2024 was a mixed year for pitches in a highly competitive market where margins remain tight, with some agencies being picked by big brands, several others retaining current clients, while a few others lost out on crucial prospective clients.
For those agencies who came out on top, the pitches were pivotal as a testament to their creativity, strategic thinking, and capability to align with client goals. These wins opened doors to potential long-term partnerships and highlighted resilience and adaptability, crucial traits in an industry that witnessed client demands shift towards measurable brand and business outcomes.
As part of Campaign Middle East’s The Annual 2024 issue – which also features in-depth lists such as the Top 20 news stories, Top 20 media milestones, Top 20 movers and shakers and Top 20 integrated and digital campaigns – the editorial team compiled a list of notable pitch wins that were revealed in the public domain through the year.
This year, GroupM unveiled a new chapter of success in the region with more than 10 significant business wins in less than six months. Wakemaker MENA won L’Oréal Middle East. Mindshare MENA won Al Fardan Jewelry, Alat, Amala, Americana Foods, Diriyah Gate Development Authority, du, Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Company, Inma Bank, Mondelez, New Murabba and Roberto Coin. EssenceMediacom won Qiddiya and L’Oréal in Egypt. It also extended its partnership with Etisalat in Egypt and has retained Vodafone in Oman.
Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority (RAKTDA) appointed three agencies to further enhance its global brand marketing and communications initiatives. Its partnerships with creative agency Impact BBDO, PR agency Burson and SEO specialist SEO Sherpa, aim to strengthen RAKTDA’s ongoing efforts to position Ras Al Khaimah as a destination of the future on the global stage.
Ferrero chose McCann Worldgroup to handle its creative account for Kinder and Tic Tac in the Middle East, alongside the Africa, Asia-Pacific and Europe regions. The win followed competitive pitches, which resulted in McCann taking on global strategy responsibilities for the two brands.
Reckitt appointed Zenith Middle East as its media agency for the GCC region. Following rigorous and competitive pitches, Zenith ME took the lead in executing a broad range of media responsibilities, including media planning and buying, digital, and offline media strategies.
Tuesday Communications won the NEOM Design and Construction mandate as the project’s creative partner. The independent agency works with NEOM’s brand team on creative storytelling.
The Romans was awarded the PR, events and activations account for the Wynn Al Marjan Island resort in Ras Al Khaimah. The pitch process lasted three months and the remit involves messaging around the build and launch of the fifth global Wynn resort. The independent agency also secured the MENA PR work for Binance.
Carlsberg Group Middle East appointed M&C Saatchi Middle East as its lead creative agency, signing a three year contract for strategic and creative services across the group’s portfolio in the region. The agency leads strategic consultancy, PR, and creative direction for Carlsberg’s brands in the GCC, with a primary focus on Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
Sunny Side Up was appointed as marketing partner for Tim Hortons in the Middle East. The creative agency was chosen to redefine the Canadian coffee brand’s social narrative and strengthen its market presence in the UAE, Qatar and Oman.
Grey (which merged operations with AKQA across five markets in March 2024) won a share of the Krispy Kreme account in the MENA region. The creative agency acts as the doughnut brand’s strategy and creative partner in the region. It leads all communications across seven countries: UAE, KSA, Egypt, Qatar, Bahrain, Jordan and Kuwait.
BPG (Bates PanGulf, part of WPP) revealed the addition of Honda Motor Co. to its portfolio of clients after coming out on top in a competitive, multi-agency pitch. BPG has been entrusted with enhancing customer experience (CX) and social media content for the automotive brand across 13 markets. BPG also offers strategic support on digital assets, creative development and media as the global mobility leader transitions to a new product portfolio that will help achieve its net zero ambitions by 2050.
Read all the lists from Campaign Middle East’s The Annual issue here.
