Poet jailed for reciting democracy poem claims she was tortured by female Bahraini royal

Published July 20th, 2011 - 12:00 GMT
Adding cultural expression to the people's voice, the young Ayat al-Gormezi, Bahraini poetic-activist, faced beatings in prison at the hands of a fellow woman. Not a prison warden but a member of the al-Khalifa royals.
Adding cultural expression to the people's voice, the young Ayat al-Gormezi, Bahraini poetic-activist, faced beatings in prison at the hands of a fellow woman. Not a prison warden but a member of the al-Khalifa royals.

Fast food, fizzy drinks, and sportswear top a newly compiled list of the most popular brands with teenagers in the Middle East and North Africa.

According to Dubai-based market research firm AMRB and global teen research firm TRU, the top five brands in the region amongst teens are KFC, Pepsi, McDonald’s, Coke and Adidas.

The two firms said they compiled the top five from the responses of two thousand teenagers they interviewed in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Egypt.

One in five UAE teens believe that a good advertising or marketing campaign is the key to building a good brand, the companies said their research showed.

AMRB chief executive Gagan Bhalla said that regional teenagers “are a delight” for marketing professionals.

“Engaging the youth through social networking websites, innovative competitions… and fun, exciting games is the way to go,” he said.

The firm says that global brands looking for a toehold in the Middle East should become ‘glocal’ brands – localising their advertising campaigns and other branding as soon as possible.

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