RIYADH, 19 March 2007 — Splash, the leading fashion retailer in the Middle East with substantial presence in Saudi Arabia, secured the coveted award for “Marketing Campaign of the Year” at the Retail ME Awards 2006 for the winter 2006 flashback campaign. Held under the patronage of Sheikha Lubna Al-Qassimi, UAE’s Minister of Economy and Planning, the awards ceremony took place recently at Madinat Jumeirah in Dubai.
“Our marketing campaign has been rolled out across the GCC with astounding success. The fact that we won this award despite stiff competition from other top brands has helped us prove that we are definitely a force to reckon with” Raza Beig, Splash’s managing director, said. “The award is an excellent indicator of our GCC marketing team’s hard work and achievements, as well as our partners who worked tirelessly alongside us including, The Partnership, MediaEdge, Matrix Public Relations, Tattoo 360 and Aly & Arwa Trading.
The Splash marketing strategy struck a chord with judges as it managed to reposition itself successfully as an international fashion brand.
Lending weight to the final decision were elements such as, achievements of marketing objectives, targeted use of public and media relations distinguished by a vibrant advertising campaign.
Recent successes such as Splash’s inclusion in Forbes Arabia Top 40 Arab Brands and winning the UAE Web Awards were also significant factors.
The Retail ME Awards, instituted to recognize retail excellence in the Middle East, were judged by a panel comprising internationally well-established names in the industry before being independently collected, collated and audited by Ernst & Young. “In 2005, we took home the ‘Business Excellence Award’, Beig said. “In 2006, we won ‘Marketing Campaign of the Year’ award and in 2007 Splash will definitely be back at the awards in several other categories,” he added.
Starting with just one store in 1993, the fashion house is now a leading retailer in the GCC with headquarters in Dubai and a retail network of 58 Splash stores and 59 brand stores across the region.
Splash showcases popular in-house collections for men and women such as Ms, Nexus, Maxim, Retro, ZYNC and Scarlet, with international brands such as Maui and Sons and Yishion. Splash is also the exclusive licensee for Lee Cooper and Kappa in the Middle East; as well as the franchisee for Bossini in Kuwait, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.
