The winners of the Festival of Media MENA Awards, hosted at the Music Hall in Zabeel Saray, Dubai, were revealed last evening. The ceremony followed the third edition of the Festival of Media MENA conference, which drew to a successful close on Wednesday 26th April 2017 at the Waldorf Astoria on Palm Jumeirah, Dubai.
Starcom was crowned ‘Agency Network of the Year’ after collecting nine trophies across its UAE and Egypt offices in categories that included ‘Best Use of Video’ and ‘Best Use of Gamification’, while ‘Agency of the Year’ was awarded to OMD UAE, who collected a total of 11 awards, including Gold for ‘Best Use of Traditional Media’ and ‘Best Use of Technology’.
The other big Grand Prix winner on the night was MEC MENA who took home the trophy for ‘Campaign of the Year’ for its ‘MAGGIE Diaries – The Power to Make a Difference’ campaign.
The judging was divided into two groups, which were chaired by Asad Rehman, Director of Media at Unilever MENA, and Nick Graham, Global Digital Marketing and Media Director for Huawei, respectively. Other judges on the panel included influential media minds from Visa, Unilever, General Motors, Ferrero, McDonald’s and Nestlé.
On judging, Rehman commented: “It is a privilege and a great responsibility to be asked to chair an awards ceremony that is as prestigious as the Festival of Media MENA. Too often we are in the office with our heads down, but judging allows us the opportunity to open the windows and see what else is happening in the region.”
The Festival of Media MENA Awards, which is run in partnership with Mediaquest, is dedicated to the evolution of media, celebrating the best in media thinking and communications across the region. In line with the entrepreneurial spirit of the region and to encourage fresh ideas, the programme rewards the region’s top media work across four categories: Media, Content, Technology and Insight. Judged by a senior panel of global and regional brand marketers, the programme has become one of the foremost marketing events in the region, helping winning agencies and media owners to secure new business and grow their influence in the marketplace.