Mercedes-Benz

Most shared stories in January 2012

editor — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 04:37:56 -0800

Every month, hundreds of news stories and headlines are shared by mediaME users across social media platforms. January 2012 was a particularly active month. The mediaME editor has picked the most shared stories, which provide a summarized look-back at the month.

The most shared news and stories on mediaME.com in January:

Mercedes-Benz adds Facebook to its in-vehicle telematics system

editor — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 12:53:18 -0800

Mercedes-Benz is incorporating Facebook into its in-vehicle telematics system, and the prototype has been unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. "Now that cars have screens that are intelligent, you would expect that more and more car manufacturers will want to make those screens capable of allowing people to connect with their friends and take advantage of the social context that comes along with that," said Facebook Vice President of Partnerships and Platform Marketing Dan Rose.

The automobile is quickly becoming an online marketing channel. BMW is also venturing in to the social networking scene, adding a Yelp application to BMW Online. The application will give drivers access to the typical content on Yelp, such as highly-reviewed local restaurants, pubs, banks, and parking garages.

Cannes Lions announces Tham Khai Meng as 2012 film and press jury president

editor — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 01:23:22 -0800

The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity is pleased to announce that Tham Khai Meng, Worldwide Chief Creative Officer of Ogilvy & Mather, will head up both the Film and Press Juries at the 59th Festival, taking place in Cannes, France, 17-23 June 2012.

As stated by Advertising Age, Tham Khai Meng is considered 'one of the world's most influential people in the communications business'.

Making his mark at Leo Burnett London, he then progressed to Batey Ads where his work as creative director for Singapore Airlines is still regarded as a textbook case on brand building. He joined Ogilvy & Mather in 2000 as Regional Creative Director and Co-Chairman of its Asia Pacific network. The creative transformation he instituted led him to be named 'Creative Director of the Year' for seven years running by Campaign Brief Asia. Khai was inducted into the Campaign Brief Hall of Fame in 2008.

In 2009, Khai moved to New York to assume the duties of Worldwide Chief Creative Officer and Chairman of the Worldwide Creative Council at Ogilvy & Mather.

Khai has won every major advertising award, and the roster of accounts he has worked on represents a catalogue of the world's greatest brands, including American Express, Cadbury's, Coca-Cola, China Mobile, H. J. Heinz, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Kraft Foods, Mercedes-Benz, McDonald's, Toyota, The Economist, Unilever Dove and United Nations, among others.

Khai has chaired many jury panels including serving as a Cannes Lions juror on the Press and Outdoor Lions in 2003, the Press Lions in 2007, the Titanium & Integrated Lions in 2010, and as President of the Film, Print, Outdoor, Radio and Integrated juries for the Dubai International Advertising Festival in 2009. He has won countless awards and grands prix over the years from every major show including Cannes Lions, D&AD, The One Show, the Clio Awards and London International Awards.

More recently, Khai’s counsel has been sought outside the industry. He has addressed the World Economic Forum (WEF), worked with the UN Secretary-General, and served on the Singapore Prime Minister's Economic Review Committee. He is a faculty member at Steinbeis University, Berlin, and a board member of Agencies in Action, a non-profit organisation that helps feed the hungry in New York City.

Commenting on his appointment Khai said, “Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity is the preeminent standard bearer for creative distinction in our industry. I am deeply honoured to be invited to chair the Film and Press juries and I look forward to working with some of the world's foremost creatives. Our role is not only to champion industry ideals, but to celebrate the brave ones who have deployed the highest creativity in the service of business."

Philip Thomas, CEO of Cannes Lions, added, “Khai has been a big part of Cannes for a number of years now. Whether as a jury member, a speaker or simply picking up numerous Lions, his stature within the industry is undisputed. Chairing two juries is no easy task but Khai's dedication and experience will be invaluable in both leading the juries and finding the winners. We are delighted to welcome him on board again.”

Y&R lures top creative professional Mark Bamfield to Jordan

editor — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 04:07:00 -0700

Y&R, the Kingdom’s leading full-service advertising agency, welcomes Mark Bamfield as its new Executive Creative Director. Bamfield’s work as a creative communication and strategy specialist extends over two decades, with experience working on campaigns on five continents. Along the way Bamfield has picked up numerous advertising honors, including two Gold Lions and a Gold One Show pencil.

Bamfield’s continually changing portfolio of work includes integrated and digital marketing solutions across a range of industries; from airlines and automotive to technology. Y&R offers clients the full spectrum of integrated marketing services; with his variety of experience at such global creative agencies as BBDO, Batey, TBWA, and Saatchi & Saatchi, Bamfield is well-equipped to handle the diverse needs of Y&R’s clients. His recognized strengths in conceptual development and craft make him a perfect fit for his new role.

In response to Bamfield’s arrival, Farida Shakhshir, Y&R’s Country Manager, remarked, “Y&R is the most awarded creative agency in Jordan and one of the most respected in the region. In this business though, you cannot simply sit back and rest on your laurels. To continue to function as a cutting-edge marketing and communication force in Jordan, we always have to be improving and evolving. We have always recruited top international talent like Mark Bamfield, believing that the creative abilities of skilled professionals like Bamfield are not only valuable in their own right, but also for the long-term creative development of our staff.”

Bamfield has worked on marketing and advertising strategies for countless key global brands, including Apple, Mercedes-Benz, Nestle, Nokia, Unilever, Hewlett-Packard, Virgin mobile, and many others. Bamfield also brings to the table extensive experience in the airline industry, most recently with Singapore Airlines and previously with Emirates Air and Delta Airlines.

MENACOM, part of WPP and Y&R Brands, with headquarters in Dubai, is the Middle East and North Africa region's leading communications conglomerate. The group includes advertising agencies Y&R and Intermarkets; public relations firms ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller and Polaris; direct marketing specialists Wunderman; and media specialist firm MEC.

With over 1,200 employees in its network of 57 offices, MENACOM provides marketing communications services in 17 countries across the Middle East and North Africa.

Unisono Bahrain launches media department

editor — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 03:22:09 -0700

Unisono, Bahrain’s leading independent full- service agency today announced the launch of the strategic media planning & buying department headed by Yasser Akram.

This latest announcement follows the launch of Unisono’s public relations and digital marketing departments in April and May of this year and further establishes Unisono’s position as a brand centric agency providing truly integrated strategic solutions.

Commenting on the strategy behind the media department launch, Managing Director Pennie Nixon said, “When media and creative teams work in isolation, even brilliant creative work can suffer as it is not portrayed effectively through the Media. By bringing media in-house we will be able to offer our clients an integrated and creative media solution which will add value to their campaigns”.

The market needs innovation in media rather than more recycled media plans. Our vision is for an award-winning department, which creates work that truly maximizes our clients’ return on investment and does creative advertising justice. We are confident that Yasser Akram is the perfect person to make this happen.”

Yasser has a cumulative experience of more than 12 years in the advertising industry, from which 7 years in the media industry. He has worked with clients throughout the Middle East and Egypt, including Zain, HSBC, Vodafone, Unilever, Mobinil, Mercedes-Benz, VIVA and other leading brands.

Yasser started his career in Egypt in 1998 while still at school, working for his family advertising business. By 2004 at the age of 22 he had been able to grow his family business by 45%. After graduating from the Arab Academy for Science & Technology with a degree in Marketing, Yasser joined Starcom MediaVest Egypt in 2005 to be part of the team that managed the largest media spender in Egypt "Mobinil".

Moving to Bahrain in late 2006, Yasser went on to be the lead planner at Mindshare, managing the Bahrain & Qatar market with a portfolio of esteemed clients in various categories (Telecom, Real-Estate, Banking, Automotive, Retail, Entertainment and Motorsports).Prior to joining Unisono Yasser was lead mediastrategist at Universal Media. In this capacity he headed the media business for
VIVA Bahrain as well as other market leading brands.

“Yasser’s set of skills are relatively new and rare to the region. As a specialist in his field Yasser is the ideal candidate to advance our vision of delivering enhanced media efficacy through integration with Unisono’s holistic brand centric approach.

We are truly excited about having him on board, and look forward to seeing effective and exciting marketing campaigns being rolled out throughout the region.” said Managing Director Pennie Nixon.

Mercedes-Benz | 70's

editor — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 02:47:00 -0700

Advertising Agency: Impact BBDO, Dubai

Executive Creative Director: Fouad Abdel Malak

Copywriter: Grant Mc Grath, Jeremy Southern, Darren Mc Call

Account Manager: Albert Lorenzo, Roxane Roullier

Art Director: Andrej Arsenijevic, Mohammed Diaa

Illustrator: Adhemas Batista

Typographer: Adhemas Batista

Other Credits: Byju Ravindran, Sameer Ketkar

Via [Dubai Lynx]

Mercedes-Benz | 60's

editor — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 02:41:36 -0700

Advertising Agency: Impact BBDO, Dubai

Executive Creative Director: Fouad Abdel Malak

Copywriter: Grant Mc Grath, Jeremy Southern, Darren Mc Call

Account Manager: Albert Lorenzo, Roxane Roullier

Art Director: Andrej Arsenijevic, Mohammed Diaa

Illustrator: Adhemas Batista

Typographer: Adhemas Batista

Other Credits: Byju Ravindran, Sameer Ketkar

Via [Dubai Lynx]

Mercedes-Benz | 80's

editor — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 02:41:28 -0700

Advertising Agency: Impact BBDO, Dubai

Executive Creative Director: Fouad Abdel Malak

Copywriter: Grant Mc Grath, Jeremy Southern, Darren Mc Call

Account Manager: Albert Lorenzo, Roxane Roullier

Art Director: Andrej Arsenijevic, Mohammed Diaa

Illustrator: Adhemas Batista

Typographer: Adhemas Batista

Other Credits: Byju Ravindran, Sameer Ketkar

Via [Dubai Lynx]

McCollins Media wins both Gargash Enterprises and Imation Middle East accounts

editor — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 03:11:03 -0700

McCollins Media, the communications arm of Red Orange Events, announced two recent client wins for its Dubai office. Gargash Enterprises, official distributor of Mercedes-Benz in Dubai, Sharjah and Northern Emirates and Imation Middle East, a leading provider of removable data storage products, have selected McCollins for their communication requirements in UAE.

Commenting on the wins, Meghna Kothari, Director McCollins Media, said: "I am delighted to announce these two major client wins and we look forward to working with both Gargash and Imation to achieve their business and communications objectives in the region".

"Both the accounts would help us develop and demonstrate our experience and knowledge both in the technology, entertainment and lifestyle communication strategies," she added.

The Agency will devise and implement strategic PR and creative brand building campaigns for Gargash. The campaign objective is to further position the brand as an ideal choice for customers seeking comfort, luxury and style in an automobile.

Wassim Derbi, Marketing Manager of Gargash Enterprises said: "Choosing McCollins Media came from our belief in the agency's level of talent and professionalism, which is rated among the highest in the region. We were also convinced of the company's creative ability and knowledge of the local cultures in the region. The agency provided proposals and plans to support our business, reach new customer segments to develop Gargash Enterprises - Mercedes-Benz brand in line with our hopes and aspirations."

"We are always keen on achieving excellence in the automotive industry. McCollins as an agency, shares our vision to maintain and develop our strong commitment to our customers and highlight the state-of-the-art innovation and technology, reflecting Gargash Enterprises' corporate values" Derbi added.

The Agency was briefed on creating strategic communication campaigns that will effectively highlight Imation's' profile in the Middle East region, targeting consumers, gamers, business users and the channel by highlighting their innovative product portfolio and advanced technology that has been recognized globally.

Riyaz Abdulla, Regional Manager of Imation Middle East, said: "McCollins Media has demonstrated a solid understanding of Imation as a leading global technology company, which is extremely important for us to effectively communicate our business and communications objectives to our target audience in the region. We are confident that the agency's creativity and professionalism will enable us to complement our objective of helping people and organizations store, protect, and connect to their digital world".

The Dubai-based firm's client list also includes 3i Infotech, DEWALT, Juelmin Insurance, YourSpace and Bespoke Auto Design.

BBDO Worldwide named Network of the Year at Cannes

editor — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 14:32:49 -0700

BBDO Worldwide has been awarded Network of the Year for the 4th time now at the 57th International Advertising Festival in Cannes. With work for more than 40 clients, 21 BBDO agencies from across the globe have come together to set another record, winning a total of 85 Lions that spanned all forms of communication from Cyber to Design, Direct, Film, Media, Outdoor, Press, Promotion, PR, Radio and Titanium/Integrated. BBDO was the top performer with a final tally which included 17 Gold, 24 Silver and 42 Bronze Lions, along with the Grand Prix for Print.