UM MENAT puts AI-generated media strategies through a human edit on Stand Against Bland Day.

UM MENAT, the Omnicom-owned media agency, marked Stand Against Bland Day on 22 October under the theme "Don't Outsource the Human". Teams in six markets reworked AI-generated media strategies to show what human judgement adds.

Staff in the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Lebanon were given mock client briefs answered by AI, with errors planted on purpose. They had to find the mistakes and rate each strategy on five qualities: experience, inspiration, creativity, understanding and critical thinking. The agency calls this step the "human edit". The day closed with teams in all six markets agreeing to keep those qualities central to everyday client work.

UM MENAT took part alongside offices across UM's global network. Last year's edition focused on difference as a competitive advantage; this one targeted a narrower risk, that AI answers which sound convincing, or simply clear the bar of a brief, get passed on without enough human input. Regional CEO Joe Nicolas said AI is becoming available to everyone, so on its own it will not set an agency's work apart, while people who know the region and its culture will. UM describes Stand Against Bland as its year-round position against safe, generic work, shaping how it challenges briefs and builds media strategies.

The agency has not said how many staff took part or whether the five-quality check will become a formal step in client work.

For advertisers in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf, it gives a concrete question to put to any agency now using AI to draft plans: where does human review happen, and who does it?