Winners of IAA Ticket to Cannes Lions revealed

Winners of this year’s IAA Ticket to Cannes Lions competition were announced last night at IAA UAE Chapter’s Dubai office. The competition aims to recognise young professionals in the advertising industry and saw Omar Tom from Leo Burnett, Elie Raad from AMS and Levent Donertas from TBWA/RAAD named as this year’s winners. Selected on the basis of originality, creativity and personal investment, Omar, Elie and Levent will move on to represent the region at the Cannes Lions International Festival for Creativity to be held from June 17 – 24, as well as be enrolled in the Young Lions Academies.

“The IAA Ticket to Cannes Lions not only makes young advertisers mine their own creativity and originality to further their careers, but also gives them a chance to learn from the best minds in the industry and apply that learning in the local market,” says Hani Ghorayeb, President, IAA UAE Chapter. “The three winners stood out because of their creative approach and their ability to elicit an emotional connection with their campaign. We wish them an exciting, enjoyable and fruitful week in Cannes.”

New appointment at LinkedIn

Following the recent launch of its new features, Matched Audiences and Lead Gen Forms, LinkedIn has appointed Ziad Rahhal to the role of Head of Marketing Solutions, MENA. Ziad joins the professional network with over ten years of experience in the sales and marketing industry, having previously worked with Nimbuzz B.V as Managing Director, MENA, where he oversaw the launch of several digital advertising solutions across the region. In his new role, he will develop strategies for the growth of LinkedIn’s new products, which will enhance audience targeting, as well as oversee the progress of their existing features across the MENA region.

“With the recent announcement of the 500 million milestone globally, it really couldn’t be a better time to join LinkedIn and I am excited to be a part of the team,” says Ziad. “In the complex world of B2B buying, we are looking to help brands not only engage with professionals, but drive and convert leads – and it’s exciting to join a platform leading in this field.”

Omnicom Media Group MENA partners with digital analytics firm

Omnicom Media Group has extended its partnership with digital analytics company, Moat, to the Middle East. Aiming to provide greater transparency in measurement and performance, Omnicom Media Group, the media services arm of Omnicom Group Inc. has been collaborating with Moat since 2014.

“This value of extending the partnership with Moat was obvious to us from the beginning,” says Dimitri Metaxas, Regional Executive Director-Specialist Companies, Omnicom Media Group MENA. “Its benefits extend to all parties within the industry, as it allows us to better understand all the measured parameters and deliver a tangibly stronger performance. This alliance helps us move into a new era of measurement, ensuring that publishers and media partners are well-aware of our commitment towards the brands and businesses that our agencies represent. This is the latest step we’ve taken to enhance our clients’ marketing and business performance better.”

Alexandra Venison joins Vogue Arabia

Following the appointment of Manuel Arnaut as Editor-in-Chief of Vogue Arabia, the title has welcomed Alexandra Venison to the editorial team as Beauty Editor. Having worked across fashion and beauty titles including Emirates Woman at Motivate Publishing and VIVA and Harper’s Bazaar Arabia at ITP Media Group, Alexandra will head up all beauty content in her new role.