JWT Dubai emerged as agency of the year at Wednesday's Dubai Lynx awards.
The second Dubai Lynx Awards on Wednesday saw 180 of the 513 short listed ads take home awards. The awards celebrate the best advertising in the Middle East and North Africa region
Leo Burnett Cairo took the Grand Prix in the TV/Cinema category. They won for their Melody campaign, for the first Middle Eastern music channel to play only English language songs. The series of ads sees Egyptian locals reinterpret the works of Akon, Madonna, Britney, 50 Cent and Shakira in unlikely ways.
Fortune Promoseven was another notable winner in the TV/Cinema category. The Cairo-based agency won gold for their Coca-Cola campaign. Having lost out on official sponsorship of the 2008 African Nations Cup to Pepsi, they instead crowned Coca-Cola the official sponsors of the Egyptian fans.
Print was the most awarded category with 45 awards given. FP7 DOHA from Qatar was awarded the Print Grand Prix for their Medal of Honour poster Back Home. It sees a CG game character soldier greeted by his two real life kids on his return from battle.
It may have been the second Dubai Lynx Awards, but the ceremony was part of the first Dubai International Advertising Festival. It's the only festival that promotes advertising communications in the Middle East and North Africa. Speakers included David Droga of Droga5, who suggested that modern advertising is about momentum rather than persuasion.
The Lynx Debate on Wednesday discussed the creativity of advertising in the MENA region and how it could develop. Four key figures from across the area - Bechara Mouzannar of Leo Burnett Lebanon, Fady Chamaa of JWT Cairo, Walid Kanaan from Impact BBDO KSA and Ed Jones of Saatchi & Saatchi took part.
For a full list of winners, click here.
