Fresh from three unprecedented wins at the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival in France two weeks ago, the region’s leading diversified communications conglomerate The Holding Group (THG) today announced it expects regional billings to cross AED 1.4 billion.
THG – which includes advertising agencies Team/Young & Rubicam and Intermarkets, public relations firms Asda’a and Polaris, direct marketing specialists Wunderman and media buying arm Mediaedge:cia – provides advertising, media, direct marketing and public relations services to more than 260 clients in 15 countries across the Middle East and North Africa.
The Group scored an unmatched hat trick at Cannes, with Wunderman claiming the region’s first Cannes Gold Lion for direct marketing and Team/Y&R scooping two Silver Lions. The Group’s quality of work was further validated with Team/Y&R having a total of four finalists at Cannes, including the first-ever television commercial from the Middle East.
“We are proud that we have been able to contribute in associating the Middle East and North Africa market with world class communications work,” said Joseph Ghossoub, THG CEO, at a media briefing in Dubai today.
“This has been a great year for THG, and it is not over yet,” said Ghossoub, who is also the Chairman and World President of the International Advertising Association. “The Group has witnessed double-digit growth year on year for the last several years, with more than 20 per cent annual growth recorded for each of the last three years. The trend is expected to continue unabated as the company moves into new markets and countries in the region.”
The Group, which employs 1,340 communications professionals, is currently pursuing a vigorous expansion programme, with new offices already opened in Iran, Algeria, Tunisia, Qatar and Bahrain this year adding to the 35-office network. Two more offices in Sudan and Oman will be launched during the last quarter of the current year.
The Group also plans to continue its substantial investments in its people through innovative training programmes, ground breaking research and methodologies to ensure that Group clients are provided the best-of-breed communications solutions.
The fiscal outlook is the latest in a series of achievements for THG. Earlier this year at the Campaign Middle East industry awards, Asda’a was judged the ‘PR Agency of the Year’, while Wunderman dominated the direct marketing category by winning the Gold, Silver and Bronze awards, besides Team/Y&R winning critical acclaim for being finalists in 12 advertising categories and winning one silver. Team/Y&R, Wunderman and Intermarkets also triumphed at the IAA Jordan Advertising Awards by winning 21 Gold, 15 Silver and 18 Bronze awards.
“No other group or agency from this region has been able to attain these achievements,” Ghossoub added. “Our work has been recognized locally in the UAE, regionally and now internationally, a testament to our position at the leading edge of innovation in this industry.”
Ghossoub said the THG awards are proof that the Middle East communications industry has reached a tipping point, thanks both to the extraordinary efforts of a handful of driven individuals and companies and to a groundswell of support for quality ideas and executions.
“We in the Middle East are at a critical stage, where radical change is more than a possibility – it is a certainty,” he said. “We are charged with two great responsibilities: to develop and market our regional industry as a vital and capable force in the international community, and to accurately and effectively market our societies and cultures to the world. At THG, we are working on both of these goals in tandem.”
Company Profiles
About The Holding Group (THG)
THG companies provide advertising, media, direct marketing and public relations services to over 260 clients in more than 15 countries across the Middle East and North Africa, via a network of more than 1,340 employees working in 35 offices.
Each THG company is a distinctive brand in their own right, with its own identity and own area of expertise. What they have in common is in harnessing intelligence, talent and experience to bring competitive advantage to their clients.
Together, the six sister agencies under the THG umbrella offer integrated services in Advertising, Database and Customer Relationship Management, Perception Management, Brand Identity consultation and Design Services, Strategic Planning, Communication Planning and Implementation and Media Planning and Buying.
As leading practitioners in all key marketing disciplines, THG companies work as single suppliers or in partnership with each other.
About Team/Y&R
TEAM/Young & Rubicam is the most awarded agency in the region’s history. Part of the Y&R worldwide, Team/Y&R has 11 offices in the major cities of Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia and the UAE.
Its stunning growth began when TEAM Advertising - then a strong regional independent agency network - walked away with more advertising trophies at the bi-annual GCC International Advertising Association (IAA) Awards than any other agency (a feat repeated in 1999 and 2001). Soon, Young & Rubicam bought into TEAM Advertising, and the agency formally became part of the Y&R global network.
With more than 250 local and international awards, Team/Y&R is considered most creative agency in the region. Team Y&R has more than 40 regional client partners spread across categories including Automotive, Government Services & Property Development, Beverages, Food Products, Personal Care, Clothing, Apparel & Jewellery, Retail Stores, Communications, Consumer/Household products and Technology/Computers.
About Wunderman
Wunderman is the global leader in creating data-driven communications programs that build brands, shape customer experiences and generate action. Wunderman, experts in integrated channel marketing, specializes in direct marketing, CRM, promotions and events. With over 30 local and regional clients, Wunderman is the fastest growing and most awarded direct marketing agency in the region. With offices in six countries and over 120 employees, the company plans to open new offices in Morocco, Oman and Beirut by the end of 2006.
About Mediaedge:cia
Mediaedge:cia is the first global communications planning and implementation agency, and the largest global media power outside the United States. We get consumers actively engaged with our clients' brands, leading to relevant awareness, deeper relationships and stronger sales. Our services include consumer insight and ROI, communications planning, media planning and buying, interaction (digital, direct, search), sponsorship consultancy and activation, branded content and entertainment marketing. Internationally, MEC serves its global clients with nearly 200 offices in 79 countries.
About Asda’a
Established in 1992, Asda’a is the region’s largest public relations consultancy, with over 170 professionals in 12 offices across the region. With these resources, the company is able to provide a full regional service covering the Middle East and North Africa. Winner of the 2005 Campaign Middle East ‘PR Agency of the Year Award’, Asda’a prides itself on its innovative approach to client servicing and its commitment to quality and result-oriented communications.
Aligned globally with Edelman, the world’s largest independent public relations agency, Asda’a provides communications solutions through a deep rooted philosophy of perception management. Our services include PR, internal communications, crises and issues management, media training, corporate advertising, print and web publishing, media monitoring and analysis, event management and internal communications.
About Polaris
Established in 1998, Dubai-based Polaris has grown into a leading public relations consultancy supported by a strong regional network of offices. Key retainer and project clients include a mix of local, regional and blue chip business. With its regional headquarters in Dubai and offices in Jeddah, Amman, Casablanca and Beirut, Polaris Public Relations handles a clientele portfolio ranging from telecommunications, IT and banking to hotels, automotives and more.
About Intermarkets
Intermarkets, the oldest PR and advertising group and marketing communications network agency in the Middle East, was founded in 1961 in Beirut, Lebanon, introducing the concept of modern communication to the Middle East.
Today, it has 10 strategically located offices – in Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Syria and the UAE, with plans to open in Bahrain and Qatar. Having gained a high reputation and numerous awards for their creative advertising campaigns, Intermarkets has a holistic full-service approach, including relationship marketing, market research, and corporate identity services for their industry-leading clients.
