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PHD expands regional network

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Dubai-based media and communications agency, PHD has launched its operations in Lebanon as a part of its regional expansion plan. With an office in Beirut, PHD will bring its expertise and working methods to manage the interest of its clients across Lebanon and the Levant region. The new launch will also see the appointment of Maroun Hassoun to the role of General Manager, PHD Lebanon to oversee the team and report to Elda Choucair, CEO of PHD MENA.

“Having spent my entire career in the marketing industry, I can say that I have watched the rise of PHD with awe,” says Maroun. “I feel an equal sense of responsibility in maintaining and developing this mindset and excitement about the opportunity to tangibly make a difference in a market I know so well.”

Several promotions at PHD

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The Middle East offices of media and communications agency, PHD, part of Omnicom Media Group, has announced several internal promotions to accommodate their goals of regional expansion and new service offerings.

Hassan Shoker, previously the head of investments for PHD UAE, will now oversee all markets under PHD MENA, including Egypt, Lebanon and Saudi Arabia. Ian Dolan has been appointed as the Head of Strategy and Content and will be responsible for the network’s social media and digital solutions. Sandra Essa and Stephanie Medlege have both been promoted to the role of Associate Director – Planning. In their new role, Sandra and Stephanie will further contribute to strategic planning and execution for their client’s success.

“When I joined PHD 8 years ago, it was impossible to predict the incredible journey we were about to have together,” says Elda Choucair, CEO, PHD MENA. “Looking back, it has been a phenomenal experience of growth, not just for me personally or the agency, but also our exceptionally talented team and the brands that are like family to us. These well-deserved promotions are a sign that our collective progress is made up on individual achievements and excellence. Together, with our clients, we are dedicated to continuing this shared journey of growth for the benefit of all.”

PHD to hold BrainScape conference in Dubai

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PHD’s annual conference BrainScape is set to take place in Dubai on October 10, 2016 with Wired UK’s magazine Editor, David Rowan as a keynote speaker. The conference, which will lead an expected audience of over 200 marketing and media professionals, will see Daniel Mcduff, Researcher at Microsoft, as another keynote speaker discussing how technology can embrace human emotions to enhance the effectiveness of marketing communications.

“Technology changes our lives every single day and at PHD we are constantly keeping our finger on the pulse in order to deliver a better way for our clients through cutting-edge practices and ideas,” says Elda Choucair, CEO, PHD MENA. “This year, we will tackle the challenge of assessing new behaviors arising from the adoption of new technologies which will allow us to collaboratively refine our approach to integrating our clients’ brands seamlessly into their consumers’ new realities, either physical, virtual or augmented.”

Senior Executives promoted at PHD

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PHD, a division of Omnicom Media Group MENA, has promoted both its UAE Managing Director and General Manager in Dubai. Elda Choucair, previously Managing Director at PHD UAE, will now take on the role of CEO, PHD MENA which will involve her replicating her performance across new, as well as existing, offices in the region and, on top of this adding to her UAE responsibilities.

Luca Allam, previously General Manager for PHD Dubai, will now take on the role of Managing Director, PHD UAE. In this role, he will utilise his eleven years of experience in media in order to oversee the agency’s offices in both Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

“In Elda’s and Luca’s hands, PHD has gone from strength to strength,” says Elie Khouri, CEO, Omnicom Media Group, MENA. “The talent they’ve attracted and nurtured, the vision that has guided them and the energy they’ve deployed has made PHD the success story it is today. I have no doubt that they will find in their new role even more opportunities to stimulate further growth.”

 

OMD makes changes to management structure

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Omnicom Media Group MENA, holding group of OMD, PHD and Resolution in the Middle East, has made a number of promotions and changes to it’s management structure in the region. Nadim Samara has been promoted from Managing Director to the newly-created position of CEO, OMD, UAE. With over 15 years of experience with OMD, Nadim has international experience with the firm and will now manage it’s UAE operation, as well as ensure that the regional headquarters continue to develop its product offering and maintain its cutting edge in the areas of talent, innovation, analytics, data and performance.

Wissam Najjar will also now relocate to Dubai in order to take on the newly-created role of Regional Managing Director for the Lower Gulf, Levant and Emerging Markets. Previously Managing Director of OMD Levant, Wissam has worked across the OMD network and will now assume the additional responsibilities of OMD’s operations in Kuwait and Qatar, as well as its expansion into new markets in the MENA region. Former Director of Investments at OMD Lebanon, Rachid El Khazen has been promoted to the role of General Manager to take over from Najjar.

“The OMD network is bursting with talent so it is hugely gratifying to see Nadim’s, Wissam’s and Rachid’s accomplishments being rewarded with promotions and new assignments,” says Elie Khouri, CEO of Omnicom Media Group MENA. “While our market and industry are in the midst of a transformation, we see this as an opportunity to grow further. We have always focused on innovating and being future-ready. This is yet another expression of this aspect from our personality.”

PHD start new year on a high

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PHD has been named Global Media Network of the Year 2015 by Campaign MENA. The title was awarded to the company in the same year that it celebrated 25 years in media and has won clients including Unilever, GSK, SC Johnson, Ferrero and Bayer. PHD currently operates as a global network, with over 3,000 staff in more than 80 offices worldwide.

“PHD’s challenger positioning and focus on strategic comms planning and creative thinking has really set us apart this year,” says Mike Cooper, Worldwide CEO, PHD. “This point of difference is now starting to have the same draw globally as it has done in the UK over the last decade. Big brands are seeing the value in our global communications planning expertise and our success in that has led to us winning global buying assignments. 2015 should be remembered as the tipping point when buying-focused clients bought planning.”

Region’s talent honoured at MENA digital awards

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The region’s top digital advertising talent has been honoured at the second ever MENA Digital Awards ceremony, the only awards programme in the region dedicated to celebrating marketing in the digital industry. The event concluded the two-day Digital Media Forum (DMF) 2015, which attracted 500 industry stakeholders from across the MENA region and beyond to discuss the latest developments taking place across the digital landscape.

Big winners were Leo Burnett MENA, who won the Grand Prix Award as well as a number of awards across several categories including two golds in Digital Cause Marketing, a gold in Best Digital PR, a gold in Best Use of Social Media, a silver in Best Performance Campaign, a bronze in Best Use of Video and a bronze in Best Use of Mobile. Omnicom picked up the Network of the Year award, and OMD picked up the Agency of the Year.

Other notable winners included Initiative MENA, who garnered two silver awards for their work for KFC, under Best Application Mobile/Tablet and Best Use of Mobile, as well as two bronze awards under Best Integrated Media Campaign and Best Use of Video. Socialize Agency received two gold awards, BBDO collected one gold, three silvers and a bronze and Proximity picked up a gold, two silvers and a bronze. Other awards under different categories went to UM MENA, Ogilvy, Buzzman, OMD MENA, PHD and Sama Dubai.

“The MENA Digital Awards is the only marketing industry awards programme in the region that focuses solely on the digital sector,” says Najla Semaan Mazboudie, Managing Director of Spot On Media Services and Events, owner and founder of DMF and the MENA Digital awards. “It was established last year to honour success and excellence in the sector, thereby helping to promote the best in digital marketing planning, creativity, innovation, and effectiveness.”

PHD partners with YouTube for data integration

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PHD Worldwide has agreed to integrate YouTube data into their global media operating system, Source. YouTube will now become a channel in its own right in PHD’s propriety planning and buying operation used by all its planners, spanning 81 offices in 66 markets, and covering their major clients such as Unilever and GSK.

Talks between PHD and YouTube began in 2013, and since then YouTube engineers have integrated the latest YouTube reach data into PHD’s operating system. This is the first time that YouTube data has plugged directly into an agency’s own planning system at scale. PHD planners will now be able to optimise their channel mix using the latest and most accurate YouTube reach data to select how much to invest in YouTube in terms of reaching the maximum number of consumers at the minimal cost.

“We have so many clients now wanting to consider online video, and in particular YouTube, alongside TV,” says Malcolm Devoy, International Strategy Director, PHD. “The question is always on how much to invest. To establish this you need various pieces of data, which Google have now provided. Embedding this directly into our planning system now allows our planners across the world to make accurate decision on video channel allocation.”

Luca Allam promoted at PHD

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PHD, the media agency network part of Omnicom Media Group, has promoted its Group Director and Head of Digital, Luca Allam, to the position of General Manager of its Dubai office. Luca was instrumental in establishing PHD’s digital agenda, and as Group Director, he managed the integration of digital with offline media thinking and driving the agency’s digital product forward for clients. In his new role, Luca will oversee all accounts and lead on the Unilever digital business.

“Luca played a key role in leading several pitches to success with work that was seen as the very best,” says Elda Choucair, Managing Director, PHD UAE. “Luca will continue to drive new business and further our digital agenda, and I am sure that we will all continue to grow together and achieve even greater things.”