New York Festivals AME Awards Announces Inaugural Advisory Council

Cristina Blanaru Creativity, Festivals & Awards, People

New York Festivals 2019 AME Awards announces the competition’s inaugural  Advisory Council.

“I am honoured to be the first South African to sit on the AME Advisory Council. To help steer and guide the process of awarding work that works; great creativity that meets and exceeds marketing goals and delivers tangible results, is a reward in itself,” said Mick Blore, Chief Creative Officer – South Africa & Sub-Saharan Africa, McCann Worldgroup.

“I’m also very excited to do justice to the awards (and to our industry) by suggesting ideas and categories that will drive the future of our industry. And hence, hopefully, work that helps our industry play a meaningful role in today’s constantly evolving world,” said Tahaab Rais, Regional Head of Strategy & Truth Central, FP7/MENA.

AME’s Advisory Council, an international task force of creative and strategic leaders, provide the competition with knowledge of emerging trends and critical industry insights allowing AME to be more responsive to changes and demands within the advertising/marketing sphere. Their astute advice and combined industry expertise ensure continued wise council.

“We’re thrilled that these prominent leaders are committing their industry expertise and global view to AME,” said Gayle Mandel, Executive Director, AME Awards. “In today’s ever-changing world of advertising and brand building it’s an amazing win to have visionary award-wining creatives of their reputation taking AME to the next level.”

For the past 25 years, the international AME Awards has honored only the most creative and measurably effective campaigns.

“As great as it feels for us creative people to win awards, our work is only being judged by other creatives. To maintain relevance as an industry and with our clients, we need to demonstrate the effectiveness of our work. After all, it’s why we’re here and is key to the future of our industry. That’s why I agreed to participate,” said Zak Mroueh, Chief Creative Officer/Founder of Zulu Alpha Kilo.

“In the end, marketing and advertising are all about motivating behaviour and selling products and services. It’s what clients need and what they want. These awards demonstrate beyond a shadow of a doubt, that creativity that achieves results is the most valuable advantage that a brand can have,” added Blore.

“As an advocate of creative effectiveness as the one true way to survive, I’m very excited to look at the best work out there that will be on display at the AME Awards, learn from it, and bring back what I’ve learnt and share it; not just with our agency network but also, with all the agencies out here in MENA,” commented Rais.

“Accolades are important, effectiveness is paramount,” added Mandel. “Earning an AME Award is the benchmark for excellence, innovation, and most importantly effectiveness.”

2019 AME Awards Advisory Council

  • Alex Schill, Global Chief Creative Officer, Serviceplan Group, Germany
  • Merlee Jayme, Chairmom/Chief Creative Officer, Dentsu Jayme Syfu, Philippines
  • Tahaab Rais, Regional Head of Strategy Office & MENA Director -Truth Central, FP7/MCCANN MENA & President, McCann Worldgroup MENA Strategic Community, UAE
  • Mick Blore, Chief Creative Officer South Africa & Sub-Saharan Africa, McCann Worldgroup, South Africa
  • Dörte Spengler-Ahrens, Chief Creative Officer, Jung von Matt/SAGA, Germany
  • Zak Mroueh, Chief Creative Officer & Founder, Zulu Alpha Kilo, Canada

The AME Awards deadline to enter is December 15th.

Founded in 1994, the AME Awards honors international work that demonstrates ground-breaking solutions to challenging marketing problems. To earn a coveted AME® Award, an entry must exhibit specific marketing goals and objectives accomplished through creative execution and strategic planning. Entries are judged by an international panel of top interactive and multidisciplinary marketers, media planners, strategy directors, social media experts, and creative directors.