Effie Global Ranking Index 2015 Recognises MENA Marketing Excellence

Prestigious global programme honours ideas that work

Dubai, UAE, April 12 2015: Effie Worldwide has today announced its 2015 index ranking, with five top global entities in the MENA region being recognised and awarded under the scheme. Now in its fifth year, the Effie Effectiveness Index identifies and ranks the most outstanding agencies, marketers and brands through a rigorous evaluation of their case studies and work.

Effie’s core objective with its ranking is to recognise and reward ideas that have had the most impact across the globe, irrespective of the size of the campaign. The Index features the most effective marketers, brands, holding groups, networks and agency offices, with the rankings filtered by region, country and product category.

The Effie Effectiveness Index 2015 is compiled from 3,136 finalists and winning entries from worldwide Effie Award competitions from January 1 to December 31, 2014. The Index is constructed by converting every Effie award and finalist into points – 12 for a Grand Effie, eight for Gold, six for Silver, four for Bronze and two for a finalist (with contributing agencies receiving half these points).

The Effie Effectiveness Index forms one of the activities from Effie Worldwide, a global network that is responsible for the most prestigious and highly regarded marketing awards programme. The regional component of the programme, the Effie Mena Awards, is recognised as a benchmark for achievement in the MENA marketing sphere, with the event organised by Mediaquest, one of the region’s largest and most influential privately-owned publishing and events companies.

Alexandre Hawari, Co CEO of Mediaquest said: “The MENA region is raising the bar for marketing excellence. Through the Effie initiative, creative professionals and regional entities are encouraged to push boundaries, think big, express themselves out loud and compete on a global scale. The programme also serves to inspire the public and the next generation of youth through creative messaging and impactful campaigns. The Effie Awards are an excellent measurement of the MENA region’s marketing capabilities and this year’s competition standards were very high – we’d like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has participated.”

“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,” said Neal Davies, President and CEO of Effie Worldwide. “What’s more, 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.”

The 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 Dubai for Most Effective Individual Agency.

Highlights from this year’s Middle East & Africa rankings include Unilever’s continued dominance of the marketer ranking for the third year in a row. The Coca –Cola Company retains its second place ranking with Emirates NBD ranking third. Coca –Cola remains the top ranking brand for the third year in a row, followed by Emirates NBD and SmartLife. Interpublic (IPG) unseats WPP Group as the most effective holding company in the Middle East & Africa region. McCann Worldgroup is the most effective agency network for the second year in a row, followed by IPG Mediabrands and OMD. FP7/DXB (Dubai, UAE) remains the region’s top ranked individual agency office for the second year in a row. MINT (Dubai, UAE) debuts in the Index as the most effective independent agency in 2015.

About Mediaquest
Mediaquest is one of the region’s largest, most successful and most influential privately-owned publishing and events companies. Established in 1997, Mediaquest’s mission is to inform, educate and entertain audiences across the MENA region, thereby building bridges between the Arab world and the West. Mediaquest generates a combined online and offline portfolio of more than 20 titles, covering marketing, communications, women’s interests, lifestyle, entertainment and automotive. Reputed brands include: Marie Claire Arabia, Haya Magazine and Kippreport, as well as the highly regarded business-to-business titles: Trends Magazine, Gulf Marketing Review, Saneou Al Hadath, Arabies and Communicate. Mediaquest’s dedicated Dotmena network hosts 75 premium websites that attract more than 41 million unique visitors each month. Mediaquest creates, project manages and delivers some of the region’s best-known industry events, including the GMR Marketing to Women Conference, Insurex and the prestigious annual Effie Mena Awards, which is recognised as a benchmark for achievement in the region’s marketing sphere.