Dubai, UAE: Mai Dubai LLC, the Dubai based Bottled Water company, has appointed TBWA/RAAD as its lead Creative Agency of Record after a competitive pitch process that included several leading agencies in the Middle East. The new partnership will come into effect this month and will see TBWA/RAAD and Mai Dubai collaborate on creative development, market strategy development and brand positioning across multiple platforms and disciplines in the UAE and across the wider region.

TBWA/RAAD is tasked with strategic direction and brand positioning across all touchpoints. It will plan, create and implement integrated communications strategies for Mai Dubai in the UAE and beyond, aiming to further reinforce the brands position as a dominant player in the bottled water category, and to fast track its regional and global ambitions. TBWA/RAAD will also work with Hearts & Science on Mai Dubai’s media planning & buying.

Confirming the appointment, Jay Andres, CEO of Mai Dubai said: “TBWA/RAAD impressed us with their data-driven approach as well as proposals on how to take the brand to the next stage. They were particularly in tune with our objective to take a Dubai brand and turn it into a regionally recognised and preferred one. We are happy with our choice and look forward to a productive partnership as we grow to be a region-leading, sustainable and innovative bottled water provider.”

“Mai Dubai has embarked upon a transformative journey to become the most recognized and aspirational water brand in the UAE and across the wider region,” said Reda Raad, CEO of TBWA/RAAD. “We are re-evaluating its brand-building efforts and practices in light of what data science has revealed and aim to strengthen its brand positioning. We look to successfully implement creative concepts that will help the brand consolidate its presence in the larger, more diverse market place that makes up the Middle East region.”

Mai Dubai has been in commercial operations since early 2014. Last year, it broke ground on its expansion project, which will more than double its yearly production and place the brand in the leadership position by 2021. The state-of-the-art facilities include a fully automated high-bay warehouse, high-output modern production equipment and a 1.1 km monorail to ease transport of finished goods and raw material.

Saad Samadi, Head of Marketing of Mai Dubai, said: “TBWA/RAAD presented a very well-articulated vision for the Mai Dubai brand. In addition there seems to be clear synergy in our way of thinking and good chemistry amongst our teams. We look forward to working with them and to achieve our steep targets together, from being the fastest growing water brand in the UAE to the fastest growing across the Middle East.”

TBWA/RAAD is a leading creative agency in the Middle East, founded on a vision of Disruption® and a commitment to overturning cultural and market conventions. The agency specialises in anticipating future trends and defining unique strategic platforms. It was named Agency of the Year and TBWA/Worldwide was crowned Network of the Year at the Dubai Lynx International Festival of Creativity 2018, winning an unprecedented eight Grands Prix and a host of other awards during the festival.

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About Mai Dubai:

Mai Dubai is the region’s leading, sustainable and innovative bottled water provider that is 99 per cent owned by DEWA. Commercial production of Mai Dubai drinking water began in March 2014. Its plant in Dubai produces 16 million litres of bottled water per annum and will expand capacity to 50 million by 2020.

About TBWA/Raad:

TBWA/RAAD Middle East was established in the United Arab Emirates on February23, 2000 by Ramzi Raad and a small group of founding members who have become the management team of the regional network built to provide total communications solutions to clients. TBWA/RAAD was established to develop and expand TBWA Worldwide’s presence across the Middle East and Africa. The network operates with a team of more than 1,000 people across four main divisions – advertising, digital, shopper marketing and public relations.

At the 2018 Dubai Lynx International Festival of Creativity, TBWA Worldwide was named Network of the Year and TBWA/Raad was crowned Agency of the Year, winning an unprecedented eight Grands Prix and a host of other awards.

About TBWA Worldwide:

TBWA Worldwide ( http://www.tbwa.com ) is a top-ten ranked global advertising agency collective that uses Disruption® methodologies to develop business-changing ideas for brands. TBWA has 11,300 employees across 305 offices in 98 countries and also includes brands such as Auditoire, Digital Arts Network (DAN), eg+ worldwide, The Integer Group®, TBWA/Media Arts Lab and TBWA/WorldHealth. TBWA’s global clients include adidas, Apple, Gatorade, Henkel, Hilton Hotels, McDonald’s, Michelin, Nissan, Pernod Ricard, Standard Chartered Bank, Singapore Airlines, and Sotheby’s.

Media contact:

Sandeep Sharma

Ketchum Raad Middle East

Sandeep.Sharma@ketchum-raad.com 

© Press Release 2018