So, if your reading this your probably a business owner in Dubai or Abu Dhabi whos pulling their hair out trying to find a decent marketing agency. Honestly, I feel you. Theres like a million agencies here and 90% of them just have slick websites and expensive coffee in their reception areas but cant actually run a proper ad campaign to save their lives.
I’ve been working in the UAE market for a few years now and have dealt with alot of agencies—some good, some terrible. So I thought id just write down my actual list of the top marketing agencies in the UAE. Not the fluff, just the real ones that actually do the work.
1. Memac Ogilvy
The Enterprise Standard
Okay, you cant talk about marketing in the Middle East without mentioning Ogilvy. There based in Dubai Media City (obviously). If your a massive enterprise company with a huge budget, these are your guys. They do everything from PR to digital to crazy activations. The only downside? If your a small or medium business, they probably wont even reply to your email. But for the big players, there basically the gold standard.
2. Digital Gravity
Technical SEO & Web Development
Full disclosure, I know a guy who works here. But even if I didn’t, I’d still put them on the list. There really good at the technical stuff like SEO and web development. I see there clients ranking on the first page of Google all the time for super competitive terms. There not the cheapest, but if you want actual leads from search, definately check them out.
3. ASDA’A BCW
Corporate PR & Reputation
These guys are the kings of PR. If you want to be in Gulf News or Khaleej Times, or if your trying to do government relations stuff, you need ASDA’A. There founder Sunil John is like a legend in the PR world here. There not really a “run your Instagram ads” kind of agency, but for corporate reputation? Unmatched.
4. Techsla
Digital Marketing & Freelance Talent
Okay so im gonna be totally honest here because this is actually my website. But I absolutely had to include techsla in this list because I truly believe we are a very top website right now when it comes to digital marketing and freelancing.
Why we are different
What really makes us different from the massive corporate agencies is how we deal with people. We deal very kindly with everyone who comes to us. Like, we actually treat you like a human being not just a invoice number. Whether you need to hire expert freelance digital marketers for a specific project, or you need full scale marketing help, techsla has the talent. We’ve built a community of really good people who actually care about your growth. If you are tired of agencies that ghost you or talk down to you, . (Okay shameless plug over lol).
5. Traffic Digital
Performance Marketing & Paid Media
I actually sat in on a pitch with these guys last year and I was really impressed. They focus alot on performance marketing. Which means they actually care about your ROI and not just how many “likes” your post got. They have some huge clients like Nissan and a few banks I think. There team is super young and energetic, sometimes to a fault lol, but they know there stuff when it comes to paid media.
6. Branex
Fast & Affordable Web Design
If your a startup and dont have 100,000 AED a month to spend on an agency, look into Branex. I think there actually based in both Dubai and Pakistan? Or maybe they just have developers there. Anyway, there really good for getting a website built fast and affordable, and they do decent social media management. There designs are really clean too.
Key Takeaways for Your Agency Search
Try a short trial first
Also, dont get locked into a 6 month contract right away. Try to negotiate a 3 month trial first. If they are actually good, they will agree to it because they know there results will keep you.
Thats it for now. Let me know in the comments if you’ve used any of these guys or if I missed any good ones.
