WARC, the global authority on advertising and media effectiveness, has today released the shortlist of the WARC Prize for MENA Strategy 2019, a search for the best strategic marketing thinking that has driven results in the Middle East and North Africa.
A total of 23 case studies have been shortlisted, with both local and global brands being represented, including Saudi Arabia’s Jarir Bookstore, UAE’s Al Tayer Motors, Lebanon’s Byblos Bank, Coca-Cola, McDonald’s and Uber.
Eight of the shortlisted papers are for campaigns that have ran in more than one country in the region. Saudi Arabia leads with five country-specific campaigns shortlisted, followed by the UAE with four, Egypt with three, Lebanon with two and Tunisia one.
The FMCG and telecoms categories alone account for more than half of the shortlist, with automotive, finance, retail and real estate also represented.
Commenting on the shortlist, jury member Ziad Skaff, Managing Director, Hall & Partners MENA, said: “Businesses in the MENA region are operating in challenging conditions these days. Marketers have had to rethink how to work smarter to defend market shares when growth seems unlikely. There is a need for brands to be more engaging at the lowest cost possible, and capitalising on human stories and social demands seems to be a good recipe that satisfies those requirements.
“This year’s papers reflected that transformation with several daring cases addressing delicate and traditionally taboo subjects.”
The winners will be announced on 3 September with a ‘Lessons from the WARC Prize for MENA Strategy’ event taking place on 5 November at Hall & Partners in Dubai.