Forbes Middle East launches its media kit publication
Forbes Middle East introduced the Forbes Middle East media kit, an ambitious, slickly produced 32-page publication designed to resemble a magazine. Venturing beyond the usual media kit territory, it gives a taste of the type of stories Forbes produces, and includes such items as a spread on Middle Eastern billionaires, a timeline of the Forbes billionaire list and a brief history of Forbes. The media kit was distributed in both English and Arabic.
Forbes Middle East threw a Suhour last Wednesday, in partnership with Atlantis, The Palm, that was attended by more than 300 chief marketing officers and advertising decision-makers. “The RSVPs just kept coming in,” remarked Justina Eitzinger, Director of Sales and Marketing, who played host.
The premiere issue of Forbes Middle East, the flagship publication of Arab Publisher House, is due to appear in October in Arabic. This will be followed by an Arabic website in early 2011, then an English-language print edition and English website later that year.
Khuloud Al-Omian, Vice President and Editor in Chief of Arab Publisher House, opened the evening with a brief speech warmly welcoming the crowd and thanking Forbes Media for the confidence they have shown in the new publisher. After introducing the Forbes Middle East management team, she expressed high hopes for the future.
Justina Eitzinger narrated a PowerPoint presentation called “The Capital of Trust” which emphasized the credibility, accuracy and authority built up by the Forbes brand. The presentation included charts summarizing survey evidence that Forbes has succeeded in becoming the most trustworthy business media brand, as well as the largest business media brand in the world.
In her speech, Kasia Wandycz, Director of Research and Operations, highlighted the reliability of the many lists assembled by Forbes research with an anecdote about receiving a call from the White House: The U.S. government wanted to use information from a Forbes list of powerful women in the Middle East to brief the President.
As someone with two decades’ experience at Forbes USA, in whom “Forbes DNA” runs deep, she promised to apply the same rigorous standards at Forbes Middle East. She also saluted Khuloud Al-Omian, noting that the respect Forbes Media holds for her was key in winning the license to publish Forbes Middle East.
In the course of the evening, several impressive prizes were raffled off, courtesy of Samsung Mobile, Al Tayyar Travel Group, Yas Marina Circuit and Qasr al Sarab.
Arab Publisher House, based in Dubai, is a newly formed joint venture of influential Arab investors; it plans to bring to the region a number of other Forbes publications, as well as other magazines.
