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RAPP ME welcomes new Managing Director 

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RAPP ME has appointed Mimi Nicklin to the role of Managing Director. With a wealth of experience in strategic and creative communications, Mimi previously worked across brands in South Africa including Coca-Cola, Kimberley Clarke, Samsung and Unilever and most recently worked with WPP Team GSK in Singapore where she held the role of Vice President. In her new role, she will focus on new strategic insights and creativity and strive for mass impact while leveraging data to drive delivery.

“In a time when the whole world is saying the same thing and many agencies offer a very similar offering I think it’s the quality of the talent that creates loyalty to our agency brands,” says Mimi. “My number one focus is on our people, our environment, our culture and our brand, ensuring that the team at RAPP are the most fulfilled and valued in our industry.”

Create Media Group welcomes new Head of Social Media 

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Digital communications agency, Create Media Group has appointed Mohamed El Daly to the role of Head of Social Media. With a wealth of experience, Mohamed has worked with brands such as L’Oreal, Dubai Tourism, Microsoft, Google and Coca-Cola where he devised social strategies, oversaw content creation and developed digital campaigns. In his new role, he will be responsible for the social media department of the agency and focus on the development of fresh and innovative solutions.

“I’m thrilled to be joining such a vibrant team full of talent and energy,” says Mohamed. “I look forward to working closely with Create Media’s teams to ensure that we keep innovating, creating, and delivering the best class of social media services.”

Tom Otton, Managing Director, Create Media Group continues, “We’re very happy to welcome Mohamed to the team, his experience is unparalleled & he’s going to add a real strategic focus to all that we do as we grow the business.”

House of Comms makes new appointment

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Dubai-based integrated communications agency, House of Comms has appointed Hossam Sultan to the role of Senior Social Media Manager. With over six years of dedicated social media experience, Hossam previously worked with more than 35 regional and global clients, including GoPro, Microsoft, Coca-Cola, L’Oreal, Dubai Tourism and Nakheel. In his new role, he will be will be responsible for developing creative solutions for the agency’s client social media platforms and producing data-driven insights.

“It’s impressive to witness the rapid growth of House of Comms and its capacity to compete with global giants that have been in the industry for years,” says Hossam. “It is a true testament to the hard work, passion and creativity of the team here. I’m really looking forward to this exciting new chapter in my career and growing within the agency!”

New Account Director at House of Comms

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Integrated creative communications agency, House of Comms has appointed Kate Bevan to the role of Account Director. With nine years of experience in the UK and the UAE, Kate offers a holistic approach to marketing having worked across brand, digital, experiential and advertising for a portfolio of clients including Coca-Cola, Nestlé and Majid Al Futtaim. In her new role, she will join House of Comm’s senior management team and focus on delivering strategically led brand and digital communications solutions.

“I’m excited to be part of an up and coming consultancy that offers an agile and integrated approach, reflecting the needs of the industry,” says Kate. “House of Comms believes in working in a collaborative manner between accounts and creative teams and I feel confident about the value we can add to our world class clients.”

New Creative Director at Create Media

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Dubai-based digital communications agency, Create Media Group has appointed Vincent Drevet to the role of Creative Director. With over 16 years of experience in creative communications, Vincent previously worked on various campaigns for organisations such as Coca Cola, Jaguar and Virgin Atlantic. In his new role, he will oversee all creative outputs and operations and work towards reaching new creative developments for the agency.

“Joining Create Media is a really exciting new challenge for me,” says Vincent. “Working with so many people from all around the world, finding solutions to bring a multicultural team to work as one entity is always exciting and joining Tom Otton and his multi-talented team is my best career choice to date.”

Dubai Lynx announces Advertiser of the Year

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The Dubai Lynx International Festival of Creativity has announced that Coca-Cola Middle East will be awarded the 2017 Advertiser of the Year. The award honours and embraces advertisers in the region for their innovation in creative communications.

“We are extremely proud to be honoured with this award.,” says Tolga Cebe, Marketing Director, Coca-Cola Middle East. “At the Coca-Cola Company, we continuously strive to engage with billions of consumers and make everyday moments special. We always challenge ourselves to enhance the way our brands connect with consumers leveraging both global and local insights. This award is a wonderful recognition for Coca-Cola and our agencies here in the region.”

Alexandra Williams joins IHC

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IHC Integrated Communications has welcomed Alexandra Williams to the role of Associate Director at the Dubai office. With eight years of experience in PR, digital analytics, crisis communications and strategy, Alexandra previously worked at Weber Shandwick, Kuala Lumpur as an intern where she worked on technology and B2B accounts including Microsoft and Google. She most recently worked at Grayling, UK as the Associate Director, where she worked on a portfolio of PR and digital clients including HSBC, Coca-Cola and Skype. In 2013 she moved to Dubai to oversee and take the digital lead at DABO & CO. In her new role, she will be handling IHC’s delivery of PR, digital and experiential marketing as well as supporting the continued expansion of the agency’s integrated offering at the Dubai office.

“With a strong PR background and advanced digital capability, IHC focuses on elevating brands through superior content, integrated communication and creativity, so Alex’s appointment is a natural fit for us,” says Ian Hainey, Managing Director, IHC. “Since inception, we have used a winning mixture of marketing techniques to maximise brand awareness and lead generation for clients. Bringing Alex on board will definitely help our clients enjoy an even higher multiplier effect on their communications investment.”

Alexandra adds “I am delighted to be joining such a strong team at IHC and am very much looking forward to exercising a multitude of marketing techniques in my new role. Ian and the team have strong brand names under their belts. I am excited to expand on this.”

UM MENA releases media trends report 2016

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UM MENA has released a 2016 media trends report, NEXT THING NOW, for the region. Set to become an annual fixture, the report highlights yearly trends specific to the MENA region and UM’s view of where the market is heading towards on various themes in the industry. Written by UM MENA’s media specialists, the report also features input from professionals at Coca-Cola, Google, DMS and Yahoo! It will be distributed to UM MENA clients and publishing partners around the region and will also be available online through the agency’s website by Q2 of this year.

“The report echoes the views of our media experts at UM as well as the direction in which our company is heading in the coming years when it comes to media planning and marketing solutions for our clients,” says Chris Skinner, CEO, UM MENA. “There is a definite shift in the industry but by thinking forward and adapting our approach to the future trends we can achieve maximum impact and ROI. NEXT THING NOW will provide you with necessary insights and the way forward for you as a marketer and a media professional.”

Effie Global Ranking Index 2015 announced

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Effie Worldwide has announced its 2015 index ranking, with five top global entities in the MENA region being recognised and awarded under the scheme. The index, now in its fifth year, identifies and ranks outstanding agencies, marketers and brands through a rigorous evaluation of their case studies and work, with a core objective to recognise and reward ideas that have had the most impact across the globe, irrespective of campaign size.

The Effie Effectiveness Index 2015 is compiled from 3,146 finalists and winning entries from worldwide Effie Award competitions from January 1 to December 31, 2014. Organisations that have been awarded this year in the MENA region include Unilever, for Most Effective Marketer, Coca-Cola, for Most Effective Brand, IPG, for Most Effective Holding Group, McCann Worldgroup for Most Effective Agency Network and FP7, for Most Effective Individual Agency.

“The Effie Effectiveness Index is the world’s most prestigious ranking of effective marketing, and five years of data allows for a bigger picture to compare and contrast the trends in Marketing,” says Neal Davies, President and CEO, Effie Worldwide. “By having access to the cases that led to success in the Effie Index, marketers can study best in class examples of effective marketing from around the globe.”

Tom Hardstaff joins UM MENA

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Tom Hardstaff has joined the UM team as Regional Strategy Director. Having moved over from Mediacom in the UK, Tom has worked on international brands such as Volkswagen, TUI, Kenwood and DeLonghi. In his new position, Tom’s main responsibility is to support the Coke team with strategic direction, ensuring the brand’s continued innovative growth in the MENA region. Tom’s current focus is the development and implementation of the MENA Coke workshops, which will be pulling together the local markets to align vital output and drive the brand forward.

“The challenges Coca Cola face in the MENA region differs to that of other international markets,” says Tom. “But, with an innovative agency approach to our strategic direction, we have the opportunity to deliver remarkable, engaging consumer campaigns and ultimately reposition Coke as the number one drinks brand in the region.”