Mohannad Kattan: ‘It’s About Time’

Posted on 2025 Jan,27 | By Ghada Azzi

Mohannad Kattan’s journey in media began early on, influenced by his father's legacy and brother's role in broadcasting. He collaborated with leading radio stations, including Mix FM, Panorama FM, and MBC FM, and played key roles at ICOM, Saudi Arabia's first media agency. As the former CEO of OKAZ Digital and an advisor to three Saudi universities, he has been honored as one of the top 50 social media influencers for three consecutive years.

Today as the CEO of Kattan Media, an agency dedicated to creating impactful content and campaigns that transcend conventional boundaries, Mohannad Kattan is deeply committed to nurturing the next generation of media professionals, especially in the context of Saudi Vision 2030's transformative agenda. In a special talk with ArabAd, he shares his enthusiasm in contributing to this era of unprecedented growth.

Within the Vision 2030, where do you see yourselves as a Saudi company and how do you intend to shape the future of advertising in the Kingdom?

As a Saudi company, we see ourselves playing a key role in shaping the future of advertising in the Kingdom as part of Vision 2030. We aim to support the growth of the advertising industry in Saudi Arabia by driving innovation, creativity, and professionalism. By working closely with local businesses and brands, we can help them to thrive in a rapidly evolving market and achieve their long-term goals. Our goal is to be a trusted partner for our clients and contribute to the development and success of the advertising industry in Saudi Arabia.

To be quite honest, the bulk of the money is said to be in the media, yet you decided to follow the less-lucrative road of a full-agency, why is that so?

The decision to expand our services and become a full-fledged advertising agency was driven by a desire to provide more comprehensive and integrated solutions to our clients. We saw an opportunity to leverage our expertise in influencer outreach and bring that same level of creativity and strategy to other areas of advertising. While the media may be where the bulk of the money is, we believe that by offering a wide range of services, we can better meet the needs of our clients and provide more value in the long run specially that we used to offer all of these serviced prior COVID but had to shut it down & focus only on influencers.

Considering how many agencies there are at this point, either independent or affiliated, what does Kattan Media offer that others do not?

What sets us apart from other agencies is our focus on personalized and tailored solutions for each client. We take the time to understand their unique goals and challenges, and then develop customized strategies that deliver results. Our team is made up of experts in various areas of advertising with 100 years of combined experiences including digital marketing, social media, creative design, and more. Additionally, our strong understanding of the Saudi market and culture allows us to create campaigns that resonate with local audiences in a meaningful way.

It sounds like you have a comprehensive and client-focused approach. What's a recent success story that really highlights this personalized approach?

One example is the Ministry of Culture - Biennale 2024: Our influencer campaign generated impressive results for Biennale 2024. We expanded our audience and significantly enhanced the event's profile. This strategy led to a notable increase in online engagement, which in turn resulted in higher attendance. Importantly, we fostered stronger connections with the art community, demonstrating the effectiveness of a targeted influencer strategy.

This campaign exemplifies our ability to create and execute strategies that achieve our clients' specific goals. It's a testament to our extensive expertise and detailed understanding of the local market, leading to measurable success.

"It's about time" is the new agency positioning, which begs the question: about time for what specifically? And how would a client benefit from such a positioning?

"It's about time" signifies our commitment to delivering timely and relevant solutions to our clients. In a fast-paced and ever-changing industry, being able to adapt quickly and stay ahead of trends is crucial. By positioning ourselves as a forward-thinking agency, we can help our clients stay ahead of the competition and achieve their business objectives more effectively. It also refers to bringing all our services back after stopping most of it due to COVID.

Everyone is talking about, or already using Al; how does your agency look at this technical innovation?

We recognize the importance of Al in advertising and are constantly looking for ways to incorporate it into our strategies. Whether it's using Al-powered tools for data analysis, targeted advertising, or personalization, we see the potential for Al to drive better results for our clients. While Al can never replace the creativity and human touch that our team brings, we believe that it can enhance our capabilities and improve the overall effectiveness of our campaigns but of course human interference is still important specially when it comes to localization.

What is one standout campaign your team has recently launched that showcases this blend of local expertise and innovation?

For Saudi Telecom Company (STC), we created an influencer campaign during the COVID-19 quarantine that was particularly effective. Our approach resulted in a notable 40% increase in online sales for STC. By teaming up with key social media influencers, we were able to keep our customers engaged and drive sales at a time when traditional sales channels were disrupted.

“By positioning ourselves as a forward-thinking agency, we can help our clients stay ahead of the competition and achieve their business objectives more effectively.”

Most agencies focus on building strategies while there is an actual deficiency of execution in Arabic, which is the language of approximately 90% of the Saudi market population. What's being done to remediate to this problem?

To address the deficiency of execution in Arabic, we have invested in building a team of Arabic- speaking professionals who are fluent in the language and culture. This allows us to create campaigns that are not only linguistically accurate but also culturally relevant and engaging. By focusing on Arabic execution, we can better connect with the majority of the Saudi market population and ensure that our campaigns are effective in driving engagement and conversions. We offer many languages in our agency not just Arabic and English, but French & Turkish as well.

Strategically speaking, what do your clients benefit from dealing with an agency with a media arm as opposed to just booking through you?

Working with an agency that includes a specialized media division offers clients a more comprehensive and cohesive approach to advertising. Our media division enables us to cover all aspects of advertising, from creating strategies to executing media purchases. This cohesive approach enhances efficiency, effectiveness, and transparency, which translates into superior outcomes for our clients. Additionally, we collaborate closely with other agencies on several key services, such as Influencer Outreach. Through these partnerships, we have forged strong connections with a range of influential figures in the region, including content creators, celebrities, media professionals, and football players.

Do you have any final thoughts or advice you could provide to your recent clients and future ones who might be interested in taking their brands to the next level?

First, understand the needs and preferences of your audience. Embrace new ideas and technologies to remain at the forefront of innovation. Utilize authentic storytelling to establish genuine connections. Let data guide your strategy decisions. Next, work on cultivating strong relationships with both your audience and partners. Ensure that you maintain a consistent brand identity across all platforms. Actively engage with your community and remain flexible-a key to adapting to changing trends. Invest in creating high-quality content. Lastly, consistently measure the impact of your efforts and optimize them for continuous success.