Initiative MENA follows on its 2015 success with a string of new awards
Initiative MENA had a successful 12 months in terms of growth and new business wins, as well as an impressive 25 awards and 45 award shortlists, a trend it aims to continue following the win of four awards at the 2016 Cristal MENA Festival, including the Cristal Gold and Emerald Silver prizes.
Ramzy Abouchara, Managing Director at Initiative GCC, attributes Initiative’s success to his team of passionate media thinkers who follow the agency’s corporate mantra of ‘FBDS’ (Fast, Brave, Decisive and Smart), which he says fosters creativity and innovation across all disciplines. “Last year was a challenging yet successful year for us, and we look forward to another successful year in 2016,” Ramzy said. “Of course, we would not have been able to achieve this level of success and recognition without the unparalleled hard work of our team. We are excited for a range of upcoming new projects to launch together with our goals for continuous expansion in the region,” he added.
Raffoul Mattar, Managing Director at Initiative UAE, said, “Such a positive start to the year is just the beginning and sets the tone for the months to come. Our company anticipates exponential growth in the new business and media sectors for the foreseeable future, following on excellent new business wins last year in companies throughout the GCC.”
Last year, Initiative MENA bagged the title ‘Agency of The Year’ at the awards ceremony and scooped a further three Gold and Silver awards, as well as two Bronze awards, across categories that included: ‘Best Communications Strategy,’ ‘Best Engagement Strategy,’ ‘Best Social Media Strategy,’ ‘Best Content Creation’ and ‘Best Use of Video.’ Similarly, last year Initiative MENA took home 4 trophies at The Internationalist’s Awards for Innovative Digital Solutions in New York, which seeks to pay tribute to inspiring case studies that have incorporated great strategy to garner proven results worldwide. Initiative MENA walked away with a Gold award for its KFC campaign titled, “Unleash the Colonel.” They also won silver for another KFC campaign titled, “KFC Gives You More Ronaldo,” alongside two bronze trophies for its One Touch (J&J) “Step Up for Life” campaign along with its “Breathe the Difference” campaign for Saco 3M in Saudi Arabia.
2015 has also brought in new business for the agency, resulting in strong growth in the past six months with new account wins from companies across the region. Initiative’s new partnerships in Dubai include Android smartphone manufacturer Huawei Devices, Morroco Tourism and Hospitality as well as and the popular perfume brand Rasasi. IN Saudi Arabia, new partnerships were formed with the financial conglomerate MADA SAMA as well as Porsche Auto and the National Commercial Bank (Alahli), whilst the company also won the business of established FMCG Evyap in Egypt.
In 2016, the company strives to continue from a position of strength as it was awarded with for its top campaigns at the Cristal MENA festival, where it demonstrated its commitment to media effectiveness. The office in the UAE and Egypt collectively won 5 awards, including the prestigious Cristal Gold award. Several campaigns were particularly successful, starting with Initiative UAE “Fava Beans – The New Super Food” for California Garden which won Cristal Gold award in the health product category and a Sapphire Silver (Global Cristal Award). The Cairo office also won 3 Emerald Silver for their work on Etisalat’s “The Green Genie” & “Hidden Street Camera” Campaigns.