The Anglo Arab Alliance (AAA) has launched in the UK, providing British luxury brands easy and efficient access into the lucrative Middle Eastern market. By purchasing products directly from the brands, AAA will then negotiate, develop and market deals in the region, cutting out any red tape, cultural differences and legal issues.

The decision to open trade solely for British luxury brands is based on AAA's ethos to promote trade with the Middle East, support and develop home-grown businesses and establish itself as a leading authority, providing high-end British brands with unparalleled service and knowledge of this complex market.

The Middle East is notoriously difficult for luxury brands to penetrate, however with backing from royalty, including His Highness Prince Faisal Al Saud, embassies, consulates and some of the region's most powerful businessmen, AAA has developed three stages that drastically ease up the trade process:

Stage 1: The Deal - AAA will negotiate a master license agreement for the Middle East from British luxury brands

Stage 2: The Purchase - AAA will purchase substantial quantities from these British luxury brands, so brands will be protected by UK laws and not foreign 

Stage 3: Market Development/Launch - AAA will then develop and market these products in the Middle East through the single largest network of luxury retailers in the region, adhering to all brand guidelines

"AAA has worked hard to develop strong relations and strategies to help high-end British businesses gain a foothold in the thriving Middle Eastern market," says Andrew Lloyd CEO (UK). "We are already working with a number of very well known British luxury brands and are very excited about the future."

The Middle East is experiencing a boom in the demand for luxury brands, with French and Italian brands currently dominating the market. Over 50% of luxury purchases in the Middle East are made by the under 30s . Such a diverse client base has given the Middle East a reputation for being a tricky market to maintain presence in, something which AAA seeks to overcome through working closely with their clients at all stages of the selling process.

The Anglo Arab Alliance also has the backing of multiple key political entities. Affiliations include the Saudi Arabia General Investment Authority (SAGIA) in the Middle East, The Royal Warrant Holder's Association in London and UK Trade & Investment. In addition to this, AAA also has links with the British Consulate in Jeddah and the British Embassy in Riyadh. 

All these links give AAA a strong strategic standpoint within the Middle East, and enable British luxury brands smooth and easy access into this lucrative marketplace. 

Nasair, the national carrier of Saudi Arabia, announced details of its Ramadan Facebook competition, to be offered in partnership with Universal Motors Agencies & BlackBerry Middle East.

In the giving spirit of Ramadan, nasair will host this competition on its Facebook page, giving away 30 roundtrip flights across its network, 3 Chevrolet Spark cars are offered by Universal Motors Agencies, the authorized dealer for Chevrolet and GMC in Saudi Arabia. In addition, BlackBerry Middle East will be providing the latest BlackBerry smartphones for winners.

Commencing the night before the first day of Ramadan, each night a question will be posted by nasair on www.facebook.com/nasair and fans will have 24 hours to answer correctly. Winners will be randomly selected from those who answered correctly and will be announced after each daily question has closed. The competition is open to all fans of the nasair Face book page.

Launched in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in February 2007, Nasair is a pioneering 'Smart Airline' thanks to its four core values of: Being on Time, Competitive Fares, Young Fleet and Smart Services. Serving passengers with over 550 weekly flights, the young fleet consists of 14 aircraft and covers 24 destinations both within and outside Saudi Arabia. Since the launch of its operations, nasair transported more than 9 million passengers on more than 85,000 flights.

As a part of its expansion, dotmena, a premium network founded by Mediaquest Corp., is representing leading online female vertical network Glam Media in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Glam Media is a pioneer of vertical media that connects the world’s top brand advertisers with targeted, niche audiences online.

Glam Media is built on a growing portfolio of 2,500 influential publishers, assisting brands to leverage leading voices with a passionate social following in key women’s verticals: style, beauty, family, entertainment, and living. With more than 201 million unique visitors a month (comScore, April, 2011) Glam Media is engaging with a global audience.

“This agreement is our first step into the Middle East and represents a tremendous opportunity to help brands engage with targeted consumer audiences in this vibrant market” said Ernie Cicogna, Glam Media’s Executive Vice President and General Manager of Glam Media International. “We’ve partnered with dotmena for its strong online media expertise and ability to reach women in this significant market”.

The addition of Glam Media to the dotmena network will offer MENA advertisers the opportunity to reach a wider, more engaged audience with high-quality content to help brands more effectively target and connect with consumers.

“Since its launch in 2010, dotmena has received remarkable interest from brands operating in the MENA region due to it being a premium network, offering brands wide and unique advertising opportunities and qualified content” Alexandre Hawari, co-CEO of Mediaquest Corp, said: “We are very pleased with our partnership with Glam Media and believe it will generate great growth for each party and add value to our existing and prospective clients.”

Online marketing is attracting more and more advertisers due to several patterns, including the growth of the online industry in the region. In addition to that, online advertising is proven to be cost effective, can deliver direct brand engagement, it’s easy to track and measure conversion and can target niche audiences.

Founded by leading Dubai publisher Mediaquest Corp. in 2010, dotmena is fast becoming the network of choice for advertisers and publishers to expand their reach in the region.

dotmena represents more than 50  websites in the fields of business, marketing, communications, sports, women’s interest, lifestyle and entertainment, allowing it to match the right ad to the right audience at the right time.

With operations in the Middle East and North Africa, dotmena is staffed by a highly skilled, dedicated team of experts in the online industry. Its comprehensive knowledge ensures a reliable, rapid and responsive route for advertisers to access an ever-growing network of websites and the consumers these attract.

Boasting more than 500 million impressions, 20 million premium unique visitors and 100 million page views per month, dotmena is already a leading digital network in the MENA region, and it’s growing stronger every day.

In commemoration with the holy month of Ramadan, DMI is set to re-launch its web sites for Ramadan, allowing browsers all over the world an easy access to DMI's TV, press and radio channels with value added services including online streaming, watching sitcoms and dramas, news, and exclusive video clips, as well as satellite frequencies, VOD and other new electronic services.

Heba AlSamt, Head of New Media at DMI, confirmed that the new gateway of DMI during the holy month of Ramadan, is the largest portal in the region to provide such integrated services in order to elevate the level of interaction within its multiple and varied channels to a degree not seen in the region before. It is a real addition in the context of DMI's pursuit to provide advanced electronic services, where the most striking features is the innovative and creative design of the pages and templates, as well as the ease of browsing. 

The new design of the website which will be launched in conjunction with the first day of Ramadan, has come out taking into account the privacy of the holy month in terms of design and theme and new look, as well as giving an overview of DMI vision and values, where each channel website includes complete and comprehensive highlights providing panoramic synopsis of programs and drama series, in addition to program grids and daily schedules, news headlines, breaking news, news broadcast via social networks (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) with a "wibiya" toolbar footer to access these sites. The websites also include prayer times, online Holy Quran service, live TV and radio online streaming.

The main hub website www.dmi.ae includes all DMI productions of various programs on its multi-channels, as well as drama productions during Ramadan that can easily be browsed in high quality and fast speed right after on air broadcast.

The (Watch Online) service is been developed with the launch of the video on demand portal vod.dmi.ae, which was divided into several categories: (Family, Religion, Sports, Entertainment, Business, Social, Emirates News, Drama, Health, Cooking, Video clips, Special Coverage, Ramadan, Documentaries, Interviews, Competitions) in addition to watching full episodes of all DMI produced shows. The VOD website's files are classified according to latest uploaded, top-rated and most viewed, along with blogs and links to all DMI URLs (uniform Resources Locator), as well as to different social networking sites. A special attention is been granted for the activities of the Dubai International Holy Quran Award with instant uploading and broadcasting of all activities, lectures and sessions associated with this prestigious award.

DMI's New Media Section is keeping up-to-date with technology and its rapidly changing trends not overlooking the provision of multi platform services via mobile and smart phones, users can easily browse Ramadan special series programs, in addition to sharing with friends via social networking websites on the move.

With the announcement of launching these new services, it is expected that DMI websites will attract huge viewership with its developed and integrated facilities of online viewing and interacting.

Cheil Worldwide has produced a commercial for Samsung Electronics to make London 2012 “Everyone’s Olympic Games”. Through Galaxy S III, the anticipation, excitement, and celebration of the Olympic Games are shared among everyone around the world.

This spot draws on the sense of excitement generated by the launch of the 2012 London Olympic Games and the Samsung Galaxy S III. It shows people all over the world waiting expectantly for the games to begin and then exploding into life when David Beckham launches the games using his Galaxy S III. Ordinary citizens can share the Olympic spirit as much as a professional athlete using the Galaxy S III.

It embraces all races as an expression of humanity. David Beckham kicks a ball against a drum, signaling the beginning of the world’s biggest sporting event. Then virtually everybody – East and West, over the ground and under the ground, gets into the Olympics. Even those who don't have the tickets can enjoy the Games through Samsung Galaxy S III’s mobile technology anywhere, so the global IT giant invites everyone for the London Olympics. One can even share Beckham’s footage using S-Beam function, a nifty phone-to-phone wireless transfer.

The English footballer, who is also an Olympic ambassador, has already endorsed Samsung smartphones by his precise kicking and eventually, playing a drum-version of ‘Ode to Joy’. (Click here to read more)

Throughout the whole campaign, the mobile brand bases its Olympic marketing activity around an “Everyone's Olympic Games” theme. Cheil has successfully visualized Samsung’s “humanized technology”, which understands our life needs and can tangibly be experienced in our daily lives.

“London 2012 is the first Olympics where television will no longer be the dominant medium; our film shows how the new Galaxy S III’s opens up the games for everyone to enjoy, in a variety of different ways, thanks to the phone’s multi functions. More than just a sports spot, we aim to show how, more than ever before, it’s ‘everyone’s Olympic Games”, said Wain Choi, Global ECD of Cheil Worldwide.

“This will be the first truly 'social' Olympics. Second screens (even third screens) will fundamentally change the way people experience these games. We wanted to use one of the most recognised sportsmen in the world (David Beckham) to invite the world to participate in these games as never before, through the incredible technology inside the Samsung Galaxy S3. Beckham literally 'kicks off' the excitement, hitting a huge gong with an amazing long range shot, as all the world looks on. He unleashes the excitement, and turns years of anticipation into active participation.” Added Logan Wilmont, ECD of Cheil UK.

The first Galaxy S III was unveiled on May 3 2012 in London. UK launch is followed by gradual launch in 146 other countries. Some countries will launch TVC while others will not – the featured TVC will be aired in all markets where Samsung does TV commercials.

Samsung expects sales of Galaxy S III to top 10 million during July, breaking the company’s sales records. The South Korean IT giant kicked off global sales of its Galaxy SIII on May 29, but shipments have been affected by the tight supply of parts such as the handset casing for the pebble-blue model.

In the US, where sales were launched on June 21, major carriers including Sprint Nextel, T-Mobile and AT&T have not been able to offer the Galaxy SIII with 32 gigabytes of memory, partly due to tight supply. "We're getting far better reviews on S III than we did with its predecessors globally, and supply simply can't meet soaring demand," said JK Shin, head of Samsung's mobile division. "We've sent executives and staff to almost all our (component) suppliers to ensure a smooth offering and hopefully things will get better soon."

Samsung sold 44.5 million smartphones in January-March - equal to nearly 21,000 every hour - giving it 30.6 % market share. Apple sold 35.1 million iPhones, taking 24.1 % market share.

Beginning summer 2013, customers will have the opportunity to purchase Cherokee-branded products in select Max stores throughout the Middle East and Africa. The Cherokee brand will join Max's select roster of affordable, high-quality products and will be positioned as a family lifestyle brand for women's, men's, kids, and juniors at Max stores.

Henry Stupp, Chief Executive Officer of the Cherokee Group, stated, "The exclusive partnership with Max is a testament to our continued progress in improving our brand penetration and strengthening our global brand footprint. We are confident that our family-focused lifestyle brand will resonate well with Max's fashion-forward, value-oriented patrons, and we look forward to working with Max to develop and expand our consumer base throughout the Middle East and Africa. Mark Nawrocki, our Senior Vice President and our team at The Cherokee Group have excelled at identifying exceptional retail partners that have successfully introduced our brand into new markets." 

Ramanathan Hariharan, Chief Executive Officer of Max, added, "The Cherokee brand with its unique design and American casual appeal will be an excellent addition to our stores, complementing our current offering and reinforcing our brand promise "More Fashion, More Value". The brand will showcase its products for men, women and children initially at select Max outlets." 

Max was launched in 2004 by the Landmark Group, one of the largest retail organizations in the Middle East and India. Max offers customers a distinctive offering of fashion clothing, footwear, accessories and household products in a comfortable and inviting shopping environment. Today, the chain includes stores across the UAE, KSA, Jordan, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, Turkey, Egypt, Libya, Qatar, Nigeria, Lebanon, Sudan, Yemen and India and has plans to expand its footprint further throughout the Middle East and beyond.

Souq Egypt, the largest online retailer in the Arab world, is attracting international fashion brands as it maintains its leadership as the top shopping destination in the Arab World for online shoppers.

Looking to take advantage of thousands of buyers already shopping on Souq.com in Egypt, Ra Sport, a leading Egyptian distributor for global fashion brands, has recently set up its own store on Souq.com Stores in a move that consolidates its retail strategy to drive better brand visibility and reach across Egypt via electronic channels

"With over 7.5 million monthly visitors to Souq.com regionally, Ra Sports recognized the tremendous opportunities that Souq presents for its brands and products, having created a real online platform that is at par with the world's best shopping sites," said Mr. Ahmed Hafez, sales manager of Ra Sports. 

"With more and more consumers realizing the many benefits of online shopping, we felt it is time to complement our network of retail stores with a virtual store that increases the visibility and reach of our brands."

Ra Sports is a leading distributor of fashion and sports brands including Adidas, DC, Dockers, GEOX, Go Sport, Levi's, Quicksilver, Reebok, Rockport, Roxy, Timberland and Vans. Established in 1989, Ra Sports today boasts over 60 fashion retail outlets across Egypt in addition to its food retail business. 

Recognized as a leading online retailer in the Arab World, Souq.com has received several prestigious accolades recently which include 'Best e-commerce Site in the Arab World' in April at the Internet Show Middle East 2012, the largest event in the region directly addressing how to innovate, strategize and excel in an online world. Souq.com also received 'Top Online Retailer in the Arab World' Award in October at Retail City Awards 2011, a global program established in 2006 to distinguish outstanding retail projects worldwide through a panel if internationally recognized leaders from the retail industry.

"Souq offers unparalleled simplicity in setting up an online store, matched with unrestricted access into regional markets, making it a must for regional and international fashion brands looking to expand or drive stronger sales," said Omar Soudodi, general manager of Souq.com Egypt.

"The Souq.com model has been extremely successful for many retailers in Egypt including those selling mobile phones and consumer electronics, as well as shoes and shirts. Souq has become one of the most visited sites in Egypt and today ranks number 46 in the Alexa website listing which is quite a feat for a website that is two and half years old. Consumers are also finding it easier and safer to shop on Souq.com thanks to numerous payment methods including cash on delivery as well as free returns if the consumer is not happy with the product or size of the garment, giving shopper complete peace of mind."

Souq makes it easy for retailers to setup online shops on Souq.com, providing a powerful yet easy to use platform that offers a high level of functionality and customization options to simplify the process of setting up, creating product catalogues in English and Arabic, along with multiple payment options to suit the preferences of almost any consumer.

Souq also provides supply chain management through its own warehousing and logistics facility which includes inventory management, fulfillment and packaging as well as quick delivery to any destination in Egypt.

Samsung Electronics Levant booth displayed the latest devices of the IT products and Audio-Visual products presenting the latest technologies in home entertainment devices, laptops, cameras, and screens. Samsung as well exhibited its thin and light Windows 7 based Samsung Notebook Series 7 "Slate PC" that enjoys high-end quality with a unique design and innovative practicality. 

On sponsoring WEBIT 2012, Mr. Sangsuk Roh, president of Samsung Electronics Levant said: "This partnership aims to emphasize Samsung's leadership in the advanced technological and communication devices industry, and the effective role that Jordan plays in this industry amidst the region. In addition to introducing the visitors to the latest technologies Samsung offers."

Samsung Electronics Levant's participation at the 7th Regional Web, IT and Mobility Exhibition and Forum WEBIT 2012 comes from the Regional Headquarters' belief in the effective role private companies' sector plays in providing the latest technologies and products to encourage scientific advancement in research and development fields. 

Samsung Levant Electronics booth at the WEBIT 2012 has received great interest and attention from visitors who interacted with the representatives responsible for the booth as they presented a thorough and detailed explanation about the latest and newest technologies by Samsung.

As part of continuous efforts to provide the best communications services for their clients and brands, Venture Communications and its sibling re-brand-ingTM, the specialized branding company, adopted an innovative approach to branding and communication services providing a unified brand strategy which will be implemented in different forms and channels. 

“Many agencies use a process that relies on research, ideation and brainstorming to come up with brand strategies then the results are given to another company to develop the brand communication and a third and fourth companies to deal with digital and social networks marketing”, said Gabby Bechara Chamat, Chief Executive Officer at Venture Communications and re-brand-ingTM. 

Chamat also stated: “Our approach consists of combining all brand activities in one single process and within the same group of companies, from strategy to branding and all forms of communication leading to a better creative and more efficiency for our clients and their businesses. Through this approach, the brand creation team and the brand guardian team are working under one roof in full coordination”.

Venture Communications and re-brand-ingTM work closely with their clients to develop solid brand strategies that are based on research and refined analysis and supported by a long experience with brands and various forms of communications. The same brand strategy will be translated into a wide range of tools, from branding and corporate identity to advertising, digital and social marketing and Public Relations depending on the needs of each and every client. 

As a reinforcement of their innovative approach, the agencies have added a strategic planning department to their structure in order to align the communication flow between the branding and the advertising agency. Jean Claude Saade, Chief Strategic Officer for Venture Communications and re-brand-ingTM stated: “Once the branding exercise is done, we don’t need to go back to the square one to develop a communication strategy but the same brand strategy will be interpreted into a communication brief covering a specific offering or occasion”.

Chamat concluded: ”We are always looking for innovative ways to better deliver brand and communication services to our clients and we will always prove to them that Venture Communications’ greater than you expect mantra reflects our day-to-day commitment to our clients”.

Harley-Davidson Middle East and North Africa (MENA), a subsidiary of Harley-Davidson Europe, Middle East and Africa, the world's leading manufacturer of heavyweight motorcycles, announced in a press conference at Coral Beach Hotel and Resort; the launch of the First 2012 "MENA Harley Days" in Lebanon this September.

Lebanon is the country for an event of this caliber. The Lebanese people are known for their love of life, generosity and passion for their country. We have the nature, climate and the capacity to welcome everyone from the MENA region to this mega event in Beirut and being a rider myself I encourage everyone to visit Lebanon and MENA Harley Days" says Fadi Abboud - Lebanese Minister of Tourism

Post the Lebanon HOG Tour (Sept 19 - 21 2012), MENA Harley Days will take place at Al Ramleh el Bayda, Beirut from September 21 to 23rd 2012; and will congregate Harley bike shows, after-parties, beach stage with bands and Dj's, along with parades, family activities, and authorized dealers from the MENA region that will present their products and passion for the brand in a large exhibition.

In addition to riders, the event is open to all the public from the Middle East Region, including families that want to enjoy a day out with their kids. 

"It is a great way for the community to enjoy Harley-Davidson's offerings for the year in Beirut. I would also like to say thank you to our Harley customers, fans and lovers in advance by giving them the opportunity to enjoy 3 fun days out with us. The program will include a lot of exciting activities. We look forward to hosting people from the Middle East in this memorial event." says Nigel Villiers, Director HOG & Customer experience International 

"This event is free and open for everyone. We invite all bikers and non bikers, people from all ages who would like to have fun, enjoy memorable days and make new acquaintances. We're inviting everyone to come and experience the Harley lifestyle so book your calendars today on September 21 - 23. Three days that you will never forget" says Elsa Abi Nader, Marketing Manager Harley-Davidson MENA.