KRAFT
Kraft Cream Cheese and Oral B have joined up for a new and exciting promotion, that offers customers a great chance to enjoy the benefits of cheese, as well as dental hygiene — buy any of the Kraft cream cheese promotional packs and get a free Oral B children’s toothbrush. Kraft have always put the interest of mothers and their children as a priority and as the GCC market leader in the cream cheese category, Kraft want to help moms raise happy and healthy children. Kraft has teamed up with Oral B to promote the need for good oral hygiene and to ensure that children grow up with strong and healthy teeth.
SHOWTIME
The 58th annual Emmy awards show on Aug. 26 is television’s biggest night of the showbiz calendar and this yea’s show will be reporting live from the red carpet exclusively on Showtime to make sure you don’t miss a second of TV’s version of the Oscars. Following the announcement of the Emmy’s Showtime’s 24 led the Emmys field for TV series with 12 nominations — including best drama and best drama actor for Kiefer Sutherland and Grey’s Anatomy followed close on 24’s heels with 11 nods including nominations for Sandra Oh and Chandra Wilson in the Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series category. Other Showtime hit series nominated in the Outstanding Drama Series category were the medical drama House starring Hugh Laurie and political US drama The West Wing.
ALAHLI SAUDI STOCK FUND
The Standard & Poor’s Rating Agency, one of the leading international rating agencies, announced the rating of the AlAhli Saudi Stock Fund as the best performing investment fund in the world for the month of June for 2006. The agency gave this rating for the funds exceptional financial performance, asset strength and administrative policies. Sami R. Abdo, NCB investment services division head, expressed his happiness over the rating which confirms the strength of the bank’s investment funds financial performance. He added saying “We are proud of the excellent performance presented by the AlAhli Saudi Stock Fund during the past months.” He affirmed that the bank being rated as the first in the world in terms of performance by the Standard & Poor’s is considered an important achievement.”
LG ELECTRONICS
LG Electronics, the global and regional digital leader in consumer electronics and technological applications, recently launched its new “KG800 Chocolate phone” in Jordanian markets. Through a lavish promotional campaign, representatives from LG were present at booths set up across Jordan to introduce members of the community to all that this mobile phone has to offer. “LGE Chocolate”, the KG800, is the first model to go on sale in the region from LG’s exclusive Black Label series, and it is the world’s first mobile with a touch-sensitive screen. Commenting on LG’s new release, T.Y. Lee, the general manager of the LG Amman Branch Office said, “The LG Chocolate phone responds to the demands of the market by combining the elements of ingenuity and elegance, all in one mobile handset. We understand that modern buying trends are governed as much by emotion as by product specification and the LGE Chocolate phone connects on both levels as it is unique and desirable”
i2
i2, the region’s largest and most diverse mobile-phone provider has launched a summer-long promotion in the Kingdom through Oct. 15, with a lucky winner walking away with 15kg of gold worth approximately SR1 million. “i2 distributes handsets to numerous retailers throughout the Kingdom, allowing customers to have wider access to our products and the opportunity to win SR1 million worth of gold,” said Adbul Hameed Al-Sunaid, president of i2. “Those who want to participate should visit any i2 store or the closest mobile phone retailer and inquire about the i2 promotion”.
KHCB
Gulf Finance House Commercial Bank, a wholly owned subsidiary of Gulf Finance House (GFH) formally unveiled its new corporate identity and inaugurated its new corporate headquarters at Al-Zamil Tower in Manama on Saturday, under the patronage of Rasheed Al-Miraj, the governor of Bahrain Monetary Agency. The new name of the bank — Khaleeji Commercial Bank (KHCB) — together with its new logo and brand identity, was unveiled today at a special function hosted by Fuad Al-Omar, chairman of KHCB and GFH; Esam Janahi, vice-chairman of KHCB and CEO and board member of GFH; and Ebrahim H. Ebrahim, general manager of KHCB; and attended by distinguished guests, including clients, government officials, and dignitaries from the financial sector.
MERCEDES-BENZ
Mercedes-Benz in the Middle East and the Levant has set a half-year record with sales of 8,750 units in the first six months of 2006 compared to 6,846 units in the first half of 2005, a rise of nearly 20 percent. Sales of Mercedes-Benz passenger cars rose over 12 percent in June with a total of 1,123 units sold compared to 1,000 in the same month last year. The United Arab Emirates continues to be the largest market for the luxury automotive brand with half-year sales of 3,292. However, Saudi Arabia is the best performer with January-to-June sales up nearly 160 percent to a total of 2,254 units. The flagship S-Class continued to expand its leadership in the region’s luxury segment with half-year sales of 4,100. “Sales of Mercedes-Benz cars continue to be strong across the region reaching an all time high in the first half of 2006,” said Johannes Fritz, director, sales and marketing, Mercedes Car Group, Middle East.
SUZUKI SAUDIA
Suzuki Saudia, the distributor for Japanese automaker Suzuki in Saudi Arabia, has recorded a 65-percent increase in sales of minivans in the first half of the year compared to the same period the previous year. Suzuki Saudia attributed the rise in sales in part to an increase in corporate buyers placing large orders. The regional distributor has cemented a market share with its All Purpose Vehicles (APVs) in the region’s largest car market. Suzuki’s APV portfolio includes passenger vans, commercial vans and pickup trucks, and recently launched family car models. “Suzuki is already prominent in the individual consumer market, and recent increases in vehicle size and engine capacity have seen corporate customers also adopting Suzuki minivans and trucks for their load-bearing capacities and economic efficiencies,” said Ahmed Shamaile, sales director at Suzuki Saudia.
SONY ERICSSON
Sony Ericsson continues to expand its range of entry level phones with the J100i, a phone that is extremely intuitive and affordable, making it ideal for everyday communications in the Middle East. Unmistakably a Sony Ericsson, the J100i’s good looks and ease of use will appeal to anyone in the GCC who is looking for an uncomplicated phone that’s great for voice calls and text messages, with a large keypad, one click navigation and single icon menus. “It is important to remember that the vast majority of mobile phone users in the region simply want a reliable, well designed phone for voice calls and text,” says Husni El-Assi, general manager of Sony Ericsson, Middle East and Africa. “This is an important market for Sony Ericsson and our operator customers and we expect good demand for J100i globally, particularly in the UAE market.”
ORBIT
Orbit Communications Company (OCC) has successfully concluded a major deal with The History Channel securing rights to screen the channel to its viewers throughout the Middle East and Africa for the coming five years. The agreement is effective beginning Aug. 1, 2006, and will bring The History Channel’s full programming list of approximately 2000 hours of top quality documentary and educational programming to viewers throughout the MENA region. The History Channel is devoted entirely to historical programming, allowing viewers to experience history personally. With a library of programming which includes top rated shows such as “Biography” and “Modern Marvels”, the channel is unique in its ability to bring the past to viewers world wide.
