(Beirut): Lebanon’s representative of the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, Executive Magazine, in cooperation with the IAA (International Advertising Association) Lebanon Chapter and AA (Advertising Association), has for the fourth consecutive year invited young creatives to take part in the annual Young Lions Print Competition on April 20 at the American University of Beirut. The winning team will go on to represent Lebanon at the global Young Lions Print Competition in France at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity 2018.

Launched in 1954, the Cannes Lions festival today is the most prestigious advertising and communications awards event in the global advertising industry. The best and brightest professionals in the field from around the world gather in Cannes every year during the third week of June for a celebration of the world’s most creative minds.

This competition wouldn’t have been possible without the continuous involvement and generous support of the Lebanese advertising agencies Fortune Promoseven, Impact BBDO, Intermarkets; J. Walter Thompson, M&C Saatchi, Memac Ogilvy, Pimo, Y&R, as well as the Olayan School of Business and Air France. The winners are awarded an all-expense paid trip to this year’s festival including flights with Air France, the competition’s official carrier, from June 18 - 22, to compete against their peers from around the world.

During the national competition, young professionals aged 30 and under were tasked with developing a creative and innovative campaign. Thirty-nine teams of two were given seven hours to produce a print ad for one Lebanese NGO. The identity of the NGO was kept secret until the day of the competition. To ensure the most qualified and balanced judging, an impressive list of jurors from leading advertising agencies will gather on April 24, 2018 to identify Lebanon’s Young Lions leading creative team.

Mr. Joe Ayache, president of IAA Lebanon chapter said: “This Young Lions Award has now become the springboard for the young creative talents at the agencies in Lebanon to cross their minds and compete not only amongst themselves but also against their peers from around the world. What a chance and what an opportunity!”

Mrs. Carol Hayek representing the AA Lebanon commented: "A continuous education in form of training, seminars, workshops and competitions are necessary to tackle the need of a changing media scene and the way people are consuming information, images, messages and ads. Hence, the creative industry should be at the heart of designing such activities in our future plans."

Mr. Ossama Choukair speaking for Dar Al-Ajaza Association stressed on the importance of raising awareness on the role of the association and the urgent need to encourage people to support the elderly  “If people only knew about the level of happiness provided by the power of giving, they would not let a single day pass without giving,”.

“Lebanon’s creative youth will again have the chance to show the world their exceptional talent, and we are confident that they will positively influence the industry far and wide. We are honored to advocate for, nurture and support them,” said Mr. Yasser Akkaoui, editor-in-chief of Executive.

As an avid believer in Lebanon’s creative talents and abilities of our young professionals, Executive proudly continues supporting the country's young pioneers in the advertising field. This competition is the ultimate opportunity for young creatives to jump-start their careers with national and international recognition and a great way to bolster Lebanon’s creative recognition globally.

About Cannes Lions       

The International Festival of Creativity, also known as Cannes Lions, is the world's leading celebration of creativity in communications. Founded in 1954, the festival takes place every June in Cannes, France.

The festival is the only truly global meeting place for advertisers, advertising and communications professionals.  More than 12,000 delegates from 95 countries attend a weeklong program of exhibitions, screenings and talks by worldwide thought leaders. As the networking and learning opportunity of the year, Cannes Lions is the must-attend event for anyone involved in brand communications.

As the most prestigious international annual advertising and communications awards, over 35,500 entries from all over the world are showcased and judged at the festival.

Winning companies receive the highly coveted Lion trophy, a global benchmark of creative excellence, for Film, Print, Outdoor, Interactive, Radio, Design, Promo & Activation, Film Craft, Mobile, Branded Entertainment and Integrated advertising, as well as the best Media, Direct, PR, Titanium, Creative Effectiveness and Innovation ideas.

The importance of the event is exhibited by the more than 574 journalists from over 56 countries who cover the event. 

About Executive

Executive is a monthly business magazine that offers its readers in-depth and forward thinking analysis, solid reporting and punchy opinion on the Middle East and North Africa’s commerce, economy and finance as well as regular industry surveys, regional market data and global economic trends.

Since its launch in 1998, Executive’s passion for business, its inside access and uncanny foresight has earned it the highest plaudits, where its readers choose it for its unbiased editorial line and comprehensive analysis.

Executive’s reach is unprecedented for an English language business publication in the Middle East. From Morocco to Iraq, Executive has a solid network of the best business and economic analysts, experts, and reporters to provide what is arguably the most authoritative business writing in the Middle East.

No matter the topic at hand, Executive aims to bring maturity to every story it publishes. Executive’s vast resources enable it to continuously deliver compelling, internationally conscious journalism that meets with the high quality standards of the magazine to ensure that readers are never disappointed. Covering all the major sectors (banking, finance, insurance, technology, tourism, hospitality, media, retail, etc.), and all the relevant issues, our reporting seeks to be objective, accurate and focused on bringing the reader the real story.

About the International Advertising Association “IAA” - Lebanon Chapter

Founded on November 14, 1961, the Lebanon Chapter was one of the first international chapters of the network to be formed. Although the IAA has no executive power, it nonetheless played a formative role in shaping regulations, business practices and ethics, to promote and protect the interests of agencies, media, and clients within the industry in Lebanon. It also provided valuable opportunities for young professionals to learn from the world's foremost leaders in advertising and media, particularly at IAA World Congresses organized every two years.

Perhaps above all else, the importance of the IAA Lebanon Chapter was in the opening it created for Lebanon on the international scene, securing Lebanon's position as the doorway to the Middle East for international brands, and promoting it as an exceptional place for business; a burgeoning center of trade and services where East and West meld seamlessly, and where the pioneers of advertising and media, educated in their fields of business, were entirely versed in the three main languages of communication. Although professional organizations created to effectuate change and aid industries can appear good on paper, without proactive, dedicated, and inspirational leaders, the ambitions or objectives of such groups can remain lifeless. This was definitely not the case with the IAA Lebanon Chapter.

Its very inception and creation was spearheaded by entrepreneurs whose understanding of the future of advertising and the power of modern media particularly TV was simply visionary. The history of the IAA Lebanon Chapter would not be what it is, were it not for the roles some of its key members played throughout the past five decades. It is the individuals, those who took the mantle of leaders, patrons, and ambassadors of Lebanon, who brought about the achievements that set apart the IAA Lebanon Chapter. These men were certainly driven by ambition, but they were first and foremost united and motivated by their patriotism, national pride, and the firm belief in keeping Lebanon's standing on the international scene alive during the years of war. Their persistent efforts resulted in not only securing Lebanon's active presence on the world stage, but also in winning the election of five Lebanese World Presidents to the IAA in the space of twenty years.

About the Association of Advertising “AA”

The Association of Advertising in Lebanon is the official, national organization of the advertising industry, formed to promote the advertising’s interests and make an essential and ever-increasing contribution to the nation, by working towards the following objectives: 

  • To protect the industry and raise its overall standing; 

  • To safeguard the interests of its members and to create a common bond among them; 

  • To develop a mutually beneficial relationship with other professional and official associations.

It all started when Late FouadPharaon, came about through his ability to create proper and solid advertising agencies in Lebanon.

In the early 1935, he introduced practices and regulations that proved valuable to the business. Pharaon became one of the founders of the Syndicate of Advertising (SOA) which was founded on October 12, 1959 by Decree No. 230 issued by the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs.

The AA held its founding meeting on December 13, 1960 at the Bristol Hotel in Beirut; 16 advertising agencies were represented. The first elected executive committee consisted of: MouhamadChoucair as President and Theodore Sarrouf, FouadPharaon, MukhtarShamli, Philippe Hitti, and Fayez Sultan as members.

© Press Release 2018