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Time of India
a day ago
- Business
- Time of India
Mouth to market: A Cannes Lions B2B Special
The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity recognises a wide spectrum of creative work, extending beyond Grand Prix winners to include notable campaigns that earn silvers and bronzes. In " BE Extraordinary ," a series collaborating with Harsh Kapadia, CCO, Grey India, we highlight work that warrants discussion for its execution and results. This segment focuses on B2B campaigns, examining their strategic approaches and impact on businesses. Still Open - JCDecaux, DAVID Madrid "Still Open" was a B2B initiative from Madrid that addressed the significant impact of severe flooding on small, street-level businesses, many of which were forced to cease operations. JCDecaux, an outdoor advertising company, in collaboration with DAVID Madrid, responded by converting closed physical storefronts into active commerce channels using their Out-of-Home (OOH) ad spaces. They displayed images of the affected shops and their owners on billboards, particularly in high-traffic areas like Madrid's subway system. Commuters could then donate the price of a product that the shops typically sold, directly to the owners. This initiative utilised premium ad space to support struggling entrepreneurs, demonstrating OOH's capacity to maintain business continuity during emergencies and showcasing its value beyond traditional advertising. This B2B initiative from Madrid addressed the significant impact of severe flooding on small, street-level businesses, many of which were forced to cease operations. JC Decaux, an outdoor advertising company, responded by converting closed physical storefronts into commerce channels using their Out-of-Home (OOH) ad spaces. They displayed images of the affected shops and their owners on billboards, particularly in high-traffic areas like Madrid's subway. Commuters could then donate the price of a product that the shops typically sold, directly to the owners. This initiative utilised premium ad space to support struggling entrepreneurs, demonstrating OOH's capacity to maintain business continuity during emergencies and showing its value beyond traditional advertising. Estibadores - Mibanco, Circus Grey Perú In Peru, a government law was enacted to limit the weight that 'handcart' workers, often informal port or market workers, could carry. While intended to improve their health, this measure inadvertently reduced their income, as their remuneration was directly tied to the weight transported. Mi Banco, a leading bank focused on entrepreneurs and financial inclusion, in collaboration with Circus Grey Perú, addressed this issue by transforming these handcarts into mobile advertising mediums. By making the carts' surfaces available as ad spaces, workers could secure additional income through the sale of advertising. This allowed them to comply with the new weight limits, carry a lighter physical load, and still maintain their earnings. The initiative not only provided a steady income source but also aimed to foster financial inclusion for this essential but often overlooked segment of the workforce. By integrating its services into the daily operations of these small-scale entrepreneurs, Mi Banco positioned itself as a tangible supporter of their well-being and economic progress. Act Like You Know, GoDaddy Airo - GoDaddy (USA) GoDaddy, a recognised provider of website creation tools, launched "GoDaddy Airo - Act Like You Know" to demonstrate the ease of building websites using its new AI-powered features within a complex technological landscape. The campaign's core involved GoDaddy creating a fictional brand to showcase the simplicity of its GoDaddy Airo AI platform. This was achieved by launching a real product: Walter Goggins' Goggle Glasses. Partnering with actor Walton Goggins, GoDaddy established an entire sunglasses company. This included everything from product development to a fully functional e-commerce website and integrated social media content, all constructed using GoDaddy Airo. The campaign functioned as a direct product demonstration, illustrating GoDaddy Airo's practical application by making professional website creation accessible to a broader user base, even those without prior experience. GoDaddy, known for its website creation tools, aimed to demonstrate the ease of building websites using its new AI-powered features amidst a complex technological landscape. GoDaddy created a fictional brand, "Airo," and then showcased the simplicity of its AI platform by launching a real product: Walter Goggins' Goggle Glasses. Partnering with actor Walton Goggins, they established an entire sunglasses company, from product development to a fully functional e-commerce website and social media content, all built using GoDaddy Airo. This campaign functioned as a direct product demonstration, illustrating AI's practical application by making website creation accessible to a broader user base. The Deskbreak Clause - Asics (Golin London / LePub Milan) Asics, a well-known sports footwear company, expanded into the B2B sector with "The Deskbreak Clause," an initiative designed to address the health implications associated with prolonged sitting in professional environments. Recognising that extended sedentary behavior is a significant modern health challenge, Asics, in collaboration with Golin London and LePub Milan, developed a practical solution for corporate wellness. The core of the campaign involved encouraging businesses to incorporate a specific "Deskbreak Clause" directly into their employment contracts. This clause formally encouraged employees to take a 15-minute movement break during their workday. Asics supported this recommendation with data from King's College London, which indicated that just 15 minutes of physical activity could mitigate some of the negative effects of extended sitting. By promoting this concrete, data-backed approach, Asics encouraged businesses to adopt healthier policies for their workforce. The B2B campaign subtly connected Asics' products to tangible health benefits, presenting movement as an essential component of a healthy work-life, thereby positioning the brand as a partner in corporate well-being. (At BE Extraordinary, a series about the winners at Cannes Lions in collaboration with Harsh Kapadia, CCO, Grey India, we peer outside the Grand Prix, and look at clutter breaking work that picked the silvers and the bronzes, but don't often get discussed.)
Zawya
09-06-2025
- Business
- Zawya
ADX-listed Multiply Group supports global expansion plans via MMG
Abu Dhabi – Multiply Group has launched Multiply Media Group (MMG) to fuel its global expansion plans, according to a recent press release. The ADX-listed group united the three market-leading out-of-home (OOH) companies under its portfolio to create a new media powerhouse headquartered in the UAE. The integration of BackLite Media, Viola Media and Media 247 under Multiply Media Group is set to reshape the future of tech-enabled media in the UAE and beyond. Samia Bouazza, GCEO and Managing Director of Multiply Group, said: 'By bringing together market-leading media assets under a single AI & tech-driven group, we are reinforcing our commitment to long-term value creation and shareholder returns.' The newly consolidated group will serve as a launchpad to attract regional and international opportunities across the media sector through MMG portfolio businesses. MMG will invest in promising media assets, catalyze growth with innovation, and create synergies across its portfolio through strategic investments. Jawad Hassan, Head of Media and Communications Vertical at Multiply Group, commented: 'Through MMG, we stand ready to embrace the emerging trends in our industry, particularly the transformative role of AI, and we will continually look to invest in technologies that enable us to create dynamic and innovative campaigns.' The scale of MMG includes 3,000 advertising units across the UAE, including more than 75 premium assets on Dubai's Sheikh Zayed Road. James Bicknell, CEO of Multiply Media, highlighted: 'With MMG, we are not simply scaling up — we are scaling intelligently. Our mandate is clear: deliver context at scale, and reach audiences where it truly matters, when it matters most.' The launch of MMG follows a recent strategic agreement between Multiply Group's media vertical and Al Arabia, Arabian Contracting Services Company (Al Arabia), to create a joint venture (JV) to invest in the global OOH advertising sector. Multiply Group also inked a recent memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Saudi Media Company (SMC) to set up an advanced advertising technology (AdTech) platform. All Rights Reserved - Mubasher Info © 2005 - 2022 Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
Arabian Business
06-06-2025
- Business
- Arabian Business
Multiply Group lights up the world to unite out-of-home firms to form UAE media powerhouse
Multiply Group has launched Multiply Media Group (MMG) as it unites three market-leading out-of-home (OOH) companies under its portfolio to create a new UAE media powerhouse. The combination of BackLite Media, Viola Media and Media 247 under Multiply Media Group represents a significant move that will shape the future of tech-enabled media in the UAE and beyond. The scale of MMG includes 3,000 advertising units across the UAE, including more than 75 premium assets on Dubai's Sheikh Zayed Road, which are backed by long-term partnership agreements with the Road and Transport Authority (RTA) (Mada Media) in Dubai and The Department of Municipalities & Transport (DMT) in Abu Dhabi. Multiply Media Group Samia Bouazza, GCEO and Managing Director of Multiply Group, said: 'The launch of Multiply Media Group represents the most significant media consolidations in the UAE. By bringing together market-leading media assets under a single AI and tech-driven group, we are reinforcing our commitment to long-term value creation and shareholder returns. 'MMG lays a strong foundation for our global ambitions and forward-looking investment strategy.' MMG was launched at the World Out of Home Organisation (WOO) Annual Congress in Mexico City, and simultaneously it lit up the world through a global takeover across key DOOH media, illuminating cities and screens worldwide with its bold presence. The move reflects the global expansion of Multiply Group, the $7.2bn holding company, which is part of IHC, the most valuable holding company in the Middle East with a market cap of more than $240bn. The newly consolidated group will serve as a launchpad to capture regional and international opportunities arising in the media sector through MMG portfolio businesses. MMG will drive performance and innovation across the OOH media sector, reshaping the UAE's media landscape through scale, AI, and strategic partnerships. To achieve its mission, MMG will invest in high-potential media assets, catalyse growth with innovation and create synergies across its portfolio through strategic investments. Jawad Hassan, Head of Media and Communications Vertical at Multiply Group, said: 'For several years, Multiply Group's ambitious growth strategy for the media sector has taken us from an integrated portfolio of three industry leaders to a media powerhouse with vast potential to redefine the entire regional media landscape in ways that will bring immediate impact and long-term value for clients. 'Through MMG, we stand ready to embrace the emerging trends in our industry, particularly the transformative role of AI, and we will continually look to invest in technologies that enable us to create dynamic and innovative campaigns.' James Bicknell, CEO of Multiply Media Group, said: 'Multiply Media Group launches as a transformative force in out of home media — a powerhouse that unites some of the region's most strategic media assets under one bold vision. 'With MMG, we are not simply scaling up — we are scaling intelligently. Our mandate is clear: deliver context at scale, and reach audiences where it truly matters, when it matters most. MMG is engineered to be agile, data-led, and deeply integrated, enabling our clients to engage audiences with greater relevance, responsiveness, and resonance than ever before. 'This is more than media — it's momentum.' We have officially launched, establishing a new benchmark in the OOH media industry. Headquartered in the UAE and structured for global scale, MMG unites the region's most impactful OOH networks under one future-focused entity. #MMGGlobal #MultiplyMediaGroup #ExponentialPotential — Multiply Media Group (@_MMGGlobal) June 5, 2025 The launch of MMG follows a recent strategic agreement between Multiply Group's media vertical and Al Arabia, Arabian Contracting Services Company (Al Arabia) to create a joint venture to invest in the global out-of-home advertising sector. Multiply Group, also announced a recent Memorandum of Understanding with Saudi Media Company (SMC) – with these two strategic moves underscoring the global expansion potential of Multiply's portfolio brands. Multiply Group's other media holdings include Yieldmo, a contextual mobile ads platform, and Firefly, North America's leading digital Taxi-Top company. The group completed the acquisition of Viola Communications, a marketing and communications firm, in 2021.
CairoScene
06-06-2025
- Business
- CairoScene
Billboards Are the New Skyline – How Giant Ads Are Reshaping Cairo
At 9:14 AM, Cairo's Ring Road glows not with sunlight, but with 12 consecutive digital billboards advertising luxury compounds, soft drinks, and tuition fees that could rival Swiss universities. At one stretch, you're promised 'a home where harmony lives.' Two metres later: 'You Are Unique,' a validating sentiment that turns out to be an ad for a bank – a call to customise your mortgage, curate your credit score, and optimise your escape. It's the kind of affirmation that sells not just security, but a story: in a global economy where groceries feel aspirational, financial self-actualisation becomes the new moral high ground. (The joke's on us, of course. There is no exit plan that doesn't involve collective salvation. And as Donne warned, no man is an island – certainly not on the Ring Road.) In 2024, Egypt spent EGP 6.3 billion on out-of-home advertising, up 53% from the previous year. The country now supports one of the fastest-growing billboard markets in the Middle East. And the sector isn't done yet. According to AdMazad, Egypt's leading out-of-home (OOH) advertising performance measurement company, total impressions reached 154.2 billion last year, largely concentrated in Cairo's arterial roads and desert-ringed satellite cities. In some places, there is now more advertising space than visible sky. 'Billboards are a steady source of revenue,' Assem Memon, CEO of AdMazad, an Egyptian agency dedicated to tracking and analysing thousands of billboards across the country to measure their performance, tells CairoScene. 'Local authorities and municipalities rely on them to generate cashflow.' Egypt has turned its cities into a showroom, and its streets into a psychology experiment. But I'm here to make a case for – as well as against – the perpetual billboard. And that starts at the beginning. The idea for billboards began slowly in Egypt. First, as movie posters, as Nasserist propaganda promising Pan-Arabist heaven, cupping therapy offers, cure-all creams, and home exorcisms available – if you call now. Then as static signs hawking juice brands or local banks. Then came vinyl real estate giants along 6 October Bridge, animated LEDs near Nasr City, 3D billboards looming overhead. The number of OOH advertisers rose 23% year-on-year to 17,000, while the number of billboards increased 26.6% year-on-year to 40,000, according to Enterprise and AdMazad. It is clear that billboards in Egypt are more than visual noise, they're a critical financial artery for the country's urban fabric. Advertisers pay a concession fee just to rent the land, and when they build according to regulation, they also pay an annual licensing fee. 'As new roads open up, so do opportunities for billboard placements, Memon explains. 'But when it comes to premium visibility, 6th October and Tagamoa lead the pack. Today, renting a billboard in 6th October costs around 500,000 EGP per month, while the same space in Tagamoa can go for EGP 1 million.' But what's most striking, Memon notes, is Egypt's advertising imbalance. 'In other emerging markets like Pakistan, Morocco, or Malaysia, real estate usually ranks sixth or seventh in terms of billboard ad share.'In most countries, consumer goods, telecoms, banks, pharmacies, and cafés dominate OOH budgets. 'Here in Egypt,' Memon continues, 'real estate is number one—by far.' 'Real estate alone now accounts for 60% of OOH market share in Egypt, with advertising spend in the sector jumping 85% in a single year,' Engy Elmasry, Account Manager at Seven, tells CairoScene. These figures are based on AdMazad's audit of over 50,000 billboards across Egypt, reflecting the sector's dominance in the OOH advertising landscape. 'These aren't billboards,' Elmasry says. 'They're mood boards. We're selling escape, not space.' So why is Cairo's skyline a catalogue of gated compounds? 'It's partly economic,' Memon says. 'Currency devaluation has pushed real estate developers into a cycle of building fast, selling fast, and flipping fast. Most of them are small, fragmented players who want to build brand equity, so they flood the streets with ads to build credibility. Projects like 'Skies of Nation' or 'Jiran' want you to remember their name. The economic environment has changed real estate to an investment first product, and with the fragmentation among developers and entry of many first time developers, there is a need to create mass awareness.' This one-sector dominance has reshaped the OOH ecosystem. 'Product development in the ad industry now prioritises real estate,' Memon explains. 'It's all about targeting high-traffic highways like Mehwar and the Ring Road—not dense, lived-in neighbourhoods like Mohandiseen or Agouza.' The result? Billboards in older Cairo are vanishing, even though most Egyptians still live there. The consequences go beyond visibility. 'Imagine running a small shoe brand,' Memon says. 'You can't afford a single board in New Cairo or 6 October. The new outdoor inventory is primarily designed for real estate and mega advertisers. The unintended consequence of this is the limitation of advertising opportunities for smaller brands.' If billboard access were more equitable, Memon argues, it wouldn't just benefit small businesses—it would expand the industry as a whole. 'When different businesses at different maturity stages can access outdoor ads, you unlock new verticals. It's not about shrinking the real estate footprint—it's about sharing the skyline.' The challenge is ensuring that billboards don't morph into 'a visual zoo,' in Memon's words. His vision? 'Stronger regulation. One billboard every 500 metres. Limit the number of formats per zone. And for digital screens—especially at night—there needs to be serious scrutiny. They're beautiful, but they're also distracting.' In that sense, billboards don't just reflect Cairo. They define it. To understand Egypt's billboard boom is to understand the country's post-2011 psyche – fractured, aspirational, and fixated on visibility. The billboard has taken on a strange dual role, at once commercial and quasi-political. It is one of the loudest voices in the city. This is no accident. In 2020, Law 208 established a national authority to regulate billboard content, safety, and location. But its real function seems to be coordination, not restraint. Some areas, like the Ring Road and Sheikh Zayed, now show 94% and 91% billboard utilisation, respectively. In contrast, older districts like Maadi and Dokki are being bypassed – both literally and commercially. It's a visual map of power and capital. The old city is fading. The desert is the future. There is, however, a strong case for billboards – and it's not just aesthetic nihilism. Egypt's economy is in need of any growth sector that isn't tethered to global instability. 'Out-of-home advertising creates jobs, fuels creative industries, and, unlike many online ads, cannot be skipped or blocked,' Hana Amgad, Account Manager at Kijami, tells CairoScene. Studies show that 71% of drivers notice billboards, and nearly 50% of them engage with the content. For real estate developers, education providers, and telecom giants, billboards offer unmatched reach. More importantly, they offer permanence. In a digital world of disappearing stories and algorithmic noise, a giant, backlit promise by the highway still feels real. It occupies space. Over time, billboards have done more than advertise – they've embedded themselves into the semiotic structure of Cairo's urban life, anchoring the city's mental geography. Directions are given not by street names but by reference to giant LED screens: meet 'under the big Samsung,' turn 'at the Pepsi ad.' These aren't anomalies – they're a system. In a city marked by infrastructural fragmentation and visual overload, billboards offer a kind of consistency. Cairo orients itself through these billboards. They've become, in effect, part of the city's spatial memory – a hyper-commercial layer overlaid on top of a civic one. Yet for all their commercial appeal, Egypt's billboard culture has begun to swallow its cities. The deeper damage is psychological. These billboards offer not just commodities, but class identity. The images are consistent: manicured lawns, bilingual children. A villa in the desert with a golf course becomes not just a home, but a personality upgrade. The problem? Most people can't afford it. According to CAPMAS, the average Egyptian family in an urban centre spends 12.5% of their annual income on education alone. Meanwhile, kindergarten fees in many of the schools featured on roadside ads range between EGP 80,000 and EGP 160,000 a year. And that's before factoring in uniform fees, transport, and the subliminal cost of social conformity. The billboard is more than an ad. It is a border. It announces who belongs where. Architectural researcher Mohamad Abotera refers to this as a 'reproduction of space,' where the advertisers use visuals to redefine what Egypt looks like and who it is for. His study of real estate billboards in Cairo found that 79% featured elements of greenery, lakes, or imported nature. Many used European trees and landscapes foreign to Egyptian terrain. Some are even superimposed Los Angeles cityscapes. 'These are not metaphors. They are market segmentation strategies,' Elmasry tells CairoScene. It would be comical if it weren't so costly. To create these promised utopias in the desert, developers divert water from already stretched resources. In New Cairo, the per capita access to green space in gated communities is 216 sqm. In social housing nearby, it's 26 sqm. In older Cairo districts like Shubra, it's less than 0.1 sqm. The simulation is relentless. Despite all this, billboards endure – for good reason. Ultimately, they're the most democratic form of elite messaging. Memon is far from bearish on billboards. 'Traditional advertising isn't dead. It's evolving.' He points to a Nielsen study that found combining billboards with digital ads boosts message amplification by 60%. 'When London banned candy ads on public transport, sales of those products dropped 60%. That's how powerful outdoor media still is.' 'You don't need a phone, a data plan, or an algorithm to be reached. You just need to exist in public,' Amgad explains. And in that sense, the billboard becomes a curious sort of civic document. It shows you what the state, or at least the market, thinks Egypt should look like. And for all their distortions, billboards can also inspire. A clever campaign. A moment of colour on a grey commute. A family glimpsing a different future – even if it's unattainable. Egypt is in the midst of an identity shift. The post-revolution euphoria has long faded, replaced by infrastructural overhauls, capital migration to the desert, and a public increasingly anxious about where it belongs. In this context, billboards are not the disease. They are the symptom – and sometimes, the distraction. They represent both Egypt's most sincere ambitions and its deepest contradictions. They are monuments to optimism and inequality. And they are built to last. The question is not whether the billboards will change. It's whether Cairo will – or whether it will continue to be a city that cannot see itself, only the version sold back to it at 1080p, three storeys high, and payable in 100 monthly installments.
Campaign ME
02-06-2025
- Business
- Campaign ME
Airport International Group, Extime JCDecaux Airport to revamp advertising experience
Jordan-based Airport International Group has signed a partnership agreement with airport advertising company Extime JCDecaux Airport to enhance the OOH advertising experience at Queen Alia International Airport (QAIA) in Amman, Jordan. The collaboration will see a full-scale update of the airport's media infrastructure, including new, larger digital screens and creative solutions in high-traffic areas, designed to improve visibility for advertisers and streamline the passenger journey. Extime JCDecaux Airport builds on JCDecaux's global expertise from airport media operations in more than 150 international hubs. At QAIA, the company will deploy a secure, ISO 27001-certified digital broadcasting system connecting all screens across the airport, enabling real-time synchronisation, seamless content delivery and centralised monitoring. The upgrade also includes large-format Skytouch portrait displays fitted with LED lighting and redesigned lightboxes with energy-efficient panels, located at the exterior of the airport. These additions aim to increase advertising impact while reducing energy consumption and operational costs. Inside the terminal, more prominent digital screens will be installed in high-traffic areas, creating new media opportunities for brands looking to reach travellers in Jordan's busiest airport. 'For us, every element of the airport journey – visual, operational and emotional – reflects our brand promise 'Feels Like Home'. As the first point of contact for millions arriving in Jordan, QAIA plays a vital role in shaping perceptions from the moment passengers arrive. Through our collaboration with Extime JCDecaux Airport, we are introducing a world-class visual environment that seamlessly combines innovation, sustainability and impactful brand storytelling. These enhancements are not only designed to create value for advertisers, but more importantly, to enrich the passenger experience at every touchpoint – making it more welcoming, engaging and aligned with the top-tier standards of Jordan's prime gateway to the world,' said, Airport International Group CEO, Nicolas Deviller. Isabelle Fourmentin, Managing Director of Extime JCDecaux Airport, added: 'Our plan is to develop an eco-friendly advertising platform based on innovative, high-performance media solutions for advertisers, enhancing both brand advertising experiences and passenger journey.'
