JWT Entertainment in Cairo, part of the J. Walter Thompson Company in the Middle East and Africa, wins a Titanium award at the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity, for Abla Fahita, an entertainment brand that has created an entirely new business model in advertising. The award marks the first time any agency in Egypt has ever won a Titanium at Cannes Lions.
Now in its 62nd season, the Cannes Lions awards set a benchmark for creative excellence, honoring the best work and the brightest thinking in the marketing communications industry. A Titanium from Cannes Lions is an award that recognizes breakthrough ideas, which are provocative, and point to a new direction in the industry.
The story of Abla Fahita, a witty puppet created for advertising, is one that tells of her transformation from a puppet that advertises brands, all the way to business equity and an entertainment brand in her own right, began with her humorous comments on live Egyptian issues. She’s released a hit single with one of Egyptian musician, Hassan el Shafei, and landed an official speaking role at the Dubai Lynx Festival of Creativity. Earlier this year, she launched her own prime time TV chat show “Live from El Duplex” on Egyptian TV.
Commenting on the win, Ramsey Naja, J. Walter Thompson MEA’s chief creative officer says, “Words fail me. With Abla Fahita, the guys didn’t just turn a problem into an opportunity, they made all those buzzwords such as ‘new paradigm’, ‘game changer’ and ‘new business model’ actually make sense. I think this is what an inspired and motivated team can do when they think positive. That’s all it takes to make the jargon ring true. J. Walter Thompson Cairo seem to have made this their trademark: to make us speechless with the power of their ideas.”
Chief strategy officer for J. Walter Thompson MENA, Amal el Masri says, “As an agency, we are best placed in terms of talent and skill sets to produce insightful entertainment. Abla Fahita is magical – an unlikely star who faced all her challenges with the same poise and charisma – which is probably why she resonates so strongly with her audiences.”
Vatche Keverian, CEO of J. Walter Thompson MENA adds, “Egypt is a cradle of Arab culture and our Cairo team has taken that onto the global stage, winning in Cannes the first Gold Lion for Egypt in 2013 and now the first Titanium, fantastic.”
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