brand strategy

New research reveals that culturally relevant brands are valued nearly 3x higher, giving CMOs new evidence that investing in culture directly drives long-term business value.

The study reveals how brands are mentioned, cited, and represented across AI-powered discovery environments, and why marketers need integrated SEO, content, and brand strategies to compete.

Olena Lemeshko explores how brands in MENA can combine cultural relevance, authentic storytelling, and technology-driven engagement to build stronger emotional connections with consumers.

Memorable experience is the part of the product that survives commoditisation, and it is what gives the customer a reason to advocate, says Darius LaBelle, Managing Director, Middle East at November Five.

Marketing with a “monk’s mindset” is not about detachment from results, but about discipline in thinking and clarity in intent. As Anand Sankara Narayanan, CMO, Finance House, puts it, the work deserves your everything. The outcome deserves your objectivity.

Andrey Dorosh explains how brands can balance direct-to-consumer growth with retail partnerships, differentiate across channels, and prioritise retention to drive long-term profitability and customer value.

The Ad Optimizer empowers marketers and insights professionals to upload creative assets for an AI-driven frame-by-frame analysis of on-screen imagery and its accompanying audio.

According to Donna Benton, Founder & CEO, The ENTERTAINER, value isn’t always about saving, “it’s about feeling like you’re getting something worthwhile”. People still want a great deal, now more than ever… but they also want memorable experiences.

Across seven articles, the edition builds a coherent view of how marketing is evolving in response to structural changes in technology, consumer behaviour, and organisational design.

Leaders from Easa Saleh Al Gurg Group, Careem, Property Finder, and Century Financial discussed how brands can balance short-term performance goals with long-term brand building, measure impact effectively, and leverage AI and data to drive growth.