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BLJ Worldwide sets up media intelligence division

BLJ Worldwide sets up media intelligence division

Qatar's PR and communications agency, BLJ Worldwide, has launched a new media intelligence division: BLJ Insights + Strategy. The division is focused on delivering real-time, data-driven insights across traditional and social media.

It offers clients strategic counsel, helping them navigate the complex media landscape with more precision, speed, and impact by combining human expertise with the latest advancements in AI and data analytics.

Iman Asante (pictured), Managing Director of BLJ Worldwide, said: “We are evolving and adapting changes with the needs of our clients, not only with effort but with results. This development represents our drive to offer more - more insights, more value and more impactful outcomes. BLJ Insights + Strategy places us at the forefront of media intelligence and analytics, ensuring our clients receive information as well as actionable strategies that cater to their unique needs.”

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2025
Industry update

2025 MEPRA Awards winners revealed

The 17th edition of the MEPRA Awards announced its 2025 winners on 27 November, recognising work demonstrating strategic thinking, creativity, effective storytelling and measurable impact. The awards highlighted achievements in brand reputation, integrated communications and strategic narrative development, reflecting how agencies are adapting to a rapidly changing communications landscape.

Agency winners
Weber Shandwick MENAT dominated the evening with 26 wins, followed by Gambit Communications with 18 awards, securing their positions as leaders across popular categories. Weber Shandwick MENAT also claimed Large Agency of the Year, while Current Global MENAT was named Medium Agency of the Year, and The Romans took home Small Agency of the Year.

Individual honours
The Chairperson’s award was conferred upon Scott Armstrong (founder, Mentl) for accelerating mental health advocacy, whereas Brian Lott of Mubadala Investment Company won the Best Communicator of the Year. Tala Majzoub of HAVAS Red ME won the ‘Dave Robinson’ award for Outstanding Young Communicator of the Year, and Fathimath Nooha of Murdoch University won the Outstanding Student Campaign.

Kate Midttun, MEPRA Chairperson, commented, “MEPRA Awards has become a vital benchmark for recognising PR brilliance and exceptional talent in the Middle East’s PR and communications sector.  This has been a standout year for creative resilience, and work across the communications spectrum has been truly astounding. The honorees have showcased the power of PR to inform and engage, elevating the art of an insightful communications approach. Congratulations to all the winners tonight, and we would like to thank them for redefining excellence benchmarks, motivating the entire fraternity to gear up for the upcoming year.”

The 2025 awards were supported by Gambit Communications (Diamond Partner), TAQA (Platinum Partner), Weber Shandwick MENAT and CARMA (Gold Partners), along with Mubadala, Kibsons, SEC Newgate Middle East, Telum Media, Burson, Place Communications, First and Ten Productions, Current Global MENAT, Matrix Public Relations and AMEC.

View the full list of  2025 MEPRA winners here.

Havas
Industry update

Havas Red's 2026 Red Sky Prediction report on key trends for year ahead

Havas Red has released its 2026 Red Sky Predictions report. This ninth edition of the report included input from 24 of the agency's markets in the region.

It highlighted 14 trends that will impact brand communications in Asia Pacific, in particular cultural fragmentation, rising misinformation, private digital communities, and acceleration of AI.

Steve Fontanot (pictured), Commercial Managing Director APAC at HAVAS Red, commented: “The Asia-Pacific region is a wonderfully diverse, with a lot of contrasts - hyper-connected yet privacy-conscious, tech-driven yet deeply human. Our 2026 predictions show that success will come to brands that embrace bold creativity, invest in trust and adapt to technologies like generative AI without losing cultural nuance and human intelligence. Now in its ninth year, this report from Havas Red brings together the brightest minds in our global Network, and we’re pleased to share it once again with the world.” 

Key predictions from the report include:

  • Crisis mode as business as usual: With geopolitical tensions, climate volatility and economic uncertainty impacting APAC markets, crisis readiness will become a core competency for communicators. 
  • Synthetic research becomes standard: AI-driven audience simulations will accelerate campaign planning and stress-testing, enabling brands to adapt quickly to APAC’s fragmented consumer landscape. 
  • Truth as the ultimate brand value: In markets where trust is fragile and misinformation rampant, brands that demonstrate transparency and authenticity will win loyalty. 
  • Boldness is the new benchmark: From experiential activations in Australia to influencer-led campaigns in Southeast Asia, brands must push creative boundaries to cut through content fatigue. 
  • Closed communities > public feeds: With consumers in APAC gravitating toward private digital spaces like WeChat groups, Discord, and Telegram, influence will hinge on authentic engagement within niche communities.

Key APAC case studies include:

  • In Australia, Wise’s “Fleece Free FX” activation at Bondi Beach featured live sheep and theatrical stunts aimed at depicting hidden bank fees.
  • Across Southeast Asia, from Cebuano hashtags in the Philippines to regional dialect videos on TikTok in Indonesia, brands picked up on dialect-first content trends and engaged lo-fi, creator-led storytelling. 
  • As part of their closed community strategies, brands invested in WeChat and Telegram micro-groups to build intimacy and loyalty within fandoms. 

The report further touched upon the shift in discoverability, with brands transitioning from traditional SEO to Generative Engine Optimisation, as well as the move towards creator-led storytelling and niche voices. 

MPRA
Industry update

MPRA 2025 announces winners

PRCA Malaysia hosted the 17th Malaysia Public Relations Awards (MPRA) on 28 November 2025, under the theme “Connections”.

The awards recognise work by practitioners, agencies, organisations and media that has advanced strategic communications in Malaysia. A total of 104 awards were presented across 35 categories, including 42 gold, 35 silver and 23 bronze awards.

Campaign of the Year went to Astro Malaysia for the in-house category and bzBee Consult for the agency category. The Leadership Award was presented to Yasmin Ahmad Merican.

Award recipients include:

Best PR-Led Integrated Campaign: Agency

  • H/Advisors Klareco Malaysia
  • INK PR
  • ShekhinahPR


Best PR-Led Integrated Campaign: In-house

  • Astro Malaysia
  • Taylor’s University
  • L’Occitane Malaysia


Financial Communications Award: Agency

  • Swan Consultancy


Financial Communications Award: In-house

  • CIMB Malaysia


The full list of winners is available here.