Industry celebrates Effie Mena Awards 2013 winners

Vodafone's Fakka campaign by JWT Cairo bags Grand Prix and three Golds
FP7/DXB named Most Effective Agency of the Year
Emirates NBD's Vikram Krishna declared GMR Marketer of the Year

Dubai, November 21, 2013. The Effie Mena Awards 2013, the region's premiere marketing awards hosted by Gulf Marketing Review (GMR), concluded its most hotly contested edition yet
at a glittering presentation ceremony at the MusicHall, Zabeel Saray, Palm Jumeirah, on November 20, 2013.

Vodafone won the Grand Prix award for its Fakka from Vodafone: How to make small feel BIG campaign, created by JWT Cairo, which was judged as the finest example of marketing effectiveness from among all category winners, and a testament to genuine marketing excellence.

Then same campaign also bagged gold in Retail, Shopper Marketing and Telecommunications/Mobiles categories.

The night, in which 17 Award categories were made, saw FP7/DXB win the coveted Most Effective Agency of the Year Award, with Vikram Krishna, Head Group Marketing & Customer Experience, Emirates NBD, claiming the GMR Marketer of the Year Award.

The 2013 Awards saw the number of entries double from the previous year, building on the
47 percent increase of the 2012 edition. This year's Effie Mena Awards also saw the widest geographical participation yet, with the Netherlands, the UK and Singapore submitting entries for the first time to go with a slew of entries from the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Lebanon.

“This year marks the fifth anniversary of the Effie Mena Awards and the twentieth anniversary of GMR. And to celebrate, we wanted to throw a big party,” says Alexandre Hawari, Co-CEO, Mediaquest. “It is fantastic to see them become a benchmark for measuring genuine industry effectiveness through a fair and completely transparent adjudication process, and in doing so set new standards for regional agencies in marketing, advertising and social media.”

Ford Middle East bagged the gold in Automotive. Beverage giants, PepsiCo and Coca-Cola Egypt, both won gold in Food & Beverages FMCG. PepsiCo took home another gold in Best Youth Marketing Campaign, while Coca-Cola Middle East grabbed the gold in Best Use of CSR.

“These Awards are an excellent barometer of the evolution of the region's marketing capabilities from an over reliance on tactical promotions to what are now world-class,  insight-driven strategies that build and sustain brand equity,” says Siobhan Adams, Group Managing Editor, GMR.

Dubai International Film Festival and Nike were honoured for the Best Use of Social Media, while The X Factor Arabia and Dubai International Film Festival both bagged gold in the Media category.

Shortlists for the 17 award categories were decided through a mix of voting and adjudication. The shortlisted entries were then filtered through a highly rigorous and standardized vetting process by a jury of experts comprised of some of the leading names in regional marketing.

Organised by Mediaquest Events and presented by GMR, the Effie Mena Awards 2013 was supported by the Choueri Group and GM-Cadillac as Strategic Sponsors. Category Sponsors included Yahoo!, Fox International Channels ME, Sky News Arabia, Sephora, Al Aan TV, Zee Aflam, Group Plus, Ipsos, HyperMedia, and Al Shuala Media. Thomson Reuters and Communicate magazine as Media Partners.