28-05-2025
Campaign Middle East's latest edition is out: The Luxury Issue
Campaign Middle East's latest edition, the Luxury Issue, spotlights how marketers are redefining value, storytelling and consumer connection across high-end categories. In a region where luxury is embedded in both culture and commerce, this issue dissects how brands are navigating sophistication, scarcity and personalisation in 2025.
Senior voices from across luxury, hospitality, real estate and agency worlds explore what modern luxury means and how it's being sold – both globally and within MENA. Pauline Rady of GroupM MENA highlights the shift toward meaningful, culture-rooted experiences, while Bureau Béatrice's Jon S. Maloy considers the luxury battle between possession and preservation.
Guerlain's Nicola Lavelle focuses on decoding luxury consumers in the Middle East using data, relevance and personalisation. Dana Tahir of Havas Red Middle East writes about how the consumers of tomorrow are shaping the meaning of luxury rather than simply purchasing it. Catherine Bannister and Aneeta Aby of TBWA look at the retreat from surface-level luxury in favour of narrative, wellness and heritage.
Swarovski's Sarah Dja Yahia reflects on cultural authenticity, and OUI Agency's Rémy Abouchakra critiques luxury's fixation on perfection.
Senior marketers at ARADA, House of OCTA, ALTA Real Estate and Devmark share additional insights on how branded residences and architecture are influencing the future of premium living in a feature by Campaign reporter Shantelle Nagarajan.
The issue also includes a look into the luxury hospitality sector. Leaders from The Ritz-Carlton Dubai, Palazzo Versace Dubai, Anantara Santorini Abu Dhabi, Rosewood Hotel Jeddah and Waldorf Astoria Cairo Heliopolis shared with Hiba Faisal how experience, exclusivity and how service expectations are being redefined across high-end travel.
From there, the issue takes a step back to ask a broader industry question: has marketing lost its balance between brand building and performance? In a comprehensive cover story feature, Campaign explores how the region's marketers are trying to realign long-term brand equity with short-term performance goals.
Commentary comes from marketing leads across key sectors – including tourism, banking, retail and communications – offering a clear-eyed look at how the pendulum has swung and what's required to bring it back to centre. Contributors include Alka Winter, Mary Anne He, Vicky Kriplani, Mai Cheblak, Hemalatha Subramanian, Maya Tayara, Gita Ghaemmaghami and Ibrahim Ghazal.
In addition to the main feature, several industry voices contribute opinion-led perspectives on this shifting balance. Megan French-Ritsch writes on belief-building as the root of strong brands, while G42's Faheem Ahamed argues that marketing is not broken – but its role must be redefined. Careem's Tayab Hasan positions retail media as a bridge between branding and performance. Additional voices include Al Masaood Automobiles's Delia Sandu, Mashreq's Muna Al Ghurair, Landmark Group's Mitin Chakraborty, and HSBC's Aimee Peters, who dissect storytelling, loyalty, and the role of automation and AI in more adaptive marketing systems.
The issue also includes the Industry Forum section where agency and brand leaders share concise responses to the question: are we over-prioritising short-term KPIs at the expense of long-term value?
Next, the spotlight turns to this month's TV & Video Guide – a practical, multi-platform overview that outlines the current landscape across free-to-air, paid TV, streaming platforms, and in-flight entertainment. Designed as a quick-reference directory for buyers and planners, the guide also includes commentary from regional experts on how video continues to shape consumer attention and cultural relevance.
MIS Gulf's Marwan Kai reflects on the evolving perception of news, while Jean-Pierre Tannous of Middle East Media Services highlights the emotional depth and long-tail power of video-led storytelling. Mathieu Yarak from MMS breaks down what's driving performance across formats and platforms, and Prasad S. Amin from IAS Media offers a take on how TV and video continue to mirror wider social shifts across the region.
This issue also recaps Campaign Middle East's first Market Minds CMO Roundtable, which brought together a dozen retail media leaders to explore how marketing functions are adapting to fast-moving commercial pressures and platform evolution.
Participants from Samsung MENA, Chalhoub Group, Lulu Group, Landmark Group, Beiersdorf, Careem, Union Coop, talabat, Publicis Media, Publicis Commerce, Epsilon and discussed topics such as measurement, change management, in-house retail media units, platform trust and what it means to futureproof the retail marketing discipline.
In the Brand Focus section, Renos Fountoulakis of the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi and Claudia Raya-Garcia of DIOR offer brand-side reflections on long-term strategy. Fountoulakis explores the importance of data and intelligence in destination marketing, while Raya-Garcia shares a dual lens on how luxury can be both agile and enduring.
Turning to Saudi Arabia, the Saudi Focus looks at two key narratives. Julie Audette from The Red Sea and AMAALA shares how brand storytelling in the Kingdom is shifting towards emotion, identity and human-scale experiences. Meanwhile, NEOM's Toby Evan-Jones lays out how the rise of homegrown gaming is opening up new arenas for marketers, creators and commercial partnerships.
This month's issue closes with a Provocations column by Tahaab Rais, who issues a sharp critique of the awards circuit. In it, he argues that lobbying has become an overlooked, institutionalised aspect of awards culture – one that may require the industry to rethink how it defines excellence and fairness.
Read the full luxury issue below or here.
