FROM THE JURY PRESIDENT

NADJA BELLAN-WHITE, EVP, GLOBAL BRANDS, OGILVY & MATHER EMEA

At a time when our industry is under extreme scrutiny for its relative value to brands, it was so refreshing to see the breadth and depth of entries from this year’s Creative Effectiveness entries at the Dubai Lynx. Creativity and effectiveness are the backbone of our industry, and I think sometimes we forget that true magic happens when the two perfectly align. Each of the entries tapped into cultural tensions in the markets (women’s empowerment, education, equality for all, country pride), showing pure excellence despite circumstances around you. The Middle East and North Africa region has such an extraordinary sea of talent. I have no doubt that the bar will continue be raised each year

The brand entries represented (Pril; Coca-Cola Egypt; Tummy Fish; Hadia; Lays; Mondelez; Royal Jordanian Air… this is not the exhaustive list) were simply remarkable. Each one of those cases delivered results for their clients, and in many ways redefined the category for the market. We were all particularly moved by #beatme in the Creative Effectiveness for Good category, which struck an immediate chord in all of us. It was inspirational and represented the true power that our industry can provide. We (as marketers) can help our clients deliver on their brand’s purpose.

We chose our Grand Prix (Pril’s one-drop) because it not only embodied the principles outlined above, but in many ways redefined the retail experience for a market.