Fortune Promoseven swept the regional Cannes Creative Awards – Dubai Lynx 2008 – walking away with 28 different awards in multiple categories, including second and third in Agency of the Year. The network ranked number ONE in the Creative Rankings with the highest total of 223 points.
 
Fortune Promoseven agencies won in TV/Cinema, Print, Outdoor, Radio, Direct and Agency of the Year categories. The wins included a Grand Prix award – which honors the best in breed in each category. Fortune Promoseven Seven Doha and Dubai were the leading winners overall in the region, while entries from Beirut, Cairo and Kuwait also took their share of honours at the most prestigious advertising industry awards in the region.
 
"This is a milestone victory; I am immensely pleased with our success at the Dubai Lynx 2008. These awards cement our position as the no.1 creative and successful network in the region,” said Fadi Salameh, President and CEO of the MCN Network. "The local and international recognition from our peers in the industry is a testimony to our creative team’s hard work and, the faith and trust our clients have placed in us.”

“Our work has always been solid. There are numerous campaigns we work on every day that we didn't enter, that are winners in their own right. This is just the beginning of a journey, as the creative standards in the region are being challenged, each and every client and each and every brand we work on will gain from this momentum," Salameh added. 

Fortune Promoseven agencies picked up one Grand Prix (which went to Fortune Promoseven Doha), 7 Golds, 5 Silver and 15 Bronze awards. Azmi Yafi, CEO of Dubai operations said: “We have every reason today to stand creatively proud. I would like to extend the warmest congratulations to the creative teams and the entire network for this success, also to our clients who have given us the opportunity to create, excel and win. The bar has been raised. It will be a tougher job next time, I think we're going to have fun..." 
 
Marc Lineveldt, Creative Director, Fortune Promoseven UAE, said: “For me it was the night the mighty giant won the beauty contest. We walked away as the most creative network in the region. We'll be pushing even harder this year as I think this is only the beginning of an interesting and challenging phase for the network.”

Promoseven Weber Shandwick (PWS) is to launch Abu Dhabi's first dedicated financial communications practice, aimed at serving investor clients in the booming capital.

The agency, which has had an office in Abu Dhabi since 2002, is partnering with Weber Shandwick Financial Communications in London to offer local clients a range of communication services tailored around financial transactions such as mergers, acquisitions, initial public offerings and fund raising, investor relations and specific financial sector reputational management.

The team will comprise a combination of PR professionals from the PWS Abu Dhabi office, headed by Sarah Bartlett, General Manager, who will work with a virtual team of experienced advisors from the London office, many of whom have direct experience in the region.

To celebrate the launch of the Promoseven Weber Shandwick Financial Communications, PWS is holding a seminar entitled 'Financial Communications in the Middle East' at the Hilton in Abu Dhabi on Monday 29th October. The keynote speaker is James Chandler, a Director at Weber Shandwick Financial Communications in London and the lead communications advisor to Kingdom Holding on its recent IPO. Attendees will comprise senior communications professionals from public and private entities, prominent investors and other consultants from relevant large accountancy and legal firms.

Sarah Bartlett comments: "Abu Dhabi's financial sector is booming yet local clients have had to look to a small number of Dubai or even London firms for specialist public relations support. However experienced these firms may be, they don't have the understanding of the local market that is so vital to success here. We believe that we offer a powerful combination of internationally-experienced consultants, operating at the top of their game, with local Abu Dhabian knowledge. It's only right that a fast-developing financial sector should have access to a locally-based and bilingual PR team working at best-practice global standards, and I'm delighted that we are the first agency in Abu Dhabi to offer this."

Speaking about his forthcoming trip to Abu Dhabi, James Chandler comments: "Having just spent a year in KSA working on the Kingdom Holding IPO, I am very much looking forward to returning to the Gulf, and especially to Abu Dhabi. What is happening in the capital is highly exciting and in many ways quite unique. I have no doubt that this fast-paced city will grow into one of the world's most dynamic financial marketplaces; what we have to do now is demonstrate how effective public relations can support this."

Promoseven Weber Shandwick in Dubai is already offering financial communications services to clients, and James Chandler will be running a series of 'Executive Clinics' with clients there on 31 October/ 1 November.

Promoseven Weber Shandwick is a joint venture between Fortune Promoseven, the Middle East's leading advertising agency network, and Weber Shandwick, one of the world's leading public relations network.

Fortune Promoseven and the Promoseven network of agencies have unveiled a new look website.

The new site has a news portal look and feel - but also has the requisite corporate elements.

The main story on the new site at launch is the announcement of the new Promoseven Tower being built in Dubai, and the whole site has a regional focus that works across several of the agency brands that fall under Promoseven or under the MCN (Middle East Communication Networks) umbrella. The beta version of the new site is entitled '24/seven' - in reference to the news portal like look&feel of the site.

Promoseven agencies are spread across 17 countries in the Middle East and North Africa region and includes agency brands such as Fortune Promoseven, Promoseven Weber Shandwick and Promoseven 360. MCN brands include Universal Media, Brandbeat, Momentum, Innovations, Lowe, Magna Global, Magna Entertainment and Mint.

Commenting on the website, Tom Roychoudhury, MD of Corporate Communications and Innovations at MCN said 'This is a new direction in positioning our agency online. We're a buzzing, happening agency network, and this is a portal to the world of Promoseven - that will evolve regularly. A static, one-time upload website just wouldn't cut the ice for us.'

The Corporate Comms team at Promoseven hope to have the site updated regularly, not just with news and views of what's happening at the agency, but also to share information on clients, the ad industry, the media and more.

Fortune Promoseven (FP7) Bahrain's creativity and vision won international recognition at the Middle East & North Africa (MENA) Cristal Advertising Awards.

FP7, the Middle East's largest Communications agency, with offices spread over 20 countries in the MENA region, won in the "Beauty / Health / Toiletries category for the 'Book' project that it carried out for its client Boston Medical. The award was presented at a lavish ceremony in Meribel, France, which was attended by the advertising industry's best and brightest.

'FP7 Bahrain has proven once again that it can always provide the market with fresh and creative ideas that can effectively touch its target audience,' said Bahrain's FP7 Managing Director and Senior Vice President, Tariq Al Saffar. 'We are proud that our efforts are being recognized among such distinguished company. This award is greatly appreciated and will compliment the many other honors FP7 has received for its work over the years,' he added.

The Mena Cristal Awards honors the cream of the advertising industry for the world's most innovative advertising campaigns and initiatives.

The 'Book' campaign promotes Boston Medical's treatments for sexual problems in a new and innovative way. It depicts the first page of a thick hardcover volume reading 'The End', which symbolizes the troubles faced by many couples.

'FP7 is good at coming up with novel ways of drawing attention to subject matters that many may find difficult to talk about,' continued Al Saffar. 'These types of ad campaigns need to be treated with sensitivity while at the same time getting the message across in an effective and attention-grabbing way. The accolades we have won with this advertisement is a testament to the high quality of creativity our agency has to offer,' he said.

The Mena Cristal award for 'The Book' campaign adds another feather to the cap of FP7, having won the MENA Advertising Cristal award in the Leisure (Tourism, Sport, Games) Outdoor Category for the Bahrain International Circuit F1 'Take sides' campaign. The 172-metre tall Almoayyed Tower became the largest ever billboard in Formula One when it was 'wrapped' in branding for the Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix, featuring two Formula One cars - each measuring nine storeys high - wheelspinning up the front of the landmark tower.