King Of The Castle

- Austyn Allison

The 2017 Dubai Lynx Advertising Person of the Year says his accolade reflects a partnership. “I’m really proud to say that although I received the Advertising Man of the Year myself, this award is for my media partners,” Pierre Choueiri tells Campaign. “This is a recognition of their success, and definitely for my team, because I have a dream team.”

The chairman and CEO of the Choueiri Group says that when he speaks of his media partners, he is not just talking contracts: “They are partners in the full meaning of partnership with the media owners.”

These owners include MBC, the region’s largest television network. The Choueiri Group represents MBC and many other media owners, selling their advertising space to clients through media agencies. MBC is not the only big player to be represented by the Group. The company also represents Al Bayan and Emarat Al Youm newspapers and Al Arabiya news channel, among many other big names across a range of media.

Choueiri says he works with the best. “The only media that we represent are either Number One or have the potential to become Number One in their field,” he says. “If you represent the best media, if you give them peace of mind that their campaign will succeed as per their requirements, why would they go elsewhere? No important media is still outside the Group.”

If any new media owners enter the market, he says, there are bound to be conversations within six months about representation with Choueiri Group.

Being at the top of the pile doesn’t mean either the company or its leader can be complacent, though. “There is one recipe,” says Choueiri. “The one who is on top of the pyramid – which is me – should go back to school and say ‘I want to learn’. When you start with yourself, then everything else becomes easy.”