EDITOR’S NOTE
Welcome to the 2022 edition of our annual creative and media Agency Guide. It’s another exciting year for the brand communications industry. Once again it looks like we are coming out of the worst of the Covid-19 crisis. However, as the magazine goes to press, the situation in Ukraine has deteriorated dramatically, so it would be pre-emptive and naïve to expect global events to let the economy recover without a hitch.
The technology used by advertisers is both accelerating and changing. Last year we started to hear talk of NFTs. Then Facebook came out as a champion of the metaverse, and doubled down by changing its name to Meta – perhaps the corporate equivalent of getting a lover’s name tattooed on one’s arm.
We will hear a lot more about both NFTs and the metaverse in the coming year, along with other tech challenges and opportunities including privacy, brand safety and the decline of third-party cookies.
The agencies listed in the next 30-plus pages will all face the industry’s challenges and opportunities hand-in-hand with their brand partners. So this is a good place to see which agencies are offering what services, and to find the contacts you need to start discussing potential partnerships.
While all marketing heads should constantly ensure their agency partners are ready for whatever comes, they shouldn’t always be dazzled by the new. Good track records with solid creative and media work also pay testimony to agencies that consistently do their jobs well. Consistency through turmoil is a sign of an agency that adapts well to change. Your perfect partner may be the one you are with.
If you are a brand manager contemplating an RFP, take a look at our Industry Forum on page 78. We asked a lot of experts whether procurement or strategy wins more pitches, and got an enlightening range of responses. I would encourage brands to lean towards strategy, creativity and other non-financial drivers when considering their choice of agency. But then again, most of the people I talk to don’t work in procurement, so I could be biased. Ask your number crunchers for guidance too; they know what they are talking about.
There are some new agencies on our list, and some from markets – gasp – outside the UAE. If you want to find partners in Qatar, Palestine, Egypt or Saudi Arabia, we’ve got you covered there too.
So take a look at the agencies that are listed here. See who’s out there, and who you’d like to partner with – whether you are a brand looking for an agency partner, or an agency looking for a team to complement your skillset and share clients with. Then go out there and make great work that will shape the future.
An award-winning creative agency that sees the world not as it is but as it could be. Known for its ‘180 thinking’, the agency brings fresh perspectives to clients and ideas that sit at the intersection of famous, human and seamless. Key hubs: Amsterdam, Los Angeles, New York and MENA.
Accenture Interactive is a new kind of partner for a new kind of client. We are designed from the ground up to empower clients to own Experience from start to finish. We believe that a great idea can transform an Experience, and a great Experience can transform lives. We are committed to helping design, build, communicate and run experiences that make peoples’ lives better, more productive, and more meaningful
Affiliated with ASATSU-DK (ADK), the third largest advertising network in Japan, AGA-ADK is a full-fledged communications agency in MENA. Known for its blend of memorable and effective ad campaigns that aim to deliver results. Using data to drive creative solutions, and with a content-first approach, the team focuses on creating relevance in communication in a world where individualsation and hyper-personalization in advertising is taking the lead in building consumer relations.
AR More is an augmented reality creative and production studio specialising in designing engaging AR-driven social media campaigns and developing AR effects for social media platforms. With our “minds” based in Dubai and our “hands” based in Russia and Ukraine, we ensure delivering regionally relevant creative coupled with highest industry-standard technical execution at a competitive price.
Development of AR-driven social media campaigns; design and development of AR filters for Facebook and Instagram in Spark AR; design and development of AR lenses for Snapchat in Lens Studio; design and development of AR effects in TikTok Effector; corporate training
Blue Apple is an award-winning integrated advertising, digital and social media agency built on a team of specialist professionals with regional and global experience. Everyone talks about their differences, but we believe we genuinely offer our clients something different: a team of communications experts who value client relationships.
An integrated marketing and communications agency, harmonious with all the major industries in the Lebanese and MENA markets, Bridge of Minds is shaped by a determined team from various backgrounds supporting each other to make impossible things happen. It has a unique holistic and inclusive approach to high-end marketing, communications and branding strategies.
Cheesecake Digital is a specialist gaming agency with more than 20 years of experience. We help brands authentically enter the esports and gaming market. We take pride in taking the time to understand our clients while educating them about gaming and working with them to create “wow” moments that are relevant to the audience.
FWD-Comms focuses on lifestyle brands, aiming to give the best concept consultancy and communication strategies. We give our clients access to a roster of talented freelancers across the globe to offer their services to our brands, from graphic design to illustration, photography to copywriting, in order to streamline your marketing and digital campaigns.