In an important step in its expansion strategy within international business and finance capitals, O2 Network is proud to announce the launch of a new global office based in Hong Kong! The team will meet the increasing demand for creative services in the region and build new businesses in one of Asia’s largest markets. According to Mohammed Johmani, Founder of the O2 Network, the goal of the expansions is to strengthen an industry which is witnessing significant growth but also strong critique and evaluation.

“It’s all about showing value for your services, and that evidence has become increasingly important in light of the worldwide businesses challenges faced during 2009,” says Johmani. “This will be the foundation of our strategy entering into Hong Kong as the demand for communication consultancy services remains strong.”

The launch of O2 Network in Hong Kong, one of the pioneer business capitals in South East Asia, is the first of the company’s Asian offices and is seen as a strategic gateway into regional markets including the world’s second largest economy China. The new O2 office will offer a comprehensive portfolio of the network’s services, including market research, PR consultancy, advertising, branding, and interactive web products.

As more and more expats migrate to the UAE, its only natural that some of their native institutions follow suit. The New York Film Academy in Abu Dhabi is just one example of the many renowned educational bodies that has come to the capital in the past couple of years to train those interested in the world of media and film.

The New York Film Academy (NYFA) was founded on the philosophy that “learning by doing” combined with best industry practices is more valuable than years of theoretical study for filmmakers and actors. This educational model allows students to achieve more in less time than at all other acting and film schools in the world.

The New York Film Academy is honored to be the acting and film school of choice of many Hollywood filmmakers and actors who have sent a son or daughter to study with them. They include Steven Spielberg, Al Pacino, Robert Downey Jr., Jamie Foxx, and even Bono from U2!

NYFA’s accelerated two year fine arts degree are structured for students who want intensive training from award winning faculty using professional facilities and equipment starting their first day of classes; better preparing them for a career in motion picture and entertainment industries.

For those that are considering college or looking to sharpen their skills, the film schools and acting schools offer evening filmmaking workshops, and acting workshops. The academy also hosts summer film camps and acting camps throughout the world that are designed for high school students.

If you were here ten years ago, something like this would sound like a far off dream (in fact it was for many aspiring film students). With institutes like twofour54 and NYFA growing, plus the newest CNN international headquarters being established in the capital, the sky is the limit for those looking to break into the biz in the UAE capital.

As the concerns about the global warming and climate changes affect all of us around the globe, the UAE has established its own unique approach to encourage public awareness and resource conservation. On February 17, 2009, The Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi in collaboration with the Emirates Wildlife Society (EWS) and Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) launched a campaign centered on the website www.heroesoftheuae.ae.

The aim of this campaign is for everyone around the UAE to take action in being energy efficient and to raise awareness of the shortages of energy resources. The campaigns website contains a forum for the public to show their support for saving energy. Despite the many serious environmental problems lingering in the world, this website points out available and successful solutions adopted by everyday people.

The website features many graphics and animated images that explain the energy and environmental situation in a very simple manner. Cool features also include a list of energy saving tips and a calculator that can tell how households can save on their consumption. Other sections of the website show “green” case studies, some facts about the main issues in UAE, and competitions and quizzes for schools children.

This campaign really is a thoughtful gesture from the UAE for the sake of saving our planet. As they say, everyone should act now because anyone can be a hero.

Once again we couldn’t help ourselves but to highlight the exceptional work of geniuses at Google (or rather their advertising agency). All in all this is a fantastic ad; simple, honest and heartfelt. Many can relate to this experience, and it rings true to anyone who has ever explored a new city by looking online. The only thing that we feel brings the ad down is the last couple of searches as if all of life’s journeys ultimately end in two things, marriage and a child (come on, a baby’s laugh? It’s a little cheesy). We personally would have liked the final text be in French, which would have shown off a whole lot more of Google’s actual capacity then trying to leave viewers with a shallow family-friendly ending. We understand the target that this is going after, and despite the end, overall it succeeds brilliantly.

Courtesy of adage.com What marketing campaigns form the last fifty years do you remember the most? Probably only a few, and we bet that most of them are the ones that touched your heart and moved you emotionally. It’s not all about making money, and these campaigns show that the most memorable work is done not for the company, but for the public.

1. American Express Statue of Liberty Restoration (1983): During a three-month period, American Express offered to contribute 1 cent for each card transaction and $1 for each new card issued. The campaign raised $1.7 million to restore the statue and Ellis Island.

2. Yoplait Save Lids to Save Lives (1999 to present): Consumers were asked to save and mail in millions of sticky lids to raise 10 cents each to support Susan G. Komen, a breast cancer patient. To date it has raised more than $26 million.

3. Dove Campaign for Real Beauty (2004 to present): Unilever developed the Dove Self-Esteem Fund and hopes to reach 5 million young women with information on positive body image by the end of 2010.

4. 1,000 Playgrounds in 1,000 Days (2005 to 2008): The Home Depot and KaBOOM took employee volunteerism to build great places for kids to play within walking distance of their homes.

5. The Members Project (2007 to 2008): American Express pioneered the use of social media to direct corporate giving and buttressed brand appreciation with this effort. Over two years it gave away $4.5 million, including top winners the Alzheimer’s Association and U.S. Fund for UNICEF.

6. Whirlpool and Habitat for Humanity (2004 to 2007): The appliance maker transformed its previously little-known commitment to CSR by providing a refrigerator to each Habitat for Humanity home built in the U.S.

7. Lee National Denim Day (1996 to the present): Lee, a traditonal male brand, embraced the breast cancer cause by empowering consumers to organize workplace drives at which employees contributed $5 for the right to wear jeans to work on the first Friday in October. Over 13 years, the program has raised nearly $75 million for breast cancer research and advocacy.

8. Product (Red) (2006 to the present): With their privately held company, Bono and Bobby Shriver created a cause marketing campaign (RED). They licensed the brand to GAP, Apple, Armani and many other retailers. (RED) has raised more than $140 million for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

9. Live Strong Bracelet (2004 to present): Nike and Lance Armstrong Foundation first came up with the idea to raise funds and awareness to super cyclist’s cancer by yellow rubber bands.

This music video was shot for Sour’s ‘Hibi no Neiro’ (Tone of everyday) from their first mini album ‘Water Flavor EP’. The cast were selected from the actual Sour fan base, from many countries around the world. Each person and scene was filmed purely via webcam.

Director: Masashi Kawamura + Hal Kirkland + Magico Nakamura + Masayoshi Nakamura

SOUR official site: http://sour-web.com

2009 Zealot Co.,ltd / Neutral Nine Records

This banner ad shows a young, online audience how fun, eccentric - and even downright weird - life with Pringles can be. As the user clicks on the banner again and again (and again, and again), they go deeper and deeper into a story with surprises at every turn without ever leaving the ad.

>> view banner

CANNES (AdAge.com) — In Japan’s insanely competitive retail environment, one of the world’s most familiar confectionery products, Nestle’s Kit Kat, found an unlikely new distribution channel, earning it and its agency, JWT Japan, the Media Grand Prix today at the 56th Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival.

JWT was struck by the Japanese translation of Kit Kat — Kitto Katso means “surely win” — and the tradition of sending students good luck wishes before they take tough higher-education entrance exams. So Nestle partnered with Japan’s postal service to create “Kit Kat Mail,” a postcard-like product sold only at the post office that could be mailed to students as an edible good-luck charm.

“It was a brilliant idea, flawless execution and amazing results,” said Nick Brien, president-CEO of Mediabrands Worldwide and president of the media jury. “They created a business model that didn’t exist before.”

Competition-free environment
In innovation piled on innovation, Kit Kat Mail was available in 20,000 Japan Post outlets, creating a new, competition-free retail channel where the product was heavily promoted in a place where there were no rival products. It was also the first time Japan Post ever partnered with a private company.

Mr. Brien said Kit Kat Mail garnered $11 million worth of free publicity, and Nestle is keeping it as a permanent product. “Exams are over but people still send it to wish good luck on any occasion.”

This year’s revamped Media Lions graded heavily on effectiveness, and the jury tossed out terrific ideas they loved that didn’t rigorously address execution and proof of results. “The focus was solutions that worked,” he said. Even so, there were still a hefty number of Media Lions, 20 golds, 29 silvers and 69 bronzes, up from a total of 55 last year.

This week different juries are picking the same ads as Grand Prix contenders. The other closest candidate for the Media Grand Prix was a heartfelt effort to raise awareness of the forced-into-exile newspaper The Zimbabwean by putting a message about its plight on Zimbabwe’s worthless trillion dollar bills and using the currency as a giant poster and a brochure and other media. The outdoor portion of the campaign, by TBWA Hunt Lascaris, Johannesburg, won the Outdoor Grand Prix. In the end, The Zimababwean won gold but didn’t muster enough votes to win the Media Grand Prix, because the idea of turning money into media had been used before and so was not entirely original, Mr. Brien said.

Another jury favorite, “The Best Job in the World” for Tourism Queensland, reappeared as a gold winner in media after picking up two Grand Prix yesterday, in the Lions Direct and the new PR Lions competitions. The integrated campaign by CumminsNitro, Brisbane, to promote tourism to Australia under the guise of recruiting for a dream job as a lighthouse keeper, was a contender for the media Grand Prix, too.

Lexus’ innovative magazine work
In all, the U.S. won four Gold Media Lions, including Crispin Porter & Bogusky’s notorious “Whopper Sacrifice” promotion for Burger King that offered each Facebook user who deleted 10 friends a free Whopper, and a campaign called “Reinventing the Magazine” for Lexus USA by Team One, El Segundo, Calif., that judges said belied frequent talk about the demise of print media. Lexus partnered with Time Inc. to customize a magazine for readers based on information they provided about themselves and multiple databases. Content was drawn from eight different Time Inc. magazines and Lexus ads were tailored to the individual reader in a series of five on-demand issues of “Mine” delivered to consumers in the print or digital form they chose.

“It was brilliant how they were able to bring that level of customization when there’s talk about the death of magazines,” said Monica Gadsby, CEO of SMG Multicultural and a Media Lions judge. “Consumers’ names are even embedded in the ads.”

The other two U.S. Gold Media Lion winners were DDB West, San Francisco, for Clorox Co.’s Green Works Natural Cleaner and a Walmart sustainability campaign by Mediavest USA, New York.

Mr. Brien succeeded in raising the bar on requiring proof of effectiveness for this year’s Media Lion winners, but is still working on a different challenge: getting more media agencies to enter the Media Lions. About two-thirds of the 20 Gold winners and the Grand Prix were entered by creative agencies such as Crispin and JWT, and only one-third by media agencies, a proportion he said was representative of the 1,840 entries this year.

Source - CANNES (AdAge.com)

via ArbAd zone : http://arabadzone.blogspot.com/2009/03/egyptian-hotdog-burger-pizza.html

Turn on your computers, redirect your browser and get ready to communicate and start twittering on the hottest online community website. As a trendy web service, Twitter allows family, friends and co–workers to communicate with each other and stay connected. Essentially it is a micro-blog, or a mini online diary where people can exchange information and answer the question; what are you doing?

Alongside many other social media websites, Twittering is becoming a major part of our every-day activities, used by our friends, heroes, movie stars and even our politicians. From President Barack Obama who used Twitter during his presidential campaign to Oprah Winfrey who recently tweeted; ‘Why I LOVED today’s show: puppies get saved. Prisoners get healed. Soldiers get helped. Full circle blessing. Thanks for watching,’ the message is clear and simple; if you are not Twittering, what are you waiting for?

Want to know who else is Twittering?

	The US police and fire departments - Updating the public on fires
	The Guardian newspaper – After 188 of communicating solely in ink – they have crossed the line into the realm of social media
	Pizza Hut - Recently created a position for a “Twintern” to be the company’s voice on twitter!
	Ashton Kutcher - One of the most popular celebrities to follow with a whopping 5 million increase in twitter users,
	CNN - Many Many followers from all around the world.

So what are you waiting for, start twittering today and let the world know what you are up to.

Using twitter tips:

Be brief: you only have 140 characters to broadcast your thoughts or status updates, so try to use the small words and abbreviations.

Frequency: despite the fact that there are no rules on the frequency of twitter use, people are less inclined to follow you if you update your twitter two dozen times a day.

Hash tags: hash tags can be used to show all similar tweets; for instance, using #EventUpdate to show updates related to that certain event.

Interacting: When replying to somebody’s question on twitter use the @ symbol in front of their twitter name to show that this response will come up in the “Replies” section in their account, this way your reply won’t get lost with the constant updates.

Make sure you reply to people’s comments and messages to make the most out of twitter.
Re-tweet: using the “re-tweet” option to forward some else’s tweet into your own account.
Twitter is a cool and entertaining way to stay in contact with others, but be careful, things you post will remain on the internet forever, so chose your words carefully to stay out of trouble.

Go to www.twitter.com and starting twittering.