The National Commercial Bank won the Golden Sword Award for the best print ad in all the advertising categories, at the Sword Press Award ceremony.

NCB also won a Silver Sword Award for the best print ad in the Financial Institutions & General Services category. Intermarkets Advertising visited NCB chairman Sheikh Mohamed Bin Salem Bin Mahfouz on this occasion to present both the awards.

NCB chairman thanked Intermarkets and the NCB Marketing Teams for their experience in implementing a strategic advertising plan. He also thanked the Saudi Research and Publishing Co for their support to the advertising industry through organising the Sword Award Press Competition.

Originally published in SAUDI GAZETTE, May 1996

Six new members were elected last month to the board of directors of the Syndicate of Advertising Agencies, including Said Sabbagha, who was re-elected as president of the Syndicate. Ten candidates ran for the election, but Andre Rizk, CEO of Rizk Advertising and Associates, withdrew from the race leaving nine candidates who got the following results: Said Sabbagha (48 votes), Erwin Guerrovich (46), Nouhad Beyhum (42), Ramsay Najjar (40), Gaby Hayek (34), Philippe Skaff (30), Wadih Rizk (19) and Jihad Abu Jaoudeh (13).

Originally published in ArabAd, January 1996

Said Sabbagha

Erwin Guerrovich

Ramsay Najjar

Gaby Hayek

Sur notre photo: MM. Erwin Guerrovich, CEO du groupe, Ramzi Raad, vice-président, directeur général d'Intermarkets-Dubai; les directeurs généraux Joe Ayoub (Liban), Jihad Abbouchi (Arabie Séoudite), Fady Mouannès (Koweit), Bassem Dajani (Jordanie), Makram Zeenny (Syrie), Galal Zaki (Egypte); ainsi que Khalil Bitar, vice-président pour les finances, et Nadim Sfeir, vice-président pour le Proche-Orient et l'Arabie Séoudite.

La direction régionale du Groupe Intermarkets a tenu récemment à Dubai, sa réunion annuelle. Ont été passées en revue, les réalisations de l’année écoulée, dont l’acquisition de nouveaux budgets régionaux, prestigieux, tels que Rothmans of Pall Mall, the British Bank of the Middle East, Trisa et Alberto Culver ainsi que de plusieurs autres bugets locaux, remportés par les différents bureaux du groupe.

Il a été également procédé à l’étude des plans pour l’introduction de services de direct/integrated marketing, via une joint venture avec Tequila UK. Tequila Middle East opérera sur le même schéma que Intermarkets Public Relations, affilié au Moyen-Orient avec Burson Marsteller, le numéro un mondial des relations publiques.

Les participants se sont également penchés sur la stratégie d’expansion du groupe pour l’an 2000, une stratégie visant à atteindre le but ultime, “devenir les meilleur”.

Intermarkets est l’une des plus anciennes agences de publicité du Moyen-Orient. Fondée au Liban il y a 35 ans, Intermarkets s’est établie à Dubai en 1976, pour rayonner dans toute la région, offrant des services intégrés dans tous ses bureaux; en Arabie Séoudite, Koweit, Egypte, Jordanie, Yémen et Syrie.

Originally published in L’Orient-Le Jour, April 1996

Au cours de la cérémonie annuelle de remise des “Sword Awards” organisée par la Saudi Research & Publishing Company, le “Gold Sword Award”, grand prix toutes catégories, a été décerné pour 1995 à Intermarkets Saudi Arabia, pour sa campagne de la National Commercial Bank.

Les “Sword Awards” récompensent chaque année les meilleures créations publicitaires de presse. Intermarkets Saudi Arabia a aussi remporté un “Silver Sword Award” dans la catégorie institutions financières et services généraux, également pour le compte de la National Commercial Bank. Intermarkets Saudi Arabia, première agence régionale fondée dans le Royaume Wahabite en 1978, prouve une fois de plus la qualité de ses services.

Originally published in Magazine, June 1996

Leading American advertising industry journal Advertising Age has named Intermarkets as the leading agency in Kuwait.

Intermarkets Executives Sherif Koloian (left) and Ashraf Hassen

The findings were published in Advertising Age’s recent world-wide Agency Report, which identifies Intermarkets’ 1995 growth rate of 61.8% as far ahead of their closest contender at 49%.

Intermarkets Kuwait Managing Director Fady Mouannes said: “We are leading the field in Kuwait as a result of a continued team effort. Most important is that we continue this effort and maintain our lead.

We were the biggest spenders in advertising volume in local print media in both 1994 and 1995. And we have contributed to the success of our clients, notably for ITT Sheraton, for whom our creative work won awards in 1994 and 1995.”

Fady Mouannes

In the meantime, Intermarkets Advertising Egypt recently won two golden awards at the Cairo festival for Arab television and radio. The awards were for Best Commercial for Gobar Food Products and Best Production for Sabeel mineral water.

“The key to the agency’s success lies in the recruitment of creative and highly dynamic young individuals who are continually undergoing training in integrated marketing communications,” said Galal Zaki, president of Intermarkets Egypt.

Originally published in ArabAd, September 1996

For the second year running, the successful partnership Sheraton Kuwait Hotel and Towers and Intermarkets Advertising Agency gained international recognition for its advertising and public relations programme.

The Hotel was given two awards at the ITT Sheraton Africa & Middle East Divisional Conference in Dar Es Salaam in mid-February 1996. The awards were “Best Advertising Programme 1995″, “Best Overall Collateral 1995″ and the hotel was also runner-up in a third category, “Best Public Relations Activities.”

Both Sheraton Kuwait and Intermarkets, which handles all advertising and production work for the hotel, are delighted at receiving the awards. All creative work is the result of careful teamwork between agency and hotel, and is based on careful analysis of guests’ needs and responses, as well as the state of the market and Advertising/PR trends.
The conference was attended by Manuel Garcia, Vice President ITT Sheraton Corporation and Director of Marketing, Africa and Middle East Divisions. Representatives of more than 30 Sheraton hotels were also present.
“These awards are major achievements for both ourselves and Intermarkets,” said Fahd Abu Shaar, General Manager of Sheraton Kuwait. “To win such recognition two years in succession is a great honour, and will motivate us to perform even better in the future.
“There is no danger of our becoming complacent. Team work is the key to the success of all our endeavours and the advertising and public relations aspects of Top Awards our work are no exception.”

“Our major achievement lies not only in attaining the leading position in the market for ourselves and our client, but also in maintaining that position,” added Intermarkets Kuwait Managing Director Fady Mouannes.

“It’s great to see the fruits of both Sheraton Kuwait and Intermarkets labour achieve not only success, but also international recognition two years in succession. This continued encouragement will inspire both of us to achieve even greater goals.”

Originally published in ArabAd,  May 1996

The Intermarkets Advertising Management Group recently held its annual meeting at the Royal Abjar Hotel in Dubai. The meeting reviewed the achievements of the group for the past six months, during which accounts such as Rothmans of Pall Mall, the British Bank of the Middle East, Trisa, and Alberto Culver were won.

The group also reviewed final plans for the introduction of direct/integrated marketing services via the joint venture company Tequila Middle East, which will operate as a sister company very much like Intermarkets Public Relations, Middle East affiliate of Burson-Marsteller, the world’s largest public relations consultancy.

The meeting finalised Intermarkets’ expansion strategy up to the year 2000, a strategy aimed at delivering the group’s goal “To be the best”.

Intermarkets started in Lebanon 35 years ago, and its Dubai office was set up 20 years ago. The agency also has offices offering integrated marketing services in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Egypt, Jordan, Yemen and Syria.

Attending the meeting were Erwin Guerrovich, Intermarkets Group CEO; Ramzi Raad, executive vice president & managing director – Dubai; Joe Ayoub, managing director – Saudi Arabia; Fady Mouannes, managing director – Kuwait; Bassem Dajani, managing director – Jordan; Makram Zeenny, managing director – Syria; Galal Zaki, managing director – Egypt; Khalil Bitar, the Group’s senior vice president of finance; and Nadim Sfeir, vice president-Levant area and Saudi Arabia.

Originally published in ArabAd, May 1996