At the recent MENA Effie Awards in Dubai, J. Walter Thompson took home eight awards across eight categories, in four key markets: Beirut, Cairo, UAE and Saudi Arabia. The agency celebrated the wins with its clients Abla Fahita, Al Arabia, Domino’s Pizza, Dubai Cares, Saudi Telecom Company (STC), touch and Vodafone.
J. Walter Thompson Beirut took a gold in Best Use of CSR, for touch, the leading mobile operator in Lebanon. “Text if You Can” showed Lebanese celebrities, such as George Assaf, Karol Sakr and Tony Abou Jaoude, attempting to text whilst doing what they do best … and failing hilariously. The campaign raised awareness about texting while driving.
A gold in Entertainment & Sports went to J. Walter Thompson Entertainment for “Abla Fahita’s Journey,” Abla’s evolution from a brand character to one of Egypt’s biggest entertainment brands.
Our Saudi team also extended its winning streak this year with four more medals at the Effies, making it the most awarded agency in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the only agency in KSA honored that night! They landed a gold in Retail & Luxury for “Deliver your own Pizza” for Domino’s Pizza, which allowed consumers to order pizzas and personally deliver them to friends.
J. Walter Thompson Dubai won a silver with “We can Teach Each Other” for Dubai Cares in CSR and the Cairo team won a Silver with “The Power of Family” in Telecommunications/Mobiles & Internet for Vodafone. Riyadh picked up two silvers – “Meet the Do-Minis” for Domino’s Pizza in New Products/Services, and “Biggest Art Gallery” for Al Arabia in Single Media Company Activation, plus a bronze with “The Roaming Puppet” for STC in Best Youth Marketing.
Amal el Masri, Chief Strategy Officer, J. Walter Thompson MENA said, “It has been an important year of marketing firsts from the network, a success we proudly share with clients. Our insights have brought brands closer to their consumers through solutions in content and marketing that deliver highly effective results (an emotional connection). Being the only awarded agency in KSA at the Effies also underscores our strength in challenging markets.”
