IMPACT BBDO Leads Middle East at Adfest 2023

At the recently concluded Adfest 2023 in Pattaya, IMPACT BBDO and Red Havas Middle East were amongst the big winners of the night.

With the much-admired festival returning back to an in-person event after three years, IMPACT BBDO brought in the most successful performance for the Middle East by being awarded 3 Grands Prix and a Gold, while their brand partner AnNahar was named Advertiser of the Year. Red Havas was named PR Agency of the Year with their work 'Ravi Superstar' picking up a Gold and a Silver.

Dentsu was named Network of the Year, while Dentsu Inc, Tokyo was awarded Agency of the Year. Independent Agency of the Year was awarded to Serviceplan Korea, Digital Agency of the Year was shared by Cheil Worldwide, Seoul & MullenLowe Singapore, and Advertiser of the Year went to Annahar Newspaper.

IMPACT BBDO’s Grands Prix were awarded in Media, Outdoor, and Press, while the Gold was awarded in Brand Experience – all went to “The Elections Edition” for AnNahar Newspaper. Havas Middle East won a Gold in PR, and a Silver in Brand Experience for “Ravi Superstar.”

Ali Rez, chief creative officer for MENAP at IMPACT BBDO served as the Grand Jury President this year, the first time a candidate from the Middle East has held this position. He commented: “AdFest continues to bring out the best in AsiaPacific, all the way to the Middle East, and going through the work, the juries found world-class examples of highly strategic thinking, exquisite craft, and a remarkable level of cultural relevance leading to high scores on engagement.”

Two other jury members from the Middle East were also present at the show: Federico Fanti, chief creative officer at FP7 McCann; and Prerna Mehra, head of design and creative director at Mullen Lowe MENA.

Founded in 1998, AdFest is one of Asia’s most celebrated shows, and is one of 8 regional creative festivals included in the WARC Creative 100 Rankings.