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Winners of Transform Awards MENA revealed

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The first winners of the inaugural MENA edition of Europe’s Transform Awards were announced last night in a ceremony held at the JW Marriott Marquis Dubai, with sixteen regional ad, branding and creative agencies honoured with the highly-contested ‘Best in Class’ titles.

“We’re absolutely delighted with the response to the first Transform Awards in the region,” says Andrew Thomas, Founder of Transform and Managing Director of Cravenhill Publishing. “There is a tremendous amount of work in the rebranding, repositioning and brand transformation space and we see huge potential for growth in the coming years. As we’ve seen from the awards, the level of talent in the region is quite outstanding, and we seriously hope that the Transform Awards will set a brand industry benchmark to take it to the next level.”

Reviewing and evaluating the categories were Flavia Barbat, Editor-in-Chief of Branding Magazine; Patrick Lloyd-Bradley, Brand and Marketing Communications Director for Averda International; Ammar Elkurdi, Brand Manager for Volvo Cars, and Stephen McCallion, Global Head of Marketing and Communications, Abu Dhabi National Energy Company.

Fellow judge, Syed Abdul Karim Tanveer, Director of Brand Experience at Mobily adds, “The Transform Awards are a great platform to celebrate the best from the world of branding. It is a wonderful opportunity for talent in the MENA region to be recognised for their work. This is key to inspiring others and helping the industry to evolve and mature.”

The categories and winners of the Tranform Awards MENA 2014 included – Best Use of a Visual Property – Seef Mall and Unisono; Best External Stakeholder Relations During a Rebrand – Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank and StartJG; Best Internal Communication During a Rebrand – Dubai Airports and StartJG; Best Implementation of a Rebrand – Gama Aviation and Brash Brands; Best Creative Strategy – Milaha and Bellwether; Best Brand Evolution – du; Best Strategic/Creative Development of a New Brand – Mubadala and Omnia; Best Rebrand to Reflect Changed Mission/Values/Positioning – Intel and Red Peak; Best Brand Consolidation – Toyota (Al-Futtaim Motors) and Bellwether; Best Rebrand of a Digital Property – Xplored for GardaWorld and Bladonmore (Middle East); Best Visual Identity from a Charity/NGO/NFP – Doha Film Institute; Best Visual Identity from the Technology, Media and Telecommunications Sector – MixFM and Turquoise Branding; Best Visual Identity from the Financial Services Sector – Emirates RE and Omnia; Best Visual Identity from the Industrial and Basic Materials Sector – Milaha and Bellwether; Best Visual Identity from the Property Sector – Mubadala and Brash Brands; Best Visual Identity from the Retail Sector – 1915 by Seddiqi and Brash Brands; Best Overall Visual Identity – Mihala; Best Overall Visual Identity Bellwether for its work with Milaha, and Grand Prix – du.

Alongside the awards, Transform MENA held a full day conference attended by branding and communications professionals from the MENA region. The conference included a lineup of sessions discussing the most successful rebranding, repositioning and brand transformation projects globally and in the MENA, and saw the launch of Transform Magazine, a global publication on brand development.

Stylist to launch Middle East edition

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Arab Publishing Partners (APP), part of the ITP Group, has announced today a new licensing agreement with London-based Shortlist Media Ltd. The first brand under license will be fashion and lifestyle weekly Stylist, and is set to launch in the UAE in September 2014, introducing the ‘freemium’ magazine sector to the market.

Similar to its UK and French versions, the Arabia edition of Stylist will target cosmopolitan, urban professional women aged 20-40 years. Once launched, the magazine will be the highest circulated women’s weekly title in the market, with a print circulation of 50,000 across the UAE. The magazine will also be made available at five star hotels, airline business class lounges, spas, salons and universities, and will be sent direct to ITP’s extensive female database. An online edition of the magazine will be available from Apple iTunes, and the title will be BPA audited.

“Stylist has taken the UK by storm over the last four years,” says Tim Ewington, Co-Founder and International Director, Shortlist Media. “With our first overseas edition in France now firmly established we are thrilled to be launching into the dynamic Middle East market. We are delighted to be working with APP in the Gulf. They are experienced and professional operators – perfect partners to recreate the same impact that our brand has had in the UK and France in a new region.”

Ali Akawi, Managing Director of APP Group adds, “We are excited to see the APP Group further expand its portfolio and bring the first ‘freemium’ magazine to the Middle East. We look forward to building a large interactive community of readers and are confident we can replicate the success that the brand has had in the UK and France.”

Annie Turnell joins Insignia PR

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Annie Turnell has joined Insignia PR as Account Executive. Prior to joining the team, Annie worked for BW&P, the executive search and selection company, recruiting specifically to the logistics and supply chain sector in the Middle East and South East Asia. Additionally, Annie previously operated in the retail market where she delivered client service for British clothing brand Jigsaw in the UK, before relocating to sister company Webster Holdings in Australia.

“Annie is a true digital native,” says Gabriela Asquith, Director, Insignia PR. “With unrivalled knowledge of consumer trends, journalistic methods and publishing demands, this enables her to provide our clients with impacting PR strategies to secure targeted coverage.”

Reem Maroun joins Insignia PR

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Reem Maroun has joined the Insignia PR team as Associate PR Director. Previously, Reem managed the PR for Midrar Investment Management Company in Jordan, and prior to this was with the ASDA’A Amman office on accounts that included Microsoft, Xpress Telecommunications, Miss Sixty and Visa International. Notably, Reem was pivotal to the Royal Hashemite Court of Jordan, as part of His Majesty King Abdullah II ibn Al Hussein of Jordan’s Advance Protocol team.

“We are delighted to have Reem on board the team,” says Gabriela Asquith, Director, Insignia PR. “Not only does she boast excellent senior level media contacts, but she has a profound understanding of effective messaging to guarantee positive coverage in both Arabic and English speaking media across all channels.

octOpus wins at 20th Summit Creative Awards

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The Summit International Awards has presented octOpus Advertising with a Bronze at the 2014 Summit Creative Awards. The Summit Creative Awards celebrates the creative achievements of small and medium-sized advertising agencies worldwide with annual billings under $30 million. This year saw over 5,000 submissions from 24 countries, with Dubai-based octOpus being recognised for its entry in the B2B Service Website category; creative work done on the Indoogoo website, which provides a free marketing and procurement solution for members of Indoogoo, a global trading network for the heavy industry. The 20th annual creative competition was held in Oregon, USA.

“Indoogoo is a unique business, the first of its kind,” says Jon Fraser, Managing Director, octOpus. “The Indoogoo website represents a paradigm shift in the way that heavy equipment is traded and planned globally. octOpus has created a social media platform for the heavy industry that facilitates trade and business connections across eight industrial categories including oil and gas, construction, marine vessels, mining, cranes, transport, earthmoving and compaction, and farm and forestry. The Summit Creative Awards has recognised the unique and creative approach that octOpus took for the Indoogoo brand. We are thrilled to have been recognised for this.”

Jocelyn Luciano, Executive Director for the Summit International Awards adds, “Winning a Summit Creative Award is a significant accomplishment in one’s career. With vetted judges, tough judging criteria, blind judging processes and strict bylaws limiting winners, only deserving entries receive recognition, and octOpus scored among the very best. The website was cleverly structured to simplify both social interactions and sales transactions among its members. Its user-friendly interface and creativity made octOpus’ entry a favourite among the judges.”

GCC Government Social Media Summit announced

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The 3rd annual GCC Government Social Media Summit will return to Dubai from 17-18 September 2014, with a new format to explore how innovative social networks can be leveraged by governments and organisations to achieve their communications and strategic goals. Held under the theme of ‘innovative social networks for effective collaboration and smart governance’, this year’s summit allows delegates to choose from seven workshops based on their specific industry sectors. These interactive sessions provide unique insight, proven social media strategies and in-depth training to attendees from sectors such as social business, tourism, healthcare, defense, government, education and foreign affairs.

Another new feature of the 2014 summit is a dedicated advisory board to help shape and develop timely and topical content for the event sessions. The advisory board hosts top specialists from the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority, MemacOgilvy, the Mohammed Bin Rashid School of Government, and government advisory firm Exantium.

“The use of social media has grown exponentially in our region over the last few years,” says Ibrahim El Badawi, Founder and CEO, Exantium. “Today, there are more than 135 million internet users in the Arab world, and more than 71 million of these use social media actively. With internet penetration rising at an annual rate of 20%, regional governments today are starting to realise social media’s growing role in the instantaneous provision of news and information to the public. The GCC Government Social Media Summit provides professionals with the opportunity to discuss how social media channels can help government bodies effectively communicate with their various audience groups.”

Interested participants can receive an all-access pass for the summit at a 25% discount if they register by 15 June 2014. Registrations are currently open at www.socialmedia-series.com/GCC.

Eva Glele joins Active PR

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Eva Glele has joined Active PR as Account Director. Eva joins the team from London, where she previously worked for Regus, the multinational corporation providing flexible workspaces, and was responsible for the design and implementation of corporate communication strategy across 28 MEA countries. Eva brings with her over 10 years of experience in domestic and global PR strategies in both agency and in-house roles, having worked across a range of B2B and B2C sectors.

‘I am very excited to have joined Active PR,” says Eva. “The team are truly a bunch of passionate and top-notch PR professionals, and I’m really looking forward to working closely with them and supporting in driving the agency’s growth ambitions. These are exciting times to join, and I can’t wait to bring my strategic thinking and international experience to further add value to our existing and upcoming clients.”

Sawsan Ghanem, Managing Director and Co-Founder of Active PR adds, “We are delighted to have Eva join our team. She is a very strategic addition and we believe that her vision, talent and experience will be key in further supporting our business growth.”

Ziff Davis and T-Break Media launch AskMen ME

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Ziff Davis, the US-based digital media company, has announced an expanded licensing agreement with T-Break Media to publish men’s lifestyle portal, AskMen Middle East. Established in 1999, AskMen has become a global influence on men’s lifestyle matters, and the launch will combine content from AskMen’s worldwide network of contributors with locally created content specific for the Middle Eastern audience. The Middle East edition will initially be available in English, with Arabic content to be added in the near future, and will be available in more than 15 countries in the MENA region, including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Egypt.

“Working with T-Break Media to launch the male lifestyle digital brand in the Middle East was a natural evolution of our successful partnership with them on IGN Middle East,” says Adam Doree, International Business Development Director, Ziff Davis. “There has never been a more exciting time for the AskMen brand, with several new international editions rolling out now, and all of them based on the widely celebrated re-imagined AskMen site which recently won Digiday’s ‘Best Design Award’.”

Nick Rego, Senior Editor of AskMen Middle East adds, “We are extremely excited to be launching AskMen in the Middle East. The male demographic in the region is know for having an appreciation for a premium lifestyle, and this passion aligns perfectly with the content featured on AskMen. Our goal is to be a one-stop source for men on all facets of their life – everything from taking care of their health to the latest fashion trends. We have a very exciting year ahead of us, and we are proud to be bringing our knowledge and expertise to a demographic that is constantly looking for ways to better themselves.”