Our History
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The result of one man’s ambition
Edmond (Eddie) Moutran founded Memac (Middle East Marketing and Advertising Company) in Bahrain in 1984. It consisted of one office, four people, a capital of $13,000 and one client.
Today, group billings exceed $700 million, and Memac Ogilvy is among the top 5 agency groups in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. 13 offices cover 17 markets in the GCC, Levant and North Africa region serving over 150 international, regional and local brands, and managed by over 900 local and international talents. Now that's a lot of numbers!
So, how did it all happen?
Hard work and dedication gave the group strong visibility and unparalleled growth and prosperity from the start.
An international dimension was added to Memac’s offering through the Ogilvy and Mather affiliation in 1986, which developed into a minority equity ownership by Ogilvy in 1998. That’s when Memac’s name changed to Memac Ogilvy.
A philosophy of innovation
Ogilvy One was a first for the Arab world in 2000. In partnership with Ogilvy One worldwide, Memac Ogilvy opened the first Ogilvy One office in Dubai, focusing on Direct Marketing, CRM, and Interactive.
Also during 2000, the first media investment agency was created. In a 50/50 partnership with JWT MENA, the group built two media investment company networks across the region. These were Mindshare (with 11 offices) and Media Insight (with 3 offices). Since then, Mindshare MENA has more than quadrupled its business.
Again in 2000, the group started a research company. The group cooperated with JWT MENA and the Indian Market Research Bureau (IMRB) to establish the Arab Market Research Bureau (AMRB). Today, AMRB has 5 offices across the region. This group is considered one of the Middle East’s leading research specialists.
In 2001, Memac Ogilvy took the natural step of developing a public relations offering. Headquartered in Dubai, Memac Ogilvy Public Relations now has 11 offices across the MENA region.
2007 was another important year, as Memac Ogilvy launched CB’a Memac. A specialized design agency providing corporate identity, packaging and retail branding. This was a joint venture with the second largest design agency in France, CB’a.
2007 also witnessed another first, the establishment of a specialized activation agency. OgilvyAction, focusing on the ‘Last Mile’ of the consumer purchasing journey, is an expert in brand activation, sales promotion, shopper marketing, retail merchandising and experiential marketing.