Mercedes-Benz Cars Middle East picks Ruder Finn Atteline for 106 markets.
Mercedes-Benz Cars Middle East has appointed Ruder Finn Atteline as its regional communications partner after a multi-agency pitch. The brief covers 106 markets and will be run from the agency's UAE hub.
The remit covers integrated communications, brand partnerships and regional activations. Mercedes-Benz Cars Middle East's communications role now stretches beyond the Gulf to the carmaker's general distributor regions in the Middle East and Africa, South-East Asia, Eastern and Central Asia, and Latin America, which explains the market count.
Ruder Finn Atteline, the MENA arm of Ruder Finn with headquarters in Riyadh and Dubai, will also use its RF Tech Lab for audience research, including how people find and engage with the brand through search and AI-driven platforms. Sophie Simpson, managing director of Ruder Finn Atteline MENA, and Bonnie Al-Fakhri, head of marketing and communications at Mercedes-Benz Cars Middle East, both commented on the appointment.
Campaign Middle East does not name the incumbent, the other agencies in the pitch, the fee or the start date.
Two things stand out for marketers in the region. A Gulf-based team is now running communications for a carmaker across four continents, which says something about where regional PR talent sits. And the brief explicitly includes how the brand shows up in AI search, a sign that PR pitches are being judged on visibility in AI answers, not just press coverage.
Why it matters
A big automotive PR brief run from the Gulf, with AI search visibility written into the scope, shows where communications briefs are heading.
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