Rachel Maher – The Media Network

PHD wins Al-Futtaim

January 12, 2016/in Account win /by Emily Churchill-Owen

PHD UAE has been appointed by Al-Futtaim to manage the media responsibilities of a large portfolio of its brands following a four-way market review. The pitch was the result of the diversified conglomerate’s decision to seek an alternative to the in-house model it has used until now. PHD will now handle the media communications briefs for its many businesses and brands to provide a fresh perspective and approach. The appointment means that PHD has gained an entire agency portfolio of brands and the agency has had a restructure in order to create a dedicated unit for the new business.

“This is a particularly significant appointment for PHD and comes as we complete our first decade in operation in the Middle East,” says Elda Choucair, Managing Director, PHD UAE. “It further demonstrates our ability to work with large businesses and secures our place in the major agency league. Though scale was never our goal, it does prove the relevance and appeal of our unique proposition to all types of advertisers, particularly those focused on long-term growth. We will continue to be true to our original proposition of a bespoke agency with digital at the core, as well as our ethos and promise of finding a better way for our clients and partners.”

PHD start new year on a high

January 3, 2016/in Award win /by Michelle J Kuehn

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.”

PHD UAE secures Dubai Parks and Resorts account

December 17, 2015/in Account win /by Michelle J Kuehn

Dubai Parks and Resorts has appointed PHD UAE to manage its domestic and international media activities. The agency will cover strategy, planning and buying for all offline media channels, covering the Dubai Parks and Resorts brand as well as its three theme parts: Motiongate Dubai, Bollywood Parks Dubai and LEGOLAND Dubai. PHD will also be working on the LEGOLAND water park, the Lapita Hotel and Riverland Dubai, a centrally located 220,000 square-foot district that will host various retail, dining and entertainment outlets.

“We were particularly impressed with PHD’s approach for our brands as well as the tools and systems they have to set their strategies,” says Vinit Dinesh Shah, Chief Destination Management Officer, Dubai Parks and Resorts. “We also found there was a great chemistry between us and the PHD team. We truly got the sense that they are people who understand our business as well as we do and we felt comfortable entrusting our brands to them.”

Elda Choucair, Managing Director, PHD UAE, adds “The sheer scale of this impressive project as well as the diversity of markets in which we will be working makes this an incredibly exciting brief for us. We’re literally contributing to building the future of Dubai as it is a landmark development that will further strengthen the city’s position on the world map. They have huge ambitions and we’re ready with boundless energy in order to make sure Dubai Parks and Resorts grows to reach its full potential.”

PHD UAE to hold BrainScape conference

October 5, 2015/0 Comments/in Regional News /by Emily Churchill-Owen

PHD UAE is set to hold BrainScape, its annual thought-leadership conference in the MENA region, on October 12, 2015. With a focus on the future of Artificial Intelligence (AI), the event will be held at the Armani Hotel Dubai and will host over 200 marketing professionals. It will feature a comprehensive look at the future of intelligence, as well as products that marketing professionals will be using and the advertising and data models that will support them. Key speakers include Kevin Slavin, Assistant Professor of Media Arts and Sciences at MIT Media Lab. The conference is produced with Choueiri Group’s dedicated digital media representation arm, Digital Media Services (DMS), as strategic partner.

“This is an incredibly exciting time to work in marketing, as we undergo a revolutionary transformation of what we are capable of achieving, thanks to developments in AI,” said Elda Choucair, Managing Director, PHD UAE. “This year’s BrainScape will invigorate marketers and inspire them on how to capitalise on upcoming technology and take the marketing discipline to new heights.”

PHD welcomes new Associate Director

October 5, 2015/0 Comments/in Movers & Shakers /by Emily Churchill-Owen

Media and communications agency, PHD UAE has welcomed Edmond Gebara to the role of Associate Director. Previously Planning Manager at Mindshare Dubai, Edmond brings over four years of media experience to his new role. As Associate Director, he will work on the agency’s largest planning team, managing both the digital and offline accounts for key clients.

“Joining PHD poses quite an exciting challenge for me, both professionally and personally,” says Edmond. “The synergies within the agency – both on a team and organisational level – create a highly productive environment to work in. This, along with their strong focus on personal development, has exceeded my (already high) expectations of them. I look forward to contributing to their incredible momentum.”

PHD UAE wins Lacnor account

May 28, 2015/0 Comments/in Account win /by Emily Churchill-Owen

Lacnor, the beverage arm of National Food Products Company (NFPC) in the UAE, has appointed PHD UAE to handle its media communications account. The account will cover all Lacnor milk and juice product lines as well as Oasis water across the MENA region. PHD is to provide a new direction for the marketing of all of the company’s brands.

“We are extremely happy to be moving forward with PHD as our media partner, since we believe their strategy, tools and analytics, as well as their activation of ideas, are in line with our thinking on where to take our brands in the future,” says Sharif Ramadan, Head of Brands, Lacnor.

Elda Choucair, Managing Director, PHD UAE adds “Working with homegrown brands and helping them build their niche in the market is at the core of PHD’s offering and as such we are delighted to be working with Lacnor as they enter this massive growth phase.”

Staff promotions at PHD

January 26, 2015/0 Comments/in Movers & Shakers /by Melissa Jean McWhirter

PHD UAE has promoted five senior employees following its business growth in 2014. Firstly, Ian Dolan has been promoted to the newly created position of Strategy Director. As a Planning Director for the last three years, he will now contribute to the strategic direction of all accounts, driving business development as well as spearheading the creative and innovation agenda for the agency and its clients.

Charli Ursell has been appointed to the position of Digital Director, after leading on the development of initiatives regarded as ‘best in class’ globally by key clients as Digital Associate Director for almost two years. Rachel Maher is now Marketing Director, following the creation and deployment of a rich programme of initiatives, as well as her contribution to business development activities and account wins in the position of Marketing Manager.

Following several years of managing one of PHD’s largest accounts with consistent qualitative output, Nawal Nasreddine has been promoted to Planning Director, as well as Karen Doumet who is also promoted to the position of Planning Director, following an impeccable track record with clients.

“As an organisation, we have grown significantly over the past 12 months,” says Elda Choucair, Managing Director, PHD UAE. “These promotions are as much a reward for this performance as a promise for future success. We endeavour to nurture our talent at PHD so that we, as a team, can continue to exceed the expectations of our clients, our partners and ourselves.”

PHD partners with YouTube for data integration

July 24, 2014/0 Comments/in Regional News /by Team TMN

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

July 23, 2014/0 Comments/in Movers & Shakers /by Team TMN

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.”

PHD partners with IPA

June 18, 2014/0 Comments/in Regional News /by Team TMN

PHD, part of the Omnicom Media Group, has partnered with the UK’s Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA) to localise and adapt its professional education material and examination for Middle East media professionals. Established for over 10 years, The IPA Foundation Certificate is an award-winning online learning program designed to provide junior industry professionals with the knowledge to perform their day-to-day roles with confidence and expertise. With over 10,000 executives in the UK certified, PHD are the first media agency executives in the Middle East to take and successfully pass the exam to secure the IPA’s Foundation Certificate.

“PHD is all about ‘finding a better way,’ not just for ourselves or our clients, but also for the industry in which we operate,” says Elda Choucair, Managing Director, PHD UAE. “Wherever it operates, PHD has always been a strong supporter of raising industry standards. I am very proud of the role we’ve taken in localising IPA’s Foundation Certificate for our industry and our team’s results in the examination. We’ve partnered with the IPA because we see it as part of our role to develop the future talent of our industry.”

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