Omnicom-Publicis Groupe Merge To Be Biggest Ad Firm

The merger of France’s Publicis and US-based Omnicom is expected to create a saving of $500 million.

Al Jazeera America Appoints ABC News’ Kate O’Brian As President

The network is due to launch on August 20.

Middle East Internet Users Addicted To Social Media

A majority of the internet users polled said they preferred virtual communication over face-to-face or telephone conversations.

Palestinian To Launch $10m Arabic Online Encyclopedia

Talal Abu Ghazaleh hopes to launch of Tagipedia, a free online Arabic encyclopedia with one million entries by the end of the year.

Five Marketing Tips For Brands During Ramadan

Marketers should focus on social media campaigns as residents spend more time on social networking platforms during the holy month.

New Arabic TV Series Hub Launches On YouTube

The new hub will feature over 500 shows and 25,000 episodes of popular Arabic content.

Al Jazeera Hires Hundreds As It Prepares To Debut In America

Al Jazeera America, with headquarters in New York, plans to launch in late-August this year.

Al Jazeera Director-General Resigns To Take Up Government Post

Ahmed bin Jassim al-Thani said he was leaving the network “to serve his country”, without indicating which government post he was taking.

Kuwait’s KIPCO Hires Rothschild To Advise TV Arm IPO

KIPCO owns 60.5 per cent of OSN and its Saudi-based partner Mawarid Group has 39.5 per cent.

Saudi Arabia To Block WhatsApp Within Weeks

Saudi’s Communications and Information Technology Commission (CITC) banned Viber this month with Skype also on its non-compliant list.

AMEinfo Website Acquired By Mediaquest Group

Financial details of the deal were not disclosed.

ME Digital Ad Spend Could Hit $1bn In 5 Years – Expert

Regional online advertising spend is growing at a rate of around 25-30 per cent every year.

Cohn & Wolfe Takes Minority Share In WPP Sibling BPG

The new agency, to be called BPG Cohn & Wolfe, is the latest move in the international company’s expansion plans to grow across the region, India and Southeast Asia.

Kuwait Says Will Scrap Media Bill If Editors Object

The media law was passed by the government this month but still needs the approval of parliament.

Kuwaiti Author Wins $50,000 Arabic Book Prize

Saud Alsanousi has won the 2013 International Prize for Arabic Fiction for his book ‘The Bamboo Stalk’.

Top 10 Marketing Disasters In The World

Sometimes companies make very bad decisions, such as the launch of New Coke 25 years ago that quickly fizzled out.

Twitter Users In Dubai Earthquake Frenzy

Social media users across the GCC reported their ‘experiences’ of a second earthquake in eight days.

Twitter In GCC, Dubai Earthquake Frenzy

Social media users reported their ‘experiences’ of the earthquake tremors in a flurry of tweets.

Saudi Arabia May Try To End Anonymity For Twitter Users

Access to the networking site may be restricted to people who register their identification documents, say reports.

Five Minutes With… Vatche Keverian, CEO, JWT MENA

An indigenous Arab style of advertising is taking shape in the region, says JWT’s Keverian.

Dedicated Filipino Radio Station Launches In UAE

Arabian Radio Network announce the new 24-hour channel in response to growing demand from Filipino nationals.

Revealed: 10 Oldest Newspapers In The GCC

The majority of the early newspapers in the region were founded in Saudi Arabia.

REVEALED: Top 10 Middle East Advertisements In 2012

A cross-section of the best print, TV and integrated ad campaigns from across the region.

Dubai Lynx Awards 2013 Announced

Y&R Dubai bags agency of the year award for the third year in a row.

“Be Brave,” Global Creative Head Tells ME Advertisers

Erik Vervroegen, international creative director, Publicis Worldwide, a judge at the Dubai Lynx Awards, says regional work is “world-class.”

MENA Cristals: A Show Of Creative Clout

The region’s advertising community convened in Lebanon for the Cristals awards festival — a hive of gossip, intrigue, and big advertising ideas.

Is The GCC’s Advertising Industry Comparable To Global Standards?

Peter Bidenko, regional executive creative director, Leo Burnett UAE, Kuwait and Lower Gulf and Ali Ali, independent director, lead the debate.

Turkish Airlines To Spend $120m On Ads This Year

The carrier’s recent advertisement featuring sports stars Lionel Messi and Kobe Bryant has received over 102 million YouTube hits.

2012 One Of “Bloodiest Years” For Journalists

A total of 121 journalists were killed last year, says international journalists’ group.

Most Popular Stories In 2012

Gulf Business rounds up a list of the 20 most popular stories on our website this year.