MENA-based advertising agencies have failed to build a sustainable presence or set an effective communication strategy on Facebook, as their content is mostly geared toward third-party shares and miscellaneous agency news and thus lacks the creative edge that should normally be associated with the award-winning work of these agencies. This being said, here’s a quick roundup of the most accomplished among them in terms of content and posting frequency.
Just like Instagram, Socialize is by far the most active and widely followed Dubai-based agencies on Facebook with frequent post updates and a blistering 62k likes. The page is home to regular team updates, behind-the-scenes pictures and videos, industry news and job postings that is divided between posts shared from the Facebook pages of affiliated brands and relevant articles/interviews. Posts are systematically diverse and captions are generally neat, comprehensive and most importantly informative.
Mindshare MENA has also been able to establish a relevant presence on Facebook by posting regular updates and incorporating more original content than its counterparts. This also means that the agency relies less on third-party shares and more on behind-the-scenes pictures/videos and branded designs to sustain its identity on the platform. It was also one of the first (if not only) Dubai-based MBUs to use Facebook’s 360 feature on multiple instances, which can only add to its virtues.
Compared to other agencies on the list, Impact BBDO has a relatively large pool of fans on Facebook with a total of 6.3k likes (still not very significant nonetheless if we were to weigh it against the Facebook metrics of Socialize or even Lebanese ad agencies). The content on the platform is mostly tailored around agency news, covering noteworthy projects, partnerships and activities that take place within the agency (otherwise known as the work, the work, the work) in addition to promoting the achievements of BBDO offshoots around the world by sharing regular updates about them.
Mostly focusing on career opportunities, agency life and corresponding third-party news, OMD UAE stands as one of the most active agencies on Facebook when it comes to posting frequency and original content. The team’s voice is also represented on the page through frequently shared branded posts featuring quotes from OMD UAE executives about their work environment which serves the double function of promoting the agency’s culture and encouraging people to apply for available opportunities.
Y&R Dubai’s Facebook timeline echoes their Instagram feed in terms of content as a large majority of the posts depict the agency’s award nominations, wins and achievement with a bit of newsy third-party shares and agency life instances in between, but not in terms of frequency as it is not as regularly updated. If we were to scroll a few months back, then we would realize the page previously had more team-centered pictures and videos, particularly those introducing Y&R newbies, than it does today (the posting frequency also witnessed a drop since then).
With a moderate posting frequency and varied types of content, CaratMENA is somewhat able to sustain its Facebook presence despite not being remarkably active on the platform. The agency uses Facebook as an outlet to share articles that quote members of its team, showcase its award nominations and various achievements, document its work routine and occasionally share insights on relevant industry trends in the region through infographics and third party shares.
