Mindshare honored as “Media Agency of the Year”

DUBAI: Mindshare, an agency dedicated to innovative brand development for its clients, was recognized at MENA Cristal Festival for outstanding achievement in several creative campaigns. The festival, which was founded in 2005, is respected as one of the region’s most celebrated awards shows and is dedicated to commending agencies for excellence in advertising and communications. In addition to receiving seven awards in multiple categories at the show on February 6th, Mindshare was awarded the two most prestigious titles: “Media Agency of the Year” and “Media Network of the Year.”
The awards list included Gold and Silver awards for the “Speed Personified” campaign for Nissan, Silver and Bronze awards for the Infiniti and its BCI campaigns, two Bronze awards for the campaign featuring LG’s washing machine, and a Silver award for the Nike “Sticker Wall” campaign.
“I am proud of our agency’s achievements at 2012- 2013’s MENA Cristal Festival,” commented Samir Ayoub, CEO of Mindshare in the Middle East and North Africa region. “We were honored to receive commendation for our work on the Nissan, Infiniti, LG, and Nike campaigns; however, we are especially excited to receive the awards for ‘Media Agency of the Year’ and ‘Network of the Year.’ I would like to express our gratitude to our clients and our diligent team – without them, this achievement would not have been possible.”
Held at the luxurious Mzaar Mountain Resort and Spa near the snow-capped peaks of Mt. Lebanon, the MENA Cristal Festival draws in large crowds of notable agency representatives each year. This year’s theme, “The Future is Now,” was inspired by Felix Baumgartner, the Austrian skydiver who became the first man the break the sound barrier in a free-fall parachute jump in October 2012. The video of the historic event broke the world record for most-watched live-video event on YouTube at the time and was part of a ground breaking Redbull campaign; this is commonly used as an exceptional example of innovative and effective branding, making Baumgartner the perfect representative for the show. Among the show’s approximately 650 attendees, notable representatives in advertising spoke on topics such as connecting in a meaningful way with customers, finding consumers on YouTube, trends in branded content, among others. A heavily-attended networking cocktail event, offered by Mindshare, allowed guests to mingle and exchange ideas and contact info for future collaborations.
From the festival’s inception in 2005, the show has aimed to recognize innovative players in the field of communications, including survey companies, television producers, directors, members of the print media, and ad agencies. MENA Cristal Festival distinguishes itself from other award shows by creating a platform for recognizing creative Arabic-language advertising and the best minds of the MENA region, including Mindshare’s dynamic and innovative team.