
Tactical was awarded the Independent Agency of the Year 2024 award at Campaign Middle East’s Agency of the Year Middle East Awards held in December 2024.
According to the judges, the winning agency showcased how it has always been passionate about blending creativity with technology to redefine the way brands connect with audiences in the MENA regoin. The agency also formed the region’s first all-female innovation team, using XR technology to engage audiences in impactful new ways.
Mike Khouri, CEO of Tactical, shared his reflections after the agency lifted the coveted trophy at the Agency of the Year Middle East awards.
How does this award reflect the culmination of your efforts in 2024?
First off – wow. This is incredible recognition and celebration for a team that’s been committed to creative excellence and doing it alongside partners who trust us to push boundaries every single day. 2024 has been a year of not settling. There has been collective perseverance. So, this is just reward for all the effort and focus, something we can all be incredibly proud of as a team.
As you soak in the win, what top learnings from 2024 will you take into the year ahead?
Speed and focus win the day. Our partners want recurring impact – so the quicker we’re able to deliver that, consistently, the more we’re able to build partnerships that last a long time.
We’ve been trying to build a simple business that focuses on the right things, where we use human creativity and technology to solve our partners problems. Their challenges are our greatest opportunities. This is something we continue to orientate ourselves towards as we build into 2025.
What do you think the industry needs to change or fix on priority in the months ahead?
The industry is evolving so quickly. This leads to people resisting change but is also cause for plenty of distraction. With levers in marketing set to look very different in the coming years, there has to be a balance of not getting left behind yet not chasing shiny objects without results.
We’re here to add value as creative problem solvers for the brands we partner with. This is something everyone should be doubling down on and use change as an enabler of growth – both to our partners and our team.
How has the balance between purpose and profits contributed to your successes over the past 12 months?
Purpose and profit haven’t been opposites – they’ve been a partnership. Tactical is building a business for the long term, and if you’re making decisions with both in mind, you’re positioning yourself for the best possible outcome. We’re also privileged to be working with brands and platforms who share aligned ambitions. The people we partner with are both ambitious and results-oriented. These shared values go a long way in building a relationship that is focused on doing good and doing well.
In your opinion, what do consumers really want, and how can agencies help brands meet this need?
Customers want value in the money they spend and trust in the brands they’re spending it with. While this takes time to build and can quickly be diminished, the approach to getting there doesn’t have to be complicated.Make customers the centre of what you do. Know who they are. Listen to them. Hear them. Play where they play.
What are the key facets to securing client wins and sustaining client retention?
Our motto is simple: growth through partner delight. If we’re doing great work with great people, we drive sustainable growth over time. And for us, it starts with building relationships, not transactions. When we work with a new partner, we aim to deeply understand their business, culture and goals. Having alignment there is a critical foundation for the long term. From that point on, we focus on delivering recurring impact and delight. That value exchange is simple.
What are your agency’s New Year’s resolutions for 2025?
Simplicity.
Simplicity scales, complexity fails. Creativity and technology will be critical in building that, but simplicity is the lever we’ll always default to in building through 2025 and beyond.