Dubai Lynx Awards 2008 - Pictures of winners in Print, Direct and Media May 10, 2008
Posted by Farrukh Naeem at www.copywriterjournalist.com in : Ad Blogging, Advertising, Advertising Agencies, Advertising Awards, Advertising Events, Advertising in Abu Dhabi, Advertising in Arabia, Advertising in Dubai, Advertising in Egypt, Advertising in Kuwait, Advertising in Lebanon, Advertising in Qatar, Advertising in the Middle East, Advertising in the UAE, BTL Advertising, DraftFCB, Dubai Advertising Festival, Dubai International Advertising Festival, Dubai Lynx Awards, Dubai Lynx Awards 2008, Dubai Media City, FP7 Doha, Fortune Promoseven, Fortune Promoseven Doha, Fortune Promoseven UAE, Grey Worldwide Dubai, International Advertising Association (IAA), JWT, JWT UAE, Keshav Naidu, Leo Burnett Cairo, Memac O&M, Memac Ogilvy & Mather, Ogilvy & Mather, Outdoor Advertising, Team Y&R, Volvo, Wunderman Dubai , add a commentDubai Lynx Awards have passed and I have blogged about the exciting bits, before and after the awards. But my blog’s readers want more. The Dubai Lynx website has so much coverage this time, with shortlisted ads up there too open for anyone to lookup, I felt putting up the winners here was unnecessary.
But then, everyone loves pictures - and I do have some nice ones readers of the blog would like, taken by me from right under the stage (the press seats and my agency tables were at a distance so I just sat on the carpet - with all the journalist buddies - in true paparazzi style. Closer to the action.)
So here goes another post with some great Dubai Lynx memories in pictures…
Dubai Lynx awards winners and pictures April 4, 2008
Posted by Farrukh Naeem at www.copywriterjournalist.com in : Advertising, Advertising Awards, Advertising Events, Advertising in Arabia, Advertising in Dubai, Advertising in Egypt, Advertising in Lebanon, Advertising in Qatar, Advertising in the Middle East, Advertising in the UAE, Direct Marketing, DraftFCB, Dubai Advertising Festival, Dubai International Advertising Festival, Dubai Lynx Awards, Dubai Lynx Awards 2008, Fortune Promoseven, Fortune Promoseven UAE, Grey Worldwide Dubai, International Advertising Association (IAA), JWT Cairo, JWT Dubai, JWT UAE, Leo Burnett, Leo Burnett Beirut, Leo Burnett Cairo, Leo Burnett Dubai, MediaOne, Outdoor Advertising, Outdoor Advertising in Dubai, Outdoor Advertising in UAE , add a commentWinners of the 2nd Dubai Lynx Awards were announced on 2 April in Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre on 2 April 2008.
The Dubai Lynx Awards ceremony was part of the 1st Dubai International Advertising Festival attended by over 1500 guests from over 17 countries.
A total of 180 Dubai Lynx trophies including Gold, Bronze and Silver were awarded. The competition was stiff this year with 513 ads making it to the shortlist from the 2023 entries submitted.
45 Dubai Lynx winners were declared for the Print category, Outdoor had 40 trophies, Direct winners were 28. Media was a new category introduced this year and it saw 24 winners. TV/Cinema had 20 winners, Interactive winners had 15 and there were only 4 winners in Integrated as well as 4 in Radio, the last two categories starting out with a very low number of entries.
Out of the 17 countries that partcipated in Dubai Lynx, advertising and media agencies in the UAE took home 127 trophies, followed by Qatar with 18 wins - thanks to FP7 Doha dazzling the jury with their work, Lebanon winning 12 trophies and Egypt grabbing 7 Dubai Lynx awards, including 2 Grand Prix. FP7 DOHA, Qatar, won the Print Grand Prix for EA Games BD Group entry called ‘Back Home’.
Leo Burnett Beirut won the Outdoor Grand Prix for Procter & Gamble’s ‘Natural Colours Change’.
Leo Burnett Cairo’s Melody Channel TV campaign won them the TV/Cinema Grand Prix. They had taken home the first Dubai Lynx TV Grand Prix for the same brand last year.
Bates Pangulf Dubai won the Direct Dubai Lynx Grand Prix for Dubai First credit cards ‘We Know Who You Are’ and in the Media category, the Grand Prix Dubai Lynx Award was won by JWT Cairo for Vodafone Egypt’s ‘Truck Stickers’.
No Grand Prix was awarded in the Interactive, Radio and Integrated categories, a weakness that I have earlier talked about in posts on radio and online advertising, and lack of campaignable thinking at times.
JWT Dubai was declared Agency of the Year with FP7 Doha coming in second, and Fortune Promoseven Dubai in third position.
MediaOne’s Abdul Shafeeq and Swapna Varma from the UAE were declared the winners of the 1st Dubai Lynx Young Creatives competition.
Useful links:
1. View Dubai Lynx Awards winners pictures and download winners list in Outdoor
Dubai Lynx Awards winners’ pictures in Outdoor category
Posted by Farrukh Naeem at www.copywriterjournalist.com in : Advertising, Advertising Agencies, Advertising Awards, Advertising Events, Advertising in Arabia, Advertising in Dubai, Advertising in Qatar, Advertising in the Middle East, Big Babol, Dubai International Advertising Festival, Dubai Lynx Awards, Dubai Lynx Awards 2008, FP7 Doha, Fortune Promoseven, Fortune Promoseven Doha, Fortune Promoseven UAE, Grey Worldwide Dubai, JWT, JWT Dubai, JWT UAE, K-Lynn, Leo Burnett, Memac O&M, Memac Ogilvy & Mather, Ogilvy & Mather, Outdoor Advertising, Outdoor Advertising in Dubai, Outdoor Advertising in UAE, Proctor & Gamble, Volvo , 4 commentsDubai Lynx Awards announced 40 winners in the Outdoor category, which had a large number of entries this year, following just next to the Print category. Here are the pictures of the Gold and Grand Prix winners of Dubai Lynx Awards in Outdoor…
Dubai Lynx Awards 2008 Gold and Grand Prix winners pictures - Outdoor Category
FP7 Doha team with their first Dubai Lynx Gold of the evening, for their Outdoor ad for EA Games
Click on ‘More’ below to see more pictures…
Steve Harrison shares tips on pitching big advertising ideas to hesitant clients at Dubai Lynx April 1, 2008
Posted by Farrukh Naeem at copywriterjournalist.com in : Advertising, Advertising Agencies, Advertising Awards, Advertising Clients, Advertising Events, Advertising Pitch, Advertising in Dubai, Advertising in the UAE, BTL Advertising, Campaign Magazine, Client servicing, Creative Director, Direct Marketing, Dubai International Advertising Festival, Dubai Lynx Awards, Farrukh Naeem, Harrison Troughton Wunderman, Lack of creativity in advertising, Marketing, Steve Harrison , 3 commentsOn Day 1 of Dubai Lynx Awards and the Dubai International Advertising Festival, I was most interested in listening to the surprise session by Steve Harrison (not on the first released festival schedule but in the recent Dubai Lynx email notifications and updated schedule).
Steve has been described by Campaign magazine as “the greatest direct marketing creative of this generation” and his agency Harrison Troughton Wunderman has won more Cannes Direct Lions than any other agency in the world. Having worked at Wunderman and being passionate about direct marketing, how could I resist listening to someone who’s been the Worldwide Creative Director of Wunderman!
Steve’s presentation was about why clients buy bad work, and what can be done to stop them. Being a senior creative person who has to often present agency work to tough clients, I found Steve’s tips valuable and his interaction, engaging.
According to Steve Harrison, advertising agencies have to understand their clients before they can persuade them to buy great work. “You’ve got to start seeing the world through their eyes.” And one of the first key points to sell great work to clients - don’t sell bad work, don’t even take it to the client if you aren’t happy with it!
Also, before asking client to jump, agencies need to assure them they’ll take the client and his brand to the other side, that they know what they are doing.
“The client will never remember that you were three days late, but will always remember you for a bad campaign that bombed.”
Steve Harrison
Ex-Creative Director Worldwide - Wunderman
He cautioned agencies against producing dishonest work - ads that look like they’ve just been recycled from cliched, old concepts.
Steve’s answers were quick and witty. On being asked how clients that are family businesses should be dealt with, he suggested organising the pitch in their home with a smile. Businessmen may not be savvy about marketing but they know how to make money he said, and therefore, ads that will make them more money are sure to get their attention.
I asked Steve what he would do if the client loves a campaign but wants to change its big idea. Steve suggested doing a split test (like a true DM guy would). As well as presenting a completely new ad. A participant added that showing competitive ads could help. Of course, during his presentation he had already talked about getting the client involved from the briefing stage onwards in which case such a situation is less likely to arise.
The session was interactive with participants adding experiences of their market (a little too elaborately at times), talking about a ‘wine-women-wasta’ strategy, and the women in the audience objecting to the constant references to client’s wives.
As I was leaving, Steve thanked me for attending and said he liked my question and the insights I had shared with him on one of my campaigns. He’s delivering another seminar tomorrow but I might be battling agency deadlines. And making client logos bigger.
UPDATE - 10 April 2008: Samer Marzouq of Jazarah.net, another ad blogger buddy who had come all the way from Jordan, has a Video interview with Steve Harrison at Dubai Lynx in which Steve emphasises that clients must be trained by senior agency management on how to get their money’s worth out of an agency. I highly recommend the video.
Dubai Lynx shortlists, advertising seminars and workshops keep delegates busy on Day 1
Posted by Farrukh Naeem at copywriterjournalist.com in : Ad Blogging, Adblog Arabia, Advertising, Advertising Awards, Advertising Events, Advertising in Dubai, Advertising in the Middle East, Advertising in the UAE, Amanda Benfell, BTL Advertising, Cannes Lions 2008, David Droga, Droga5, Dubai International Advertising Festival, Dubai Lynx Awards, International Advertising Association (IAA), Kerry Platts, Lack of creativity in advertising, New York Festivals, Pirana Dubai, Samer Marzouq, Text Appeal, Wunderman Dubai, Zeid Nasser , add a commentThe first ever Dubai International Advertising Festival and the 2nd Dubai Lynx Awards started off well on Monday, 31 March 2008.
Two things most looked forward to on this day were the shortlist of Print, Outdoor, Media and Direct categories and the chance to listen to David Droga - the first seminar after the inauguration of the festival by the Crown Prince of Dubai, His Highness Sheikh Maktoum Bin Mohammed Al Maktoum, Chairman of TECOM.
The shortlist announced today had a total of 383 entries - 195 in Print, 109 in Outdoor, 50 in Direct and 29 in Media. The overall standard looked pretty high this time.
The much awaited Droga5 seminar was packed with ad professionals eager to hear what one of the world’s hottest creative directors has to say about creating positive brand momentum. Seminars and workshops included those by Getty, Eardrum, IAA and EMAAR, Text Appeal and Jumeirah, Brandhome and Eurosport.
I met up with many friends in the ad business. Zeid Nasser of Adblog Arabia and MediaMe who’s come all the way from Jordan. Samer Marzouq of the Jazarah blog. Shehzad of Pirana Dubai, who has been on the jury of New York Festivals. Kerry Platts of Wunderman MENA, a wonderful CD to work with when it comes to Direct, who has been on the Cannes jury from UAE.
Amanda Benfell, the event’s PR and Press Manager, has been very helpful all along. The Press Centre is well equipped. The award-winning work showcased from Cannes and Eurobest makes one feel like a little, tiny dot in the creative universe.
If you’re at the Dubai Lynx, why not share your notes and experiences here? I’d be happy to post inputs from attendees on this blog for everyone’s benefit. And you’re most welcome to call me at 050 7151722 - maybe we could meet up for a coffee when I’m there. You could also show me your work if it’s made it!
2nd Dubai Lynx Awards entries cross the 2000 mark in 2008 March 29, 2008
Posted by Farrukh Naeem at copywriterjournalist.com in : Advertising, Advertising Agencies, Advertising Awards, Advertising Events, Advertising in Arabia, Advertising in Dubai, Advertising in Egypt, Advertising in Kuwait, Advertising in Lebanon, Advertising in Oman, Advertising in the Middle East, Advertising in the UAE, Arabic Advertising, Dubai Advertising Festival, Dubai International Advertising Festival, Dubai Lynx Awards, Lack of creativity in advertising, Outdoor Advertising, Outdoor Advertising in Dubai, Outdoor Advertising in UAE , 4 commentsThe 2nd Dubai Lynx Awards, part of the 1st Dubai International Advertising Festival to be held in Dubai, UAE, have received more than 2000 entries this year.
The awards for creative excellence in the Middle East have grown by around 20% by number of entries. 17 countries in the region are competing for the coveted Dubai Lynx trophies.
Entries for Dubai Lynx Awards 2008 - Break-up by category
As you can see, TV, Print and Radio categories have received almost as many entries as last year. The Outdoor category seems to have exploded this year jumping to almost twice the number of entries. Could this have to do with lots and lots of real estate ads? One hopes these are creative ones because size isn’t everything.
It’s heartening to see the new category ‘Media’ starting off strong with more than a hundred entries this year. Watching interesting media innovations would be interesting.
While Radio continues to reflect the little attention that is paid to it, and the general lack of creativity in the medium in the region, what is a little disappointing in the digital age is to see Interactive entries also trailing far behind press and TV.
The toughest competition is going to be in print as is obvious. Judging from last year’s entries and of course being a practising creative for half a decade here in the UAE, I had a feeling that Interactive and Radio would be easier to compete in, and that feeling was right after all.
The surprisingly low number of Integrated entries as opposed to single press, TV, outdoor entries may be the result of two factors. Some people feel that this region is less priented towards campaign thinking and more towards tactical one-off ads - resulting in some brilliant ads which cannot be strung together in a single campaign.
Also, at the time agencies were applying and submitting entries for Dubai Lynx, many people were finding it hard to understand the process of submitting ads as campaigns. What they were trying to figure out was whether 3-4 ads in a campaign have to be paid in full individually and submitted as ‘Integrated’ or is there another ‘Submit Campaign’ option. I think it was the former. Perhaps the ‘Submit Ads As Campaign’ process needs to be simplified next time.
What do you think is the reason for having more than 800 entries in Print alone and only 27 entries in Integrated? Are creative people in the region making brilliant ads but not brilliant campaigns? Are we too focused on short term creative flashes? Are our clients more concerned here about instant gratification?
Or did we just find it cheaper to submit many single ads than put lots of money on one campaign?
Your comments and insights and disagreements too are welcome in the ‘Comments’ section of this post…
Down memory lane: In the first Dubai Lynx Awards last year, this blog quite possibly had the world’s most extensive coverage with reports, views and pictures of winners. Have a look at these posts to get the feeling of what it’s like:
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 and 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
Keep It Clear ad for Clear anti-dandruff shampoo March 9, 2008
Posted by Farrukh Naeem at copywriterjournalist.com in : Advertising, Advertising Awards, Advertising in Arabia, Advertising in the Middle East, Brands, Clear Shampoo, Marketing , add a comment
Clear anti-dandruff shampoo had a brilliant press ad in OK! Middle East’s 21 February edition (Issue 158).
Dubai Lynx Academy to sponsor 20 students for Dubai International Advertising Festival March 5, 2008
Posted by Farrukh Naeem at copywriterjournalist.com in : Ad Blogging, Advertising, Advertising Agencies, Advertising Awards, Advertising Events, Advertising in Dubai, Advertising in the UAE, Arabic Advertising, Art Director Job, Copywriter job, Copywriting, Dubai International Advertising Festival, Dubai Lynx Awards, Dubai Media City, Lack of creativity in advertising, Marketing , 2 commentsThe Dubai International Advertising Festival is based around the theme ’Learn to Win‘. And in line with that central theme, professionals and students from the advertising industry will have a chance to not just be inspired by award winning ads from the region and around the world, but also by the seminars and workshops that will be conducted by the top ad gurus like David Droga and Piyush Pandey.
Dubai Lynx announces Advertising Person of the Year Award in Dubai, UAE
Posted by Farrukh Naeem at copywriterjournalist.com in : Ad Blogging, Advertising, Advertising Awards, Advertising Events, Advertising in Dubai, Advertising in Egypt, Advertising in Kuwait, Advertising in Lebanon, Advertising in Oman, Advertising in the UAE, Arabic Advertising, Dubai Advertising Festival, Dubai International Advertising Festival, Dubai Lynx Awards, Farrukh Naeem, International Advertising Association (IAA), Lack of creativity in advertising, Marketing , add a commentThe 2nd Dubai Lynx Awards Ceremony will honour the Advertising Person of the Year with a trophy at the first Dubai International Advertising Festival on 2 April 2008. This announcement was made at a press conference held by the organisers yesterday in Dubai Media City.
Dubai Lynx Awards juries announced. First Dubai Advertising Festival on its way… January 13, 2008
Posted by Farrukh Naeem at copywriterjournalist.com in : Ad Blogging, Advertising, Advertising Awards, Advertising in Dubai, Advertising in Egypt, Advertising in Kuwait, Advertising in Lebanon, Advertising in Oman, Advertising in the UAE, Cannes Lions 2008, Dubai Advertising Festival, Dubai Lynx Awards, Farrukh Naeem, Marketing , add a commentDubai Lynx Awards are back with a bang, this time with the first ever Dubai Advertising Festival.
Jury members of the 2nd Dubai Lynx Awards honouring advertising creative excellence across the Middle East and North Africa have been announced by the Cannes Lions, the organisers of the landmark event.
Plagiarism in advertising: Copywriting legend Indra Sinha from the UK shares his views June 11, 2007
Posted by Farrukh Naeem at copywriterjournalist.com in : Advertising, Advertising Awards, Advertising in Dubai, Advertising in the UAE, Business Ethics, Copyright Permission, Copywriting, Corporate Social Responsibility, Ethics in Advertising, Indra Sinha, Journalism, Lack of creativity in advertising, Marketing, Plagiarism, Plagiarism in advertising, Tobacco Advertising , 18 commentsThe discussion on plagiarism and copy-paste creativity in advertising continues with this post. Looks like my earlier post has struck a chord, with the kind of response I have received. Everyone has, at least once in their life, had their idea stolen, borrowed, killed only to be resurrected again with someone else’s name on it.
An interesting, almost ironic, thing happened right after I posted my content online. Zeid Nasser of MediaMe.com, a friend and fellow ad blogger in the region, re-posted my post, almost in its entirety, on his home page with a link back to my blog. (Thanks, Zeid.) The post has been titled ‘Plagiarism in the Middle East on the rise‘ which I have asked Zeid to reconsider since my post is about the ad industry not the Middle East. Interesting how far one post can go on the net, isn’t it?
I was also asked by a member of the Arabic media to comment on this issue. Good to know the interest generated by this theme. As I had written, plagiarism is a relevant issue that needs to be talked about. The post might have made some creative directors uncomfortable. Cool.
The most amazing part has been the mail sent in by Indra Sinha. He is a copywriting legend who needs no introduction. His work for Amnesty International and Metropolitan Police will have any ad lover mesmerised. I would even go so far as to say that Indra is what young copywriters may want to be when they grow up. And this is what Indra wrote to me that I would like to share with you:
Plagiarism and copy-paste creativity in advertising – copywriter in Dubai, UAE, continues the discussion on ethics in advertising June 9, 2007
Posted by Farrukh Naeem at copywriterjournalist.com in : Advertising, Advertising Awards, Advertising in Dubai, Advertising in the UAE, Copyright Permission, Copywriting, Ethics in Advertising, Farrukh Naeem, Internet Advertising, Journalism, Lack of creativity in advertising, Marketing, Plagiarism, Plagiarism in advertising , 36 commentsWe the creative people in advertising – the creative directors, copywriters, art directors, graphic designers – take great pride in producing original ideas. At least that’s what we claim.
Then we see from amongst us, creatives being caught for copying not just a treatment or idea but entire sentences, phrases, tag lines, layouts with the fonts and visuals. I have even received emails from you, dear readers, alerting me to plagiarised ads. (An ad-blogging friend had sent me a copy of an ad he felt was a rip-off which he couldn’t put on his blog because they were also working for that client.)
The lack of self respect when one simply lifts someone else’s concept and execution is one of the reasons why we the advertising people have earned ourselves the notoriety of being in one of the least respected professions in the world. We have brought this upon us. (That email forward about “Don’t tell my mom I work in advertising…” comes to mind.)
Some of us just can’t help lifting stuff from advertising awards books. I have seen it happening so much, it has almost become an industry norm. Sad.
I remember one creative who kept the awards book he copied from, safely tucked in his drawer. So that no one will ever know where his ‘inspiration’ came from. His best idea was traced back to that book in his drawer.
Perhaps it’s the pressure of winning awards. Perhaps it’s the lack of confidence in some people about creating something world class with their own mind. It’s not what one would expect from an industry like ours, bursting at the seams with highly talented people. We have some of the brightest minds in business in the ad agency cubicles, halls, water cooler areas.
Call me a dreamer, but I am sure many of us in advertising believe that we don’t have to copy things from awards books and other people’s portfolios and websites. Yes, ideas are everywhere. But taking someone’s layout and copy?
And people who get into the habit of copy-paste don’t just stop at ad layouts. I recently came across a profile of an ad man that reads just like mine with exact phrases from my profile, on the same online network, in my own city!
I am reproducing a few of the many, many ’coincidences’ I found below in this person’s profile:
My network profile: (Wants) partnerships for projects across the globe
Copy-paste profile: (Wants) Partnerships for projects across the globe
My network profile: campaigns for TV, radio, press, magazines, outdoor, direct marketing and the internet
Copy-paste profile: campaigns for TV, radio, press, magazines, outdoor, direct marketing and the internet
My network profile: worked on some of the hottest brands in the world
Copy-paste profile: worked for some of the hottest brands and companies in the world
I could have provided you a link to our friend’s profile – but then this post isn’t about any particular person. However, if you want to hire a ‘global creative director’ who’s good at copying and pasting things, email me and I might just give you the link.
Anyway, this post is about an unethical and unflattering practice that I feel does disservice to our advertising profession. It’s about two buttons on our keyboard - ‘Ctrl’ and ‘C’. Let’s not use them too much.
In the coming days, I plan to have a few more posts on copy-paste creativity in the world of advertising because discussion on this is relevant and needed, specially in the time of the internet which makes plagiarism easy to do. But then, it has also become easier to track. Thank you, Google.
Take the case of this blog as an example - I caught someone copying content from my blog, from as far as Russia, and pasting it as his own writing. Such a content-scraper can be easily banned from their web host on charges of copyright violation and breach of TOS. (Quoting from this blog, as this blog’s copyright notice says, is fine as long as the quote is attributed and linked back to my blog as the source.) I believe in open source and information sharing but am strongly against plagiarism and credit-stealing.
What is your verdict, dear readers?
When does inspiration or benchmarking become plagiarism?
Have you met friends in the profession who feel it’s cool to copy as long as one doesn’t get caught?
Have your ideas and ads been lifted by other creatives who don’t have what it takes but are faking it?
If you are a brand manager or marketer, would you hire a self-professed ‘global creative director‘ who’s been caught stealing ideas from others and passing them as his own?
Comments are open… I don’t fancy anonymous ones though.
Creativity and advertising in the UAE - The important role young creatives play May 25, 2007
Posted by Farrukh Naeem at copywriterjournalist.com in : AGA, Advertising, Advertising Awards, Advertising in Dubai, Advertising in the UAE, Apple, Arabian Gulf Advertising, Bilal Kerbaj, Cannes Lions 2008, Copywriting, Farrukh Naeem, International Advertising Association (IAA), Journalism, Keshav Naidu, Marketing, Sheetal Rajan, Shiva Kumar Thekkepat, Team Y&R , 4 commentsKeeping you posted on the latest advertising, marketing and creativity trends in the UAE and worldwide, I’d like to recommend today’s Gulf News Friday article by the senior journalist Shiva Kumar Thekkepat.
The report is in the light of the recently concluded Cannes Lions Young Creatives 2007 competition, which pits the wits of young agency creatives under 28 years for a chance to represent their agency and country at the global level.
The global Gold winners will enjoy a full delegate registration to Cannes Lions 2008, including hotel accommodation courtesy of the Festival, and many other goodies, like an Apple iPod!
The winning work is made available to a real client, usually a non-profit/charity organisation.
In the Gulf News article, Shiva talks to Sheetal Rajan and Bilal Kerbaj of Arabian Gulf Advertising (AGA) Dubai who won Gold and Keshav Naidu and Umran Shaikh of Team Y&R, Dubai who won Silver.
And a little surprise - you’d see your favourite ad blogger in the feature too. I shared views on the importance of encouraging young talent. And the days when agencies here in the UAE insisted on only talking to people with ‘minimum 10 years of experience’. And what global creative bigwigs who were here during Dubai Lynx said about our standards of creativity.
Also, why I respect creative people in the Middle East because I believe we try harder (think the legendary ‘We Try Harder‘ campaign). Like when we get a brief to promote skin care without showing any skin. And sell lingerie but stay clear of any product shot. Well, you get the picture 
Farrukh Naeem, copywriter and journalist, talks to Shiva Kumar Thekkepat of Gulf News on advertising and creativity in the UAETechnorati Tags:
Farrukh Naeem, Copywriter Dubai, Copywriter UAE, Media in UAE, Team Y&R, AGA, Young Creatives, Shiva Kumar Thekkepat, Keshav Naidu, Advertising Blogger, Arabian Gulf Advertising, Bilal Kerbaj, Cannes Lions 2008, Sheetal Rajan, International Advertising Association (IAA), Dubai Lynx, Copywriting, Friday, Dubai, Creativity, Apple iPod, Journalism, Life In The UAE, Gulf News, Advertising in the UAE, Middle East Advertising, Creative Awards, Advertising Awards, Advertising in Dubai, uae advertising, Marketing
Apple Macintosh’s legendary ‘Think Different’ campaign by TBWA Chiat/Day: A dream ad for any creative copywriter
Posted by Farrukh Naeem at copywriterjournalist.com in : Advertising, Advertising Awards, Apple, Apple Advertising, Copywriting, Farrukh Naeem, Freelance Journalist, Jennifer Golub, Jessica Schulman, Lee Clow, Marketing, Richard Branson, TBWA, TBWA\Chiat\Day, TV commercial , 10 commentsFor me as an advertising copywriter in Dubai, UAE, it’s good to benchmark with ads that have made a global impact. What is the stuff that memorable ads are made of?
One campaign that remains etched in my memory and gives me the I-wish-I’d-done-that feeling is Apple Macintosh’s ‘Think Different‘.
The personalities that the campaign featured were the ‘crazy ones’, who zigged when others zagged. The campaign theme ‘Think Different’ itself is a rule-breaker, as my fellow copywriters will notice. Here’s what the script of Apple’s legendary ad spot said…
Here’s to the crazy ones.
The misfits.
The rebels.
The troublemakers.
The round pegs in the square holes.
The ones who see things differently.
They’re not fond of rules.And they have no respect for the status quo.
You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them.About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them.
Because they change things.They push the human race forward.And while some see them as the crazy ones,
we see genius.Because the people who are crazy enough to think
that they can change the world… are the ones who do.
The ‘Think Different’ campaign featured many people whose lives and thoughts I find inspiring - Mahatma Gandhi, Albert Einstein, John Lennon, Bob Dylan, Mohammed Ali and Richard Branson whose autobiography I am reading these days.
This is what I am talking about:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KreJkItCk4E]
Some of the people from TBWA\Chiat\Day who made this award-winning ad campaign happen - Lee Clow, Chief Creative Officer, Jennifer Golub, Executive Producer, Jessica Schulman, Art Director - share their experience in ‘The Making of Think Different’ on YouTube.
Which one is your favourite legendary ad? An ad made you wish you were in advertising when you were a kid? Let me know and maybe we could share it here on this blog…
Your comments are welcome and appreciated - click here to -> ’add your comment‘.
Useful Links:
1. Electric Escape reproduces an article by Stuart Elliott of the New York Times with an interview of TBWA Chiat/Day’s Lee Clow, Jessica Schulman, Jennifer Golub and Dan Bootzin
2. Detailed info by canadian-helper-ga on Google Answers about the background, credits and awards won by the ‘Think Different’ campaign
3. Wikipedia entry for the ‘Think Different’ campaign (yeah, it’s that legendary!)
Technorati Tags:
Farrukh Naeem, Creative Awards, Advertising Awards, TBWA\Chiat\Day, Apple Advertising, Jessica Schulman, Jennifer Golub, Jennifer Glub, Lee Clow, Mohammed Ali, Richard Branson, Copywriting, Creativity, Apple Macintosh, John Lennon, Think Different, Albert Einstein, TBWA, Gandhi, Bob Dylan, Marketing, Freelance Copywriter, Copywriter in Dubai, Copywriter in Abu Dhabi, Copywriter in UAE, Advertising in the Middle East, Advertising Blogger
Grey Worldwide Dubai’s ‘Broken Lego’ ad advertising karate for kids March 29, 2007
Posted by Farrukh Naeem at copywriterjournalist.com in : Advertising, Advertising Awards, Advertising in Dubai, Advertising in the UAE, Grey Worldwide Dubai , 30 commentsHere’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 i