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Weber Shandwick named MEPRA’s Agency of the Year

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Weber Shandwick MENA has been named Agency of the Year by the Middle East Public Relations Association (MEPRA) at the MEPRA Awards ceremony, which was held in Dubai last night. Weber Shandwick MENA also took home separate awards for ‘Best Corporate Reputation and Image’ for its work for DGCX (Dubai Gold and Commodities Exchange) and ‘Best Business to Business Communications’ for its work with Standard and Poor’s. Honourees for each category are selected by an independent industry panel based on information gathered during the regional awards process.

“Winning MEPRA Agency of the Year is both a great achievement and a recognition of our commitment to creative excellence in a competitive marketplace with increasingly high best practice benchmarks,” says Ziad Hasbani, CEO, Weber Shandwick MENA. “I am delighted for my talented colleagues across the region who strive to achieve outstanding results for our clients day-in, day-out. However, we will not be resting on any laurels. We are driving forward a transformation of our business, which will ensure that we continue to stay ahead of the regional communication trends and place centre-stage the recognition that creativity and digital offerings are now key. We are confident that this award win will be the first of many.”

OMD launches study to explore ‘Future of the UAE’

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OMD has launched a study to explore future behaviours of UAE consumers. The survey, called ‘The Future of the UAE’, aims to assess the impact of changes to the country’s population and socio-demographics on lifestyles, shopping, technology and media consumption. It will also explore consumers’ expectations and attitudes towards life in the UAE and the country’s role globally.

The fieldwork for OMD’s study on the future state of the consumer society in the UAE is already underway, including face-to-face interviews with a representative sample of 2,000 residents in the country.

OMD UAE is partnering with Integral-OMG, the research and consultancy arm of Omnicom Media Group MENA, to conduct in-depth qualitative and quantitative research, exploring consumer values and attitudes in the UAE today, as well as the changes in the modern household and their impact on decision-making and media consumption.

As well as dealing with societal issues, ‘The Future of the UAE’ study will delve into consumers’ attitudes towards technology, including smartphones, mobile and e-commerce platforms, media consumption and technological advances, as well as their expectations from brands, key sentiments and values that resonate with them, and their lifestyle aspirations for the future. Based on this intelligence, brands can derive affirmative conclusions on how to better communicate with their consumers in the face of change.

“Technology is constantly transforming our industry worldwide, and in the UAE that velocity is much higher given consumers’ seamless adoption of anything new,” says Nadim Samara, Managing Director, OMD UAE & Lower Gulf. “Catalysed by both the government’s pursuit of technology, along with a higher average purchasing power parity by the UAE residents, these future behavioural habits of consumers are an area of vast interest for brands and one that is particularly hard to predict. This is why we have decided to undertake this study, with the goal of gaining valuable insights on the future for us to make more effective and impacting decisions for our stakeholders; our intimate knowledge of ‘where we are heading’ is paramount to navigating the consumer pivots successfully.”

‘The Future of the UAE’ is part of a global research initiative by OMD, with some 15 studies either already completed or currently underway. Based on a consistent model, they allow for international comparisons, making the project relevant for both local and international marketers.

Neha Mishra promoted at Linktia

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Neha Mishra has been promoted at Linktia to the position of Head of Photography and Production for Magnet Photo Production. Having been with the content production group since 2010, Neha first joined Linktia as a Senior Producer for Bareface Productions.

Producing over 300 campaigns in the MENA region and internationally, some of Neha’s most notable campaigns include producing Hello Tomorrow for Emirates Airlines, consecutive Rolex campaigns with Roger Federer and a Microsoft campaign with Todd Selby and Norman Jean Roy. In her new position, Neha will oversee all photography and production content for Magnet Photo Production.

“The Linktia group has an amazing culture of developing people from within the brands, which means that our team has grown together over the years,” says Neha. “This is something I’m very much in sync with and will focus to endorse. I welcome the opportunity to work with all of our talent and to develop Magnet further by focusing on producing great work regionally and internationally.

Linktia is a Dubai-based content production group made up of brands including Bareface Productions, arabianEye Productions, Alchemy Films, Aperto Middle East, Magnet Photo Productions, Corbis and The Studion.

Memac Ogilvy welcomes new Chief Creative Officer

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Memac Ogilvy has appointed multi-award winning creative talent Paul Shearer as the group’s new Chief Creative Officer (CCO). Shearer brings 25 years of experience in advertising to his new role and will be based in Memac Ogilvy’s Dubai office.

“Paul’s record speaks for itself and we are confident that he will drive our group forward to even higher creative levels,” says Edmond Moutran, Chairman and CEO, Memac Ogilvy. “Paul prides himself on understanding client’s business and the global alignment that is required for creative success. He always surprises his clients and teams with his ideas and has won some of the most prestigious global awards in our industry. However, when it comes to success Paul will always tell you that our philosophy is to move our client’s brands off the shelf which is more satisfying than any award, and that really resonates with us as a network.”

Paul’s work for brands such as Guess Jeans, Nike and Audi has won him global admiration and accolades, including 18 Cannes Lions, 10 D&AD pencils, 19 Clio statues and his work has received the ‘Best of Show’ award at the One Club. Part of his experience also includes being a Creative Head at Wieden+Kennedy, Senior Creative at BBH and Founding Partner of Nitro.

Paul adds, “Being able to spearhead creative operations as CCO at Memac Ogilvy is a responsibility that I am thrilled to be carrying forward. The network has an incredibly rich history within the advertising industry, and the talent that I’ll be collaborating with in my view is second to none.”

Exponential announces results of mobile research

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Digital advertising intelligence company Exponential Interactive has revealed its results of the research conducted into what people in the Middle East’s choice of mobile phone brand says about them, and how this can be used for marketing and advertising techniques.

Exponential Interactive conducted an analysis of the anonymous online behaviour of 1.1 million people in the Middle East and North Africa during the third quarter of 2014, researching mobile phones to compare the strongest – or most ‘over-indexing’ – interests across topics which include film, cars, travel and shopping.

Of the five brands measured, the results of the research found that Apple is the only one more likely to appeal to women, while Samsung, BlackBerry, Nokia and LG are all more likely to be of interest to men. Geographically, Abu Dhabi residents are the most likely to be interested in Apple, whilst Dubai residents are the most likely to be interested in BlackBerry.

As confidence in e-commerce increases across the region, LG owners are leading the way as the most likely to make purchases on a mobile phone, while Apple owners are the least likely.

“The research throws up challenges to stereotypes and interesting reinforcements about the type of people who own different phone brands,” says Amer Attyeh, Regional Business Head for the Middle East and North Africa, Exponential Interactive. “For instance, iPhone owners were perceived as the young trendsetters but they’re actually the most likely to be into golf, fishing and looking at home insurance – things generally associated with older demographics. More practically, this type of data helps companies advertise more effectively. For instance, it shows Apple would do well to use rap and hip hop music in marketing activity. Meanwhile, sponsoring BMW-related events could pay dividends for Nokia. As The Hunger Games scores highly among people interested in LG, the brand might consider using star Jennifer Lawrence in marketing activity.”

Effie MENA Awards 2014 winners announced

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The winners for this year’s Effie MENA Awards have been revealed. Taking place on Wednesday November 19, 2014, at The Meydan Hotel in Dubai, approximately 1,500 invited guests attended to celebrate the campaigns, advertisers and agencies that have had the most measurable impact over the past 12 months.

The Effie MENA Awards 2014 was expanded this year to incorporate 23 classes of achievement; with categories including: ‘Best Youth Marketing Campaign’, ‘Best Use of Social Media’ and ‘Most Effective Agency Network of the Year.’ Corresponding with the rise in the number of categories was an increase in the number of entrants, with submissions 75 percent higher than the previous year. Mediaquest – the media organisers behind the event – noted that the increase in categories and nominations reflects the dynamism of the regional marketing industry and the innovation currently being seen in the sector.

“This year’s Effie Awards were the biggest to date, featuring the largest number of nominations and the greatest number of categories for inclusion,” says Alexandra Hawari, Co-CEO, Mediaquest. “The diversity of marketing forms and approaches that we are now witnessing across the region necessitated the introduction of new classes of achievement in order to fully acknowledge the impact on audiences that have been achieved with unique techniques.”

The evening saw FP7/DXB awarded with an impressive haul of seven Gold Awards, coming first place in six categories, including ‘Best Use of CSR,’ ‘Best Youth Marketing Campaign,’ ‘Banking, Finance & Insurance,’ ‘FMCG,’ ‘Single Media Activation,’ and ‘Brand Experience.’ The organisation’s array of impactful campaigns that had measurably resonated with audiences in the region resulted in it receiving the ‘Most Effective Agency Network of the Year’ title.

Cairo-based Media Direction OMD was awarded the ‘Best Use of Social Media’ award for their Barakat and Super Teta campaign, which was conducted on behalf of Vodaphone Egypt. JWT DXB and Carat DXB’s ‘I’m Coming Home’ campaign for Microsoft Mobile Devices saw the agency awarded in the ‘Telecommunications, Mobiles & Internet’ category, while JWT Cairo and Starcom MediaVest Group – also from Cairo – impressed the judges to win the ‘New Product’ category with their ‘Cinnamint’ campaign for Mondelez Egypt Foods.

All of the 23 category winners are now eligible to participate in the Effie Global Effectiveness Index. The scheme incorporates data from 40 worldwide Effie Award competitions to determine those in the industry that have had the most measurable success on a global scale.

Haute Time magazine to launch in the UAE

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Haute Time is set to launch a UAE edition of the magazine in January 2015. Published biannually, the luxury lifestyle magazine will be unveiled before the SIHH Watch Show and will act as the preeminent resource for the luxury watch and jewellery industry in the Middle East.

With a total UAE distribution of 15,000, Haute Time UAE will be available in print across various venues, as well as digitally on iPad, iPhone and Android. Offering readers and advertisers specialised content from global editors on the watch and jewellery market, cars and fashion, the magazine’s Dubai-based editors will additionally cover everything concerning the Middle Eastern market, including major fashion and luxury events, the best restaurants and the latest hotels.

With an accompanying platform – www.hautetime.ae – this will be updated daily with news from the UAE, as well as first-rate watch editorial from global editors.

“We are very excited to launch in the UAE, as six years ago we had the luxury of featuring Mohamed Alabbar, Founder and Chairman of Emaar Properties on our cover as he was building the Burj Khalifa,” says Seth Semilof, Publisher, Haute Living and Haute Time magazine. ““We have been in love with the UAE ever since we started our Hauteliving.com blog in the country with Rebecca Anne Proctor 3 years ago. With the site’s great readership in the region, it was natural for us to launch Haute Time, a biannual book showcasing everything relating to luxury taking place in the UAE. It will have the same powerful distribution that has made Haute Time so famous in the US.”