Award-winning agency BPG (Bates PanGulf, part of WPP) is entering Q4 2023 with incredible growth numbers and several high-profile strategic wins for its specialist MarCom services in UAE, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Oman. BPG’s ‘digital first, integrated by intent’ positioning has paid off handsomely – with over 50% revenue growth, amounting to annualized revenues of $13m to $15m.
Avi Bhojani, Group CEO, BPG said: “More than four decades in business have shown us that innovation, agility and customer-centricity determine the survival of the fittest. Today, the brands that are loved are the ones prioritizing customer experience (CX), through a blend of culture, processes and data. BPG 3.0 is here to support the shift in thinking around customer journeys and focusing on their needs. It is an exciting time at BPG as we bring together our incredibly talented and motivated integrated team to serve some of the region’s most iconic brands.”
This year, BPG has bagged some of the most coveted regional pitches, winning brands such as Trojena - The Mountains of NEOM, Wasl, Darna Rewards by Aldar, Uber, Talabat Kuwait, and more.
Building on its exceptional experience in finance and banking, BPG won strategic branding projects for First Abu Dhabi Bank. Other new business wins include Bank Dhofar, RAKBANK and Sohar International Bank, who just acquired HSBC in Oman. The multi-practice mandates encompass integrated marketing, communications, influencer marketing, creative advertising, PR, branding, media services, digital and performance marketing, social media, and content management.
The exciting pipeline of new business wins has been supplemented by expanding mandates from long-time clients such as Ooredoo, Central Bank of Kuwait and Diraya with Kuwait Banking Association, Wooden Bakery, and Domino’s Pizza. BPG’s social media practice has steadily expanded, bagging new clients such as Porsche UAE (Al Nabooda), Titan Watches, and DMCC.
The agency’s CX practice, integral to BPG 3.0, has also been one of its fastest growing, having extended and delivered CX strategies and assets to clients across Dubai, Kuwait and Oman. BPG has secured over $2m worth of annualised revenue, for CX projects varying in scope from designing and refreshing websites and building sales enablement apps to UX/UI optimization.
BPG 3.0 was born after a significant, game-changing creative win in Saudi Arabia. BPG is working on a unified customer experience through its full-service hubs in UAE and Kuwait, supported by BPG Cloudworks – a borderless remote team that stretches from North America and Europe to Egypt, Lebanon, India, Indonesia and the Philippines. This strategic transformation is inspired by culture, powered by insights, human by design and integrated by intent. In 1995, BPG 1.0 was born after winning an integrated mandate from the Dubai Government. BPG 2.0 emerged in 2003 after winning mandates for public advocacy and
creating centres of excellence and offices around the world.
Souheil Arabi, Group Chief Operating Officer, BPG and CEO, BPG Kuwait said: “BPG 3.0 is coming to life as our business is growing in every dimension: teams, services, revenues, and clients. This has been a year of tremendous activity and achievement with some notable wins for our team – which we look forward to celebrating next month at our 27th Annual Offsite, one of BPG’s most cherished traditions. We are doubling down on embracing relevant and appropriate AI tools into our day to day lives, and excited about the role of CX in brand building.”
BPG has continued an expansion trajectory, with 35% growth in its talent pool across UX, content, creative, PR and media. The agency continues with its landmark BPG NXT graduate training program and has just hired four NXTers in Dubai and two in Kuwait from over 800 qualified applicants. Running since 2006, BPG NXT identifies and nurtures young talent, giving them opportunities to shine. With this program, BPG has given the regional MarCom industry over 100 outstanding professionals.
Darius LaBelle, President, BPG UAE said: “Our ambition is not to be the biggest agency, but the smartest and most valuable one built around our clients’ needs. The BPG CX Multiplier, through which we use data and human insights to deliver targeted personal messages across digital and physical channels, has been one of our most successful solutions. We look forward to driving impactful results for our clients, with integrated teams in content, comms, media, data, experience, and brand on every brief.”