were announced for the first time on the night of the awards.

Bassel Kakish, CEO, Publicis Groupe Middle East & Turkey, celebrated the Groupe’s several wins with his team.

Dani Richa, Group Chairman and CEO, Impact BBDO International (centre), networked with peers before the awards.

Tables filled as attendees settled in for the evening’s programme.

Spreading confetti and cheer, the Gambit Communications team revelled in joy when they were announced as the Best Agency – UAE.

The venue came to life as marketers, agency leaders, heads of advertising bodies and partners from across the region gathered for the awards ceremony.

January 2026

20 NEWS STORIES

This year, the stars shone bright in Abu Dhabi. In May, The Walt Disney Company announced plans to develop the first Disney theme park resort destination in the Middle East and Africa region at Abu Dhabi’s Yas Island in collaboration with Miral Destinations. The announcement event included a 9,000-drone light show – the largest staged in the region. The theme park announcement was brought to life by Momentum Dubai, Initiative MENAT, Weber Shandwick MENAT, HQ Worldwide Shows (HQWS) and Dejavu UAE.

Later in the year, Yas Island Abu Dhabi named Hollywood star Millie Bobby Brown as its brand ambassador. Announced in November, parallel to the release of Stranger Things’ final season, the partnership with Brown aimed to create new avenues for Miral Destinations and Yas Island to meet younger audiences and tap into emotional moments that fans are experiencing.

The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity selected Khaled AlShehhi, Executive Director of Marketing and Communication at the UAE Government Media Office, to join its jury panel, making it the first time that a government sector representative from across the globe has been chosen for this role in the festival’s 72-year history.

Omnicom closed its acquisition of Interpublic Group at a $9bn price point in November. The

deal created the largest agency holding company by revenues in the world. Omnicom recorded $18bn in revenue in the first nine months of 2025, compared with its closest rival Publicis Groupe, which recorded $12bn in the same period.

Publicis Groupe kicked off the year by merging two of its key creative networks, Leo Burnett and Publicis Worldwide, into a unified network called Leo in January. The new ‘creative constellation’ brought together 15,000 employees across 90 countries. Leo Burnett agencies worldwide rebranded simply as Leo, and Publicis Worldwide agencies now operate under the Leo network.

Middle East Communications Network (MCN) revealed a major expansion of its data capabilities and platform services across the MENAT region through Acxiom, part of IPG. Building on its established presence, Acxiom, a global leader in customer data management and marketing technology, enhances and powers MCN’s comprehensive data, performance and technology offerings across the MENAT region.

Abu Dhabi-based investment holding company Multiply Group officially united three out-ofhome (OOH) companies within its portfolio – BackLite Media, Viola Media and Media 247 – under a UAE-headquartered media entity called Multiply Media Group (MMG) in July 2025. The scale of the

newly formed MMG now includes 3,000 advertising units across the UAE, including more than 75 premium assets on Dubai’s Sheikh Zayed Road, which are backed by long-term partnership agreements with Dubai’s Road and Transport Authority (RTA) under Mada Media in Dubai as well as the Department of Municipalities and Transport (DMT) in Abu Dhabi.

Meta Platforms and EssilorLuxottica launched the Ray-Ban Meta glasses in the UAE in May. The collection offers users the ability to record photos and videos hands-free and listen to music discreetly without any headphones or ear plugs. The glasses can translate certain languages live – including sign language – and can also translate printed material such as menus and signposts. They also offer access to a built-in Meta AI that can be queried for answers on the go. The enhanced experience allows the wearer to easily share with friends or to any social app on their phone and pair multiple glasses to their phone, managing them in one place.

In February, OMD Worldwide, part of Omnicom Media Group and the world’s largest media agency network, revealed its new brand positioning: We Create What’s Next. The new direction highlighted OMD as a media partner with the vision, expertise and technology to help brands drive incremental sales and market share growth in a dynamic business and consumer landscape.

January 2026

The MediaVantage, a global media representative in the region, along with The GreenVantage and The TechVantage, known for their focus on championing sustainability in advertising and adtech solutions respectively, united under a single brand identity: The Vantage. Marking the company’s 15th anniversary milestone, the rebrand celebrated a legacy of excellence while embracing cutting-edge marketing practices to stay ahead of trends.

As part of its ‘We Drive Football’ initiative, Volkswagen Middle East announced a partnership with Al-Ittihad Football. The two-year sponsorship included Volkswagen’s logo on the front collar of Al-Ittihad’s men’s first-team shirts and the sleeves of the women’s first-team kits, ensuring prominent visibility both locally and internationally. Al-Ittihad’s men’s and women’s teams now have access to the latest Volkswagen models.

In September, Majid Al Futtaim launched a new grocery retail ecosystem and the world’s first supermarket built especially for kids: Bright Bites. The shopping experience introduced a new avenue for Majid Al Futtaim’s retail media partners through its dedicated retail media network, Precision Media.

The UAE National Media Office (NMO) launched the BRIDGE Summit, as the world’s largest gathering of leaders across seven content tracks: marketing, media, creator economy, music, gaming, picture and tech. The Summit hosted more than 300 activities and activations, including 200 panel discussions and talks, 50 workshops, and interactive sessions, designed to foster crosssector collaboration.

Global media agency network UM, part of IPG Mediabrands, launched its ‘Full Colour Media’ proposition and philosophy in January, offering a proprietary growth model and research that revolutionises the way marketers build brands in the era of AI.

Keeta, a technology-driven delivery platform, launched in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait and Qatar with an integrated campaign that introduced the brand in a confident and approachable way, while laying the groundwork for long-term presence. Billboards, digital content, CRM, social media and selected on-ground moments all came together throughout different phases to create visibility.

Publicis Groupe Middle East acquired Chain Reaction in a strategic move to reinforce its performance marketing, content, and experience design leadership and capabilities.

M+C Saatchi Middle East, formerly M&C Saatchi, introduced a new brand identity and strategic positioning as part of a global shift by the M+C Saatchi Group. The agency rebranded around

the concept of ‘Cultural Power’ to help brands harness cultural forces and drive brand growth. The agency also acquired Middle East-based DUNE | 23.

Meta, the Royal Commission for AlUla, Saudi Tourism Authority and Riyadh Air partnered to bring the Instagram Creators Summit to AlUla in April. An elite list of content creators were handpicked to experience the line-up of sessions designed to enhance their skills, expand their reach, and maximise their impact. Cumulatively, the select group of creators represent a global reach of more than 231 million followers.

Qatar Airways entered a global partnership with Grammy-award-winning artist, entrepreneur and cultural visionary Swizz Beatz to introduce The Qatar Airways Creative 100, a bold platform that aimed to celebrate and connect the world’s most influential and inspiring creatives shaping global culture today. Through this partnership, Qatar Airways and Swizz Beatz re-imagined how creativity travels, transforming global movement into cultural exchanges.

Aleph was appointed as Reddit’s exclusive advertising representative in markets across Europe, MENAT, Latin America and the APAC regions, including in the UAE and Saudi Arabia. The partnership provided a direct path for local and regional advertisers to Reddit’s engaged, high-intent audience.

January 2026

Saudi Arabia’s King Salman Park Foundation appointed Simon Shaw as its Chief Communications and Marketing Officer. Shaw moved to Riyadh in April 2025 to take up the role. With prior roles as the Global Chief Creative Strategy Officer at Hill & Knowlton and Chief Creative Officer at Burson, Shaw brings a strong track record of working with international clients.

GEMS Education, one of the world’s largest private K-12 school operators, appointed Suad Merchant as its Chief Marketing Officer. With a career spanning more than 20 years in leadership roles across industries including financial services, information technology and transformation consulting, Merchant brings to the role a wealth of experience in building iconic brands.

The Government of Ras Al Khaimah appointed Phillipa Harrison as the new CEO of Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority (RAKTDA), following the departure of Raki Phillips. Harrison’s appointment aims to help advance the Ras Al Khaimah Government’s objectives to further cement its position as a leading, sustainable tourism destination.

ROSHN Group promoted Waseem Khashan to the role of Chief Marketing Officer. Khashan takes over the mantle from Ghada AlRumayan, who has been promoted to the Group Chief Shared Services Officer at ROSHN Group. In his new role, Khashan will oversee ROSHN’s marketing and communications function, including campaigns and destination marketing.

New Balance appointed Ana Elisa Seixas as Head of Marketing for the Middle East, Africa and India (MEAI). With more than 20 years of marketing, Seixas now leads efforts to strengthen the New Balance brand’s presence across the region, driving innovative marketing campaigns and fostering deeper connections with local customers and communities.

25 MOVERS

AND SHAKERS This is a list of the 25 most impactful appointments that have made waves in the industry during 2025.

Middle East-based fitness brand GymNation appointed Rory McEntee, the former Brand and Marketing Director of Gymbox in London, as its new Chief Marketing Officer. McEntee leads the brand’s marketing initiatives and strategic communications, focusing on creative, disruptive and brand-led work.

To reinforce the company’s focus on strategic, datadriven communications, talabat appointed Chama Moumile as Regional Director of Communications for the Middle East and North Africa. In her new role, Moumile works closely with talabat’s executive leadership and communications teams across eight markets.

CFI Financial Group has appointed Omar Khaled as Chief Marketing Officer to reinforce its commitment to driving brand excellence, global growth and stronger client engagement. Khaled leads CFI’s global marketing function, overseeing brand, digital, performance and client communications strategies.

SRMG appointed Nedaa Al Mubarak as Chief Executive Officer of SRMG Media Solutions (SMS) to lead the integrated media group’s performance-driven commercial arm. In her new role, she leads SMS’s efforts to deliver offerings powered by premium content, advanced adtech, and access to regional audiences.

Al-Futtaim Automotive named Katib Belkhodja as Marketing Director for Toyota and Lexus in the UAE, placing the senior group executive with wide-ranging divisional experience in a key leadership role across its two flagship brands. Belkhodja oversees marketing and communications activities.

January 2026

Burson appointed Fouad Bou Mansour as Chief Executive Officer for the Middle East, North Africa and Turkey region. He joins Burson from Saudi Tourism Authority, where he spent two years as Vice-President, Creative Studio. In this role, Bou Mansour will continue to deliver bold, integrated and creative solutions.

Havas appointed the CEO of BETC Bertille Toledano as President of Havas Creative Network and CEO of Havas Creative Middle East. She works with the support of Alberto Canteli, Chairman & CEO – NEC region and the Middle East and Chairman – Africa, as well as Dany Naaman, CEO of Havas Middle East.

Publicis Groupe Middle East appointed Chris Solomi as Chief Digital Officer, a newly created role that reinforces the Groupe’s ambition to advance its connected media ecosystem and marketing transformation capabilities across the region. Solomi oversees the scaling of Publicis Groupe’s identity and data proposition.

OMG MENA promoted Elie Bachaalani to Chief Investment Officer (CIO) of OMG MENA, from his current role of Executive Director – Investments (GCC). As CIO, Bachaalani’s remit includes elevating OMG’s investment capabilities, solutions and partnerships to deliver added value for clients.

Serviceplan Group Middle East appointed Varun Kohli as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) for the region. Before joining Serviceplan, he held senior roles at leading global advertising and media groups, where he was driving performance and building financial frameworks to support creative excellence and expansion.

Snap Inc. expanded the leadership remit of Hussein Freijeh to include the Asia-Pacific region, in the role of Vice President – APAC and MENA regions. Freijeh leads Snap’s strategy and operations across the regions, driving growth, building high-performing teams, and navigating complex environments.

Adding to the list of Publicis Groupe’s appointments, Rawan Yaqub joined Zenith as Head of Zenith Saudi Arabia. Through her career, Yaqub has worked with some of the Kingdom’s most prominent brands, including Almunajem, L’azurde, MANGO, KUDU, the Red Sea Film Festival, Red Sea Global and New Murabba.

Dentsu Sports International appointed Ali AlJehani as Senior VP – MENA to strengthen the network’s sports and entertainment advisory presence in Saudi Arabia and across the region. AlJehani leads sport and entertainment projects, supporting clients in building long-term brand and commercial impact.

McCann Content Studios, part of FP7 McCann MENAT, appointed Ahmed Nour as Head of McCann Content Studios – UAE. With more than a decade of experience across global agencies and corporations, Nour leads the studio’s social operations across the UAE, overseeing strategy and delivery across a diverse portfolio of clients.

HAVAS Middle East promoted two leaders to its C-suite bench. Alejandro Fischer was named Chief Strategy Officer and Fabio Silveira was appointed Chief Growth Officer at HAVAS Middle East. The appointments come as the group evolves into a fully integrated communications network across the region.

Rounding off HAVAS Middle East's list of C-level appointments, Dana Tahir was promoted to CEO of HAVAS Red Middle East. In her new role as CEO, Tahir will continue to lead the agency’s regional vision while deepening its commitment to creative innovation, client impact and talent development.

Digital communications company, alternative.agency, which has a proud 20-year legacy and a presence across Dubai, Rwanda, Nigeria, South Africa and India, appointed Aejaz Khan as CEO. He stepped into the role with more than three decades of leadership experience at TBWA, BBDO, and Publicis Groupe.

Neel Pandya is now the Founder and Global CEO of Climaty AI, a new carbon intelligence platform. Pandya has navigated the industry from multiple vantage points as a brand marketer, media leader and tech CEO. His journey spans leadership roles at L’Oréal, Vodafone and WPP Media. He was recently CEO of Pixis.

Assembly appointed Farhad Miah as its first Chief Client Officer for the MENA region, marking a continued push to strengthen its client leadership and regional capabilities. The newly created role reflects the agency’s growing focus on strategic client partnerships and business impact across the MENA region.

Influencer talent agency Bold Management appointed Ahmad Daabas as Global Executive Vice-Managing Director, marking a pivotal move in the agency’s continued global expansion and leadership in the influencer marketing space. Daabas has already steered Bold towards signing and nurturing top-tier talent.

January 2026

20 DIGITAL AND

INTEGRATED CAMPAIGNS 1

Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority (RAKTDA)

RAK Summer. Unscripted. Agency: Impact BBDO RAK Summer Unscripted stepped away from polished tourism content and leaned into the unfiltered moments that defined real summer trips – spontaneous adventures, last-minute drives and imperfect group photos. Impact BBDO played the role of a team that had 'gone off-script', swapping laptops for loungers as they immersed themselves in Ras Al Khaimah. Their disappearance became the device: the RAKTDA team, alongside actual tourists, ultimately brought the campaign to life.

Puck

Recipe for Change Agency: FP7 McCann MENAT Against the backdrop of prolonged conflict in Lebanon, Puck’s Recipe for Change aimed to support displaced families by spotlighting home-made dishes crafted by Lebanese mothers. These recipes were added to restaurant menus across the UAE and KSA during Ramadan, with 50 per cent of proceeds directed to families in need. The campaign honoured culinary heritage while providing sustainable financial support.

Home Centre

There We Are Agency: Publicis Middle East Home Centre tapped into a familiar industry truth that its products appeared in countless regional ads. Instead of producing new films, the brand used targeted YouTube pre-rolls that flagged when Home Centre furniture showed up in other brands’ commercials. Each sighting triggered a cheeky message acknowledging the cameo, ending with: “This ad may not sell this table. But the next one will.”

HungerStation

Shaded Route Agency: VML Riyadh HungerStation introduced an AIpowered 'Shaded Route' feature to help riders navigate Saudi summers, where temperatures often hit 50 degrees Celsius. The tool prioritised shaded paths to ensure safer, more comfortable journeys without compromising speed.

KFC

Original Fake Games Agencies: TBWA\RAAD, PLG KFC addressed Gen Z’s frustration with over-promised, misleading mobile game ads. The brand rebuilt infamous 'fake advert' scenarios from rolling barrels to trapped kings as real, playable games. Original Fake Games delivered the chaos and unpredictability that clickbait ads never did.

Visa

Cash Walla Visa Agency: Saatchi & Saatchi MEA Visa turned a widely used local phrase – “cash walla Visa” – into the centre of a campaign rooted in real-world listening. AI-powered devices in partner stores captured every time the word 'Visa' emerged in natural customer conversations. Each verified mention translated into media support for that store, with real interactions repurposed as sponsored ads across TikTok and Instagram.

Holsten

Georgina’s Favourite Treat Agency: M+C Saatchi Group Middle East Shot entirely in Saudi Arabia, the campaign used hyper-local humour built around a rumour: that model and social media star Georgina Rodríguez visited a neighbourhood baqala, every Monday, for her favourite treat – a bottle of Holsten. The storyline centred on the shopkeeper and the anticipation created by the rumour itself.

OMO

OMO Adventure Agencies: Evolution Group, Division OMO created a simple 2D platformer that mirrored its three-step cleaning routine. The game used quest-based mechanics to teach and entertain, allowing players to 'Beat the Boss', advance levels and earn rewards while subtly reinforcing household habits.

Easypaisa

Easy Wala Banking Agencies: Impact BBDO, BBDO Pakistan As Easypaisa transitioned into Pakistan’s first digital bank, it launched a candid campaign for audiences tired of advertising and complicated banking. The brand served vertical, social-first reels featuring cars, travel and

January 2026

celebrities that appeared unrelated at first glance. A final voiceover tied the narrative together: “Just like you don’t like to see ads, we don’t like to see difficult banking.”

10 2

P(L)AY IT LIKE PEP Agencies: Horizon FCB, Good People Emirates NBD and Visa launched a brand campaign featuring Pep Guardiola, using football as a cultural entry point to connect with younger audiences. Rolled out across OOH, social and digital channels, the campaign drew on the Manchester City manager’s philosophy of adaptability and precision, linking the decisionmaking that brings success on the pitch with smarter choices off it.

Abdul Latif Jameel Motors Toyota

Toyota Reclaims Toyota Agency: Serviceplan Experience Toyota confronted a digital gap in Saudi Arabia: consumers often searched for their cars using informal Arabic nicknames not supported on the official website. An off-page SEO strategy solved the issue by embedding these nicknames into backlinks and anchor tags across partner publishers and bloggers, redirecting search traffic back to the brand’s own pages.

AlArabia and Salt

Seen by Everyone / 10 Years With Salt Agency: AlArabia As AlArabia expanded into Dubai with a new digital network, it marked the launch through a collaboration with Salt, celebrating the restaurant’s 10-year anniversary. Teasers reading “Something salty is coming… to be seen by everyone” appeared across prime billboards, quickly becoming one of the most viewed outdoor campaigns in the city.

Visa

Uncensored Press: Breaching the Algorithm Agency: TBWA\RAAD To challenge automated censorship of conflict imagery on social platforms, Lebanese daily Al Joumhouria worked with artist Keira Rathbone to recreate scenes of war using only typewritten letters and symbols. These artworks preserved the emotional weight of the original images while bypassing algorithmic bias, ensuring stories from the region could still be shared.

Al Joumhouria

OMO

The Art of Stains Agency: MullenLowe MENA OMO used henna artistry to communicate sensitive but essential guidance around period stain removal. Henna artists created symbolic designs that mirrored a three-step process: treat with cold water, wash with OMO, rinse again in cold water. The campaign blended cultural tradition with discreet education.

Heinz

Heinz Trade-Up Agency: Leo Burnett UAE A survey revealed that most UAE households had unwanted ketchup sachets stored away. Heinz Trade-Up turned those sachets into currency, allowing people to exchange them for full-sized Heinz ketchup bottles, driving both participation and brand affinity.

Sleepzone

TheSnoreMeter.com Agencies: AdPro&, Impact BBDO, Impact Proximity Sleepzone reimagined snoring as something useful, launching a digital tool that converted snore recordings into discount codes. Participants submitted 15-second clips, and the louder the snore, the bigger the discount. A playful film and radio rollout positioned snoring as something that could finally “pay off”.

Majid Al Futtaim

Mall Stars Agency: Power League Gaming (PLG) Majid Al Futtaim partnered with PLG to build immersive Roblox replicas of Mall of the Emirates and City Centre. The activation connected the retail group with younger audiences through gamified challenges inspired by real attractions, from Ski Dubai to themed fashion and beauty zones.

KitKat

Auto Reply Break Agency: Publicis Middle East KitKat revived ASCII art to create personalised out-of-office (OOO) emails for people taking a break. The OOO notes delivered humour and a small perk – an InstaShop code for a complimentary KitKat – giving those still at their desks a moment of levity.

McDonald’s

Menu-less Makeover Agency: Leo Burnett Dubai McDonald’s Saudi removed menus from restaurants across the Kingdom to prove that customers already knew what they wanted. Drive-thru billboards quipped, “You didn’t drive all this way to experiment,” while in-store panels displayed a single line: “You know what you want.” The move spurred a rapid 37 per cent increase in footfall.

NYX

FaceGlue Agencies: Brandizer, Hypermedia A fan’s social comment: “A billboard isn’t enough. I want the whole road stamped with you,” inspired a full city takeover. Hypermedia rolled out NYX’s Face Glue campaign across major Dubai sites, anchored by a complete Dubai Metro station wrap and 13 illuminated LED bridges along Sheikh Zayed Road. What started as a fan moment developed into a cocreated, city-scale activation.

January 2026

EXPERIENTIAL 10 CAMPAIGNS and influencers took to treadmills suspended 219 metres above the city, running towards the sunrise against the Burj Khalifa skyline, bringing the brand’s ‘Runner’s High’ concept to life through adrenaline and spectacle.

7 10

Vitamin See Agency: Horizon FCB Haleon and Centrum reframed wellness through an immersive dome experience that translated visitors’ vitamin and mineral levels into light, sound and colour. Designed to make invisible health data feel emotional and tangible, the activation aimed to position multivitamins as everyday essentials while educating audiences on deficiencies through personalised reports and purchase pathways.

PUMA

The Runner’s High Agency: M+C Saatchi PUMA elevated its global running campaign with a sunrise stunt at Sky Views Edge Walk in Dubai. Runners

SQUATWOLF

SQUATWOLF Games Dubai-based sportswear brand SQUATWOLF expanded its presence in Saudi Arabia through a series of community-driven activations,

Netflix

Squid Game in KSA Agency: Science & Sunshine As part of a wider national takeover, Netflix transformed Terminal 1 at Jeddah Airport into a Squid Game experience. Iconic guards, show visuals and playful interventions across baggage belts, terminals and taxi areas recreated the series’ tension, turning a high-traffic public space into an immersive promotional stage.

RANI

Rani World Kiosk Agencies: Innovation Crew, Havas Red ME RANI activated a limited-edition National Day can as an entry point into the interactive Rani World kiosk. The on-ground experience combined augmented reality (AR), challenges, pranks and flash mobs to immerse visitors in RANI’s Hobaybat universe, driving social-first engagement and reconnecting the brand with Gen Z audiences in Saudi Arabia.

Diriyah

A Journey of Light Agency: Pixel Artworks Diriyah Company collaborated with Pixel Artworks to deliver a largescale, multi-sensory cultural installation at Outernet London. The experience enveloped visitors in a 360-degree digital environment using ultra-high-definition screens, spatial audio, kinetic architecture and scent, transforming the venue into a vivid portal connecting Diriyah’s past, present and future.

culminating in the first SQUATWOLF Games in Riyadh. The two-day event attracted more than 250 attendees and underscored the growing appetite for fitness, community and experiential brand engagement in the Kingdom.

Amitabh Bachchan Lookalike Stunt Agency: Plug Media noon Minutes executed a guerrilla PR stunt at Dubai’s Deira Gold Souk, placing a delivery rider alongside an Amitabh Bachchan lookalike surrounded by bodyguards. Engineered for intrigue and social amplification, the activation ensured the rider remained the focal point, driving organic buzz and online reach.

Centrum Haleon

noon Minutes

Property Finder

SuperAgents Creative: Property Finder Property Finder celebrated its top-performing agents by handing over branded Ferraris and Lamborghinis for a three-day driving experience. Powered by the brand’s AI-driven Agent Data Assistant, the activation rewarded performance while extending visibility through social sharing and street-level spectacle across the UAE.

GymNation

Coolest Class Creative: GymNation GymNation introduced a free, temperature-defying workout experience combining high-intensity interval training (HIIT) with coldbased challenges. Designed to offer relief during peak summer heat, the class featured ice vests, fan-powered sprints and ice-bath recovery, positioning the brand as accessible and inventive in extreme conditions.

Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi

Immersive Opening Ceremony Agency: People Creative agency People delivered an immersive opening ceremony for the Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi, in collaboration with Moment Factory. Projection mapping, sound and spatial storytelling transformed the museum’s façade and gardens into a narrative journey spanning 13.8 billion years, welcoming guests through an intimate, sensory-led experience.

January 2026

In May, Campaign Middle East launched its Arabic-language website, extending its digital reach and building on the bilingual Saudi Arabia Report published in April. The site broadened access to regional thought leadership and offered a more inclusive platform for Arabic-speaking audiences across MENA.

MEDIA MILESTONES 1

Following its establishment in 2024, Dubaibased Mada Media launched a new unified digital platform for out-of-home (OOH) advertising at www.madamedia.com. The system consolidated the permitting process for public transport, commercial vehicles, private buildings and right-of-way placements into a single portal. The launch aligned with Dubai’s OOH Advertising Manual to ensure standardised compliance, clearer creative guidelines and a more transparent approval process across the emirate.

Multiply Group consolidated three OOH companies in its portfolio – BackLite Media, Viola Media and Media 247 – under a new UAEheadquartered entity, Multiply Media Group (MMG). The launch was announced at the World Out of Home Organisation Annual Congress in Mexico City and supported by a global digital OOH takeover. MMG’s combined scale grew to 3,000 units across the UAE, including more than 75 premium locations on Sheikh Zayed Road, backed by long-term agreements with Dubai’s RTA and Abu Dhabi’s DMT.

Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) acquired a 54 per cent stake in MBC Group through a private transaction with Istedamah Holding Company, which previously held the shares on behalf of the Saudi Finance Ministry. The move further expanded PIF’s presence in the region’s media and entertainment landscape.

In September, SMC Media – the advertising arm of SMC Group – and MBC Media Solutions (MMS), part of MBC Group, signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding to merge. The step was positioned as a way to accelerate growth by unifying capabilities and consolidating one of the region’s largest advertising inventories. According to both companies, the combined entity would allow advertisers to access more integrated solutions and reach audiences more effectively across digital and traditional platforms.

At the start of December, Netflix and Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) entered into a definitive agreement for Netflix to acquire WBD, including its film and television studios, HBO Max and HBO. The cash-and-stock transaction valued WBD at an enterprise value of approximately $82.7bn. The deal was expected to proceed after the previously announced separation of WBD’s Global Networks division, Discovery Global, which was scheduled for completion in Q3 2026.

Dubai Media Incorporated (DMI) ended its longstanding partnership with Middle East Media Services (MEMS), which had represented its advertising inventory for 24 years. The last contract extension, reported by Campaign in 2020, had been due to run until December 2025. However, sources confirmed that DMI opted not to renew the agreement and would take full control of its own advertising sales operations from January 2026. Contour Media signed an exclusive partnership with drone technology company Skyvertise, becoming the first UAE-based OOH operator to bring drone-powered aerial advertising to Dubai. The collaboration created new opportunities for high-impact, immersive brand displays using dynamic drone formations and visual storytelling in the city’s skies.

VIOOH entered into a new programmatic partnership with ELAN Media, unlocking access to premium DOOH inventory in key Qatari destinations. The agreement covered Mall of Qatar, Doha Festival City, Place Vendôme and the Drive! roadside network, expanding programmatic DOOH opportunities across high-traffic environments.

Dubai Media formed a strategic partnership with gaming marketing company Livewire to deepen its presence in the global gaming ecosystem. The collaboration aligned with the Dubai Economic Agenda (D33) and supported the organisation’s broader focus on innovation, audience diversification and the attention economy. Through Livewire, Dubai Media aimed to provide brands with new, measurable routes to engage Gen Z and millennial audiences across gaming platforms.

January 2026

THE LAST CRESCENDO Client: Riyadh Season Agency: BigTime Creative Shop Production house: ProdCo

ZINDAGI KO YAS BOL Client: Yas Island, Miral Destinations Creative agency: Momentum; Media agency: Initiative PR agency: Weber Shandwick India & UAE

MADE BY MANY Client: Emirates Global Aluminium Agency: Burson

PERFECTLY BALANCED Client: Lipton Agency: Horizon FCB Credits Production house: Vivid Studios

INDIA WALI DIWALI Client: Tanishq, Titan Group Media and digital partners: Team Red Dot,; Creative development and film production: Lowe Lintas; UAE PR and communications: Watermelon Middle East

STRANGERS Creative agency: Publicis Middle East & Dejavu Dubai Production house: Dejavu Dubai

15 FILM

CAMPAIGNS

TRIBES OF ARABIA Client: Kia Middle East and Africa Agencies: Innocean MEA, Tribes of Arabia and McCann Content Studios

January 2026

A CALL TO EGYPTIANS Client: National Bank of Egypt Production houses: Butter Films, People You May Know and Vivid Studios Agency: Tarek Nour Advertising

LOTS MORE FOR LESS Client – Babyshop Production house: Feel Productions; Creative agency: Leo Burnett

YOUR RAMADAN ANSWERED Client: Home Centre, Landmark Group Creative agency: Leo Burnett Middle East Media agency: Initiative Media

EXPERIENCE MORE Client: ASFAR Marketing and creative agency: Nurum Production house: Sifr PR agency: Memac Ogilvy

PLAYBOARDS Client: PepsiCo Pakistan in collaboration with the Pakistan Cricket Board Agencies: IMPACT BBDO and BBDO Pakistan

YA HALA Client: Boutiqaat; Kuwait’s Ya Hala Festival Creative and production house: Shareet Studios

TOTALLY RECOMMENDED Client: Experience Abu Dhabi Creative agency: Serviceplan Group Middle East Production house: Déjà Vu

RAMADAN MADE GOOD Client: Jenan Agency: Blink: The Agency; Media agency: Hearts & Science Production house: Fingerprint Media Production

January 2026

20 CINEMA ADS OF 2025 Middle East’s leading cinema advertising representative, Motivate Val Morgan has handpicked 20 of the top ads that graced the big screen in 2025.

Gen-Z while cinema’s powerful scale and sound transform scroll-friendly content into an unmissable theatrical spectacle.

n 2025, Hollywood heavyweights such as Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, Jurassic World: Rebirth and F1: The Movie commanded screens, while family-friendly blockbusters such as Lilo & Stitch, A Minecraft Movie and Zootropolis 2 drew in multigenerational crowds. With Motivate Val Morgan’s (MVM’s) circuit reaching close to 35 million admissions by November, brands have recognised cinema’s expanding potential for authentic engagement. Here are the top 20 cinema advertisements of 2025 that mastered cinema’s singular advantage: commanding undivided attention, delivering immersive storytelling, and forging shared cultural moments that resonate long after audiences leave

Title: Vroooooosh *ding* Media agency: Team Red Dot MVM chose this ad because... it transforms financial messaging into pure creative entertainment through striking visuals and infectious sonic branding – “Vroooooosh. Ding.” – that audiences actually remember. Cinema’s powerful audio-visual canvas elevates this multisensory approach, while targeted placement across diverse film languages allows the brand to authentically connect with

Breitling Moments of Freedom feat. Austin Butler

Burger King - Chilli Cheese

Cartier

Careem Pay

DCT Abu Dhabi

the theatre. The campaigns are presented in alphabetical order by brand.

Breitling

Title: Austin Butler Moments of Freedom Media agency: Weischer.Cinema Deutschland (UAE), Yaquby Stores (Bahrain) MVM chose this ad because... it captures cinema’s perfect synergy with luxury brand positioning – both demand immersion and command respect. Austin Butler’s magnetic on-screen presence brings authenticity to the “Moments of Freedom” narrative, while the premium theatrical environment mirrors the elevated experience Breitling cultivates.

Burger King – Kout Food Group, Kuwait

Title: Chilli Cheese MVM chose this ad because... it explodes reel-style aesthetics across cinema’s massive canvas – splitscreen triptychs, comic-book “BOOM!” graphics, and an infectious rap beat that commands attention. The bold, unapologetic energy feels perfectly native to

UFO spectacle – that subverts alien abduction tropes with delightful wit. The twist ending, where the human gets beamed up while the alien escapes in the Citroën, delivers its punchline beautifully on the big screen. Clever, gorgeously shot and genuinely entertaining.

Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi

Title: Alive in Al Ain Media agency: Starcom MVM chose this ad because... of its sweeping cinematography capturing Al Ain’s serene cultural heritage and adventure-ready landscapes, demanding cinema’s expansive canvas. The contemplative

Careem Pay Vroooooosh *ding*

Department of Economy and Tourism – Dubai

specific expat communities through the content they love.

Cartier

Title: A Magical Night in 13 Paix Media agency: EssenceMediacom MVM chose this ad because... it masterfully reimagines Cartier’s emblematic panther heritage through enchanting storytelling optimised for theatrical presentation. The playful yet sophisticated narrative balances childhood wonder with luxury polish, capturing audiences during cinema’s peak festive season at their most emotionally receptive moment – demonstrating how the big screen creates lasting brand impressions that transcend product showcasing.

Citroën

Title: Space Never Felt So Good Media agency: AMC Advertising & Marketing Consultants DMCC MVM chose this ad because... it’s pure cinematic storytelling – suburban noir, emotional goodbye,

Doha Film Festival

storytelling creates an immersive escape mirroring the theatrical experience itself, while panoramic desert vistas and intimate cultural moments transform destination marketing into an emotional journey that makes audiences feel truly alive.

Department of Economy and Tourism – Dubai

Title: Every Moment Still Calls for Dubai MVM chose this ad because... it demonstrates cinema’s unique power to sustain long-format storytelling through contemplative pacing and emotional metaphor. The pocket watch that stops when life goes unlived unfolds beautifully across several minutes, trusting audiences to lean into the narrative. Bold, patient and deeply moving – the kind of storytelling that demands cinema’s undivided canvas.

Doha Film Festival

Title: Doha Film Festival Media agency: Mindshare Qatar MVM chose this ad because... cinema advertising

January 2026

cinema feels wonderfully meta – a curated montage of festival highlights playing to audiences already immersed in the theatrical experience. The format mirrors MVM’s own annual sizzle reels, proving that when you’re celebrating film, there’s no better canvas than the big screen itself. Pure cinephile energy meeting its perfect audience.

Elite Merit Real Estate

Title: The Elite Merit Protocol MVM chose this ad because... it treats moviegoers to movie-quality storytelling – Mission Impossible aesthetics, orchestral soundtrack, precision-driven narrative that mirrors the espionage thrillers audiences love to watch. The cinematic production value and bold “handling the impossible” positioning feel perfectly curated for this environment. Smart, stylish, and completely at home on the big screen.

Holsten Arabia

Title: Georgina’s Favourite Treat Media agency: Amplifi KSA (Dentsu) MVM chose this ad because... it brilliantly balances celebrity glamour with authentic Saudi humor through a playful urban legend about Georgina Rodríguez’s weekly baqala visits. WhatsApp gossip, office break room speculation, and a delightful reveal unfold across 60 cinematic

Citroën Space Never Felt So Good

Title: Radio Optimism Media agency: Havas Media MVM chose this ad because... it celebrates human connection through the simple, universal language of music – transforming LG’s Life’s Good philosophy into an emotionally resonant story about creating songs for loved ones. The heartfelt narrative unfolds beautifully on cinema’s immersive canvas, proving technology can bring people closer together. Warm, genuine, and exactly the kind of storytelling that lingers long after the credits.

MG Egypt

Title: MG One MVM chose this ad because... it delivers quintessentially Egyptian humour through pitch-perfect comic timing – a security guard who knows MG specs better than his job, dismantling a driver’s name-dropping with deadpan brilliance: “Two things I know by heart – this car and that Adil Basha has no sisters.” The dialogue-driven comedy and spot-on accent make it irresistibly relatable.

HSBC

Holsten Arabia Georgina’s Favourite Treat

seconds. Witty, culturally grounded, and exactly the kind of storytelling Saudi audiences embrace collectively.

HSBC

Title: Stay Safe from Fraudsters Media agency: PHD MVM chose this ad because... it transforms fraud awareness into thriller storytelling – a charming stranger coaxing people into risky clicks before unmasking as a predatory scammer. The dramatic reveal lands powerfully on cinema’s canvas, making the message unforgettable. Smart, unsettling public service that earns genuine attention.

Jaguar Land Rover

the conceit, proving cinema’s the only medium patient enough for creative this confidently playful. Unexpected, beautifully written and entirely memorable.

Title: Embrace The Impossible Media agency: Hearts & Science MVM chose this ad because... it treats extreme engineering like a chef’s recipe – mixing sand, freezing, soaking, serving the Defender with delightful culinary wit. The absurdly charming metaphor rewards audiences who stay with

Jaguar Land Rover Defender

Elite Merit Real Estate

Nissan Patrol

NBK Egypt

Title: NBK Customer Media agency: Wavemaker Egypt MVM chose this ad because... it turns relentless banker excuses into pure physical comedy – office chairs rolling through an escalating chase while rapid-fire dialogue dismantles every “we can’t change it” excuse. The absurd visual payoff demands cinema’s scale to land properly. Sharp, wonderfully ridiculous and perfectly executed.

Nissan Patrol

Title: Defy Ordinary – 2025 Media Agency: OMD MVM chose this ad because... it unleashes the Patrol’s raw power through thunderous audio – engine roars tearing through desert dunes and rugged terrain before cutting to interiors where the sound system takes over. Cinema’s surround sound transforms specs into visceral experience. Powerful, commanding, and built for the big screen’s full sonic assault.

Sea World Yas Island, Abu Dhabi

Title: There’s more to learn, there’s more to sea Media agency: Initiative Media MVM chose this ad because... it champions curiosity over confidence through a precocious girl who discovers wonder beats expertise every time. Perfect for cinema’s family audiences, the wordplay – “sea” versus “see” – lands with lightness, while the immersive canvas makes ocean mysteries feel genuinely boundless. Charming, humble, and a beautiful reminder that knowing everything means missing everything.

Sharjah Book Authority

Title: It’s “between you and a book” MVM chose this ad because... it builds a gorgeous medieval battlefield before a laughing friend crashes the fantasy entirely – a perfectly timed punchline for audiences who chose cinema for exactly the same reason: uninterrupted immersion. Book readers and moviegoers share that sacred hunger for escapism. Beautifully shot, wonderfully knowing, and placed exactly where it belongs.

Sea World Yas Island, Abu Dhabi

Visit Qatar

STC Bank

Title: STC Pay MVM chose this ad because... it careens through wildly different worlds before landing somewhere strange – a boiling pot, a creature, a casual app reveal. The commitment to absurdity across cinema’s visual canvas makes the chaos land perfectly. Genre-hopping madness that refuses to explain itself – just pure, unapologetic ridiculousness.

Visit Qatar

Title: A World of Events Media agency: OMD Qatar MVM chose this ad because... it parades global icons – Beckham, Jabeur, Farah, Erçel, Nobu, Anirudh – one by one to infectious beats, building momentum with each reveal. The groovy rhythm mirrors Qatar’s diverse offerings: every celebrity signals a different world to explore. Cinema’s scale amplifies the swagger. Bold, irresistibly paced and perfectly choreographed.

January 2026

Samsung Electronics MENA confirmed a dual-agency partnership structure that will see Publicis Groupe Middle East and dentsu jointly manage Samsung’s media planning and buying portfolio in the region.

Within specific markets, Samsung Gulf Electronics appointed Gambit Communications as its new public relations agency. The remit covers PR operations across the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman, spanning multiple business units, including smartphones, TVs and home appliances.

public relations agency, following a competitive pitch review. The agency’s mandate includes delivering impactful integrated campaigns, and proactive media engagement for Dubai International (DXB) and Dubai World Central – Al Maktoum International (DWC).

10 PITCHES

Emirates appointed Havas Media Network as its global media agency following a three-way competitive pitch against incumbent IPG Mediabrands and WPP Media. In 2024, the account was estimated to be worth $117.2m in global billings, with a projected 7.6 per cent increase to $126.1m in 2025.

Abu Dhabi-based digital marketing and creative agency Magnitude Creative now oversees brand communications for Krispy Kreme in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain and Jordan as its strategy and creative agency of record. The scope of work covers more than 340 of Krispy Kreme’s doughnut quick-service restaurants across the region.

Events and entertainment company Ethara appointed The Romans as its lead PR agency. The multi-year retainer includes work streams across corporate brand, live events, venues – such as Yas Marina Circuit, Etihad Park and Etihad Arena, among others – and the Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Following a nationwide competitive pitch, The Romans bagged the six-figure partnership due to its reputation for dynamic communications strategies.

Dubai Airports appointed Current Global MENAT as its strategic

FP7 McCann Doha has been appointed as the integrated marketing and communications agency partner for telecoms provider Ooredoo Qatar. The multi-year partnership came into effect in March 2025 and sees the agency lead creative strategy, digital, content and production services across consumer and business segments.

Impact BBDO has successfully retained its position as the creative agency of record for regional food brand BRF Sadia following a highly competitive multi-agency pitch. The win extends a 12-year partnership for another three years, supporting Sadia’s ambition to maintain its position as the number one brand in its segment in the GCC.

Memac Ogilvy has been selected as the lead agency to drive public relations and influence by Al-Futtaim IKEA. The agency will deliver the full suite of PR and influence services, including campaign development and execution, press office management and thought leadership programmes. The mandate also covers the execution of influencer engagement strategies across the UAE, Qatar and Oman.

iProspect, a dentsu company, has been selected as the digital media agency of record for Seddiqi Holding, a well-known regional retailer for luxury watches and jewellery. The account tasks iProspect with leading digital strategy, media planning and performance activation across the Group’s portfolio.

January 2026

THE YEAR IN ADTECH 1

In September, Omantel partnered with Publicis Groupe Middle East to launch Oman’s first AI-powered AdTech platform, marking a step towards a more data-driven advertising market aligned with the Sultanate’s wider digital transformation ambitions. The platform combined Omantel’s national infrastructure with Publicis Groupe’s media, data and technology capabilities.

ecommerce platforms, apps and physical stores.

In September, InMotion partnered with US-based Strike Social to bring AI-powered paid social solutions to MENA. The collaboration expanded InMotion’s performance marketing capabilities, particularly across YouTube and social, following a series of strategic adtech partnerships.

Google rolled out AI Mode in Google Search across 36 new languages, including Arabic, and more than 200 countries and territories. Positioned as Google’s most advanced AI search experience, the feature aimed to better understand user intent and support more complex discovery, from shopping to travel planning. In June, The Trade Desk launched Deal Desk within its Kokai platform to improve transparency and accountability in private marketplace (PMP) deals. The AI-powered tool introduced a Deal Quality Score to assess value, pacing and inventory quality, while automating deal activation and optimisation for both advertisers and publishers.

In May, Dentsu launched a programmatic connected TV (CTV) marketplace in MENA via Dentsu Media Exchange (DMX). The move gave advertisers access to premium regional and global CTV inventory through a single, curated platform, reflecting the region’s accelerating shift towards streaming.

Tailwind EMEA was appointed exclusive regional partner for Innovid across 36 markets spanning Southeast Europe, MENA and the Nordics. The unified Innovid platform combined creative personalisation, ad delivery, measurement and optimisation across digital, social, CTV and linear TV.

In June, Dubai-based adtech company Napptix acquired Yazle Marketing Management’s MENA business. The deal strengthened Napptix’s gaming-focused advertising capabilities by integrating Yazle’s regional client portfolio and team across the GCC and North Africa.

MiQ launched MiQ Sigma, an AI-powered advertising platform trained on, as per the company, one of the world’s most connected data sets. The platform unified more than 300 data feeds and 700 trillion consumer signals to support planning, audience development and activation across the programmatic ecosystem.

Saudi Media Company (SMC) and Multiply Group signed an MoU to explore collaboration in adtech, focusing on AI-powered platforms, programmatic capabilities and data-driven advertising. The agreement signalled closer alignment between two regional players with growing digital ambitions.

Yango Group unified its B2B offerings under the Yango Tech brand and introduced new AIpowered solutions aimed at driving digital transformation in MENA. This included Yango Ads Retail Media, designed to help advertisers reach consumers across retailers’

January 2026

10 YOUTUBE YouTube’s 20th anniversary end-of-year lists capture MENA’s pulse as it launches its new YouTube Recap feature.

ouTube announced two major end-of-year moments to close out its 20th anniversary year, including the first-ever personalised YouTube Recap for viewers around the world, including the Middle East and North Africa. The YouTube Recap provides users with a fun, shareable summary of their individual viewing journey over the year. Users can find their Recap on the YouTube homepage or under the 'You', tab on mobile and desktop. YouTube Recap provides up to nine distinct cards spotlighting top channels, interests, viewing habit evolution, and even a personalised personality-type based on watch history. Users who listened to music will also see top artists and songs, with options to dive deeper into genres and podcasts via the YouTube Music app. The new feature comes as YouTube releases its annual end-of-year trending lists for the creators, songs, and cultural moments that defined 2025. “This year’s End-of-Year lists reveal how YouTube’s vibrant ecosystem fuels cultural trends and fandom. The trending topics across MENA for 2025 highlight a uniquely diverse and globally attuned audience. YouTube viewers were immersed in the cultural anticipation of Ramadan and Eid Al Adha and discussing AI, while expressing fandom for global football stars such as Lamine Yamal or collectibles like Labubu,” said Javid Aslanov, Head of YouTube MENA.

MENA TRENDING LISTS Trending topics of 2025 AI

With iterative releases of photo and video tools such as Veo 3 and Nano Banana, and general interest in the topic at large, it’s no surprise that AI tops the list.

Labubu

The plush toy that captured imagination and went viral in 2025, the Labubu became a status symbol and must-have collectible.

Squid Game

With the third and final season dropping last June, Squid Game

TRENDING LISTS

TOP CREATORS

Current affairs, tech & entertainment

On the creator front, Palestine’s Abo Rany is the top MENA-based creator, second only to global sensation Mr. Beast. Abo Rany became popular through his authentic vlogs about daily life in Gaza. With the increased interest in technology and AI, this year also saw the first tech creator in five years appear on YouTube’s end-of-year lists, with Faisal Al Saif’s comprehensive and engaging reviews earning a spot in the top 10. This year’s top songs in MENA saw YouTube creator turned musical artist Bessan Ismail’s song Khatya topping the list – reflecting the growing influence of YouTube creators on culture in MENA.

Abo Flah (47.8 million subscribers):

High-production stunts, massive challenges with cash prizes, and philanthropic endeavours. Known for large-scale recreations of games.

Variety gaming, vlogs and large-scale charity initiatives. Famous for his highly engaging personality, marathon gaming streams and breaking world records for fundraising.

MrBeast (453 million subscribers):

Abo Rany (8.6 million subscribers):

Gaza-based YouTube creator known for authentic, emotional content, documenting daily life. Abo Rany engages audiences with a combination of live streams, Shorts and long-form videos.

Alhassan Adel (12.1 million subscribers):

Entertainment, social experiments and pranks. His content often involves humorous interactions and situational comedy

SHoNgxB Ng (21.2 million subscribers):

Variety gaming content, often focusing on narrative-driven titles and competitive games. Known for immersive storytelling commentary.

Faisal Al Saif – UTD Saudi (8.67 million subscribers):

Technology reviews, unboxings and gadget comparisons. He is one of the most trusted tech experts in the region, providing detailed and engaging Arabic-language analysis of the latest consumer electronics.

cemented its place in pop culture history as a global phenomenon.

Reda Al Masre (4.42 million subscribers):

Entertainment, daily vlogs and challenges often featuring his family and friends.

Abu Noo7 (13.4 million subscribers):

Gaming, comedy sketches and vlogs, often incorporating regional humour and daily life content. Appeals to a wide young audience with his relatable style.

Sakher (4.3 million subscribers):

Gaza-based YouTube creator Sakher invites viewers into his daily life as a Palestinian living in a camp, with his first Shorts video acquiring 1.9 million views. Today, Sakher uses a combination of Community Posts, Shorts and long-form videos to shed light on life in Gaza.

Om Sayf (19.9 million subscribers)

Comedic skits and short, theatrical dramas focused on exaggerated family dynamics and social situations.

Lamine Yamal

generated a lot of content and interest within the region, spearheaded by ‘Eid Vlogs’ and other types of content.

Grow a Garden

The anime title saw increased interest this year after its second season wrapped in late 2024.

Barcelona and Spain’s wunderkind was a Ballon D’or frontrunner only narrowly losing out to Ousmane Dembele. The Roblox horticultural simulation game became an internet sensation after an update mid-year that allowed for additional features to the game play.

Raphinha

Yamal’s Barcelona colleague was also a contender for the Ballon D’or and shone for his national side Brazil.

Eid Al Adha

The second festive moment of the year

Blue Lock

Ramadan 2025

The major cultural moment of the region saw continued interest, from entertainment content, reactions and commentary to the TV season and the seasonal staples of decor and food.

Brainrot

A series of internet memes driven by AI tools and creation, characterised by a surreal absurdity that speaks to Gen Z.

TOP SONGS Khatya – Bessan Ismail x Fouad Jned Ahla Rasma – Fadl Chaker Hafla Tanakorya – Rahma Mohsen Nary – Ahmed Sattar Awl Mara – Hamza Almohamadawy

January 2026

SNAPCHAT TOP CREATORS FOR 2025 Snapchat shares some of its top content creators – recognised regional influencers – as well as the key trends on the platform.

Nour Arida Nour - nour_arida

Nouran Abdulghanim

Osama Alshareef

Chef Bin Kassim

- binkasem1 Culinary celebrity interviews Blends cooking with candid celebrity conversations, creating one of Snapchat’s most engaging and buzzworthy formats.

- osamah201116 Adventure & travel storytelling Transforms real life journeys into immersive, humorous travel content, most recently embarking on an ambitious trip from Saudi to Madagascar by car.

- missnourani

Gamar

- thegamar15 Beauty and creative expression A beauty creator known for her signature 'Get Ready With Me' (GRWM) and trend-driven, authentic aesthetic.

Fashion, fitness and empowerment Blends sports-driven fitness content with fashion and lifestyle inspiration, empowering her audience with a message of confidence and strength.

Ghassan Shaker - ghassan_ shakerr

Wellness and healthy living Delivers upbeat fitness and nutrition content, inspiring healthier lifestyles through simple, delicious recipes.

Fashion, lifestyle and empowerment Nour Arida is a leading fashion model, digital creator, and entrepreneur. She has started and grown her Snapchat account in a short period of time by sharing relatable and authentic daily content.

Amal Albalooshi amal_ albalooshi

Travel, art and design Amal Al Balooshi is a Bahraini artist and travel content creator who shares her creative life and cultural experiences on Snapchat.

KEY TRENDS ON THE PLATFORM DURING 2025 Trend 1: The rise of short-form vertical video dominance

Trend 2: Authenticity and relatability over perfection

Spotlight is having a real glow-up moment on Snapchat. What started as a place to drop quick, fun clips has turned into a full-on creative stage where creators treat every snap like a tiny, vertical short film built for the way we actually scroll today. In a world where vertical video is the default language of storytelling, Spotlight is where that language really comes alive on Snap: tight edits, bold hooks, outfit checks, chaotic friend bits and 'come see my world' vlogs all stacked into one endless stream. More and more creators are stepping into Spotlight to experiment with new characters, launch recurring videos and build a visual identity people recognise in a split second. It feels like a talent show and a mood board at the same time, and it’s a space where your identity isn’t just shared, it’s performed.

Stories still stand strong as the heart of everyday life on Snapchat, precisely because they run on authenticity and relatability over perfection. If Spotlight is the big stage, Stories are the living room. The place creators talk to the people who actually know them, in real time, without needing a perfect edit or a clever hook. Creators and everyday users alike still open Stories to share the in-between moments: the messy behind-the-scenes, the late-night debrief, the 'come with me' walk-through, the small wins and honest check-ins. That raw, unpolished energy is what is still making Stories feel like a real connection instead of a performance. As Spotlight rises as the creative trend of the year, Stories remain the daily heartbeat of Snapchat, where the community sees the real creator and keeps coming back because it feels like hanging out, not watching a show.

January 2026

PINTEREST PREDICTS P

interest has released Pinterest Predicts, its annual trend report, which aims to provide consumers and advertisers a first look at the trends for 2026. Powered by insights from their growing audience of 600 million monthly active users, this year’s global report highlights 21 emerging trends across home decor, fashion, beauty, travel, food and more. “During a time when every brand is searching for that competitive edge, Pinterest Predicts has become a game-changer for advertisers – delivering early, actionable insight into emerging shifts in consumer behavior before they reach the mainstream. When marketers harness these predictive insights, they unlock the power to engage audiences with precision and authenticity,” said Kate Hamill, Pinterest’s VP of Enterprise Sales in North America. With 91 per cent of Gen Z declaring “the mainstream” is officially over, we’re living through a fundamental shift in how people try on trends. It’s not about following the crowd anymore – it’s about taking what’s popular and turning it into something unique.

CATEGORIES HOME Afrohemian décor: 2026 will bring a fusion of African and bohemian styles, thanks to Boomers and Gen X. Searches for “African boho living room” and “afro chic home decor” are trending up on Pinterest, a sign that decor is going to Dakar and beyond. Expect colourful Nigerian textiles and Ethiopian wall art alongside handwoven baskets and natural fibre rugs. Fun haus: Big top, bigger personality. In 2026, circus-inspired home decor will be on the rise thanks to Boomers and millennials. Think bold stripes, sculptural silhouettes and just a wink of clownish charm. The trick is balance: pair punch-line patterns

with pared-back palettes so the space feels elevated, with a touch of camp. NeoDeco: The Art Deco trend is getting a modern twist: shiny, sleek and tuned to 2026. After years of heavy minimalism, Gen X and Millennials are bringing this retro aesthetic back with crisp chevrons, fan arches and other geometric hits, all edged in chrome or brass. Bold, glam – and just a touch eccentric. FASHION Brooched: There’s a new way to wear your heart on your sleeve. Or tie. Or socks. In 2026, Boomer and millennial men will punctuate their fits with vintage pins, crystal clip-ons and heirloom brooches. It’s part homage, part reinvention. If your grandma wouldn’t wear it, is it even the vibe? Glamoratti: The decade of decadence is back in style – and honestly, it’s about time. Tailored suits with sculpted shoulders will grow three sizes. Funnel necks will be the base of every outfit. And jewellery? Well, that’ll get chunkier, bolder and golder. Gen Z and millennials are driving this maximalist aesthetic.

BEAUTY Glitchy glam: The perfect winged liner? She doesn’t go here. This year, beauty is missing the mark – on purpose. Gen Z and Millennials will rock mismatched manicures, two-toned lipstick and bright eyeshadow in two binary hues. So long, symmetry. Scent stacking: It’s time to mix up your spritz. Gen Z and Millennials are ditching one-and-done scents for bespoke notes, blending oils and perfumes to craft their very own fragrance formulas. Expect luxury to linger in layers next year. Vamp romantic: Beauty bites back with this 2026 trend. Millennials and Gen Z will go all in on an after-dark aesthetic, embracing jet black nails, romantic goth hairstyles and a smudged kohl smokey eye – all with a touch of glossy glamour. Who says you can’t be both haunting and heartbreaking? CROSS-CATEGORY TRENDS Cool blue: Meet the shade that refuses to warm up to anyone. Gen Z and Millennials are bringing a subzero sophistication to absolutely everything in 2026 – think cool-toned coats, glacier-inspired accessories and the frostiest of cocktails. It’s the temp drop we’ve all been waiting for. Extra celestial: In 2026, Gen Z and Millennials are going intergalactic. Think holographic home accents, opalescent eyeshadow that looks like moon dust and cosmic silhouettes straight out of a sci-fi movie. The aliens have landed – and they have fabulous taste. Gimme gummy: In 2026, we’re going full-on gummy. Gen Z and Millennials are behind this ASMR overload – think bendy phone cases, elastic cheek tints and probiotic treats that have that spring-back bite. Expect rubberized nail art and 3D jewelry to become your new tactile obsession. TRAVEL Darecations: Sitting on the beach? Snooze. In 2026, we’re traveling for the thrill of it. Gen Z and millennials will seek out full-throttle, adrenalineinspired tourism – think river rafting through class five rapids, rappelling waterfalls on canyoneering routes or timing vacations around global sporting events. What’s a comfort zone? Mystic outlands: Fairytale meets fever dream in 2026’s biggest travel trend. Millennials and Boomers will seek out whimsical, mystical destinations: Distant ruins swallowed by mist, naturally-occurring spirals and moody, enchanting forests. If you come back with more questions than answers – well, that’s the whole point. Even with trends growing 4.4 times faster than they were seven years ago, Pinterest trends hold a notable 88 per cent accuracy rate over the past six years. These trends last nearly two times longer than trends elsewhere on the internet. For example, Marriott Bonvoy harnessed Pinterest’s 2025 “Peak Travel” trend to reach high-intent travel goers with a campaign inspired by the great outdoors. The campaign successfully drove a 15 times better lift in aided brand awareness and five times better lift in message association compared to industry benchmarks.

The

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January 2026

Personalisation Precipice What's Actually Happening Myth Fact

The Big Picture Personalisation works. But only when it provides authentic value, and isn’t intrusive.

The Context Contest Brands Doing it Right Bottom Line

4 min

read Matter of fact One feels helpful while the other, invasive.

Ad #1

Ad #2

"We remembered your size, here’s a recommendation!"

"We know you were at the mall yesterday. Come back."

Consider two ads.

Data isn’t the issue, context is. Personalisation that offers value is welcomed. Personalisation like stalking, isn’t.

"Customers appreciate the attention"

"Users don’t mind if it’s relevant"

"It makes shoppers feel heard"

35% call retargeted ads "creepy."

41% ﬁnd ads triggered by location invasive.

75% are uncomfortable with many forms of tailored marketing.

40%

66%

of customers expect brands to understand their needs and wants.

Customer-Centric

36%

of customers wish brands knew about their preferred styles.

of consumers prefer brands that individualise the shopping experience.

Company-Centric

"Based on your purchase history.."

"You visited our competitor, try this maybe?"

"Happy birthday, here’s 20% off!"

"You said a word similar to our name, here’s a coupon."

Spotify

Netflix

‘Wrapped’ resonates across generations, from Gen Alpha to Boomers

Every interaction feeds the recommendation engine

The data, presented as a celebration, feels welcome

No third-party data needed: they build the relationship themselves

Personalisation is a trade - keep it fair. Customers bring data, you bring value. Help them finish what they started, and they’ll appreciate it. Nudge them to buy what they barely noticed, and they’ll vanish.

Value builds loyalty; pressure breaks it.

Be Empowered by facts

January 2026

10 THE SPIN 1

While some typos can be salvaged, creative output such as this advertisement by Pakistan International Airlines, could not. The thoughtless placement of a PIA flight on the creative – heading straight for the Eiffel Tower – was made much worse by the copy on the creative. While some folks online had a laugh about the unfortunate ad, the airline and the nation’s foreign diplomats didn’t let it slide. Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar condemned the advertisement, calling it an example of “stupidity”. The Spin is inclined to agree. What were they thinking? How many layers of approvals did this go through before it was approved and launched?

7 5

The latest delivery player in the UAE boldly took over cities with out-of-home campaigns in the country to celebrate its launch in the market. The Spin couldn’t resist the temptation of seeing what the hype was about. It’s safe to say that the enthusiasm is well-noted, with weekend notifications coming in at the crack of dawn on a Monday morning.

We have a typo on the front page of the Irish Examiner that might have escaped notice if it were anything but the name of a certain UK Member of Parliament – who remains quite unpopular in Ireland. Let us know if it tickles you when you read it aloud.

Pictures sometimes speak for themselves. This televised angle from a White House conference proved it. This poorly (or expertly) framed backdrop required very little reading between the lines. Proof that a little bit of perspective changes everything.

Closer to home, a new building near The Spin’s headquarters is well under way. While the building did look promising, the same couldn’t quite be said for the company board standing proudly outside. Construction progress aside, someone might want to rebuild that line from scratch. Let’s just hope that is one promise it doesn’t deliver on.

A typo on this pizza box raises questions too. Makes you wonder whether the pizza provided is, indeed, ‘fesh from the Oven’, if it states, ‘prefect taste’. Guess that depends on whether the prefect is Cedric Diggory, Hermione Granger or Percy Weasley.

In the age of AI, clearly human involvement is still required. The Spin came across a digital ad that displays a service expert drilling into a television.

This entry in The Spin was more of a ‘visual typo’ for an advertisement promoting Prestige Nail School. Makes you wonder what sort of ‘nail tech school’ teaches you to paint your own nails while holding someone else’s hand. The only tech used here seems to be generative AI, and it clearly has not nailed the ad.

The Spin brought you a glaring typo in an ad campaign run by Mike Collins, who has been a US representative for Georgia’s 10th congressional district since 2023. The ad, which announced Collins’ Senate candidacy, was criticised for misspelling the name of the state he represents, reading “Georiga, let’s ride”. He got what he asked for – a wild and bumpy ride on social media.

Speaking about creative copy on an advertisement, maybe it’s not as simple as writing a catchy one-liner. Maybe we do need to break these silos that exist between the strategy, creative design and copywriting departments. Otherwise, we get ads that in their final ‘approved’ iteration read ‘My Perfect Pet. Gently Cooked’. Yes, the intention is clear, but the way it reads on a passing delivery truck is comical.

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