Abu Dhabi’s Department of Transport has handed its PR, creative and digital accounts to the HorizonGroup.
Parts of the business will also be handled by Memac Ogilvy and Viola Communications, although it is not yet known to what extent the business will be split between the three.
HorizonGroup’s PR agency GolinHarris, ad agency HorizonDraftfcb and digital outfit Blue Baracuda have already begun to deliver work for the government entity, which is the regulator of the full gamut of the emirate’s land, sea and air transportation functions.
The multi million-dirham account is driven by HorizonGroup’s Abu Dhabi offices under the supervision of managing director Joseph Atallah, and includes tactical and strategic support from senior members of the entire group’s Dubai operations. The win adds to the group’s work for UAE government organisations such as Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council, Mubadala, Dubai Holdings and the Ministry of Health.
The group has recently won a raft of new accounts, with GolinHarris clinching Oreo and Barny briefs from Kraft Foods, Canon Middle East, Landmark Group’s Fun City network of children’s play areas, quality mattress maker Tempur, Saudi Arabia’s biggest distributor of Samsung mobile devices, FMP, and the kingdom’s second-largest dairy firm, SADAFCO.
The group’s media arm, BrandConnection, has recently landed briefs from Eros Group and Oasis Centre, while integrated campaigns for creative, digital and media have been won from Union National Bank and Just Falafel.
HorizonGroup is part of the Interpublic Group of Companies. Horizon was formed in 1976 and is headed by Rafic Saadeh, chairman and CEO of HorizonGroup.