Copywriter Journalist

Advertising blog by Farrukh Naeem, journalist and copywriter in UAE (Abu Dhabi, near Dubai)

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Grey Worldwide Dubai’s ‘Broken Lego’ ad advertising karate for kids March 29, 2007

Here’s a print ad that recently won a Dubai Lynx Gold Winner in Print….

It’s for Seibukan’s karate classes for children and done by Grey Worldwide in Dubai.

What’s good about it that even a child can understand it, in any part of the world. I’m curious to know if there is a series. What would you say another ad in this series would show? A stack of little books could be interesting.

Creative Ad Winners from Middle East and North Africa: Dubai Lynx Winners - Grand Prix in Print and Outdoor March 23, 2007

What better way to showcase creative excellence in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region than by posting its highest awarded ads? You’d be happy to know that Marketing, Advertising and Creativity in the UAE has become the most updated and comprehensive blog in the world on Dubai Lynx Awards, with pictures, reports, analysis, and starting with this post… the winning ads. I was invited to cover the Dubai Lynx Awards 2007 in Dubai and have been doing so for the past few days, with one of my pictures being selected for the official Dubai Lynx showcase in their online gallery.

If you’ve just returned from a space flight, Dubai Lynx is the region’s inaugural advertising awards function presented by the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival in association with the United Arab Emirates Chapter of the International Advertising Association (IAA) and supported by Dubai Media City (DMC). Let’s start with the Grand Prix Winners of Dubai Lynx in Print, Outdoor, Direct and Interactive categories.

Grand Prix Print

Agency: Saatchi & Saatchi Dubai
Title: Undo
Advertiser: P&G
Product: Olay
Country: United Arab Emirates

This print ad by Saatchi & Saatchi Dubai uses the product shots as keys ‘Ctrl‘ and ‘Z‘ which are together used to ‘Undo’ changes on a computer - the product promise is ‘wrinkle smoothing’. What I found most beautiful about this ad is that its headline, bodycopy, logo are in one single element - the product package. One of my all time favourite press ads is one that had won a Gold Pencil at One Show some time back - for Oil of Olay with a similar anti-ageing proposition. The stark white page had just two words on it - “Tock Tick“. Brilliant because it used a metaphor (turning back the clock) a man, woman, child of every age and demographic is familiar with.

Grand Prix Outdoor

Agency: JWT Cairo
Title: Lipton Tree
Advertiser: Lipton
Product: Lipton Green Tea
Country: Egypt

For the people who say outdoor advertising clutters the cityscape - what about this one, then? This outdoor out-of-the-box or should we say out-of-the-tea-cup idea beautifies it. And for tea enthusiasts like me, outdoor reminders like this when I look out my window might just trigger some impulsive strolls to the nearest kettle. Fresh and invigorating idea, like the product is supposed to be. Simply brilliant.

(Business idea for outdoor media sharks: Buy out the trees in your city, better still - plant some)

In the next post, I share with you the Radio and TV Grand Prix winners of Dubai Lynx… bookmark http://www.copywriterjournalist.com in your favourites, NOW!

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Check out related posts on this topic:
1. Dubai Lynx Winners (with pictures) Part 4 - Gold Winners in Print and TV/Cinema
2. Dubai Lynx Awards Winners Part 3 (with pictures) - Gold winners in Integrated, Interactive and Direct
3. Dubai Lynx Awards winners Part 2 (with pictures) - Gold Dubai Lynx for Outdoor advertising
4. Dubai Lynx Awards Winners Part 1 (with pictures and download links of Dubai Lynx winners): Global jury selects 111 top ads in the Middle East
5. More about the author of these posts: Farrukh Naeem – copywriter, journalist and advertising blogger in Dubai, UAE 

If you’re an editor looking for pictures and reports of Dubai Lynx 2007, or coverage of the advertising and marketing scene in the UAE and the Middle East, I could help. Feel free to mail me at farrukh.copywriter@gmail.com or have a chat with me on +971 50 7151722 to discuss the possibilities.
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Which is the most creative country in the Middle East and North Africa? Dubai Lynx Awards country-wise analysis

Dubai Lynx Winners, when arranged countrywise, give some kind of indication on the relative creative output country by country. For people like me who are fascinated by tables, analysis and data (although I am a creative guy - not a ’suit’), this post should be a welcome break from all the goody-goody pictures I have been posting so far.

Dubai Lynx Winners By Country

UAE shows a very strong lead on all counts. But then, compared to its neighbours, Dubai and the UAE have been successful in attracting the world’s leading advertising networks as well as top talent from all over the world. In many other countries participating in the awards, the creative demographic is somewhat different, with the work done more by locals, for locals whereas in the UAE, work is done by a cross-cultural teams for its mutlinational residential mix.

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Dubai Lynx online: Who’s blogging the Dubai Lynx Awards?

Dubai Lynx Award 2007 is being blogged and written about around the world right now - in so many languages that one can’t even understand some of it
If you’ve been following the coverage online, you already know that my blog is currently the only one in the world offering an attendees view with insights, commentary and pictures of all the Dubai Lynx Grand Prix and Gold winners. In fact, the official Dubai Lynx website has also chosen one of my photos for its official Dubai Lynx Gallery. They’ve got great pictures, including ones of the judging process - do visit it.

Want to visit fellow bloggers writing and blogging about Dubai Lynx? Here are all the ones I cam across…

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Print and TV/Cinema Gold Winners of Dubai Lynx - with pictures

World exclusive winners’ pictures of Dubai Lynx Awards on the stage - the last intallment. Coming up after this, you get to see what my blog readers are eagerly awaiting around the world - the WINNING ADS!

Dubai Lynx Winners - Gold in Print

Saatchi & Saatchi Dubai for ‘Cars’ ad of Bel La Vache Qui Rit Cheese

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Creative Ideas in Integrated, Interactive and Direct Bring Trophies To Gold Dubai Lynx Winners (Pictures) March 21, 2007

Presenting the Dubai Lynx Awards Gold winners in the Integrated, Interactive, and Direct categories. Not presenting the Dubai Lynx Gold Winners in the Radio category. Why? Scroll on to find out…

Dubai Lynx Awards - Integrated
Integrated is one category in which the jury did not find a single entry worthy of winning a Dubai Lynx Grand Prix award - the best we have in Integrated is the Gold winner. What’s sad is that to be judged for creative excellence in Integrated advertising, the entire Middle East North Africa (MENA) region could come up with only 22 entries out of a total of 1,679 submitted in all categories.

Makes one think - are we all looking for quick-fixes and short bursts of creative brilliance in the region rather than communication ideas that build integrated campaigns with ‘legs’ and keep running long after we are forgotten? Or is agency specialisation the culprit here? Feel free to agree or disagree in the comment section of this post.

Brandcom Middle East UAE team won a Gold Dubai Lynx for the cheeky Axe Deodorant’s Integrated campaign.

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Global Advertising Jury Spellbound By World-class Creativity at Dubai Lynx Awards

Dubai Lynx Awards winners‘ posts continue on this blog. Exclusive pictures and reports by Farrukh Naeem will fill you in on all that happened.

The Dubai Lynx awards ceremony had started with messages from the organisers, and the Jury Presidents.   

Jonathan Harries, the Worldwide Chief Creative Officer of DraftFCB Group, USA, and the Jury President of the TV/Cinema, Print, Outdoor and Radio categories of Dubai Lynx Awards: “What if we had an awards show where we took all the good things from other awards shows, and none of the bad? The good news, as I see it, is we can. This is the inaugural.” Yes, he was referring to the Dubai Lynx Awards.

Fred Koblinger, Chief Executive Officer of PKP Proximity and BBDO Holdings, Austria and Jury President of the Direct and Interactive categories of Dubai Lynx Awards expressed his feelings thus: “I am honoured to lead a jury of international experts to discover state-of-the-art work and celebrate the winners of what is, without a doubt, the most valuable creative award in this part of the world.”

It was announced that keeping in mind the time factor, while all winners will be announced, only the winners of Gold Dubai Lynx Awards will be called on stage. Here are the Gold Dubai Lynx winners in the Outdoor categories. 

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Dubai Lynx Awards Winners (with pictures): Global jury selects 111 top ads in the Middle East - Part 1 March 20, 2007

UPDATE: Dubai Lynx 2008 coverage and pictures from the event on www.copywriterjournalist.com:

1. 2nd Dubai Lynx Awards entries cross the 2000 mark in 2008
2. Dubai Lynx shortlists, advertising seminars and workshops keep delegates busy on Day 1
3. Steve Harrison shares tips on pitching big advertising ideas to hesitant clients at Dubai Lynx
4. Dubai Lynx awards winners and pictures
5. Dubai Lynx Awards winners’ pictures in Outdoor category

DOWN MEMORY LANE - PICTURES AND COVERAGE FROM DUBAI LYNX 2007

Dubai Lynx announced the winners of the Dubai Lynx Awards 2007 for awarding creative excellence in the Middle East and North Africa on 19 March at Dubai Media City Amphitheatre. A shortlist of 388 ads had been announced earlier from the 1,679 entries submitted. The Dubai Lynx jury comprising creative professionals from leading advertising agencies around the world awarded a total of 111 Dubai Lynx trophies.

In the Print category, 39 winners were announced, Direct had 22, Outdoor had 17, TV/Cinema had 14, Interactive had 12, Radio had four winners and the Integrated category had three winners. All categories had Grand Prix winners except the Integrated one.

As I had indicated in my earlier post on Dubai Lynx shortlist of winners, UAE led the show with 88 awards. Next in line were our friends from Egypt, Lebanon and Saudi Arabia each winning seven trophies and with Bahrain taking home two awards.

Above: The Dubai Lynx Awards ceremony was attended by over 1,200 professionals from the advertising and marketing world.

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Dubai Lynx Shortlist Announced: UAE leads the Middle East and North Africa in creativity March 18, 2007

UPDATE: Dubai Lynx 2008 coverage and pictures from the event on www.copywriterjournalist.com:

1. 2nd Dubai Lynx Awards entries cross the 2000 mark in 2008
2. Dubai Lynx shortlists, advertising seminars and workshops keep delegates busy on Day 1
3. Steve Harrison shares tips on pitching big advertising ideas to hesitant clients at Dubai Lynx
4. Dubai Lynx awards winners and pictures
5. Dubai Lynx Awards winners’ pictures in Outdoor category

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DOWN MEMORY LANE: Read Dubai Lynx 2007 coverage and see pictures from the event:
1. Dubai Lynx Winners (with pictures) Part 4 - Gold Winners in Print and TV/Cinema
2. Dubai Lynx Awards Winners Part 3 (with pictures) - Gold winners in Integrated, Interactive and Direct
3. Dubai Lynx Awards winners Part 2 (with pictures) - Gold Dubai Lynx for Outdoor advertising
4. Dubai Lynx Awards Winners Part 1 (with pictures and download links of Dubai Lynx winners): Global jury selects 111 top ads in the Middle East
5. More about the author of these posts: Farrukh Naeem – copywriter, journalist and advertising blogger in Dubai, UAE

If you’re an editor looking for pictures and reports on Dubai Lynx 2007, or coverage of the advertising and marketing scene in the UAE and the Middle East, I could help. Feel free to mail me at farrukh.copywriter(at)gmail.com or have a chat with me on +971 50 7151722 to discuss the possibilities.

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The Dubai Lynx shortlist of creative advertising from across the Middle East and North Africa has been announced. Advertising agencies in the UAE are leading the region in creativity in all categories - TV/Cinema, Print, Outdoor, Radio. Team Y&R, Fortune Promoseven, JWT, Saatchi & Saatchi and Lowe MENA are names that repeat often in these categories.

In the Direct category, UAE entries are on the top with Wunderman (my favourite UAE agency) clearly dominating the shortlist. In the Interactive category again, UAE agencies are ahead with ARC Dubai and Impact Proximity in a tie for most entries shortlisted.

The Integrated category shorlist has Impact/BBDO, Saatchi & Saatchi Dubai, Team Y&R and Brandcom Middle East from the UAE and and JWT and H&C Leo Burnett from Lebanon.

You can download the shortlist from the official Dubai Lynx website:

* Download TV/Cinema, Print, Outdoor and Radio Dubai Lynx shortlist
* Download Direct, Interactive and Integrated Dubai Lynx shortlist

The final winners of Dubai Lynx 2007 will be announced at the Dubai Lynx Awards gala dinner and ceremony on Monday 19 March in Dubai Media City Amphitheatre at approximately 11:00 pm UAE time (2300 hrs GMT). I plan to attend and blog about the event (thanks to highly efficient PR and Press team of the event, in particular - Amanda Benfell and Camilla Cole).

If you’re an editor interested in a feature on Dubai Lynx 2007 but unable to make it to the event or send over a correspondent, email me at farrukh.copywriter(at)gmail.com or call me at +971 50 7151722 and I could share my notes and pictures with you. I’d also be happy to meet up with this blog’s readers at the event - my picture is on Farrukh Naeem’s Bio page on this blog. You’d most likely find me picking up wisdom from the hot creative gurus at the show.

Dubai Lynx 2007 - Useful links for you:
1. The official Dubai Lynx 2007 website
2. The Middle East Gets Its Own Advertising Awards: Enter the Dubai Lynx
3. Dubai Lynx 2007: World’s top advertising creatives to gather in Dubai, UAE (List of the jury members)
4. Dubai Lynx 2007: Profiles and pictures of president and jury members of TV/Cinema, Print, Outdoor, and Radio categories (useful for my journalists friends hoping to get interviews and face time)
5. Dubai Lynx 2007: Profiles and pictures of president and jury members of Direct & Interactive categories
6. Book your table/seat at the Dubai Lynx 2007 Awards Ceremony and Dinner on Monday 19 March in Dubai Media City
7. Subscribe to the Dubai Lynx 2007 newsletter for email updates on winners

Dubai Lynx Advertising Awards: Shortlist winners awaited from 1,679 entries March 16, 2007

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UPDATE - Check out the LATEST posts on this topic:
1. Dubai Lynx Winners (with pictures) Part 4 - Gold Winners in Print and TV/Cinema
2. Dubai Lynx Awards Winners Part 3 (with pictures) - Gold winners in Integrated, Interactive and Direct
3. Dubai Lynx Awards winners Part 2 (with pictures) - Gold Dubai Lynx for Outdoor advertising
4. Dubai Lynx Awards Winners Part 1 (with pictures and download links of Dubai Lynx winners): Global jury selects 111 top ads in the Middle East
5. More about the author of these posts: Farrukh Naeem – copywriter, journalist and advertising blogger in Dubai, UAE

If you’re an editor looking for pictures and reports on Dubai Lynx 2007, or coverage of the advertising and marketing scene in the UAE and the Middle East, I could help. Feel free to mail me at farrukh_copywriter@yahoo.com or have a chat with me on +971 50 7151722 to discuss the possibilities.

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Dubai Lynx Awards 2007 shorlisted entries will be announced tomorrow 17 March at approximately 9:00 pm UAE time (1700 hrs GMT). Top creative advertising professionals from advertising agencies around the world are going through 1,679 entries that have poured in from 15 countries in the region to pick the ones that make it to the shortlist.

The Dubai Lynx 2007 judging process
The judging process is an interesting one - the same used at the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival. Judges cast their vote using an iPAQ via a wireless network. Any vote given by a judge for his or her agency in their own country or state is automatically discarded by the system.

As you have read in my previous posts, the inaugural Dubai Lynx Awards recognise creative excellence in the Middle East and North Africa region and are being organised and presented by the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival, in association with the United Arab Emirates Chapter of the International Advertising Association (IAA) and with the support of Dubai Media City.

Technorati Tags: Dubai Lynx, Creativity, Marketing, IAA, Advertising in the UAE, Dubai Media City

Advertising sales job in Dubai, UAE at an internet advertising firm. Interested? March 11, 2007

An Advertising Sales job in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, is up for grabs at alClick Advertising, an internet advertising and market intelligence firm that provides businesses access to the largest network of online publishers in the Middle East.

alClick Advertising is looking for people who:
* Have previous sales experience in advertising
* Bring in new clients and sales to drive revenue growth
* Maintain the existing clients and convert incoming leads

The Director of alClick advertising tells me that the advertising sales person will be given a 10% bonus on all profits generated, in addition to a host of other benefits. Arabic language skills will be an advantage.

Do note that this is a purely sales and business development role and the managing of campaigns (post sales) will be handled by an existing internal team.

To apply to this position in advertising sales, readers can post their CVs to jobs10@alclick.com

Technorati Tags:
Advertising Sales Job, Jobs in Advertising, Marketing, Business Development Job, Internet Advertising, Jobs in the UAE, Jobs in Dubai, alClick, Sales Job
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Advertising account manager from the UK on why he loves us creative people so much March 7, 2007

Creative people in advertising agencies usually share a love-hate relationship with their client servicing counterparts, also called account executives or simply ’suits’. I had blogged about this in my post titled ‘Advertising account executives I fall in love with‘ (yeah, if people can love chihuahuas… suits are people too).

Mark Hutchinson, a senior account manager from the UK with accounts like Procter and Gamble in his CV, has responded after reading that post, on behalf of the suits of the world. I thought it’d be interesting to post his perspective.

If you are a creative reading this, I’d love to know what you feel about the relationship we have with the suits and whether you agree with Mark (he’s mostly written the good stuff, anyway). If you are a suit reading this, now you know I don’t really hate the suits, specially now after reading that part about ‘grating’ of the soul (see below).

If you are an account director reading this, and wondering how this suit looks in a suit, let me know in the comments section. (Mark’s got a ’special’ someone in Dubai… he he.) Over to our guest, Mark:

In my experience, most of the time creatives and suits simply just don’t like each other.

A lot of suits simply don’t appreciate or value what creatives do and I’ve seen some of them even trying to design the work themselves, giving them a 5-year-old’s sketch version of what they want to see, not what the brief necessarily dictates.

Who are we to tell you guys what to write or design? I’m not a creative, what the hell would I know?

All I know is that I know good creative when I see it and there is nothing that makes me more enthusiastic, or more desperate to sell this idea to the client.

There is a flip side though, in that there are creatives who don’t respect what the suits have to do or who they have to deal with. It is often a pride swallowing role that often grates against the soul, no matter how high (or low) your personal levels of integrity are. Sometimes it’s forgotten that we are all on the same side. Thankfully I haven’t come across many of those in my career so far and those that I have, have often had more wrong with them than just getting on with people.

I have always had a great relationship with the creatives I work with, simply because I respect what they do and respect their views, even when they differ with mine. You guys are the ones that win the awards, not us.

Looking at the list of qualities, I’d consider all those points essential to a good account exec and certainly like to believe that I posses most of them.

As told to Farrukh Naeem by Mark Hutchinson

Technorati Tags:
Advertising, Client Servicing, Advertising Account Executive, Creativity, Creative, Copywriter, Art Director, Advertising in the UAE, Advertising in Dubai, Advertising in the UK, Mark Hutchinson, Creatives Vs. Suits

Technorati Tags:
Advertising, Client Servicing, Advertising Account Executive, Creativity, Creative, Copywriter, Art Director, Advertising in the UAE, Advertising in Dubai, Advertising in the UK, Mark Hutchinson, Creatives Vs. Suits
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• About...

  Farrukh Naeem is an advertising copywriter and journalist based in Abu Dhabi, right next to Dubai, UAE.

  
  This blog aims to highlight news, views and opinions on advertising, marketing, corporate communication, PR and creativity in business.

  
  Feel free to email Farrukh at farrukh.copywriter(at)gmail.com or have a friendly chat with him on his cellphone at 00 971 50 7151722 if you are:

  * an editor or journalist looking for insightful coverage of the advertising and marketing scene in the UAE and the Middle East

  * an eccentric creative director who believes good soulful copy isn't dead, yet

  * a brand manager or marketing communications chief wishing to have coffee with a copywriter who's studied Philip Kotler, heard Tom Peters, and can understand marketing strategies and annual reports

  * an advertising, marketing, media, or public relations professional with some hot, sizzling news, event or opinion you want me to feature on this blog

  * a young, enthusiastic person looking for simple tips for your advertising or journalism career but being brushed away by those who have made it big but forgotten how they, once upon a time, were like you too...

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• Copyright (c) 2008 Farrukh Naeem. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

  No part of this blog including text, pictures, opinion, quotes, ads, illustrations may be reproduced, posted or published without the expressed written consent of the author. For permission to republish this blog's content, please write to farrukh.copywriter(at)gmail.com. If you are in a rush, you can speak to me on +971 50 7151722. You are welcome to cite or quote text excerpts (not images) of this blog under Fair Use conventions provided that you credit the source as Farrukh Naeem and link back to www.copywriterjournalist.com.

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