SMG Mobility Highlights Importance of Mobile With “M-LEAP”

Event aimed at Pushing Mobile at the Forefront of Media Planning

Dubai, UAE, May 16, 2014: On 5 June, media agency Starcom MediaVest Group (SMG) hosted an internal event at its Dubai headquarters entitled “M-LEAP” – an initiative by the SMG Mobility department designed to spark a greater push towards mobile thinking. The initiative was attended by over 50 SMG employees, comprising both senior and junior digital and traditional media specialists, as well as representatives from Google, Facebook, InMobi, Boost and InterMotion.

The event began with a string of presentations by industry experts on the subject of mobile adoption – and how this fast-growing trend is slowly revolutionizing the Middle East’s media landscape. The speakers also discussed their respective roster of services and answered audience questions.

Once this segment concluded, attendees were divided into seven teams of 10 people and given a comprehensive mobile brief for two products to respond to. Once the day came to an end, each team had about five minutes to showcase their work.

“The SMG Mobility event proved to be a great success – serving as an engaging platform for industry peers to join forces and, together, lead the movement towards mobile,” said Dimitri Papadimitriou, Associate Director – Digital & Business Development, VivaKi. “In recent years, the rapid rise of mobile has redefined the very fabric of the region’s media space; this initiative aimed to help shift digital mindsets and accelerate mobile transformation.”

He also added, “The ideas presented as a result of the briefs and collaboration with the partners were truly impressive – in fact, some of the mobile solutions provided have potential to be implemented as part of SMG’s overall media strategy for certain clients.”

About Starcom MediaVest Group
Starcom MediaVest Group MENA is the Human Experience Company. We believe experiences matter. They enhance lives and build brands. We bring brand experiences to life through SMG’s three global award winning agency brands: Starcom, MediaVest and Spark. Ranked the number one global media network in billings in the world by RECMA, SMG (www.smvgroup.com) encompasses an integrated network of human experience strategists, investment specialists, content creators and digital & technology experts. With over 8,000 employees in 130 offices worldwide, SMG partners with the world’s leading companies including The Coca-Cola Company, Kraft Foods, Procter & Gamble (P&G), Samsung and Walmart, among others. The network has enjoyed annual double-digit growth across the MENA region since its launch in 2000. Among its regional clients are P&G, Samsung, Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank, Almarai, Saudi Telecom, Tiffany & Co., Emirates NBD, adidas and Kraft Foods. In 2013 and 2014, SMG was named Dubai Lynx Media Agency of the Year. In 2014, SMG was awarded the Festival of Media Global Network of the Year award for the second year in a row. SMG is part of Publicis Groupe [Euronext Paris FR0000130577, CAC 40], one of the world’s leading communications groups.