New York Festivals 2019 AME Awards has created its inaugural Advisory Council.

“I am honoured to be the first South African to sit on the AME Advisory Council,” stated Mick Blore, chief creative officer – South Africa & Sub-Saharan Africa, McCann Worldgroup.  “To help steer and guide the process of awarding work that works; great creativity that meets and exceeds marketing goals and delivers tangible results, is a reward in itself.”

AME’s Advisory Council is an international task force of creative and strategic leaders, who will provide the competition with knowledge of emerging trends and industry insights to make AME more responsive to changes and demands in advertising and marketing.

The 2019 Advisory Council members are:

• Alex Schill, Global Chief Creative Officer, Serviceplan Group, Germany
• Merlee Jayme, Chairmom/Chief Creative Officer, Dentsu Jayme Syfu, Philippines
• Tahaab Rais, Regional Head of Strategy Office & MENA Director -Truth Central, FP7/MCCANN MENA &President, McCann Worldgroup MENA Strategic Community, UAE
• Mick Blore, Chief Creative Officer South Africa & Sub-Saharan Africa, McCann Worldgroup, South Africa
• Dörte Spengler-Ahrens, Chief Creative Officer, Jung von Matt/SAGA, Germany
• Zak Mroueh, Chief Creative Officer & Founder, Zulu Alpha Kilo, Canada

“I’m also very excited to do justice to the awards (and to our industry) by suggesting ideas and categories that will drive the future of our industry. And hence, hopefully, work that helps our industry play a meaningful role in today’s constantly evolving world,” noted Tahaab Rais, regional head of strategy & truth central, FP7/MENA.

“We’re thrilled that these prominent leaders are committing their industry expertise and global view to AME,” added Gayle Mandel, Executive Director, AME Awards. “In today’s ever-changing world of advertising and brand building it’s an amazing win to have visionary award-wining creatives of their reputation taking AME to the next level.”

“As great as it feels for us creative people to win awards, our work is only being judged by other creatives. To maintain relevance as an industry and with our clients, we need to demonstrate the effectiveness of our work. After all, it’s why we’re here and is key to the future of our industry. That’s why I agreed to participate,” said Zak Mroueh, chief creative officer & founder of Zulu Alpha Kilo.

The AME Awards deadline to enter is December 15. Entry details and additional information can be found on the AME website: here.

“Accolades are important, effectiveness is paramount,” Mandel noted. “Earning an AME Award is the benchmark for excellence, innovation, and most importantly effectiveness.”