The much anticipated Dubai Lynx International Festival of Creativity has come to an end early March, culminating in a dazzling ceremony and dinner where over 1,800 guests gathered to celebrate winners of the 10th edition of this annual Pan-Arab event.
Terry Savage, Chairman, Lions Festivals, asserted that work this year had again raised the bar. “There is an ever-increasing demonstration of globally-recognisable excellence at Dubai Lynx. But what’s also apparent is the surge of a distinctly, proudly regional tone. We celebrate what sets MENA apart as well as what allows it to compete on the world stage.”
The 10th annual Dubai Lynx has once again seen an increase in entry submissions for the competition, demonstrating the continued growth and success of the region’s industry. Over 2,500 submissions were entered across 16 categories, which were judged by 56 industry leaders.
Submissions were received from 21 countries, including more from African nations such as Morocco, Nigeria and Egypt reflecting the expanding creative communications industry in the continent.
This year’s entries, up by 3% to 2,542, were actually being judged by the Festival’s largest ever assembly of jurors, 50% of whom are women. Replicating recent trends across the industry, more entries were received in the Branded Content & Entertainment and Direct categories with fewer entries in the Radio category. The region has also shown great interest in the inaugural Creative Effectiveness award, which recognises the direct correlation between creativity and effectiveness.
511 entries got shortlisted with the UAE behind 312 of them, followed by Lebanon with 64 and Egypt with 54.
Savage, also commented that “Dubai Lynx has proven year on year that the MENA creative communications industry is a growing force on the global stage. This year marks the 10th annual Dubai Lynx and we are delighted that the Awards continue to stand as a creative benchmark for the region. The quality of the work we see each year is testament to the industry pushing boundaries and chasing excellence, and when this bravery is recognised and celebrated it encourages others to take on the mantle.”
Dubai Lynx Festival Director, Emma Farmer, said a dynamic, advancing industry, coupled with diversified content and expanded awards, was behind the enthusiastic participation from across the region. “There is a ceaseless energy for innovation, palpable thirst for knowledge and passion for creativity here which continues to propel us forward. The Festival has gone from strength to strength in its 10th year, and there’s never been a more exciting time to be part of it,” Farmer asserted.
The strong emphasis on innovation which permeated the entire Dubai Lynx programme, was also already evident
There was no Grand Prix awarded in four out of the 15 categories: Branded Content & Entertainment, Film, Print & Outdoor Craft and Radio.
As for the 11 remaining category awards, the Grand Prix winners are as follows:
Grand Prix Creative Effectiveness:
'Fakka' - Vodafone Egypt
By J.Walter Thompson Cairo, Egypt
The creative idea behind 'Fakka' was built around the consumer insight that small change doesn’t have a real purpose any more; it has become a wasted currency that some might even claim is practically obsolete given its devaluation. Therefore the creative team positioned the pioneering product as a replacement to useless change. In other words, an opportunity was spotted-- to add surprisingly great value to seemingly valueless change. The campaign’s primary objective was to raise awareness about the micro recharge cards while improving Vodafone Egypt’s value perception. Fakka replaced regular change with talk time, viewed as much more valuable. The balance of value in the market quickly tipped in favour of Vodafone. The effectiveness of the campaign far exceeded expectations. In a market driven by price, Vodafone’s value perception dramatically improved with a +5% increase in NPS after the launch and continues to be a key contributing factor in this. Not only that but also its revenue has been steadily increasing year on year. More importantly, the insight was so true and relevant to Egyptians that consumers started asking for Fakka cards instead of change.
Design Grand Prix
'Samsung KalimaLock'– Samsung Gulf Electronics
By Cheil MENA, Dubai
With over 200 nationalities in the GCC, English is often the language of choice in schools and at home. This has directly affected the ability of almost 70 % of Arab children to read and write in their native language.
With children today being so attached to their mobile devices, Samsung saw the opportunity to integrate an intuitive solution into their daily mobile experience in order to help improve their literacy skills.
As for the concept, it was inspired from the simple action of unlocking a mobile device – hence the name ‘KalimaLock’ as Kalima in Arabic meaning ‘Word’ and the tagline ‘Learn Arabic one unlock at a time’. Through this app, the pattern of dots on Samsung’s native lock screen was redesigned to form an Arabic word. So by simply following a predefined pattern of dots, a child will be able to learn how to read and write a new Arabic word, every time the device is unlocked.
Grand Prix Direct
Grand Prix Integrated
Grand Prix PR
'The Good Note' - Bou Khalil Supermarket
By J.Walter Thompson Beirut
'The Good Note' is an initiative by the Bou Khalil supermarket chain to turn goodwill into only good things for children across the streets of Lebanon. The idea was to make available good notes, which were designed to look exactly like currency notes to replace money Lebanese people used to give street beggars but haven't been doing in masses because they believe the money is going into the wrong hands and for the wrong purpose. In-store communication informed shoppers of the Good Note and its availability at all Bou Khalil branches. It could be spent on all necessities. Outdoor and print communication shed awareness on giving responsibly with visuals of illicit items handcrafted from Lebanese currency. An online film calling for change was also released. Real-time stories from the street were posted on Instagram and a mini site was also built.
Grand Prix Promo & Activation
'Merry Balconies' - Procter & Gamble (Bonux)
By Leo Burnett Beirut
The objective was to build affinity and TOM awareness for the brand. The challenge was a limited budget. This meant a simple yet effective ways to connect with consumers, in a culturally relevant manner that will build awareness for the brand and win the hearts and minds of consumers during a time of uncertainty. The strategy was to select a neighbourhood and distribute illuminating pegs to its ladies who will use those pegs to hang their laundry and light up their area. Then the transformation was filmed and seeded online for further engagement. The initiative was targeted to the ladies living in a neighbourhood that is poorly lit and cannot afford to have decorations for Christmas.
With a prevalent balcony culture where they spend most of their days, cheer was brought back to those gloomy balconies with illuminating pegs used not only to hang laundry, but also to decorate their surroundings right in time for Christmas.
Grand Prix Print
"Star Pattern /Arabesque / Geometric Motifs" - Qatar Islamic Bank (QNB)
By Memac Ogilvy & Mather Doha
While Qatar enjoys high standards of living, one of the biggest concerns for citizens is the high number of road fatalities. Tragically, the reason for many of these deaths is that the victim was simply not wearing a seatbelt. And as we observe in our daily commutes, locals especially refuse to wear them. This has been a problem for decades in the Gulf, and despite attempts at changing the behaviour, it is still rampant. As a concerned member of the community, QIB wanted to raise awareness of the lifesaving importance of wearing seatbelts while on the road.
In a research conducted, the findings showed that the reason for not wearing seatbelets actually comes down to faith. Many, especially the more conservative, believe that wearing a seatbelt demonstrates lack of faith that God will protect them - that if God wills that they should die on the road, that is God's will. In fact, a recent study found that the top three causes for car crash injuries and deaths were believed to be due to destiny (92% believed), the evil eye, or the 'djinn' or other supernatural creatures. A key consideration for the execution was the cultural sensitivity in Qatar in communicating uncomfortable topics. The graphic violence of depicting real car accidents, used in road safety campaigns globally, would not work here. And this is how the concept came to life- integration of the seatbelt into a cornerstone of the culture: Islamic motifs. The Islamic pattern was chosen for its symbolic significance, its perfection and infinite repetition symbolising the sacred and divine. The campaign conveyed that while the seatbelt is not the ultimate protector, it still plays a critical role in Qatari culture as a means of protection.
The Result:
Creating a new pattern, QIB broke an old one. Being an Islamic bank, QIB had the credibility and respect from the country to successfully address the religious barrier preventing people from strapping up.
Grand Prix For Good
"I Can Teach You Too" - Dubai Cares
By J.Walter Thompson Dubai
Dubai Cares is a philanthropic organisation working to break the cycle of poverty by providing children in the underdeveloped world access to quality, primary education. But with donour fatigue threatening donations and social media engagement stopping at the click of a few buttons, people needed to be engaged in a new way. The creative team went to Tanzania and Sri Lanka looking for talented kids living in poverty and asked them to share how they make toys, clothes and other items. And then created online tutorials and print ads featuring their work on the Dubai Cares YouTube channel. The content and ads not only asked people to donate; they allowed the creation of the first skill exchange between the developed and the underdeveloped world. In a series of activations, children drew the letters of the alphabet while people shared pictures and text for each letter on Instagram (A #IsFor Ants, B #IsFor Banana, C#IsFor Camera) to create a crowdsourced alphabet book. The books were distributed to the children who need them the most. With all the social chatter and the striking visuals and messages the campaign generated, the resulting news coverage of the campaign also drove the message to donate.
The campaign doubled last year’s contributions, raising millions of Dirhams to help educate kids living in poverty.
Grand Prix Media
The World’s First Billbed – Moltyfoam
By BBDO Lahore, Pakistan
The campaign is about how a matress brand gave homeless labourers a good night’s sleep.
With an estimated half a million homeless people sleeping on the streets in every metro city of Pakistan, Moltyfoam, Pakistan’s largest manufacturers of mattresses, decided to help. With the promise of a good night’s sleep, the creative team came up with a solution to people sleeping outdoors, by using outdoor. This is how the world’s first Billbed – a billboard that converts into a bed at night—was designed. Billbeds started being extensively used by homeless laborers who can now sleep better at night. The campaign was run across nine cities with a budget of less than $20000. It also went viral across the social sphere, attracting the attention of politicians and celebrities alike who took notice of the situation. Brand love rose by 68%.
Grand Prix Interactive
Dark Iftar – Coca Cola Middle East
By Memac Ogilvy Dubai and FP7/DXB Dubai
It takes seven seconds to build a prejudice based on someone’s appearance. The creative team capitalised on this insight and wanted to break it by setting up a gathering where six strangers end up inviting people to reconsider their preconceived judgment and start looking at each other in a new light.
A unique social experiment was launched during Ramadan to shed light on stereotypes and prejudices we hold. Coke invited participants who were strangers to an Iftar in the dark. When the lights got switched on, everyone realised how prejudice had influenced the picture they painted of each other. And the labels they had put on others were removed.
Grand Prix Mobile
The Backup Memory – Samsung
By 3SG-BBDO Ariana, Tunisia
Recent research has proven that constant mental stimulation can delay the loss of memory when Alzheimer is in its early stage. At that level, Alzheimer sufferers are confronted with an unexpected future. To preserve their memory, they need solutions that help them to be continuously connected to their memories.
So the idea was that the Backuap Memory provides patients, in real time and directly to their phones, with reminders of the identity of the person entering their field of intimacy, via instant notifications. They can thus view their relationship status with that person, as well as memories, photos or videos related to them.
This is a non-medical therapy that regularly exposes the patient to his past and greatly improves his memory.
It is said that 32% of local patients have started using the Backup Memory.
Grand Prix Film Craft
'Verisimilitude at Noon / The Russian Odyssey / Tears of Winters' - Du
By Leo Burnett Dubai
Du has been providing their customers two movie tickets for the price of one religiously on every Tuesday since the past two years. This has been supported through award winning campaigns that mimic movie scenes. However, 2016, being the third consecutive year, required a different approach. So, the creative team took a bold decision of moving away from showing movie scenes and flexing big production value; and instead, created films that showcase the ‘behind the scene’ and ‘making off’ aspect of movies. An aspect that really excites the movie lovers today. This is the kind of materials movie lovers search for. This year’s execution were humorous and explored the unknown side of movie makers while narrating the story of the script with supporting photographs that replace movie scenes. The entire set up was like a promotional interview taking place which allows the interviewer to ask questions about the movie that the movie makers answer because of their character and end up revealing the entire story (which is generally not the case).
Special Awards:
Network of the Year:
1st place: J. Walter Thompson
2nd place: BBDO
3rd place: Ogilvy & Mather
Agency of the Year:
1st place: Impact BBDO, Dubai
2nd place: Memac Ogilvy, Dubai
3rd place: J. Walter Thompson Dubai
Independent Agency of the Year:
1st place: King Tut’s Playground, Cairo
2nd place: Spark* Publinet, Dubai
3rd place: Bold Agency, Riyadh
Media Agency of the Year:
1st place: UM MENA, Dubai
2nd place: Starcom Mediavest Group, Dubai
3rd place: OMD, Dubai
Advertiser of the Year:
Emirates NBD
Lynx Palm Award
1st place: Good People, Beirut
2nd place: Lighthouse Films, Cairo
3rd place: Déjà Vu, Dubai
Dubai Lynx Advertising Person:
Sheikh Waleed Al-Ibrahim, Group Chairman, MBC
