Gold and great work in MENA
With the winners of this year’s Transform Awards MENA being announced in just over three weeks, Transform magazine caught up with Dee Murphy and Pierre Lategan from Bellwether, last year’s Grand Prix winners to discuss their work and their awards
There is no sign of arrogance or complacency about Dee Murphy and Pierre Lategan, two of the three senior partners of Dubai-based brand consultancy Bellwether. They may have won the Grand Prix at the 2015 Middle East and North Africa iteration of the Transform Awards, but it has clearly not gone to their heads.
Perhaps because this year’s shortlist sees their work appear more often than any other agency, or perhaps because they’ve had such a busy start to the year, but it was a week after the shortlist was announced before they finally told all their clients their brand work had been recognised. “We’ve told them all now, and they’re delighted,” laughed Murphy, adding, “Ultimately everyone loves winning awards. But the fact that the judging is done by an independent panel of experts helps everyone involved sit back and acknowledge, collectively, that we had done the right thing, made the right decisions.”
Last year, Bellwether certainly seemed to have made the right decisions, having won the Grand Prix for its work with GO Telecommunications. It also won gold with the same client in the best ‘Branding development project to reflect changed mission/values/positioning’ category. Both Murphy and Lategan think is one of the most important categories to win. “It’s such an important process,” says Lategan. “Some of our clients have taken some large leaps in their businesses. The case studies we submitted for the Transform Awards take you on the journey of those changes and the evolutions that they have been through. Our approach to the awards is just to tell the story of those journeys.”
It’s an approach that seems to pay off. This year, Bellwether has reached the shortlist with eight different clients: VOX, Kaya, Jebel Ali School, MBRCGI, ALO, AWASR, Edara and Du. It bodes well for the big night on 18 May, at the Waldorf Astoria on the Palm Jumeirah in Dubai. Although Bellwether doesn’t exactly hide its light under a bushel, it certainly isn’t using its impressive shortlist-showing to shine the spotlight on itself. According to Murphy, it’s not even something they always share in the pitch process, although, as she acknowledges, most companies are aware of their success. “We don’t shout about it but companies seem to know and it does give them extra support and trust. Obviously we are a regional consultancy, and some of the times we are competing against large international well-known brand consultancies. It helps having that extra notch on our belts, saying we competed with the larger companies and we did well,” she says.
“The Transform Awards’ reputation has grown over the past year. It launched in North America and Asia and has a strong global platform now. There is a recognition that seems to be growing year after year that the awards are important but also that the standard of brand work is being raised around the world. There are more international branding consultants getting involved with the awards and that has probably raised the standard of the submissions.”
Both Lategan and Murphy acknowledge that the increased profile from winning awards has helped in the hunt for creative talent, but stress that it is area in which every agency needs to be proactive. “We have invested quite a lot of time talking to universities, and seeing what they have on board,” says Murphy, also acknowledging that global trends have benefited the region. “There is a little bit of shrinkage going on in some parts of the world right now, so we have seen quite a bit of talent coming in from Europe at the moment as well, which is very helpful. Ultimately the best lure in the hunt for talent is an agency’s client roster. People always want to work on good work; on something that is a challenge. The other thing I find is that when they do come in for an interview they are more interested in our culture, and the development of the company. We have an idea as to where we want to go, and it's all about design thinking, creative sciences and innovation and they like and understand what that can do for them, and how they can evolve in the business.”
This is the third year for the Transform Awards in Dubai, and the third year Bellwether have reached the shortlist; potentially the third year of winning gold. For Murphy and Lategan, it seems to be an important year to add to their collection of golden butterflies. As Lategan says, “The Transform Awards’ reputation has grown over the past year. It launched in North America and Asia and has a strong global platform now. There is a recognition that seems to be growing year after year that the awards are important but also that the standard of brand work is being raised around the world. There are more international branding consultants getting involved with the awards and that has probably raised the standard of the submissions.”
Murphy adds, “I’m sure it’s more competitive."
The desire for Murphy and Lategan to compete with the international agencies, on an international stage is clear. They are adamant that they are reluctant to do so, however, if it means a diminution of their corporate culture. “We would love to expand, but it's just a case of where and when and with whom. We have three partners in the business, each handling a project at one point. Bringing on more people and trying to build that trust factor takes time. It's a case of where do we start, and how far can we go. We have some countries in mind. We’re looking.”
Having already triumphed at last year’s Transform Awards MENA and with this year’s shortlist boding well, the interesting question is whether Bellwether can, in future years collect golden butterflies in the Transform Awards Europe, North America or APAC. For the moment, however, Murphy and Lategan have set their eyes on 18 May’s MENA event. The agency and its clients will be there in force. As Lategan says on a number of occasions, “Everyone loves an awards evening.”
This year’s Transform Awards takes place at the Waldorf Astoria, Palm Jumeirah. It follows the Middle East Brand Summit, the annual conference covering brand strategy and the journeys brands make. Full details can be found here.
