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

Ramzi R. Raad, IAA vice-president, area director for Middle East & Africa, executive vice-president of the Intermarkets Group

The Lebanese communication industry has been unique in its struggle to develop and expand, despite all the destruction that was inflicted on the country, and its other business sectors over the past 16 years. Accordingly I hasten to salute your forum on “Gateways to Reconstruction”, its organizers and distinguished participants, your gathering today is a further demonstration on the leadership of Lebanon’s Chapter of the International Advertising Association.

Rebuilding for us as communicators, entails the encouragement of our members that are abroad to actively return to their homeland. Of more importance however, is the need for all participants at this Forum to cooperate in order to ensure that the self-regulation, the disciplines and the professional upgrading tools that we have introduced to the Arab advertising industry, are revived and adapted in Lebanon, where all of these were started.

I sincerely regret not being able to join you at this Forum, however I wish you and Lebanon great success. I seize this opportunity to remind you that while all of you are meeting to develop more Big Ideas for the reconstruction of Lebanon; other members and graduates of the Lebanon Chapter remain to be very active overseas — at this specific moment — rebuilding the image of Lebanon through their voluntary work and dedication to the International Advertising Association and what it stands for. (Ramzi RAAD)

Originally published in GATEWAYS to Reconstruction, September 1991

Picture shows from left John Mani, Dubai; David Forsdike, Kuwait; James McCredie, Jeddah; Raad and Abdo Saleh, Dubai; Sitish Debnath, Muscat; and Galal Zaki, president, Intermarkets Egypt

Creative directors from Intermarkets Advertising met in Dubai recently to discuss regional creative strategies for the forthcoming year.

During the 3-day meeting at Intermarket’s Dubai offices, the team discussed creative trends in advertising, programmes for creative staff training, the update and acquisition of design and graphic technology, standardisation of inter-office communications, and exchanged ideas and information.

The meeting also reviewed campaigns currently under development by Intermarkets’ regional offices as well as relevant international case histories.

Ramzi Raad, Intermarkets’ executive vice president, said: “This has been a very stimulating three days from which all the participants return to their offices loaded with inspiration that will help them carry our creative message into the next decade.”

Originally published in ArabAd, January 1994

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

Raad, Barha, and the students

Students from the Graphic Design class of the American University in Dubai paid a visit recently to the offices of Intermarkets Advertising in Dubai where they were given a presentation of case studies of campaigns prepared and implemented by the agency and reviewed their results. Following the presentation, the group, with the AUD’s Head of Design Department Ms. Darya Barham, were taken on a tour of the agency and saw first hand working procedures at each of its various departments.
Commenting on the visit Ramzi Raad, Intermarkets’ Executive Vice-President said: “Our agency is known throughout the Arab world as the ‘Advertising University’. Down the years, a number of advertising experts have ‘graduated’ from Intermarkets to take up senior positions within other advertising agencies and marketing companies. We are therefore always very anxious to offer all possible cooperation to universities and colleges which have marketing and advertising on their curriculum in all the ten countries in which we have offices because we know the real value of this discipline, being the leading agency in the field.”
Originally published in ArabAd, 1995

Picture shows from left John Mani, Dubai; David Forsdike, Kuwait; James McCredie, Jeddah; Raad and Abdo Saleh, Dubai; Sitish Debnath, Muscat; and Galal Zaki, president, Intermarkets Egypt

Creative directors from Intermarkets Advertising met in Dubai recently to discuss regional creative strategies for the forthcoming year.

During the 3-day meeting at Intermarket’s Dubai offices, the team discussed creative trends in advertising, programmes for creative staff training, the update and acquisition of design and graphic technology, standardisation of inter-office communications, and exchanged ideas and information.

The meeting also reviewed campaigns currently under development by Intermarkets’ regional offices as well as relevant international case histories.

Ramzi Raad, Intermarkets’ executive vice president, said: “This has been a very stimulating three days from which all the participants return to their offices loaded with inspiration that will help them carry our creative message into the next decade.”

Originally published in ArabAd in January, 1994