Dubai Media City, a member of TECOM Group, celebrated the MENA region’s most creative and effective advertising campaigns at the 2016 MENA Effie Awards. As Strategic Sponsor of the awards, Dubai Media City reiterated the importance of a creative ecosystem for the region, as the media industry undergoes a digital transformation. The 2016 Effie awards saw 850 entries, for awards across a total of 23 categories including new categories for branded content, seasonal marketing and healthcare.

The near-total smartphone and internet penetration across the MENA region is leading to the rise of new platforms and channels for brands to engage with consumers. Central to this new dimension of consumer engagement, is the need for innovative and creative content, thereby creating “ideas that work”. The availability of industry leading infrastructure at Dubai Media City to support the needs of the evolving advertising community together with a diverse talent pool, puts Dubai at the forefront of the region’s creative ecosystem.  

Majed Al Suwaidi, Managing Director of Dubai Media City said: “The Effies are an industry leading awards event, and we are proud that we are able to give recognition to our Business Partners and the wider creative ecosystem who are leading change through the evolving advertising industry.  This year, we have seen brands deliver edgy, engaging and thought-provoking campaigns that have contributed to commercial success in their organisations and have leveraged emerging technology and platforms to engage with consumers in a smart and innovative world.” 

“According to PwC, regional media spend is expected to grow to US$61.1 million by 2019 and together with the right infrastructure, our community of more than 20,000 people will continue to push the boundaries of creativity and reimagine advertising as we know it.” 

Globally, mobile internet advertising is expected to surpass display advertising as early as 2018, which will lead to widespread demand for new skillsets and solutions for brands. TECOM Group’s innovation arm, in5 will also open a new media innovation centre that will further enhance the development of entrepreneurial talent to meet the needs of the future of the MENA media landscape, as it transforms into a digital first landscape.

The Effie Awards are marketing communications awards given yearly by Effie Worldwide to honor effective marketing ideas that are at the forefront of the industry, as well as the organisations, teams and individuals that conceive and execute them. Started in 1968 in the United States by the New York American Marketing Association, the Effie Awards have expanded globally, first to Germany in 1981, before spreading to the rest of the world over the next thirty years.