UM MENAT , an MCN agency within Omnicom, joined colleagues across its global network on 22 October to mark Stand Against Bland Day 2026.
This year’s theme, Don’t Outsource the Human , encouraged teams to question AI-generated outputs and examine how human experience, creativity and critical thinking can strengthen media strategies for clients.
Building on last year’s global initiative, which focused on difference as a competitive advantage, the 2026 edition addressed the risk of relying on AI-generated responses that appear convincing or are simply good enough to meet a client’s brief, without sufficient human intervention.
To put the theme into practice, teams across the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Lebanon subjected AI-generated strategies to what the agency called the ‘human edit’. Working with mock client briefs, participants identified deliberate mistakes and assessed the outputs against five qualities: experience, inspiration, creativity, understanding and critical thinking.
The exercise concluded with a shared commitment across the six markets to keep these qualities at the centre of everyday client work.
Joe Nicolas , regional CEO of UM MENAT, said: “Stand Against Bland is the standard we hold our work to. AI’s power is transforming our craft, but it is increasingly available to everyone, so on its own it will never set our work and our partners apart. What will set them apart is the people guiding it: people who know the region and its culture, who trust their judgement, and who care enough to push further.”
Stand Against Bland is UM’s year-round position against safe, generic and forgettable work. It informs how the agency challenges briefs, develops media strategies and works with clients and media partners to deliver campaigns that are distinctive and effective.