This year, FP7 Doha won Gold and Silver in the Press category, and a second Gold in the Outdoor category, making it the first agency from Qatar to win at the Cannes festival and also the only advertising agency, ever, from the Middle East to win two Gold and a silverLions in a year. The agency also had the highest number of campaigns shortlisted among all global agencies participating at the festival, with over 30 pieces of work chosen by the judges.

The agency’s victory at Cannes is a step towards FP7′s plans to reinforce its position as both a creative and effective force in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), where the FP7 Network, headquartered in Dubai, serves many multinational brands as well as a large selection of the region’s best homegrown brands.

FP7 Dubai also won at Cannes, with Silver in the Print category, giving the FP7 Network the most wins at the Cannes Lions in 2008, among all agency networks in the MENA region.

The Cannes festival is the most prestigious international event of its kind and each year for a fortnight Cannes turns from the playground of the rich and famous to a playpen for the world’s most talented creative minds.

Fortune Promoseven’s network president and chief executive officer Fadi Salameh said, ‘The acknowledgement we’ve received for our efforts across the MENA region is great – especially what we have heard from our network offices and from our clients. It is a memorable moment on our journey forward and is definitely a sign of the years ahead for FP7.’

FP7 Doha managing director Charbel Mezher says ‘Everyone keeps asking if this will help our business. Yes. We are in the business of creativity and this win will help us a great deal. More importantly, however, we have to prove that we can maintain these standards and the Gold Lions will help us by attracting more prodigious talent. Everyone knows Qatar is booming. So, for us looking forward, it is also about getting ready for the next stage of the boom and playing a central role in the future growth of the FP7 Network.’

Fadi Yaish, FP7 Doha’s creative director, adds: ‘In different parts of the world there was always one agency and one network that pave the way and lead the region for a way forward and FP7 will be leading MENA region for more international recognition year after year which helps the region on all levels. And most importantly we will be leading the way to the future of advertising. I don’t think anyone from anywhere could have any excuse anymore. We have proved that anyone can do it and from anywhere. FP7 was writing history at Cannes and FP7 will be writing the future.’

This announcement was made in a press conference organised by FP7, which was attended by the Lebanese Ambassador to Qatar, H.E. Mr. Hassan Saad and clients of the agency.

The event was chaired by Mr. Fadi Salameh, President and CEO of the Promoseven network, Mr.Charbel Mezher, Managing Director of FP7 Doha and Mr.Fadi Yaish, the Creative Director of FP7 Doha.

The Dubai Lynx, in its second year of running, is the regional Cannes Creative Awards.

This international festival honors creative excellence in advertising in the Middle East and North Africa.

High-profile international jurors awarded the coveted Dubai Lynx trophy to establish the definitive standard for creative excellence in the MENA region.

The winners were felicitated in an Awards Ceremony which took place at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre, attended by over 1500 guests.

The Print category was the strongest and the toughest category with 863 entries, and FP7 Doha won the prestigious Grand Prix along with four Golds, six silvers and seven bronzes in total, thus towering over its peers.

Mr. Fadi Salameh remarked, ‘These awards recognize not just creativity. They honor our resilience, dedication and drive to go beyond the ordinary. We shared the vision the country’s leaders had for Qatar, we believed in the tremendous potential Qatar possessed. As Qatar makes headlines for its booming economy, world class infrastructure and its remarkable growth, the papers are confirming what we at FP7 always knew’.

Mr. Charbel Mezher shared his enthusiasm stating, ‘We have single-handedly put Qatar on the world map of advertising. FP7 Doha was the only agency from Qatar which won every single award that this market has got. We have proven beyond any doubt that this agency is a force to reckon with, like the network that it belongs to, a network with a culture of believing in its people, a network that empowers its people and backs them to the hilt to make it happen. It’s indeed ‘good fortune’ to be part of such a vibrant, dynamic network’.

He continued, ‘You know what they say: when it rains, it pours. Continuing its winning ways, FP7 Doha now has won not one, but a whopping four campaign entries in the short-listed entries for the prestigious One Show awards that takes place in New York next May. This agency has the largest number of entries from the entire Middle East and North Africa, and considering how many agencies there are, that’s really saying something’.

Mr. Fadi Yaish said: ‘April 2nd 2008, a day that will be forever remembered in the history of advertising in the entire MENA region. It is a story about love, passion and determination. It is what made us reach were we are today and it is what will keep us going. We have become an example for all those who thought it is impossible. We have set a new benchmark in the region. Our work was bigger than who came first, second and third. Our next challenge is even bigger and we are fully charged’.

New companies are constantly being added to the already rich repertoire of clientele which includes Qatar National Bank, The Pearl Qatar, Carrefour, Woqod, Qatargas and many others.

FP7 Doha is synonymous with consistency, may it be growth, quality of work or winning awards and the agency intends to keep that up.

What sets it apart is its drive to go the extra mile, every single time, thereby setting new benchmarks for it to beat.

FP7 Doha is uncompromising about the quality of work and these awards celebrate that spirit.

After selecting a shortlist of 513 ads from the 2023 entries submitted, the jury awarded a total of 180 Dubai Lynx trophies.

The Print category was the strongest with a total of 45 winners, followed by Outdoor with 40, 28 in Direct, 24 trophies were awarded in the new Media category, 20 in TV/Cinema, there were 15 Interactive winners and 4 in Integrated as well as 4 Radio winners.

U.A.E. won the most awards taking home 127 trophies, followed by Qatar with 18, Lebanon with 12 and Egypt won 7 awards, including 2 Grand Prix.

The Print Grand Prix went to FP7 DOHA, Qatar, for EA Games B.D. Group, ‘Back Home’.

The Outdoor Grand Prix was awarded to Leo Burnett Beirut for Procter & Gamble’s ‘Natural Colours Change’.

Leo Burnett Cairo won the TV/Cinema Grand Prix for the Melody Channel campaign ‘Akon’, ’50 Cents’, ‘Madonna’, ‘Shakira’, ‘Pussy Cats’ and ‘Britney’.

The Direct Grand Prix was award to Bates Pangulf Dubai for Dubai First credit cards ‘We Know Who You Are’.

The first Media Grand Prix went to JWT Cairo for Vodafone Egypt, ‘Truck Stickers’.

The jury decided not to give a Grand Prix in the Interactive, Radio and Integrated categories.

JWT Dubai were honoured with the Agency of the Year trophy with FP7 Doha coming in second place and Fortune Promoseven Dubai in third.

The winners of the 1st Dubai Lynx Young Creatives competition were the MediaOne team, Abdul Shafeeq and Greeshma Nair from U.A.E.

The winning work, which was judged over the last week by 29 top international creatives and media experts from 17 countries in Dubai, can be viewed at www.dubailynx.com/winners.

Fortune Promoseven agencies won in TV/Cinema, Print, Outdor, Radio, Direct and Agency of the Year categories.

The wins included a Grand Prix award – which honors the best in breed in each category.

FP7 Dubai and Doha were the leading winners overall in the region, while entries from Beirut, Cairo and Kuwait also took their share of honours at the most prestigious advdertising industry awards in the region.

‘This is a new Promoseven’ beamed Fadi Salameh, President and CEO of the network. ‘We’ve proven to the industry, to our clients and to ourselves that we are a leading, a winning creative force.’ he added.

The massive Promoseven contingent at the awards ceremony held at the Dubai Convention Centre couldn’t stop cheering as the winning teams kept going on to the stage time after time. At one point, the guest MC asked them to ‘might as well pull up a chair and just stay on stage’.

‘Our work has always been solid. There are numerous campaigns we work on every day that we didn’t enter, that are winners in their own right’ Fadi Salameh added.

‘This is just the beginning of a journey for us, as more and more, the creative standards are raised in the region, and each and every client, every brand will gain from a breed of new creative people who constantly deliver the best there is out there’ he said.

Fortune Promoseven agencies picked up one Grand Prix (which went to FP7 Doha), 22 Golds, and a huge amount of silver and bronze awards.

Azmi Yafi, CEO of Dubai operations said ‘We have every reason today to stand creatively proud, and would like, once more, to extend the warmest congratulations to the creative teams and the entire agency for this success. The bar has been raised. It will be a tougher job next time… I think we’re going to have fun…Onwards and upwards!’.