#Loeries2019: "Celebrate creativity that touches on everyday culture" - Nedal Ahmed
Despite numerous accolades including Campaign Magazine’s best social good campaigns of the century, D&AD and One Show Pencils and Webbys, Clios, Andys and Effies for her work, the one Ahmed’s best known for is Procter & Gamble’s ‘The Talk’, which was awarded both the 2018 Cannes Lions Film Grand Prix as well as an ‘Outstanding commercial’ Emmy.
Little wonder, as the work cuts beyond a product push to offer insight into the realities of racism in America.
Her other portfolio-topping work includes: “Mama Said Knock You Out”, a spot from Chase featuring Serena Williams; and #OneGoodReason, an anti-smoking campaign for CVS, which was subsequently praised by Michelle Obama.
Rewinding beyond her advertising career, that industry sparkle may come from having been born in Libya to Sudanese parents, and lived in Egypt and Yemen before immigrating to the United States at age 11, where she received degrees in marketing and advertising from the University of North Texas, where she graduated magna cum laude. She spent four years at BBDO New York, before moving to 72andSunny in 2019.
That cultural nuance and standing up for big issues is important to Ahmed is an understatement, as she’s been recognised for her personal stand-out factor, having featured in such global industry standards as Forbes’ 30 under 30 in marketing and advertising list for 2019 as well as The Drum’s ’50 under 30 US Women in Advertising’.
She clearly understands what drives the creatives who thrive in this industry, so who better to serve as the 2019 Loeries jury president for Film and Radio? I chatted to Ahmed about her judging expectations, what we can expect from her DStv Seminar of Creativity talk and more…
It’s always an honour to be asked to judge international work, especially now as an international jury president for the Loeries. What does this mean to you, personally?
It’s truly an honour to be invited to be part of this festival. I was really excited to tell my parents, honestly.
Personally, it feels like a homecoming of sorts to come to South Africa and judge the best work from the Middle East and Africa, where I was born and spent my childhood.
That makes us feel all warm and fuzzy! Have you been to South Africa before? What are you most looking forward to from Loeries Creative Week 2019?
This will be my first time visiting South Africa, and it feels a bit overdue!
Aside from getting to know the country a bit, I’m really looking forward to connecting with other creatives and being inspired by all the work and talent that we’ll be surrounded by.
The jury presidents also speak at the DStv Seminar of Creativity, a highlight for many attendees. What will your presentation focus on?
I’m still finalising my presentation, there’s a couple of topics I’m considering.
One of them is around diversity, but it’s a topic that’s been discussed a lot so I’m hoping I can bring a fresh angle to it that will be useful and hopefully actionable.
Given your personal portfolio of work, we’re sure it will be. What’s the biggest trend in advertising that you expect to see from this year’s entries?
I think we will continue to see socially conscious work, but I think it will run a wider gamut of media outside of just film, with more experiential work and initiatives within brands.
With so much advertising ‘noise’ out there, it takes a lot to stand out from the crowd. What will you be looking for in this year’s entries? 
Work that got real people to talk, that was covered by outlets outside the industry and that actually made an impact for the business or the brand as a whole.
How does the calibre of the South African work compare to other work you’ve seen internationally? Describe that ‘African and Middle Eastern creative essence’.
I’m looking forward to getting to know that essence better through the judging process.
I’ve seen a lot of great work come out of markets like South Africa, Egypt, UAE and others, but it will be exciting to see more work from countries that don’t typically get the same exposure.
Lots to look forward to! If you can’t wait for Loeries Creative Week Durban, taking place from 22 to 24 August 2019, keep an eye on the Loeries’ Twitter, Facebook and Instagram feeds and stay tuned for my interviews with more of the international jury presidents and all the latest updates in our Loeries’ special section. You can also follow Ahmed on Twitter, LinkedIn and her personal website; as well as 72andSunny on Twitter and Instagram.
About Leigh Andrews
Leigh Andrews AKA the #MilkshakeQueen, is former Editor-in-Chief: Marketing & Media at Bizcommunity.com, with a passion for issues of diversity, inclusion and equality, and of course, gourmet food and drinks! She can be reached on Twitter at @Leigh_Andrews.
