MIDDLE EAST
01
21 December 2008
LETTER FROM THE PUBLISHER
9 LESSONS FROM 2008 THE SCOOPIES
I’ve had a wonderful year, Boris Becker and friends are
but that wasn’t it: what not honoured for their services to
to do in times of crisis p14 the industry p17
Reasons to be cheerful
Advertising/Marketing/Media/Public Relations
www.mediaweekme.com Issue 0012 21 December 2008
IN A NORMAL year, this space would have been filled with
festive cheer, a list of the region’s economic triumphs, a few
well-placed exclamation marks. You would have been reading
lots of words like ‘bumper’. But this hasn’t been a normal year—
not unless you use the word in the sense that the Titanic was
a normal maritime disaster and World War II a normal global
in review
blood-fest.
LYNX AWARDS * CONSOLIDATION * CONVERGENCE * TWOFOUR54 * LAUNCH OF THE
NATIONAL * MBC MAX * SAUDI FATWAS * NOOR TV * MAN CITY BUYOUT * ATLANTIS LAUNCH That said, we hope that our round-up of 2008 will not have
* DIGITAL RISING * MIKE SIMON RETIRING * FREEJ EXTENSIONS * IAA ELECTIONS *
OUTDOOR STRUGGLING * GULF NEWS RESHUFFLE * FOX INTERNATIONAL * WPP MOVES IN
* MEDIA AUDITING * PROPERTY PLUMMETING * REALITY TV * KHALEEJ TIMES RELAUNCH you reaching for the cyanide. In fact, if there is one sure thing
* FACEBOOK FALTERS * PR AWARDS * AD SPEND SHRINKING * EXECUTIVES ARRESTED *
MAGAZINE LAUNCHES * MAGAZINE CLOSURES * CRISIS MANAGEMENT * ADVERTISERS GAIN
LEVERAGE * THE YEAR OF THE NETWORK * UAE BESTS SAUDI * ENTERTAINMENT MARKETING
you can say about the communications field in the Middle East,
* TRANSPARENCY * DUBAI MALL * FLY DUBAI * ENG EXPANDS * SPORTS SPONSORSHIP ON
RISE * WOMEN IN POWER * RESEARCH NEEDED * YOUTH MARKETING * DOHA ON THE RISE
it’s that it’s filled with extraordinarily interesting individuals
doing extraordinarily interesting work—the industry might not
always be beyond reproach, but it is never boring.
Media Week Middle East is entering its fourth month of
publication, and in this relatively short time the magazine has
Publisher Ashley Rees
demonstrated just how dynamic and passionate people here
ashley.rees@engworldwide.com
are about the work they do. For me, it has been a privilege to
Editorial read about the opinions, insights and ideas that make this
Ashley Rees, publisher
MIDDLE EAST
Executive editor Chris Wright
industry tick, and I hope you feel the same way.
chris.wright@engworldwide.com
I believe that this magazine—even when reporting on
ashley.rees@engworldwide.com
Contributing editor Ben Flanagan
ben.flanagan@engworldwide.com
plummeting ad spend and mass layoffs—can give us all a
News editor Paul McLennan reason for hope. Economic downturns come and go, but the
paul.mclennan@engworldwide.com
health of an industry can really only be gauged by something
News writer Charlie Neyra
charlie.neyra@engworldwide.com
less tangible and more enduring—as this is the holiday period,
I’ll risk being syrupy and call it heart. Whatever you call it, this
Creative
region has plenty of it.
Creative director Victoria Calaguian
victoria.calaguian@engworldwide.com
This is what we at Media Week try to capture in every issue—
Head of design Roy Cruz and especially this, our year-end review. We’ve tried to portray
Designer Leigh Walsh
the intrigue, humour and creativity that make this business in
Designer Rouland Medina
this region such a great place to be.
Designer Ali Arellano
Designer Maricel Poso
So happy holidays! Here’s to a bumper 2009!
Chief photographer Bernard Testa
Photographer Mosh Lafuente
Production
Production manager Maher Mahbouby
maher.mahbouby@engworldwide.com
Senior production executive Issam Ghanem
issam.ghanem@engworldwide.com
Production Executive Sadish Kottodi
sadish.kottodi@engworldwide.com
p02 p03
p04
Circulation
Circulation director Nick Pomeroy
nick.pomeroy@engworldwide.com
Marketing
Marketing director Gemma McKeown
gemma.mckeown@engworldwide.com
Marketing manager Shaik Shibli
shaik.shibli@engworldwide.com
Advertising & Sales
Commercial manager Tanya Sharp
tanya.sharp@engworldwide.com
+971 50 633 6284
p17
Management
Publishing director Mike Orlov
Managing director Neil Petch
Group CEO Rehan Merchant
Chairman Hanif Merchant
The Publisher does not accept any liability for errors or
inaccuracies contained in this publication, however caused.
The views and opinions expressed are not necessarily those
of the Publisher. Information contained in this publication
is intended for general use and readers are advised to seek
p06 p26
specialist information before acting upon any information
enclosed herein. No part of this publication or any part of
its contents may be reproduced, or transmitted in any form,
p30
without the express permission of the Publisher in writing.
p31
The only exemption to this is for extracts used for the purpose
of fair review.
Published by
FUJAIRAH FZCO
part of ENG Media, a division of
Emirates Neon Group Company
23rd Floor, Al Attar Business Tower, Sheikh Zayed Road
P.O. Box 6203, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Tel +971 04 3317822, Fax +971 04 3317823
www.engworldwide.com
© 2008
Registered in Creative City, operated by Fujairah Media
Controlled Distribution Blue Truck
Printed by Al Ghurair Printing Press p38
BPA Applied for September 2008
www.mediaweekme.com
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