'De-Commoditizing the Ad Industry: How Ad Agencies Can Re-Invent Themselves and Enjoy Exponential Growth' to be released with magazine's October issue

Dubai, UAE, October 11, 2015: The region's advertising community is set to receive a major boost following the publication by Communicate, the Middle East's leading title for the communication industry, of its first book. The first in a special collection series from Communicate and its publisher Mediaquest, one of the region's most influential privately-owned media companies, 'De-Commoditizing the Ad Industry: How Ad Agencies Can Re-Invent Themselves and Enjoy Exponential Growth' by Ahmad Abu Zannad, Regional Strategy Director at Leo Burnett MENA, has been introduced to examine the current challenges facing the sector and to find solutions that will ensure its bright future.

Targeting advertising and marketing professionals, the new work has already received rave reviews from senior figures in the industry, such as Marcello Magalhaes, Partner & Vice President of Strategic Planning, Tailor Made.  A Brazil-based creative agency, Tailor Made was awarded the country's Agency of the Year Award in Brazil in 2014, and the 7th most awarded agency in the world according to Advertising Age - Awards Report 2014.

"This is a really inspiring piece of intellectual property - it's been a long time since I have seen such a sober and pragmatic approach regarding the present and future of our business. In his assessment, not only does Ahmad bring a laser-sharp view on the challenges ahead for our business model as it is now, but also points to possible new purposes a communications agency should chase if it wants to reinvent itself and get prepared for the future," said Magalhaes.

Central to the book's theme is its contention that the advertising industry is rapidly approaching commoditisation and that the general profile of almost every major ad agency is becoming almost exactly the same. The author highlights the fact that the majority of agencies belong to one of the big five holding groups and makes the observation that all of these agencies have a global presence, all promise complete integrated communication solutions and all have some 'unique' approach to how they go about conducting their business.

"Although there have been several assessments of the current status of the advertising industry, there hasn't been yet a comprehensive overview that forensically analyses where agencies are today. Ahmad Abu Zannad's new book changes all that with its in-depth critique, its detailed assessment of the areas of concern and its structured reasoning for the way forward. This title is a must-read for every professional working in the fields of advertising and marketing," said Nathalie Bontems, Publisher, Mediaquest.

Distributed with Communicate's October issue, 'De-Commoditizing the Ad Industry' represents the first attempt for a full assessment of the current situation of the advertising sector and details strategic recommendations on how the industry can salvage itself, and identify new streams of premium revenue. Mediaquest hopes that its message will inspire the industry to undergo much-needed re-invention.

-Ends- 

For more information contact:
Dima Itani
MarCom Manager-Mediaquest
Phone: 04 369 75 73
Email:d.itani@mediaquestcorp.com

Nesreen Bakheit
Senior Account Executive - Cicero & Bernay Public Relations
Phone: 050 -437 65 21
Email: nesreen@cbprme.com

About Mediaquest
Mediaquest is one of the region's most influential privately-owned media companies. Established in 1997, Mediaquest's mission is to inform, educate and entertain audiences across the MENA region, thereby building bridges between the Arab world and the West. Mediaquest generates a combined online and offline portfolio of more than 20 titles, covering marketing, communications, women's interests, lifestyle, entertainment and automotive. Reputed brands include: Marie Claire Arabia, Haya Magazine, AMEinfo and Kippreport, as well as the highly regarded business-to-business titles: Trends Magazine, Gulf Marketing Review, Saneou Al Hadath, Arabies and Communicate. Mediaquest's dedicated Dotmena network hosts 75 premium websites that attract more than 41 million unique visitors each month. Mediaquest creates, project manages and delivers some of the region's best-known industry events, including Festival of Media, arab luxury world, TOP CEO, Marketing to Women, and Effie Mena Awards to name a few.

About the Author
Ahmad  Abu Zannad is currently the Regional Strategy Director at Leo Burnett MENA. Prior to his current post, he was the Managing Director of the Leo Burnett Riyadh operation, the Head of Strategy & Knowledge for the Leo Burnett Saudi Arabia operations and the Head of Consumer Marketing at Zain Saudi Arabia.

Among his other publications is the award winning book: "Speaking Human in the Land of Dichotomies: A Guide to Leo Burnett's HumanKind Approach to Building Brands in Saudi Arabia" which for the first time, discusses strategies and tactics to build brands in the Saudi market.

Ahmad is a passionate advocate on the subject of uplifting the level of strategic thinking in the fields of brand building, marketing and communication in the MENA region. For this, he has played a valuable advisory role for a multitude of brands across the region with major emphasis on the Saudi market. He has also published numerous articles discussing several aspects of the subject. And finally, he is a regular speaker at regional conferences addressing audiences from different industry backgrounds on their need to put more emphasis on building more robust brands, and devising solid marketing and communication strategies.

A Jordanian of Palestinian origins, Ahmad is a graduate of Concordia University's John Molson School of Business with a Major in Decision Science.    

© Press Release 2015