OMD Middle East tames the Dubai Lynx
OMD, the advertising industry’s global leader in media creativity, reinforced its regional credentials by becoming the most awarded media agency at the 2008 Dubai Lynx Awards, dominating the newly introduced media category with seven awards.
This domination became visible from the media shortlist, drawn from 112 entries in total, with OMD claiming one third of the media shortlist (9 out of 29) and receiving almost one third of the total awards given on the night (7 out of 24).
OMD won a gold award for Wrigley’s Extra’s ‘Right Time Right Place’ campaign in the Best Use of Television/Cinema category. OMD Digital also received gold for Barclays Bank’s ‘Game of Tag’ campaign in the Best Use of the Internet/New Media category.
The network received silver awards for Nissan Middle East, Du and Dubai Summer Surprises and bronze for Kellogg’s Coco Pops and PepsiCo in various categories. Significantly, OMD was the only media agency to be awarded gold, silver and bronze in the Best Use of the Internet category.
About half of the awards were won by local or regional brands, which shows how strongly they have embraced best practice and innovations in their communications.
‘As a government department, the DSF Office constantly endeavors to achieve the highest standards of creativity and innovation in every aspect of its operation. The mobile portal, launched during Dubai Summer Surprises 2007, was one of our pioneering marketing initiatives that have received wide acclaim across the region,’ said Laila Suhail, CEO of the DSF Office.
‘du is committed to changing people’s perception of communication and the key to effectively doing this is by working with an agency that shares our vision,’ explained Hala Badri, du’s VP of corporate communications. ‘OMD has brought this goal to life very effectively and we look forward to building du into an even stronger brand, in line with our brand values, through this creative alliance.’
These seven awards further illustrate OMD’s creative credentials, following on the agency’s success at the GEMAS in January and the MENA Cristals in February.
‘This is the result of the groundwork we’ve been doing last year to enhance our creative output,’ commented Shadi Kandil, general manager of OMD Dubai. ‘The introduction of our thought-starter unit OMD Ignition and the OMD Creative Masterclass has now been fully validated. Clients are seeing the benefit of this investment in more ways than one.’
‘This is yet another testament of OMD’s passion for the Wrigley business and their drive to make the most out of our advertising dollars. In today’s cluttered media environment it’s essential to go beyond the ordinary and OMD consistently breaks the mould. Their ideas deliver results and ultimately that’s what matters,’ Pierre Nassif, Wrigley’s brand manager, said.
The performance of OMD Digital can’t go unnoticed either. It received two awards, including one gold, giving the region’s leading digital media agency a huge thumbs-up. ‘The Dubai Lynx are the first real endorsement of quality digital media work,’ Dimitri Metaxas, group director of OIMD Digital, explained. ‘Most other awards tend to reward creative digital work rather than the media thinking and execution.’
‘Media innovation and clever placement are the keys to success for breaking through the prevalent advertising clutter in media,’ stated Zeeshan Saleem, Barclays Bank’s head of cards & retail assets. ‘OMD Digital’s online media innovation capabilities have led to innovative online placements of our banners, which generating major interest and numerous enquiries for Barclays.’
The 2nd Dubai Lynx Awards were part of the first Dubai International Advertising Festival, honoring creative excellence in TV/Cinema, Print, Outdoor, Radio, Direct Marketing, Media and Interactive advertising. High-profile international jurors awarded the coveted Dubai Lynx trophies to establish the definitive standard for creative excellence in the MENA region.
