Khaberni - Samsung Electronics Middle East and North Africa announced the conclusion of its comprehensive review of its media agencies in the region, subsequently establishing a partnership with both ‘Publicis Group’ and ‘Dentsu’ to jointly manage media planning and buying for Samsung's portfolio across the regional markets. This review, which began early this year, reflects Samsung's ongoing commitment to enhancing its media excellence, improving performance measurement and accountability mechanisms, and ensuring its marketing system is ready to meet the future in the Middle East and North Africa markets.
Commenting on the matter, Omar Owner, Regional Head of Marketing and Vice President of Marketing and Digital Business at Samsung Electronics Middle East and North Africa, said: "Publicis Group has been a key partner in supporting Samsung's growth, and we greatly appreciate their commitment, cooperation, and performance over the past years. With the development of our marketing approach, we are pleased to continue this partnership and welcome the addition of ‘Dentsu’ to the new partnership. Both agencies have shown exceptional capabilities, and we have set ambitious expectations for the role media will play in supporting growth through 2026 and beyond. Working together, we strive for stronger results, accelerated performance, and enhanced leadership for Samsung in the region."
Basil Kakish, CEO of Publicis Group for the Middle East and Turkey, added: "Samsung has been an important partner for many years, and our partnership remains strong. Through this dual-agency collaborative model, we will leverage our talents, capabilities, and regional expertise to drive Samsung's ongoing growth and continue achieving our shared ambition to produce bold results and significant impact across the Middle East and North Africa."
Tarek Daouk, CEO of Dentsu for the Middle East, North Africa, and Turkey, said: "Securing the media partnership contract with Samsung marks a milestone that highlights the strength of our network. Our team has developed a strategy based on data, innovation, and a deep understanding of each market's uniqueness. We are proud of Samsung's trust in us, and we look forward to supporting their growth-focused transformation through this partnership."
With this new direction, Samsung will strategically distribute tasks between the two companies and divide the regional markets into groups between ‘Publicis Group’ and ‘Dentsu’ to ensure balance, specialization, and flexibility in its media operations. The approach benefits each agency by leveraging its strengths to provide more efficient media planning and buying while enhancing deep integration and developing capabilities throughout the region.
Work on this approach will begin immediately, where both agencies will cooperate with Samsung's central and local teams to ensure continuity of operations, performance coordination, and unification of measurement methodologies across different markets.
