Fadi Mouannes: Intermarkets Kuwait was established in 1968, long before the invasion of Kuwait and was among the first agencies to resume activities after the liberaton. Since then, we have been steadily growing and we have been recognised as the first agency in terms of media spending, especially with newspapers who swallow up to 60 percent of the advertising budgets.

We are a full-fledged agency that offers all the services the market requires. Our 35-strong staff are equipped to offer all kinds of services the market needs and at the same time we enjoy the full support of the Intermarkets network. Eighty percent of the accounts we handle are local. On the creative level, we have recently won six awards at the Al-Anba’a Advertising Awards.

ArabAd: How do you deal with a market said to be “unsophisticated”?

Fadi Mouannes: What does unsophisticated mean? All Kuwaiti clients are looking for quality services. If they find them in simple concepts, so be it. They want to have the best creative service, the best media plan, the best promotional ideas, the best art work… Our challenge is to meet their quest for the best.

There are two types of clients. Those who know what they want. They understand the business and are professional enough to understand our business to know what we should give and to know what we are giving. There are also those who want the best but do not understand the business. They leave it to us to come up with ideas that would fulfill their objectives. So it is a challenge either way and it is very important that educated people — and there is a majority who are educated — take the leadership.

Originally published in ArabAd, December 1998

The Intermarkets Advertising Management Group recently held their annual meeting at the Royal Abjar Hotel in Dubai. The meeting reviewed the group’s achievements during the past six months, which saw the winning of such prestigious accounts as Rothmans of Pall Mall, the British Bank of the Middle East, Trisa and Alberto Culver, in addition to a number of other local accounts in the respective offices of the Intermarkets network.

The Group also reviewed the 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 much like the highly successful Intermarkets Public Relations, the Middle East affiliate of Burson-Marsteller, the world’s largest public relations consultancy. The meeting finalized Intermarkets’ expansion strategy up to the year 2000, a strategy aimed at fulfilling the group’s goal “To Be The Best”.

Intermarkets is one of the longest established advertising agencies in the Middle East. Started in Lebanon 35 years ago, Intermarkets set up its Dubai office 20 years ago. The agency also boasts fully-fledged offices offering integrated marketing services in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Egypt, Jordan, Yemen and Syria.

Attending the meeting were Messrs. Erwin Guenovich, Intermarkets Group CEO; Ramzi Raad, Executive Vice-President and Managing Director of Intermarkets Dubai; Joe Ayoub, Managing Director of Intermarkets Lebanon; Jihad Abbouchi. Managing Director of Intermarkets Saudi Arabia; Fady Mouannes, Managing Director of Intermarkets Kuwait; Bassem Dajani, Managing Director of Intermarkets Jordan; Makram Zeenny, Managing Director of Intermarkets Syria; Galal Zaki, Managing Director of Intermarkets Egypt; Khalil Bitar, the Group’s Senior Vice-President Finance; and Nadim Sfeir, Vice-President Levant Area and Saudi Arabia.

Originally published in Monday Morning, March 1994

Thirty client servicing, media and creative executives from throughout the Intermarkets Network met in Dubai to participate in a strategic planning workshop dedicated to the development of “The Intermarkets Way”, covering new techniques in brand interrogation, strategic development, and examining various models that challenge classical communication skills.

Commenting on the workshop, Rana Barakat, Account Supervisor at Intermarkets Lebanon, and one of the participants said: “It was a thrilling experience. I feel inspired and I can’t wait to go back to Beirut to use what I have learnt with my clients”. The next phase of the workshop will explore other Intermarkets areas of operation during the next few months.

Originally published in ArabAd, June 1996