In support of Breast Cancer month taking place globally in October 2008, Memac Ogilvy, a leading communication agency in the region, is currently conducting a campaign to fight the second most common type of cancer in women – breast cancer.  

Memac Ogilvy in partnership with Bare Essentials, located at Jumeirah Center-Dubai, is running the campaign to encourage better education of the causes of breast cancer and simple preventative measures that can be adopted to encourage regular screening and promote early detection of the killer disease.  

Globally, a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer every two minutes and the disease can have a devastating effect, not only on the individual, but also on family and friends. Identifying breast cancer early is essential as the cancer is most treatable at an early stage.

The core idea developed by Memac Ogilvy, in association with Bare Essentials was to introduce a one breasted mannequin in the boutique in a bid to dramatically emphasize the importance of regular self exams. 

Self examination remains a crucial tool in the fight against the disease and customers can find a small educational tag on every item in the shop to teach women how to conduct effective monthly self examinations. In addition to the product tags stickers are placed in the fitting rooms which provide practical, step by step advice on how to conduct the examination. 

To compliment this initiative, a sustainable online platform has been launched, www.fightbreastcancer.ae. The user-friendly portal explains how to conduct a breast self exam (BSE) and provides statistics to raise further awareness on the importance of early detection. Studies show that regular breast self exams, combined with an annual exam by a doctor, improves the chances of detecting cancer early. 

Ronald Howes, Managing Director of Memac Ogilvy adds: “We believe in the power of communication and persuasion and we are actively encouraging people to take action against Breast cancer. It is one of today’s biggest killers and is the leading cause of death amongst women between 40 and 55. We hope that this campaign makes a difference to the lives of women in the UAE and we are proud to associate ourselves with this important initiative.” 

Jan Curtis, managing partner, Bare Essentials comments: “We tied up with Memac Ogilvy because we believe that education and awareness are key in the fight against breast cancer. We believe that knowledge can save lives and we are eager to do our bit and hopefully help reduce the burden of the disease in the UAE. We had nothing but positive comments from our customers so far who are grateful we care”.

After a comprehensive pitch process, including 4 Creative and 5 Media agencies, Power Horse, the original Premium Austrian energy drink announced today the appointment of Memac Ogilvy and Phd as their communications partners in the region.

The agreement includes the GCC, Levant and North Africa, with a special focus on Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait.

MEMAC Ogilvy has been appointed as their fully integrated communication partner including Advertising, PR and CRM.

Phd has been appointed to cover all media planning and buying throughout the region.

Omar El Banna, Regional Marketing Manager said: "We selected Memac Ogilvy based on their thorough understanding of our regional markets and our consumers' needs. They presented an outstanding platform that we believe will deliver on our business objectives and take our brand forward.

As for PHD's, the creative and versatile approach to media, demonstrated throughout the pitch process stood out from the other agencies. The work, delivery and content of the presentation demonstrated the high level of PHD's professionalism and excitement towards our brand.'

Power Horse, Memac Ogilvy & PHD will work together to fully reposition the Power Horse brand in the Middle Eastern markets, with an aim to become the no.1 energy brand in the region. Power Horse has the 1st mover status in KSA and Egypt and No 1 Volume share in KSA and Yemen among the premium price segment within Energy Drinks category.

General Motors Middle East Operations has appointed Memac Ogilvy Public Relations, part of the Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide network and the WPP group, as their public relations and communications agency across the region.

The appointment encompasses all five of GM's automotive brands - Cadillac, Hummer, Chevrolet, GMC and Saab, as well as the aftersales and corporate business. In addition to developing and implementing integrated PR campaigns for the brands, MOPR will be responsible for executing GM's corporate public relations and Corporate Social Responsibility programs. The appointment comes as General Motors experiences record growth in all areas of the business in the Middle East.

Commenting on the appointment, Terry Johnsson, President, GM Middle East Operations, said 'The passion that Ogilvy has shown during the selection process was very impressive. We look forward to Memac Ogilvy PR's strategic counsel on how to refine and deliver messages relevant to the market and that bring us even closer to our customers. We also look forward to their extensive support in launching new vehicles in the second half of the year, especially during our participation at the Dubai Motor show and other regional auto shows.'

Edmond Moutran, Chairman, Memac Ogilvy, says 'Our experience in the automotive industry, our regional network and our passion has been instrumental in winning the General Motors PR account. I extend my personal commitment to GM and look forward to a long and lasting partnership'

Ronald Howes, Managing Director, Memac Ogilvy UAE, adds, 'This is a significant win for MOPR, and one that I am proud of. This is not only because of the importance of General Motors as an automotive leader, but also because of GM's brilliant track record in the Middle East and their expansive growth potential. We are most proud of the fact that GM has entrusted us with brands that consumers have been emotionally connected with for decades. I'm confident that our long-term strategic partnership will not only lead to further growth and expansion for both GM and MOPR, but also add further value to their brands.'

In the last two years, General Motors has launched 27 new or renewed models and a number of customer focussed initiatives that have resulted in more than double the regional car sales.

MEMAC Ogilvy has opened new offices in Bahrain and announced plans to expand the agency network across MENA.

The company has made this move because it predicts growth in demand for more top quality, creative marketing services in Bahrain and the Region.

In addition, this has led MEMAC Ogilvy to begin a fresh overhaul of the company's future creative range of services.

This growth reflects the increasing importance of Bahrain and MENA within the shifting global communications marketplace. Today, more agency work is being done for local application in the Region than ever, plus this work is having a greater influence and effect on brand marketing and campaigns globally.

Also, a number of heavily-marketed global brands have been born in the region in recent years to go on and make a major impact on the world stage, such as Emirates and Emaar.