Kuwait's OptimizeApp, a leading ad-tech platform for SMEs, has joined forces with Snapchat in a strategic partnership. This collaboration aims to empower small and medium businesses across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region with powerful digital advertising solutions.Building on its track record of simplifying advertising for SMEs, OptimizeApp offers a user-friendly platform with localized interfaces, payments, and account management – perfect for regional needs.Partnering with Snapchat unlocks access to a highly engaged audience. With Snapchatters in the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) opening the app over 45 times a day, this is a prime opportunity for SMEs to reach new customers.Benefits for SMEs:Seamless Integration: OptimizeApp provides a smooth experience for integrating and optimizing Snapchat advertising solutions. Expert Guidance: SMEs will receive comprehensive education and support throughout their digital advertising journey with OptimizeApp.Campaign Management: Leverage OptimizeApp's expertise in creative development, campaign management, and reporting to maximize the value of advertising budgets.This partnership highlights both companies' commitment to "democratizing digital advertising." By equipping SMEs with the tools and knowledge they need, OptimizeApp and Snapchat are empowering businesses to thrive in the ever-evolving digital landscape.Bader Alkazemi, Founder & CEO of OptimizeApp, said: "We're excited to partner with Snapchat to empower SMEs across MENA. Our platform offers a comprehensive solution, helping businesses launch and manage effective digital ad campaigns."Freijeh, VP of Snap Inc. MENA, said: "We're thrilled to join forces with OptimizeApp to support SMEs. Through partnerships like this, we believe we can significantly help them reach a wider audience and drive real results."

Kuwait: ITL World has been awarded ‘Leading Travel Management Company in Kuwait’ where they were recognized for their exceptional performance & excellence, at a glittering ceremony held at The Atlantis Royal in Dubai, on 15th of October.The World Travel Awards is a credible hallmark of the travel & hospitality industry. The awards are voted for by travel and tourism professionals worldwide, and shows the commitment and excellence ITL World has demonstrated over the years.On the occasion, Dr Siddeek Ahmed, Chairman & Managing Director, ITL World said, “We are thrilled to be recognized again at the World Travel Awards Middle East Gala 2023 - the world’s leading travel industry award programmes. I’m personally super proud to have ITL World acknowledged and recognized on this global stage.”“We continue to remain agile in our approach to supporting our clients, whilst we continue to grow and evolve ensuring we meet dynamic customer requirements. This award further cements and showcases the determination of our highly skilled expert team to continually deliver above and beyond industry expectations, and to set new standards of excellence year after year.”, said Rafeeq Mohammed, Chief Executive Officer, ITL World.Najida Abdulla, Director ITL World Kuwait, said “To be called on by the travel industry’s peak body, and by our industry peers, as the ‘Best Travel Management Company’ is exceptionally rewarding.This is a yet again collective achievement and I take the opportunity to thank our clients, partners and colleagues.”.Since its official launch in 1998, ITL World prides itself on being a game-changer in the industry.From being rated one of the powerful Travel Management Company in the Middle East, a consecutive Superbrand winner, to its strategic and exclusive partnership with award winning Global Travel Conglomerate - CTM, not to mention maintaining the regional industry’s most consistent client retention rate, the company’s commitment to excellence remains steadfast.

The travel industry, once steadily growing, faced a major setback during the global pandemic, causing disruptions to the global GDP. However, according to forecasts by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), numerous international travel markets are projected to rebound to pre-pandemic levels by 2023. Amidst this optimistic outlook, low-cost airline Flydubai has taken proactive steps to expedite the recovery by launching a compelling summer campaign and introducing an enticing premium business suite, all aimed at enticing travelers and reigniting the industry.Dubai, renowned as a global travel hub, particularly during summers, serves as the perfect backdrop for Flydubai's strategic summer campaign. This initiative focuses on promoting travel through Flydubai and its vacation division, Holidays by Flydubai. With a meticulous plan to attract both existing and potential travelers, the campaign seeks to elevate brand awareness and subsequently drive bookings.Geared towards a broad audience across the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, and Bahrain, Flydubai's creative marketing approach effectively captures the essence of its summer offerings. Collaborating with their in-house design team, the airline employs visually striking content to showcase the beauty of destinations, incorporating illustrations that evoke the playful charm of the season. <img src='https://erp.adgully.me/artical_image\0d79acba0d1f503cefdf8dee1bd88f18.png' class='content_image'>Multifaceted approach to attracting travelers Harnessing the power of online services, Flydubai's campaign capitalises on the widespread digital presence in people's lives. However, the airline's promotional efforts extend beyond the digital realm. Utilising outdoor placements, bridge banners, lamppost displays, and other avenues, Flydubai maximises its outreach. Recognising the potency of radio advertising in reaching diverse audiences, the airline orchestrates activations and competitions, granting customers opportunities to engage with the brand and experience its offerings firsthand.A highlight of the campaign was the collaboration with Virgin Radio in the UAE, where every caller emerged as a winner, securing a holiday package for two to Thailand. Such interactions foster excitement and engagement among customers, enhancing brand loyalty.In May this year, Flydubai unveiled its premium business class seat – the Business Suite – a testament to the airline's dedication to enhancing passenger experiences. This seat, exclusively designed for single-aisle aircraft, ushers in a new era of comfort, privacy, and luxury in Flydubai's Business Class. Collaborating closely with Safran Seats and JPA Design, Flydubai has crafted a unique and unparalleled Business Class seating product that aligns seamlessly with the airline's commitment to excellence.Commenting on the new launch, Ghaith Al Ghaith, Chief Executive Officer at flydubai, had said, “flydubai is committed to exceeding expectations. Our business and product offerings have evolved from the initial no-frills model over the past 14 years to cater to the ever-growing needs of our customers and the markets we operate to. We have come a long way since the introduction of our first Business Class offering in 2013, which has served us well. Today, we are proud to unveil a new premium product which rivals the Business Class experience offered by many airlines on wide-body aircraft. We will continue to invest in innovation to enhance the customer experience across our growing fleet.”Victoria Foy, CEO of Safran Seats, said: “we are very excited to have flydubai as our launch customer for flydubai’s “The Business Suite” VUE seat, it has been an exciting journey working together to bring this product to the market for the first time on a Boeing aircraft. flydubai will operate with an outstanding Business Class seat designed for the best onboard experience on single-aisle longer haul flights". <img src='https://erp.adgully.me/artical_image\584277aa68056b5a839d0509c65c6fa3.png' class='content_image'>Synthesising luxury with the campaignFlydubai's campaign not only embraces the joys of summer travel but also spotlights the allure of its new business class offering. The campaign message revolves around the unparalleled comfort passengers can indulge in while flying business class with Flydubai. This addition underscores the airline's commitment to delivering elevated experiences and extends an invitation for travelers to rediscover luxury in the skies.Through creative marketing endeavours, strategic collaborations, and the introduction of a premium business suite, the airline not only reconnects travelers with their love for exploration but also reinvigorates the industry's prospects. 

Kuwait: Apparel Groups’ famous lifestyle and fashion brand R&B Fashion opened the doors of its milestone 100th store at The Avenues Mall, Kuwait. The grand opening was attended by key influencers and artists across the fashion industry, special guests including famous Kuwaiti actress Elham Alfadalah, officials of Apparel Group and attracted visitors and onlookers.  The new retail destination, spread over 12,000 sq.ft, is expertly curated to showcase an extensive range of trendy fashion while incorporating the best from the international runway for children, ladies and men across fashion apparel, footwear, beauty, toys and accessories. R&B Fashion also embraces diversity and body positivity by offering a choice of styles in a broad range of sizes. Shoppers have the freedom to select from a collection that is closest to their personal style.Speaking about the launch of the 100th store in Kuwait, Arun Pagarani, Chief Executive Officer R&B Fashion, said: “Our growing presence in the region is a testament to the trust placed on us by our loyal customer base. We are thrilled to expand our brick-and-mortar presence in Kuwait with the opening of R&B’s flagship store at The Avenues, which marks our fourth store in the country, and celebrates this momentous 100th store in the GCC.”“Our mission has always been to make our brand experience accessible to our customers, and we will continue to strive for it as we expand our presence in the GCC even further. This opening is also an important occasion for us to celebrate, as it gives the fashion-forward shoppers in Kuwait a new choice to shop for the upcoming Eid” concluded Arun Pagarani.The UAE-based lifestyle and fashion brand continues expanding its footprint in the GCC and Indian markets since its operations in Oman in 2012 at the MGM Mall. With 40 stores planned to be opened in the first half of 2023, majorly across The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, The United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and India, R&B Fashion is at a fast expansion growth.A true Omnichannel player, R&B Fashion provides customers with online shopping convenience across all GCC market through its user-friendly e-commerce platform

UAE: OSN, the leading TV entertainment company for premium content in the region, has announced that Sheikha Al-Zain Al-Sabah will be departing from the company's board to assume her new role as the Ambassador of the State of Kuwait to the United States of America.Sheikha Al-Zain Al-Sabah has been a valuable member of OSN's board, serving as the Vice-Chairwoman since May 2022 and bringing extensive leadership experience to the company. Her contributions, including spearheading a number of projects and strategic initiatives, have played an instrumental role in OSN's growth.Sheikha Al-Zain Al-Sabah succeeds Sheikh Salem Al-Abdullah Al-Sabah as the new ambassador. OSN expresses gratitude to Sheikha Al-Zain Al-Sabah’s contributions and wishes her continued success in her new position.Chairperson Sheikha Dana Nasser Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah, KIPCO’s Group Chief Executive Officer, and the OSN Board expresses gratitude and thanks for her contributions and wishes her continued success in her new position.

The growth and expansion plan launched by stc Group at the beginning of the second decade of the 21st century was not just dead letters, but rather a realistic strategy sought by the group as a result of the technical development witnessed in the region. Over the past few years, stc group has transformed from a mere company that provides communication and internet services to a digital enabler that is considered the most prominent in the Middle East region. The comprehensive strategy launched by the group had the superlative role in endorsing digital transformation in the gulf region, as it sought to diversify investment opportunities. And during the past two years it launched many subsidiaries in the fields of cybersecurity, Internet of Things, Artificial Intelligence, cloud computing, infrastructure and 5G technologies that serve different gulf communities and support the digital transformation in the region. Today, the market value of the stc group has reached more than 187 billion riyals and the value of the stc brand reached $10.6 billion, according to the Forbes magazine classification. Furthermore, the group obtained the most valuable brand certificate in the Middle East region in the telecommunications sector, according to the classification of Brand Finance International. The success story of this development, growth and accomplishments achieved by the group extended to become the main driving force of the communications and information technology sector for both Kuwait and the Kingdom of Bahrain. How did the group contribute to transforming the status of communications and information technology in the Gulf region?The beginning of the group’s success story in the expansion and growth process was from Kuwait, where in 2008 it witnessed the birth of a new star that shone its light in the sky of communications, and its features emerged in its first steps to draw the shapes of a giant who will transfer the communications and information technology sector to a promising future. During its first year, it attracted half a million customers in Kuwait, and within only 4 years it began to achieve profitable returns for investors, and the company’s official listing on the Kuwait Stock Exchange was one of the shapes of success and growth, as the volume of retained profits increased with the development of the company’s profits. It also acquired the second place in terms of revenues and market share from the subscribers, afterwards the achievements continued until it acquired a market share of about 36% of the sector’s revenues in 2021.In the Kingdom of Bahrain, stc entered the telecom market in 2010 as the third telecom operator in the Kingdom. The group quickly became a major driving force towards achieving the digital transformation vision, as it captured 41% of the market revenues, and proved its strength in the competition to become the first operator in the mobile phone markets, carrier sector customers and operators in the Kingdom of Bahrain, as well as the fastest performing company throughout the region and the first in developing local, regional and global networks, through continuous investments in infrastructure development. It was approved as the first commercial operator of the 5G network in Bahrain, in the field of cybersecurity, and cloud computing. The company also provided services outside the scope of communications, including financial services and insurance services at the highest levels, in order to keep up with the requirements of customers' daily lives.Contributing to Kuwait’s and Bahrain’s national visions2019 witnessed the launch of the unified brand in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. The company also launched an updated and developed a strategy that fits the company's basic objectives during the subsequent years in 2019 to enhance the process of enabling the company's digital transformation in line with the national visions in each country.In Kuwait, the Kuwait strategic Vision 2035 seeks digital transformation among the many goals set by the state, to keep pace with the internet services at all levels. stc had a fundamental and vital role in accelerating the transformation process, as the company’s acquisition of Quality-net and its transformation into “solutions by stc” had a prominent role to be the active technical arm in enabling the business sector and supporting local projects. It announced the establishment of the 5G Innovation Center in 2019, with the aim of exploring, developing and launching the uses of advanced 5G technologies. Moreover, it provided a range of digital solutions for companies that include data centers, infrastructure support and applications for companies. In addition, stc introduced an IoT strategy that allowed companies to manage their resources more efficiently and make the most of their business models.In Bahrain, stc contributed to supporting Bahrain's economic vision 2030. In terms of the business sector, the company developed a comprehensive range of information and communication technology products, including cybersecurity, asset tracking, data hosting, and cloud services to serve this sector. In terms of carriers and operators, the company has succeeded In consolidating its position as an empowered company in this field. It provided services to more than 400 national and international companies. The company also enhanced the customer service experience across all points of contact, as it always aimed to continue advancing the digital transformation in the Kingdom of Bahrain to become a digitally enabled society.Future and growth and developing performanceBased on the company's strategy and the promising projections of the institutional sector in Kuwait, the company undertook a major transformation process to meet the needs of customers and enrich their experiences in the information and communication technology field, which was highlighted in the company's strategy "AHEAD". The company was keen to improve its efficiency and internal capabilities in this sector through its acquisition on the entire capital of the Electronic Gate Holding Company in April 2022, to keep pace with the latest rapid global developments in the field of communications and information technology, and to provide the best integrated technical solutions to its individual and institutional clients. stc successfully completed its capital increase during 2022 to reach KD 99.9 million by distributing 100% bonus shares to its shareholders. During the third quarter of 2022, stc's market share reached 39.8% of the telecom sector's revenues in Kuwait, for the first time since the company's establishment, to be at the forefront of the telecom sector in terms of revenue.In Bahrain, stc has invested more than $2 billion in developing digital infrastructure. The company has remained at the forefront of launching innovative services in Bahrain, even becoming the first operator to launch 5G technology across the Kingdom. stc Bahrain has also worked to develop its innovation center and its platform for developing modern technologies for various sectors, and has also launched many digital services, including self-service machines (SSM), smart queue management service, and many other services, which contributed to providing an improved experience for customers by providing them with the opportunity to complete their transactions in a few seconds and in any time and place. The company launched a cyber security training academy, with the aim of raising awareness about potential cyber threats through its leading solutions in this field.Investing in sustainability and social developmentSince its establishment in Kuwait, stc has been able to achieve many contributions and achievements to support the local community and its social responsibility agenda. It succeeded in participating across various initiatives in cooperation with various government agencies and private sector institutions to small and medium-sized companies that aimed at supporting and empowering the Kuwaiti society to achieve sustainability in line with Kuwait Vision 2035. The company focused its efforts in key areas such as health, sports, education, entrepreneurship, and the environment. It launched several initiatives, such as the "Safe Education" campaign in cooperation with the Ministries of Education, Health, Interior, and Information, and the "Weyak" initiative to support local SMEs in enabling their digital transformation strategies.The company is keen to invest in the continuous development of its human resources, as they form the cornerstone of its outstanding performance. It is endlessly focused on providing education and development programs, as it has effectively launched its e-learning programs through many recognized international organizations, such as LinkedIn Learning and Gartner, to continue providing training and development opportunities for employees. The company also launched its training academy "Creativity Academy", which seeks to empower employees with high potentials.Under the social responsibility umbrella, stc Bahrain worked to spread the culture of innovation to a level beyond the borders of its customers, as it launched the “Jussoor” program with the aim of empowering its community service. Moreover, it launched the “Trees for Life” initiative that aimed at supporting the Kingdom’s national plans in reforestation, with the purpose of doubling the percentage of trees in the Kingdom by 2035, and launched the "Kafu" program, which was shown during the holy month of Ramadan. It is a major initiative to highlight individuals and people who have been a source of inspiration in the Kingdom over the years. It also launched the “Fereej” initiative which means (the neighborhood), with the aim of investing for families who live in difficult conditions. The company worked to educate and develop Bahraini youth and provide unique opportunities for fresh graduates looking to enrich their careers inside and outside the company through its “ICT Generation” program, which was launched recently.