Coinciding with a year heavy in global sporting events and learn from the best related marketing and media case studies, OMD, the world’s and the region’s most awarded media agency network, will focus its fourth Creative Masterclass on sports. It will take place on November 6 at the Jumeirah Beach Hotel Conference Centre.
The OMD Creative Masterclass series, which runs two events per year, has gained momentum and achieved must-attend status for industry professionals in the region. After drawing a record number of delegates in its third edition with more than 330 marketing professionals, OMD is expecting an even greater attendance this week, drawn from across the region, thanks to a highly topical and engaging subject and a first-class line-up of industry speakers. The event is produced in conjunction with C Squared, publishers of Cream Magazine and Media & Marketing, and organizers of the Venice Festival of Media.
The OMD Creative Masterclass is designed to reveal the stories behind the best media work worldwide, share inspirational case studies and have senior industry professionals dissect global trends to motivate advertising professionals to innovate themselves.
Among the speakers who will show how brands can creatively communicate through sports and create new levels of consumer engagement are Richard Davies, Unilever’s European media director, Chris Ingram, founder of CIA Medianetwork and media entrepreneur, and Niki Schilling, global women sports marketing strategy manager for Adidas and former Heineken global sports sponsorship manager. The program also includes C Squared’s Charlie Crowe, Simon Jefferson, client services director at AKQA and Ian Thompson, founder of Sponsorship Science. Between them, they will identify, quantify and illustrate the latest developments and trends in their respective areas to help the audience conceive creative ways of communicating with consumers more effectively across all media using sports as a platform.
“Sport ignites passion in everyone,” explained Eric Bequin, OMD MENA’s regional managing director. “It is highly emotive and, as such, achieves cut-through for brands seeking to capture audience attention. Through this event, we want to share this spirit amongst our clients, staff and partners and inspire ground-breaking campaigns.”
Shadi Kandil, general manager of OMD Dubai, added: “At OMD, we believe investments in creativity bring results to both agency and clients. After receiving 14 awards at all three major advertising festivals in the Middle East this year, the impact of this series is plain to see. The Masterclass, coupled with OMD Ignition, our unique thought-starter unit, means we are driving innovation across all disciplines and the results for our clients are speaking for themselves.”
Co-organizer C Squared is a London-based consultancy for the global media industry. Its CEO, Charlie Crowe, applauded the region’s enthusiasm for media creativity. “The region is growing leaps and bounds. Today, it is joining the ranks of industry leaders with its case studies,” he enthused. “Our role is to nurture that growth and contribute to the industry’s development. The success of the OMD Creative Masterclass is a testament of the aspirations the region has and the ambition that propels it.”
The event is sponsored by Al Wataniya, ART/ ARM, Kassab Media and the Choueiri Group. They too embrace creativity in media, playing an active role in making it possible, and use the OMD Creative Masterclass to demonstrate this to advertising decision-makers.
