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Shortlist for ICCO Global Awards 2016 announced

The International Communications Consultancy Organisation (ICCO) has announced the shortlisted nominees for ICCO Global Awards 2016. Taking place on December 1, 2016 in London, the award nominees include Cohn & Wolfe for ‘Regional Network of the Year – EMEA’, Instinctif Partners for ‘Regional Independent Constultany of the Year – EMEA’ as well as House of Comms and Grayling for ‘World’s Best PR Campaign – Media Relations.’

“The ICCO Global Awards is an opportunity for the PR and communications industry to showcase the way in which the discipline can achieve real results through powerful outcomes,” says Charlene Corrin, General Manager, International Communications Consultancy Organisation. “An international jury reviews campaigns and teams from around the world, with a true focus on measurement and effectiveness. This year a number of campaigns were entered from the Middle East region, but the stand out work which has made the shortlist came from Grayling and House of Comms, both members of PRCA MENA.”

Dubai Lynx announces judges

Dubai Lynx International Festival of Creativity 2017 has invited eight high-profile international jurors to judge The Dubai Lynx Awards. The festival will take place from March 5 -8, 2017 at Madinat Jumeirah Arena. Closing the festival on March 8, 2017, the awards ceremony will honour creative excellence in film, print, outdoor, radio, direct, promo and activation, media, interactive, film craft, print & poster craft, design, mobile, PR, integrated, creative effectiveness and branded content and entertainment advertising and communications.

“The jury presidents are a core element in ensuring that stand-out work rises to the top and leads the way for the year to come,” says Thea Skelton, Festival Director, Dubai Lynx. “We’re delighted to have such an experienced line-up to lead the discussions on creativity in MENA with their respective juries.”

Winners announced for EW Woman of the Year Awards

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.

ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller wins In2 SABRE EMEA Award

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.”

FIPP MENA announces next month’s programme

FIPP MENA which will be taking place February 10 – 11, 2016, at the Habtoor Grand Beach Resort in Dubai has announced the programme as well as key speakers. The event’s programme brings together international, regional and local speakers from inside the magazine media and related industries, who will provide delegates with a view on key developments and trends globally and in the MENA region specifically.

The programme will include;

  • Media transformation and revitalisaion conducted by FIPP President and CEO Chris Llewellyn and includes leaders from Motivate Publishing, CNBC Africa/Forbes Africa and Hearst.
  • The most spectacular media innovations of the past year from FIPP and Innovation Media Consulting’s (IMC) FIPP Innovation in Media World Report will be presented by IMC’s Alvaro Triana.
  • Top trends for worldwide magazine media in 2016, including a masterclass presented by Dr. Samir Husni (aka “Mr. Magazine”) on How to make print work in a digital world.
  • Key developments in online and mobile media, including a presentation from Google on The future of mobile and content players’ place within this world.
  • Developing business opportunities, including a spectacular Time Inc. native advertising case, top tips from cvent and GN Publishing for developing and boosting your events business and insights into cross-border business and brand opportunities as a means for growth.
  • Deep consumer and B2B market insights, with sessions focused on emerging markets in general, the UAE and other Middle East markets and Africa from the likes of the India Today Group, Bloomberg Media and PwC.
  • Several practical case studies packed with hands-on tips, including print, digital and multi-platform developments presented by GN Publishing, Dubai Lynx, 7AWI, Nervora, Ringier Africa and Media24.

 

MEPRA AWARDS 2015 – Winners Announced

The Middle East Public Relations Association (MEPRA) held its annual gala dinner last night in celebration of the most exciting communicators of 2015. Highlights of the evening included Memac Ogilvy Public Relations – Dubai, sweeping the floor of the Consumer Goods category for their work on “Innovation that Excites”, “Labels are for cans, Not People” and “#AmexExplorer: The Card That Takes You Places”.

Hill+Knowlton Strategies took gold in the Consumer Services category for their work on Flash Entertainment’s “YASALAM”, while in Healthcare & Services Memac Ogilvy Public Relations – Lebanon, impressed judges with its “Breast Cancer Awareness” campaign. House of Comms was awarded gold for its work on “JIM Will Fix It Nepal Relief” which fell under the Corporate Social Responsibility & Environmental PR category, and APCO Worldwide was recognised for its work for Noor Bank in the Financial PR sector.

The Dave Robinson Award for Outstanding Young Communicator of the Year (agency-side) went to Four Communications’ Mohanned Lafi with Ooredoo Kuwait’s Yasser Mohammad picking up the same for Outstanding Young Communicator of the Year (in-house). The Chairman’s Award was presented to Hill+Knowlton Strategies’ Sconaid McGeachin and Four Communications Group scooped Agency of the Year.

Dubai Lynx press conference announced

The 2016 Dubai Lynx International Festival of Creativity will be holding their annual breakfast press conference on December 7, 2015 at the CNN Building in Dubai Media City. The conference will address the developments and innovations relating to the 2016 competition and awards for advertising creative excellence in the Middle East and Africa.

The press conference will be presented by Emma Farmer, Festival Director, Dubai Lynx International Festival of Creativity with pannelists; Terry Savage, Chairman, Lions Festivals; Ian Fairservice, Vice Chairman, Dubai Lynx; Mohammad Abdulla, Managing Director, Dubai Media City; Hani Ghorayeb, President, IAA-UAE Chapter; Walid Yared, Chief Marketing Officer, Choueiri Group and Faisal Bin Haider, Chief Executive Officer – Printing and Distribution Sector, Dubai Media Incorporated.

 

Middle East PR Awards 2015 shortlist announced

Middle East Public Relations Association (MEPRA) announces shortlist for the 2015 Middle East PR Awards set to take place in three weeks on December 14, 2015 at the JW Marriott Marquis. The MEPRA Awards Program is judged by peers and acknowledges the best in class in PR throughout the Middle East and is set to break records with the largest event year to date.

Entries for the awards are welcomed from businesses and individuals operating in the public relations sector across the Middle East. This year, fourteen categories are available which include; ‘Consumer Goods’, ‘Consumer Services’, ‘Healthcare & Services’, ‘Corporate Reputation & Image’, ‘Government Communications’, ‘Business to Business’, ‘Financial PR’, ‘Corporate Social Responsibility & Environmental PR’, ‘Corporate Social Responsibility & Environmental PR’, ‘Best Integrated campaign’, ‘Best Use of Social Media/Digital PR’, ‘Best use of Media Relations – consumer or trade’, ‘Best Employee Engagement’, ‘Best Live Event/Stunt’, ‘Agency of the Year’ and the ‘Dave Robinson Award – Outstanding Young Communicator of the Year’.

For more information and to register, visit www.mepra.org/mepra-awards/

 

Memac Ogilvy Dubai wins Gold

Memac Oglivy Dubai has won Gold at Cannes Lion for the project Geometry Global, The Lucky Iron Fish, in the PR category. The Lucky Iron Fish is an innovative campaign about one little fish that makes a difference in the world by addressing the issue of high anemia levels throughout the globe.

People who use the smiling iron fish, which provides 75% of an adult’s daily recommended intake of iron, in their cooking saw a massive decrease in the levels of iron deficiency. The campaign, which attracted over 2.6 million impressions, struck a nerve with the public who spread the message of how a small iron fish is saving lives in Cambodia and around the world. The Cannes jury awarded The Lucky Iron Fish project a Gold Lion in the PR Category.

For further information, contact Sophie Wordley at sophie.wordley@ogilvy.com / +971 (0)4 305 0309

Transform Awards MENA 2015 winners announced

The winners of the second Transform Awards MENA 2015 were announced last night in a ceremony held at The Address Hotel, Dubai Marina. The awards were marked by a diverse group of winners that reflect the versatility of the region’s branding community and the recognition among business within the region of the importance of branding.

“All of the winners of the Transform Awards MENA deserve the recognition they received last night as they succeeded in a competitive, rigourously-judged field,” says Brittany Golob, Editor, Transform magazine. “We are proud to announce the winners of the second annual Transform Awards MENA and wish all of the successful brands our congratulations. It was a pleasure to see the dedication and level of work going into brand development and rebranding projects in the Middle East.”

The categories and winners of the Tranform Awards MENA 2015 included: Best Use of a Visual Property – Batelco and Unisono; Best Brand Architecture Solution – Enerya and Landor Associates; Best Use of Copy style / Tone of Voice – S’wich and Tonic International; Best Brand Experience –  Etisalat and StartJG; Best Use of Packaging – Al Fakher and CBA; Best Internal Communications during a Brand Development Programme – APM Terminals Bahrain and Miracle; Best Implementation of a Brand Development Programme – Men’s handball and 28 Design Consultancy; Best Implementation of a Brand Development Project across Multiple Markets – Malabar Gold and Diamonds and Brand Union; Best Creative Strategy – King Abdullah Economic City and Turquoise Branding; Best Brand Evolution – Horizon & Co and Bellwether; Best Strategic/Creative Development of a New Brand – Hamad International Airport and StartJG; best brand Development Project to Reflect Changed Mission/Values/Positioning – GO Telecommunications and Bellwether; Best Brand Consolidation – AlYaum and Bellwether; Best Rebrand of a Digital Property – Careem and North 55; Best Visual Identity from a Charity, NGO or NFP – CDA (Community Development Authority), UAE and Tonic International; Best Visual identity from the Energy & Extractives Sector – Enerya and Landor Associates; Best Visual Identity from the Financial Services Sector – Aseer Investments and Bellwether; Best Visual Identity from the Healthcare & Pharmaceuticals Sector – Fakih IVF and BrandAid; Best Visual Identity for the Industrial & Basic Materials Sector – King Abdullah Economic City and Turquoise Branding; Best Visual Identity from the Professional Services Sector – Horizon & Co and Bellwether; Best Visual Identity from the Public Sector – GCC-STAT and OHI Leo Burnett, Oman; Best Visual Identity from the Retail Sector – S’wich and Tonic International; Best Visual Identity from the Technology, Media & Telecommunications Sector – Batelco and Unisono; Best Visual Identity from the Travel & Leisure Sector – X Dubai & Start JG; Best Overall Visual Identity – Batelco and Unisono; Grand Prix – GO Telecommunications and Bellwether.

Alongside the awards, Transform MENA’s full day conference, The Transform Middle East Brand Summit, was attended by branding and communications professionals from the MENA region. The conference debated brand development, rebranding and brand positioning in the Middle East.