Coffee With: Louay Al Samarrai, co-founder and joint MD of Active Digital Marketing Communications, member agency for the Middle-East
Q: Tell me something about the company. What’s your elevator pitch?
A: We’re a proactive and highly experienced integrated communications consultancy that specialises in the tech sector, in the Middle East.
In an era where value and insight are crucial, we provide deep knowledge and strategic guidance to clients looking to enter or enhance their presence in this region. We work with a range of clients—from US and European tech companies to those from the Far East—helping them navigate the complex Middle Eastern market.
Q: When you say “the region,” what countries are you covering? Obviously, the UAE and Dubai, but where else do you operate?
A: We primarily cover the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Oman—these are the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. We’re also covering Egypt, which has been added to a few client briefs this year. Believe it or not, we’ve even delivered campaigns in Libya before the end of Qaddafi’s rule, as well as in Tunisia and Morocco. Our work has even reached Lebanon, and we get coverage in markets like Iraq, Jordan, and Syria through online media channels. The Middle East is diverse, and we’re always ready to go wherever the opportunity takes us.
Q: How did the agency start?
A: It’s quite a simple story, really. I spent many years working in advertising and was a bit of a “pain in the neck” advertising executive!
I had a friend who started a tech PR and marketing agency and was struggling with business development. He needed someone who understood the pitch process, so I stepped in. I joined him with the goal of eventually becoming a partner, and within less than a year, we grew the agency from six people and five accounts to thirteen people and twelve accounts. At that time, tech companies were entering the Middle East, and there weren’t many agencies that understood the tech space.
Subsequently, I started to think “I can do this for myself.” Around the same time, my wife, who had also been working at the same agency, resigned. We decided to take the plunge and start our own agency together. We called it Active, inspired by the word “Proactive.” We launched in Media City, starting with a small office and a modest setup—two desks at one end of the room and four IKEA desks for the rest of the team we hoped to recruit. Our business plan was to fill all the desks in 18 months, but we ended up doing it in just seven months. We gained five or six clients early on. Two of them ended up staying with us for a decade. That’s how it all began.
Q: What does your client portfolio usually look like?
A: Our client portfolio consists largely of big names in the tech industry—primarily from the US and the UK. Over time, we’ve developed a strong focus on cybersecurity, cloud computing, digital transformation, and more recently, Artificial intelligence (AI).
While we started out in more traditional tech PR and marketing, the tech sector has since evolved and permeated through everything, and so we now work across many verticals, from retail and banking to gaming, but tech is the common theme.
Although, we’ve even worked with the brand Crocs once—though I never expected that! Our work with them took us to Hong Kong, where we attended a sales event. It wasn’t quite the glamorous experience I had imagined, especially since we had to wear Crocs for three days.
Q: When we look at your tech PR and marketing services, what do they look like?
A: About six years ago, we made a deliberate decision to expand beyond being just media relations.
We realised that clients were looking for more than just media relations—they wanted a broader range of services. Tech PR and marketing still plays a vital role, but in today’s world, sales and marketing are still quite siloed. We found that many companies had different budget pots for various functions, and as a tech PR and marketing agency, we weren’t getting access to all of them.
So, we decided to expand our offerings. One area where we saw an opportunity was video production. We built a video suite and started offering video as a service. It became such a significant revenue stream that it eventually grew into its own business unit. Alongside that, we expanded into social and digital media, turning content into formats that were more suitable for online distribution. If we didn’t have the skill set in-house, we either hired the right talent or partnered with specialists. This evolution has allowed us to broaden our services, so now we’re involved in almost every aspect of marketing—except media buying, advertising, and placement.
Q: You mentioned your wife—who else is on the team?
A: Our team consists of twelve people, including myself and my wife. One of many standouts is Michelle, who’s been with us for nine years. She started as our HR admin, but she quickly adapted and taught herself video production. She became so good at it that we built a studio for her in our office. Today, she heads up our video production and content division. Her growth has been amazing, and she’s played a crucial role in our success.
As this video is going to be seen far and wide, if my wife and I could find someone with 10 to 12 years of experience—someone entrepreneurial and hungry for success—we’d love to bring them into our organisation! There’s room to grow, and we want someone who’s eager to contribute to that growth.
Q: Over the course of the agency’s 21 years, what’s been your best year so far?
A: Honestly, I can’t pinpoint one year as being the best. I feel very fortunate and grateful for the progress we’ve made over the years. But if I had to pick a time, I’d say the last 20 months have been the most ‘educational’. I’ve learned a lot about consistency and the importance of keeping the new business pipeline full. It’s easy to get complacent, but this period reminded me that I can never relax when it comes to generating new business.
Q: Last question, Louay. As a tech company entering the region, what do I need to know?
A: The biggest thing I’d highlight is that there’s often a lack of understanding of the region. Unfortunately, many people still view the Middle East as a homogenous block, but it’s far from that. For example, in the UAE, particularly in Abu Dhabi the capital, you’ll encounter people from hundreds of different nationalities. In fact, you might find more diversity here than in many Western countries or even the UK.
Saudi Arabia is a different story. While it’s evolving, you still have to consider the more conservative aspects of the culture, especially when targeting certain audiences. Also, the region is economically diverse. For instance, Qatar may be small in terms of population, but its GDP per capita is extremely high.
As marketers, we all understand that one of the first stages of entering any market is to listen; listen to what’s going on locally. Tech companies need to conduct research to understand the target audience’s preferences, where they get their information, and how they consume content. The better you understand your audience, the more successful your entry into the market will be. This applies whether you’re using PR, content, or sales tactics. Then, from a Public Relations perspective, you can start putting out stuff that really relates to those people and engages them.
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