MEA December 2017

6 MEA MARKETS / December 2017 , MarcomArabia is the ComprehensiveMarketing Company Ltd. We invited CreativeManager, Anas Hussain to tell us more about the dynamic company. Putting the Brand in the Spotlight Established in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in 1999, Marcom Arabia was set up to build business to business databases for some international companies such as, Microsoft and Intel, and utilizing these databases in direct marketing activities such as direct mailers, email newsletters and fax campaigns. Anas explains how both the company and services have grown, and the types of clients with whom they work with. “The company started with four young employees and quickly became a professional supplier of direct marketing services, where our services expanded into maintaining databases and running profiling campaigns for more clients, mainly in the IT & Telecommunications industry. As our services portfolio expanded, so did our clients list. This saw us start working with other tech giants like Cisco, HP, Mcafee, Symantec and many others. Giving the scarcity of events management companies in Saudi Arabia back then, we started offering onsite registration services for our clients. From a laptop and a printer, our story with events management started reaching to the point where we now plan, execute and manage more than 300 events per year. 10% of them are mega events with multiple days, agendas and thousands of attendees. “We’ve expanded our business to cover the whole marketing map, where we plan and design marketing campaigns and execute them on behalf of our clients. Here at Marcom Arabia, we are experienced in conducting direct marketing activities, market research studies, strategic planning and analysis, brand activation and experiential marketing, events management, digital marketing and social media, marketing automation solutions, and outsourcing. “Over the years we have been lucky enough to work with many clients from different sectors; IT, Telecom, Medical & Pharmaceutical, Manufacturing, FMCG and Automotive. Our portfolio has more than 5,000 executed events, more than 100 market research studies, thousands of direct marketing campaigns, and more than 200 brand activation projects. “Overall we have more than 80 employees working Saudi Arabia, UAE and Jordan. Our in-house production facility that provides printing, fabrication, installation, Audio & Visual systems, and registration systems.” Going into detail about the steps Marcom Arabia take to ensure their clients receive the best possible outcome, Anas also informs us of the company’s overall mission. “In order to carry out any marketing effort for any client, we need to understand their background, where they are coming from, what are the challenges they face, then we build our way up. When we meet with the client we ask a lot of questions, about the brand, the products, the processes, the competition, and most importantly about the people. Then we build our strategy, the mission of the campaign, the core of the project, and then we plan, execute and measure. “It is important that we make sure that our ideas address the needs of the client, by aligning our minds with theirs, by trusting them and not neglecting their inputs and comments. This is because our goal is to achieve and grow, not only as individuals but also as partners. “Our team usually start by assessing the current state of the brand or the product. Followed by defining the outlines of the campaign, setting goals, writing the mission, delivering a strategy that can be translated into SMART plans, execute, monitor and learn. “At Marcom Arabia, we love that we have grown in this market and this area of world. Our mission is to reach out to everyone and be their partner in handling their marketing needs; to be the preferred marketing partner in the Middle East. Therefore, we are constantly evolving and growing; we add new services, enhance our processes, recruit talents and learn a lot. “We’ve expanded our operations to cover the GCC and North Africa. Also, we have opened new offices in Jordan and UAE, and are planning to establish our presence in Qatar and Egypt by the end of this year. Here, we will be able to facilitate our clients’ projects in these countries and explore new horizons.” When giving an overview of the industry Marcom Arabia operates within and the outside influences affecting it, Anas points out that the local market in the GCC is witnessing a shift in the way it perceives branding and marketing. Alongside this, Anas also highlights some of the techniques the company employ to stay ahead of emerging developments. “It is easy to see the shift from the number of local branding agencies opening every day, and the number of marketing activities executed in the market. However, the market is still not mature enough to differentiate between agencies as many companies are price-driven when it comes to marketing. The important role of educating the local market on the importance of brands and how to build and maintain them, because brands 1705ME05