The Heroiks MENA team, from left, Jineesh Kattil, Senior Paid Media
Consultant; Hicham Aujjar, Founding Partner and CEO; and Karim Belouadi, Client Leadership and
Paid Media Director, Heroiks MENA.Heroiks, a growth strategy and media activation consultancy, has opened a new office in Dubai, strengthening its international presence to support brands operating in an increasingly complex marketing environment.
The office, which is already operational and located in Dubai Media City, is led by Hicham Auajjar, Founding Partner and CEO, Heroiks MENA, a recognised expert in performance-led digital marketing and media strategy, with more than 15 years of experience in the Middle East.
Positioned at the crossroads of Europe, Asia and Africa, Heroiks MENA will support local and international advertisers on growth strategy, data and media activation, in a market shaped by rapid shifts in consumer behaviour and performance models.
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Aujjar founded Keyade Middle East before holding leadership roles within WPP Media (formerly known as GroupM), where he developed deep expertise across programmatic, search, social, data and automation at scale.
Auajjar said, “The Middle East is a market that is rapidly structuring, where advertisers are increasingly looking for more integrated and measurable approaches. Establishing Heroiks in Dubai is designed to meet those needs, while contributing to the group’s international growth.”
Heroiks MENA’s offer covers the full advertising value chain for brands, including:
Growth strategy and steering: Defining objectives, structuring growth levers and managing return on investment.
Omnichannel activation: Coordinated activation across search, social, programmatic, video and CTV, and DOOH, combining data, technologies and creative content.
Performance measurement and optimisation: Advanced measurement frameworks incorporating marketing mix modelling, brand metrics and attribution to quantify impact and guide investment decisions.
Gen AI-powered creativity and innovation with Versus: Heroiks’ 100 per cent GenAI creative agency is deployed in Dubai and is currently participating in several local tenders. Versus has supported 16 advertisers over the past five months through four offers: advertising, social content, AI factory and consulting.
Already established in Paris, Berlin and Bangkok, the group is extending its footprint into a fast-growing region.
The Middle East is now widely recognised as a high growth economic region, with sustained GDP growth across the United Arab Emirates in 2025.
Anthony Ravau, Founder and President of Heroiks, said, “Opening our office in Dubai marks a new milestone in Heroiks’ international development. The Middle East is a dynamic and innovative region, where brands are operating in a rapidly transforming environment.”
Ravau added, “Being present at the heart of MENA enables us to support both local and international brands, leveraging new opportunities created by immersive and data-driven formats. This expansion reflects our ambition to connect our global expertise to the most promising markets and to remain at the forefront of marketing innovation.”
This dynamism is also reflected in the advertising market. According to the latest IAB MENA report, digital advertising spend reached $6.95bn in 2024, representing 19.8 per cent year-on-year growth. Growth is being fuelled by the rise of retail media, search marketing, CTV and social video, with social video growing by 28.9 per cent, highlighting a rapid shift toward immersive, data-driven formats.
