Middle East sees 10 entries shortlisted for next month’s One Show in New York
After the glitter of April’s Dubai Lynx, advertising companies in the Gulf are gearing up for international awards functions – coming up is the glamorous One Show Awards from May 5 to 9.
Award shortlists have brought good news for the regional market. The Middle East has got 10 shortlisted entries, four of which have been bagged by FP7, Doha. In Dubai, TBWA/Raad has three, JWT Dubai has two, and Brandcom Middle East has one.
“We are thrilled,” says Nirmal Diwadkar, the regional creative director of TBWA/Raad. The agency entered around seven ads, out of which three have been chosen.
“We just emphasize true insight, simplicity and making the work compelling,” he says. “These three always work for us”.
The nomination is also important for Diwadkar because he has only been in the job for a year. “The Dubai office has grown 50 percent in the last year,” he says. “We have also bagged 19 awards at the Dubai Lynx. And this is just the beginning. We can only get better.”
He says the agency will be entering work for the Cannes Lions among other awards, keeping a close eye on the Gunn Report.
While their enthusiasm is shared by JWT Dubai, which has two nominations, that agency thinks it could have done better. “It’s a good result, but we were expecting a few more”, says Chafic Haddad, the executive creative director for the Gulf Region for JWT. JWT Dubai, which won Agency of The Year at the Dubai Lynx, had sent 7 or 8 pieces to the One Show.
The key to getting entries shortlisted, according to Haddad, is simplicity. “The piece has to make sense to the consumer,” he says.
Other factors help, though. “We have a great client relationship, great talent, discipline and a positive attitude,” he says.
While JWT Dubai is also sending ads to Cannes, Haddad say that the company will only enter the top few international award competitions.
Haddad also feels that the regional advertising market has done some great work. “Every year, we have more and more presence in the international work,” he says.
While the number of nominations looks good, it still remains to be seen how many awards the region will bag at the One Show. Last year, the Middle East was unsuccessful in its campaign.
REGIONAL ENTRIES
Consumer magazine – full page or spread color campaign: “Books” by Brandcom Middle East for House of Prose; “Blur” by JWT Dubai for Mercedes Benz.
Public service/political print – newspaper or magazine single: “Overfishing” by JWT Dubai for WWF/EWS.
Collateral – posters single: “Sandcastle” by TBWA/Raad Dubai for Beiersdorf Middle East.
Public service/political print – outdoor and posters single: “Prison cell” by TBWA/Raad for Witness Against Torture.
Public service/political print – collateral single: “Tears for Lebanon” by TBWA/Raad for Trillion in Lebanon.
Collateral – POP and in store campaign: “Chase” by FP7 Doha for Nestle Purina Friskies; and “Muddy 4×4″ by FP7 Doha for Match Box/Toys R Us.
Collateral – posters campaign: “Chilling” by FP7 Doha for Bayer; “For Real” by FP7 Doha for Sony Playstation Medal of Honour.
Posted by iaa001 on April 14th 2008 at 5:32 pm
test