Senior Leo Burnett Worldwide executives and creative heads from all over the world – including global Chairman and CEO Tom Bernardin; global Chief Creative Officer Miguel Angel Furones, and Richard Pinder, President, Europe, Middle East and Africa – recently gathered in Dubai for the network’s quarterly review and critique of creative work from all of its 94 offices worldwide.
More than 1,200 pieces of TV, print, interactive and ambient creative work were reviewed by the Leo Burnett Global Product Committee (GPC) meeting in Dubai. Held each quarter in different offices around the globe, the meeting is Leo Burnett’s 11-year investment in quality and creative excellence.
“The GPC is a Leo Burnett institution that is unique in the industry and helps us continually raise the quality of our creative product across all our offices. It is part of our commitment to creating ideas that inspire enduring brand belief, which in turn helps our clients achieve their business objectives,” said Bernardin, who attended the GPC in Dubai as one of his first overseas visit since becoming CEO on May 1.
With representatives from Leo Burnett offices in North and South America, Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East at the Dubai GPC, the group reviewed and critiqued the work against a single global quality scale that goes from “Appalling” to “Best in the world, bar none” along a 10-point scale.
Furones said the choice of Dubai for the first GPC meeting of 2005 “demonstrated the global network’s admiration for the magnificent creative work that Leo Burnett is doing in the Middle East and North Africa. The consistent improvement of their creative product year after year is an inspiration for us all.”
In fact, work from the MENA offices in Beirut, Dubai, Jeddah, Riyadh, Kuwait, Cairo, Casablanca and Amman earned a number of high scores that put the region among the top three global performers.
Farid Chehab, chief creative officer, Leo Burnett MENA, said, “Our success at the GPC shows that great creative work, built on a big idea and grounded in smart local insights, can move local consumers and also resonate with people from all over the world. This is the truth at the heart of Leo Burnett’s GPC meetings and part of why Leo Burnett wins more advertising effectiveness awards than its competitors.”
Commenting on Bernardin’s decision to attend the Dubai GPC meeting, Raja Trad, CEO of the Leo Burnett Group of Companies MENA, noted the increasing importance of the regional network, which has doubled in size in just the past five years, to Leo Burnett Worldwide.
“Our people are at the heart of our success because every day they put their skills, creativity and passion for excellence at the service of our brands,” Trad said, adding that growth also is driven by “Leo Burnett MENA’s commitment to fresh, integrated communications solutions that deliver results for our clients in the marketplace.”
Leo Burnett’s growth in the MENA region means the network enjoys a balanced mix of clients, with 45% of revenue coming from multinationals and 55% coming from local and regional business.
With scores of 4 indicating “Cliché”, 5 indicating “Innovative strategy” and 8, a “Big idea”, GPC meetings make a point of discussing work that scores five and above, passing on advice and suggestions to the office producing the commercial. The GPC also serves as a regular forum for the network to share insights on multinational accounts, as well as innovations and trends in markets worldwide.
About Leo Burnett MENA
The Leo Burnett Group of Companies, Middle East and North Africa, whose origin dates back to 1974, has always been progressive in its thinking and approach. From a single brand agency, Leo Burnett as a group has grown to encompass a comprehensive range of communications solutions, including advertising, media, public relations, digital and CRM. The group offers both specialization and holistic integration to answer the ever-changing needs of both clients and the marketplace.
About Leo Burnett Worldwide
Founded in Chicago in 1935 with eight employees and three clients, Leo Burnett Worldwide, Inc. today operates a global network of over 200 operating units including a variety of specialty marketing services and 95 full-service advertising agencies in 83 countries. Leo Burnett creates ideas that inspire enduring belief for many of the world’s most valuable brands and successful marketers, including McDonald’s, Disney, Procter & Gamble, Marlboro, Altoids, Heinz, Kellogg and Nintendo.
