GCC marketers honoured in top marketing awards

More than 700 marketing and media professionals attended the glittering gala presentation ceremony at the Madinat Jumeirah which saw many regional and international names vie for the region's top marketing awards.

BBC World's Middle East Business Report correspondent, Nima Abu Wardeh presented the awards.

The GEMAS were launched by Gulf Marketing Review (GMR) in 2004 to support the development of marketing and best business practices across the GCC, and to promote accountability within the marketing function.

Both regional and global companies triumphed across the 11 categories with many local names collecting the top awards.

But star of the night was Masafi Mineral Water. It outshone all the other contestants winning in three categories: Sales Promotion and Best Marketing Campaign (Large Company) as well as garnering the most coveted award of the night, the GMR Gold Grand Prix.

The Grand Prix is awarded by Gulf Marketing Review (GMR) and cannot be entered. Gold, silver and bronze Grand Prix are decided by the judges and selected from all the shortlisted entries.

Nivea and Hilton collected the Silver and Bronze Grand Prix awards respectively while Masafi was also Highly Commended in the Customer Focus category.

Best New Brand Launch went to Damas for its Sampatti Gold and Diamond Jewellery Collection and Nivea for Men Oil Control won Best New Product.

Taking trophies back to KSA were Aujan Industries which won in the Sponsorship and Integrated Communications categories while Roche Pharmaceutical SA topped the Public Relations category.

Other winning entries were received from Standard Chartered Bank in the Corporate Social Responsibility Category and Porsche which overtook other entrants to win the Customer Focus award.

This year's chairman of the 6-member GEMAS judging panel was Abdulla Al Zamil,
COO of Dammam-headquartered, Zamil Industrial Investment Company.

Mr Al Zamil was joined by Paul Gostick, international chairman of the Chartered Institute of Marketing, UK; Marwan Rizk, COO, Intermarkets Group and VP & area director, MENA for the UAE chapter of the International Advertising Association; Dr Julia Saurazas, campus director, Abu Dhabi University; Thomas Edelmann, vice president, marketing, MasterCard MENA Region and Peter Barton, editor GMR, a non-voting member.

Mr Zamil said: "There is great merit and value in awards such as the GEMAS. They are not only a much needed showcase of excellence in marketing from the Arab world, but are a catalyst for sound strategic thinking, creative implementation and enhanced business performance."

BBC World and Cadillac were main sponsors having supported the GEMAS in 2005.

Category sponsors were: Sage Software Middle East; TNS; Canon; Zawya; Damas; The Economist; Raymond Weil-Geneve; Saudi Telecom; Samsung; BBC World, Cadillac, Gulf Marketing Review.