Celebrated Irish singer, songwriter, author and human rights activist, Sir Bob Geldof will join a select group of regional business executives in Dubai next month to explore links between creativity and humanity.
The Nobel Peace Prize nominee will headline the inaugural ‘A Breakfast With…’ series being launched in the region by DDB Dubai and PDDB Saudi Arabia. He will deliver the keynote speech at the invitation-only event at the Capital Club, Dubai International Financial Centre on May 16, 2013.
“Who better to discuss creativity and humanity than Bob Geldof,” stated Dominic Gothard, Senior Vice President, DDB Dubai and KSA. He recalled that Geldof used his rock star status to create the internationally successful Band Aid and Live Aid campaigns, as well as spearhead the Live 8 initiative to ensure Africa’s plight did not slip international agendas. Geldof, who was awarded a knighthood as Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) by Britain’s Queen Elizabeth in 1986, is the former lead singer of rock band The Boomtown Rats.
“Sir Bob’s ability to translate social challenge into action fits well with the DDB culture of initiating conversations that deliver mutual benefit. Indeed, ideas are the fuel of DDB,” said Gothard adding that the breakfast series is an initiative created by the agency to leverage its corporate culture of inspiring to challenge standard convention.
“Throughout the series we will deliver a platform of speaker line-ups working towards convincing our guests that everyone in every organisation can genuinely make a difference. Sir Bob epitomises that philosophy. He is a sterling example that we are defined by what we do, not by what we say, as well as how the power of creativity can lead to business and personal success,” he said.
The inaugural event is jointly hosted with DDB’s digital agency, Tribal DDB along with Tracylocke, a consumer and shopper marketing engagement agency, and CRM/DM full-service house, Rapp. DDB Worldwide is one of the world’s largest and most awarded advertising and marketing networks.
Gothard went on to say that Bill Bernbach, one of the founders of DDB Worldwide first captured the creativity and humanity ethos by accepting responsibility that a mass media user is also a shaper of society. “Bill pointed out that we can vulgarize society, brutalize it, or help lift it onto a higher level. This series is part of our efforts to accomplish the latter,” Gothard concluded.
– Strategic Solutions
Strategic Solutions was established in 1995 in Dubai, UAE and offers strategic marketing, brand management and public relations to companies wishing to communicate to Arabia, and Arabia-based companies looking to communicate to global markets, under the tag line – Questions Answered.
