Samsung names Karen Wazen its Galaxy brand ambassador for MENA.
Samsung Electronics MENA has named entrepreneur and fashion personality Karen Wazen as its Galaxy brand ambassador for the region. Samsung is building the partnership around her decision to switch to Galaxy after many years with another phone.
Samsung's MENA newsroom published the announcement on 24 September, and Communicate reported it the next day. Wazen, who is Lebanese, is known for her work in fashion, lifestyle and business, and will represent Samsung's Galaxy mobile line across the region. In Samsung's release she calls changing phones after so many years a big decision and says the switch was easier than she expected. Samsung says the partnership will focus on how Galaxy devices help with productivity, creativity and self-expression. Omar Saheb, vice president of marketing and online business at Samsung Electronics MENA, cited the connection she has built with audiences across the region and called her a natural fit for Galaxy.
The release closes by noting that the Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra, Z Fold8 and Z Flip8 are on sale through retailers, Samsung stores and Samsung.com, but it does not tie her to a particular launch. Samsung has not said how long the deal runs, what content she will create, which markets come first or which agency is involved, and neither side names the phone brand she left.
For Gulf marketers, the useful part is the angle: Samsung is selling the ease of switching through a well-known regional creator's own account of changing phones. A switcher story is only as credible as the ambassador's everyday use of the product, which her audience can check on her own channels.
Why it matters
Samsung is using a regional creator's own switch to Galaxy as the message. Brands weighing ambassadors can note the approach: a credible personal reason to use the product, visible in everyday content.
Related trends.
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.
Why it mattersA big automotive PR brief run from the Gulf, with AI search visibility written into the scope, shows where communications briefs are heading.
Salesforce agrees to buy Braze for about $5.66bn
Salesforce has agreed to buy Braze, the customer engagement platform, for about $5.66bn in enterprise value. Braze shareholders get $47.50 a share in cash, and the business will be folded into Salesforce's marketing products.
Why it mattersTwo of the biggest customer messaging platforms are merging, which will change pricing and product choices for app-led brands that run lifecycle marketing.
FTC clears Publicis's LiveRamp deal with five years of neutrality rules
The US Federal Trade Commission has cleared Publicis Groupe's $2.2bn purchase of LiveRamp on condition that the data platform stays neutral. For five years Publicis must give rivals and clients equal access and keep their data walled off.
Why it mattersA holding company now owns a key data-matching platform, and rivals are already leaving it. Clients across agencies need to know where their identity and clean-room data will sit.
