IMI Wins Three Awards at the “Transform Awards MEA 2026” for Brand Transformation

IMI, a privately-owned leading global media group headquartered in Abu Dhabi, has won three accolades at the Transform Awards MEA 2026, recognising the strategy and creative execution behind its rebrand, developed in partnership with global brand consultancy Wiedemann Lampe.

IMI received a Silver Award for Best Brand Consolidation, a Silver Award for Best Use of a Visual Property (Business and Corporate), and a Bronze Award for Best Creative Strategy (Corporate).

The transformation went beyond a visual identity, creating a unified brand platform spanning IMI’s positioning, vision, mission and values, brand architecture, verbal and visual identity, campaigns, activations, and physical and digital experiences. The work was designed to bring together IMI’s diverse and growing organisation under one cohesive master brand, while providing a distinctive and flexible platform for future growth.

At the heart of the brand is IMI’s positioning, “A World Closer”, reflecting its belief in the role of media in bringing people closer to stories, ideas and perspectives, while fostering greater understanding across cultures and viewpoints.

Ali Al Hammadi, Chief Operating Officer at IMI, said: “These awards are a meaningful recognition of the strategy, creativity and collaboration behind the evolution of the IMI brand. Our ambition was to create an identity that brings together the breadth of IMI while giving us a clear and distinctive platform for the future. Working with Wiedemann Lampe and teams across the organisation, we have built a brand that reflects who we are today and supports where we want to go next.”

Benji Wiedemann, Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer at Wiedemann Lampe, said: “Our work with IMI was about creating a brand that could bring together a diverse and ambitious media organisation while giving it a distinctive voice and presence of its own. From the strategic positioning and brand architecture through to the visual identity and physical and digital experiences, the ambition was to build a coherent system that could evolve with the organisation. We are delighted to see that work recognised across three categories at the Transform Awards MEA.”

The brand system was designed to work consistently across IMI’s businesses and across physical and digital environments. This included immersive applications at IMI’s headquarters, where news data was reimagined as dynamic brand environments, bringing the identity to life in new and interactive ways.

Now in its 13th year in the Middle East and Africa, the Transform Awards MEA recognise best practice in corporate, product and global brand development and celebrate excellence in brand strategy and design.