9 REASSURING BANK LOGOS CRISTAL COLLECTION
What the logos of a selection of Our special report
the region’s biggest banks say on the MENA Cristal
about their brands p10 awards p13
Advertising/Marketing/Media/Public Relations www.mediaweekme.com Issue 0015 25 January 2009
PUBLIC RELATIONS
In this issue
PROFILE Edelman set for Gulf re-entry
Former Asda’a affiliate close to forming new regional partnership, claims executive
CHRIS WRIGHT/Executive editor
ABU DHABI Almost eight months after losing Asda’a as its regional affiliate, portal to execute its global
global PR company Edelman is poised to reboot its operations in the Gulf, business here.
according to David Brain, the agency’s CEO for EMEA (pictured). While Brain disagrees
Edelman’s formal relationship with Asda’a lasted for nearly five years, with this view, he does not
and by all accounts it was an unusually fruitful one. A key part of Edelman’s hide his disappointment at
re-entry into the Middle East market, Brain says, will be finding a new and Edelman’s estrangement
equally compatible partner, adding that Edelman is currently eyeing the from Sunil John’s agency.
National enquirer
mid-sized Dubai-based agency Promax. The break came about as
“They’re not an affiliate, but it’s getting closer,” Brain says. “We’ve been a result of WPP’s buyout of
Sultan Al Qassemi, the
looking around, and for a variety of reasons we haven’t locked onto Joseph Ghossoub’s network
outspoken Emirati columnist
anyone yet. But we’ve done some work with Promax, and we’ve been The Holding Group,
explains why the Arabic press
surprised at how good they are. They’re checking us out, we’re checking Asda’a’s parent company,
is “rubbish”.
them out. So we’re not looking anywhere else right now.” which led to a realignment
p09 Edelman began to rebuild its regional presence in November of last year, with WPP property (and
opening a six-person office in Abu Dhabi, headed by Iain Twine, previously former Asda’a affiliate)
CASE STUDY
associate director of its corporate practise in London. Brain says that the Burson-Marsteller.
agency plans to increase its staff by a further three people by the summer. “The irony there, of
“We don’t want to rush into anything,” he says. “Asda’a were our eyes course, is that Sunil
and ears for a long time, so we’re a little bit blinded. There’s no mad rush ditched Burson-Marsteller
to overextend ourselves.” to come to us,” says Brain.
Brain adds that Edelman has plans to set up operations elsewhere “I signed that agreement
in the region—particularly Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Dubai—but says with Sunil.”
that Abu Dhabi was an obvious place for the agency to regroup following The Asda’a split was
its split from Asda’a. Edelman has an existing account with the emirate’s particularly difficult for Brain and his colleagues because it came at
massive green initiative Masdar, and also handles PR for the Government of a time when Edelman was nearing a much anticipated buyout of its
Abu Dhabi and the Abu Dhabi-owned Premiership club Manchester City. own. “We had an agreement to buy Asda’a,” Brain says. “But, frankly,
Off-road thinking Some have expressed doubts that, even with a new partner, Edelman Joseph Ghossoub did such a good-slash-mad deal with [WPP boss]
How Team Y&R created a will be able to quickly re-establish itself as a regional presence—at best, Martin Sorrell, with Asda’a lumped in—we looked at the numbers and
critically acclaimed campaign says one observer, the agency’s Abu Dhabi office will provide it with a couldn’t make that work.”
for Land Rover by completely
ignoring the brief.
MEDIA
p25
REGULARS
Kuwait about to enter free zone fray
NEWS 04
Plans for media hub take one step closer to becoming reality
PROFILE 09
THE NINE 10
PAUL MCLENNAN/
planning its own media and the required infrastructure,
News editor
FEATURE 13 technology city. high-speed internet and satellite
OPINION 19
KUWAIT Proposals for Kuwait’s first
The response from the industry channels”.
MEDIAWEEK 22
media city have been submitted
has been mixed, with some saying Hadi Kaadan, associate VP for
MARKETINGWEEK 23
to the government for approval,
there are more pressing media BPG Media in Kuwait, would also
ADWEEK 25
following years of discussions.
matters that need to be addressed, welcome such a project, but adds
PRWEEK 26
Despite the unfavourable global
such as improved regulations and that people shouldn’t hold their
DIGITALWEEK 27
economy, minister of information
licensing issues. breath. “I don’t think it will even
IN FOCUS 28
Sheikh Sabah Al Khalid Al Sabah
Eman Al Awadhi, editor of happen for another five or six years
DESIGNWEEK 31
has cited an “urgent need” for such
the English desk at the state- from now because it takes time to
PEOPLE 33
a facility, and has presented a report
owned Kuwait News Agency, get approved by the cabinet and
THE BLOTTER 34
on the project to the cabinet.
supports the idea. “More than 30 other committees,” he says. “It has
If the proposal moves ahead,
newspapers have been licensed been discussed for many years,
Kuwait would follow in the footsteps
here, so it does make sense to but I do not believe it will change
of Dubai and Abu Dhabi, and
have something like a media anything unless there is regulation
would leapfrog Doha, which
city,” she says, citing the need from the Ministry of Information. It
is reportedly in the process of
for “a place that would have will just be cosmetic.”
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