insydo wins Startup of the Year

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Dubai-based startup insydo has been named Startup of the Year at the Arabian Business Startup Awards on November 15, 2016 at The Westin Dubai Mina Seyahi. The event recognised insydo for its services that give users access to business reviews across different categories for recommendations as well as the release of its iOS and Android applications making it the go-to city guide in Dubai.

“I think that the success of insydo has a lot to do with the public’s growing appetite for honest, engaging content and reliable recommendations that will come from a friend,” says Tanaz Dizadji, Founder and CEO, insydo. “This has always been the core of what we offer and it’s incredibly gratifying to know that our fans and fellow startups have responded with appreciation for the platform. Being named ‘Startup of the Year’ is a real acknowledgement of the determination and handwork from my team – we’re on a mission, so expect much more to come.”

The Entertainer wins App of the Year Award

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The Entertainer has been named App of the Year at the first Shortlist Mobile App Awards on November 6, 2016 at the Jumeirah Zabeel Saray. The event saw The Entertainer along with 18 of UAE’s best mobile apps including, Etihad, Emirates NBD and Hype Ten being awarded for the technological advancement and innovation of their apps across the UAE.

“When I printed the first Entertainer book in 2002, I couldn’t have imagined the technological advancements on the horizon,” says Donna Benton, Founder and Chairman, The Entertainer. “The development of the app launched the brand into the digital and social age, which has been invaluable to both our customers and merchant partners. Thank you to Shortlist for the recognition.”

Nominees announced for MEPRA Awards

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The Middle East Public Relations Association (MEPRA) Awards 2016 shortlist has been announced. The awards have been divided into 17 categories – including Best Integrated Campaign, Best Use of Social Media and newly added category for in-house professionals, Outstanding Young Communicator – each award is designed to recognise exceptional returns on investments, creativity and strategic impact by agencies, corporates, teams and individuals. Shortlisted companies include: Four Communications, Hill+Knowlton Strategies, Edelman, Mubadala, Seven Media and Weber Shandwick MENA. The winners will be announced at the award ceremony on November 23, 2016 at the JW Marriott Marquis, decided by a panel of renowned industry judges.

“Judging this year was even more challenging than ever,” says Jamal Al Mawed, Head of Corporate Communications, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. “The industry has advanced in terms of its use of data analytics to measure the performance of campaigns. This means we had greater access to real figures than ever before making the judging process more about the cold hard results, than about the creativity of the idea. We are delighted at the progress made and we see a very strong future for the communications industry across the region.”

Initiative MENA secures three awards

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Initiative MENA won three awards at The Internationalist Awards for Innovative Digital Solutions, in New York. Falling under the umbrella of the Middle East Communications Network, the agency secured a gold and silver award for their KFC’s ‘Taste the Race’ campaign and Chevrolet’s ‘Can a burger sell a truck’ campaign as well as a bronze award for a case study on ‘Huawei-Mate8-Mobile-Creative-Execution.’

“At Initiative MENA we continuously strive to push the boundaries of innovation for our digital work,” says Saadeddine Nahas, Digital Director, Initiative MENA. “Winning international media competitions is not only a delight for us in gaining recognition for our hard work, but also serves as a testament to our creativity and the full range of capabilities on offer at our agency.”

 

Times of Oman wins at World Digital Awards

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Times of Oman has been awarded Best Data Visualisation for its creative site at this year’s World Digital Awards in Vienna, Austria. The awards were presented by the World Association of Newspapers (Wan-Ifra) to recognise Times of Oman’s site for its features, which includes; drawings, graphics and videos that details the heritage behind the Omani dress for a digital celebration in honour of the country’s 45th National Day.

“I’m thrilled for the team behind this special project and even more so that a project that honours Oman’s heritage has won recognition at a global level, particularly as we approach National Day this year,” says Scott Armstrong, Chief Executive Editor, Times of Oman. “This came on the back of five awards, two gold, including one for the Omani dress project and three silver in the 2016 Middle East Digital Awards of the World Association of Newspapers.”

Winners announced for EW Woman of the Year Awards

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The Emirates Woman Woman of the Year Awards 2016 winners were announced at the 12th annual awards event held at the Palazzo Versace last night. The ceremony also marked the 35th year anniversary of the magazine was attended by over 400 guests to recognise women living and working in the UAE who have made their mark in the art, business, philanthropy and entertainment sectors. With over 26 nominees, notable winners include Founder of The Human Spirit Project, Dana Djani who won the Artist category, adventurer, Raha Moharrak who won the Achiever Award, YouTuber and boutique owner, Hayla Ghazal who won the Young Talent category, Founder of Emirates Autism Centre, Amal Galal Sabry who won the Humanitarian award and CEO of Dubai Women Establishment, Shamsa Saleh who won the Visionary award.

Cheil MENA wins with #BeFearless campaign

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Cheil MENA and several other Cheil Global offices including HQ in Seoul, Germany, UAE and Russia, have been awarded for their contributions to the global #BeFearless campaign. #BeFearless is part of “Launching People”, an overarching campaign, in a search for innovative ideas that can demonstrate how powerful technology can be when it comes to solving real challenges that society faces. By using Samsung’s innovative VR technology to help people conquer their fears by simulating similar environments, the campaign was awarded Bronze in the PR category at The Spike awards; Asia’s oldest awards for excellence in creative communications and managed by Lions festivals.

The #BeFearless campaign also took a Gold Lovie in Mobile & Applications: Experimental & Innovation at The Lovies Awards as well as winning the People’s Choice award in that category. It also scooped up a Silver Lovie in Mobile & Applications: Best Practice category.

“Cheil MENA is proud to be recognised amongst its global Cheil Worldwide counterparts for work in new technology and digital application but more so, we are proud to be able to help create something that has the potential to do good for so many people trying to overcome their fears in life,” says Keesoo Kim, President and Head, Cheil MENA RHQ

Motivate and Motivate Val Morgan hosts UAE Cannes Awards

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Motivate and Motivate Val Morgan, the official representatives of Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in the UAE, hosted this year’s Cannes Lions Awards in the Motivate offices located in Dubai Media City. The awards were presented by Ian Fairservice, Managing Partner and Group Editor in Chief at Motivate as well as Avinash Udeshi, Chief Operating Officer at Motivate Val Morgan. This year’s winning agencies included; Memac Oligvy Dubai, Y&R Dubai and The Classic Partnership Advertising Dubai.

“Over the years, media and creative agencies have worked hard to bring home more and more awards across a range of categories at the Cannes Lions Festival in France,” says Ian Fairservice, Managing Partner and Group Editor, Motivate. As the official representative of the festival in the UAE, we would like to commend this year’s winning agencies and we look forward to see many more wins at next year’s festival.”

ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller wins at International Business Awards

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ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller has been awarded Public Relations Agency of the Year in the Middle East and Africa at the International Business Awards. The eighth Annual Arab Youth Survey 2016 also won PR Campaign of the Year and both awards are to be presented at the International Business Awards ceremony in Italy on October 21, 2016. The awards recognised the agency for its work in the Arab Youth Survey in the categories of; Reputation/Brand Management, Public Services and Global issues. ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller also received a ‘Grand Stevie’ award for the first time, for their record of 23 trophy wins and three medals at the International Business Awards.

“This is a tremendous result for us and it is wonderful to see our ground-breaking work on behalf of our clients recognised on the international stage,” says Sunil John, Founder and CEO, ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller. “This unprecedented win is a testament to the hard work and creative energy of our teams across all of our Practices.”

ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller wins In2 SABRE EMEA Award

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ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller has been awarded the Thought Leadership in PR Award at this year’s In2 SABRE EMEA Awards in Berlin. The awards recognised the agency for it’s work in the seventh annual Arab Youth Survey 2015, as well as excellence in various categories of innovation and insight, with an emphasis on content creation, PR agency management and marketing. ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller also received a Certificate of Excellence in the Social Media – Collective category for its Warriors in Pink campaign for Ford Middle East recognised by the SABRE awards.

“Our thought leadership platform, the Arab Youth Survey, has been recognised as a pioneering initiative for the PR industry across Europe, the Middle East and Africa,” says Sunil John, Founder and CEO, ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller. “The survey has earned a reputation as a unique piece of work that adds a new dimension to the dialogue in and about the Middle East, providing a valuable insight for policymakers, businesses and civil society.  It is rewarding to see our hard work and investment in this major initiative recognised at the highest level by our peers in the PR industry.”