WARC Prize for MENA Strategy 2021 – Winners Announced

Campaigns for global brands including AstraZeneca, Bose, Burger King, KFC  and Knorr, as well as local brands, such as Almosafer, Diari, Home Centre and Loto Libanais, are among the 14 winners of this year’s WARC Prize for MENA Strategy.

Now in its fifth year, the Prize is in search of the best cases of strategic marketing thinking that have driven results in the Middle East and North Africa.

The Grand Prix and Pivot to Digital Special Award have been awarded to TBWA\RAAD Dubai for ‘Shift+K+C’, an initiative for KFC which saw the fast-food brand modify the customer journey for Saudi gamers by creating a cheat code to accelerate the online ordering process and unlock a unique menu item tailor made to gamers’ needs. Promoted solely through Twitch and gaming influencers, the disruptive campaign triggered a 45% sales uplift and made KFC the fast-food brand that understands gamers.

A further three Golds, four Silvers, six Bronzes and three Special Awards recognising specific areas of excellence, were also awarded by the judging panel made-up of 16 industry experts chaired by Microsoft’s Peter DeBenedictis, Chief Marketing Officer, Middle East and Africa.

Four winning entries are regional campaigns, with the other award-winning work for national markets – Lebanon (3), United Arab Emirates (3), Saudi Arabia (2), Egypt (1), Tunisia (1).

Commenting on the winners, jury chair Peter DeBenedictis, Chief Marketing Officer, Middle East and Africa, Microsoft, said: “The winners of the WARC Prize for MENA Strategy are a body of effective work that leave ‘marketing for marketing’s sake’ to the side and provide inspiration that the industry can draw from.” 

The WARC Prize for MENA Strategy 2021 winners are:

Grand Prix

• Shift+K+F+C · KFC Arabia · Yum! Brands · TBWA\RAAD Dubai · MENA + Pivot to Digital Special Award

Gold

• A Dad’s Job · Home Centre · Landmark Group · FP7 McCann Dubai · MENA

+ Brand Rebel Special Award

• Rooftop Farms · Knorr · Unilever · FP7 McCann Cairo · Egypt + Long-Term Strategy Special Award
• The Doppelganger · Burger King · Restaurant Brands International · Wunderman Thompson KSA · Saudi Arabia

Silver

• Pay Cut Whopper · Burger King · Restaurant Brands International · Wunderman Thompson Dubai · United Arab Emirates
• Noise-o-Meter · Bose · Wunderman Thompson Dubai · MENA
• Mars Shot · Emirates Nation Brand · Government of United Arab Emirates · FP7 McCann Dubai · United Arab Emirates
• Thank You Russia · LADA · Renault · TBWA\RAAD Dubai and Beirut · Lebanon + Local Hero Special Award

Bronze

• A Journey Across Tunisia · Diari · FP7 McCann Tunis, FP7 McCann Dubai · Tunisia
• Neb Adventures · AstraZeneca · McCann Health Dubai, FP7 McCann Dubai · United Arab Emirates
• The Man Who Never Got Anything Back · Emirates NBD Saudi Arabia · Emirates NBD · Momentum Riyadh · Saudi Arabia
• The New National Anthem Edition · An-Nahar · Impact BBDO, OMD · Lebanon
• Stories of Mecca · Almosafer · Seera Group · FP7 McCann Riyadh · MENA
• Dream Number · Loto Libanais · LLDJ · Impact BBDO Dubai · Lebanon

More information on winners and the WARC Prize for MENA Strategy 2021 is available here. An ‘Insights from the WARC Prize for MENA Strategy 2021’ Report will be published in September.