M&C Saatchi Sport & Entertainment Announces Middle East Expansion

M&C Saatchi Sport & Entertainment has announced its expansion into the Middle East. With a strong track record of delivering impactful campaigns for global giants including adidas, Barclays, Absolut, UEFA and Heineken, M&C Saatchi Sport & Entertainment has been at the forefront of its space for 20 years, connecting brands to consumers through the things they love, making brands culturally relevant through passions. 

The agency’s entry into the UAE is driven by growing client demand in one of the world’s most rapidly expanding sport and entertainment markets. This marks M&C Saatchi Sport & Entertainment’s seventh global offer since its establishment in 2004, and the agency will replicate its service model, delivering powerful integrated campaigns across sponsorships, PR, social, digital, content, activations and more, all designed to resonate deeply with the passions of the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) markets.

The offer will be led by M&C Saatchi Sport & Entertainment London’s managing partner Ross Watson, who will export his expertise running multi-market campaigns and will be supported by Rasha Lambe, UAE business director, who will spearhead client work locally, driving the agency’s growth with a team of passion specialists in the region. 

Recognised for its creative excellence, M&C Saatchi Sport & Entertainment has earned multiple industry accolades, including being named Agency of the Year at the UK Sponsorship Awards this year and winning the coveted Sport Industry Agency of the Year title a record six times. 

M&C Saatchi UAE’s local capabilities will broaden by welcoming the passions agency and its capabilities to the region. M&C Saatchi UAE’s existing client network is already engaging with the offer, with AC Milan and its Middle East hub, Casa Milan Dubai, inking a partnership. 

Ross Watson said, “There is a real opportunity to bring our specialism and approach to brands based in the Middle East where we can combine the global knowledge and experience of our London HQ with local market expertise through a uniquely blended team of passion specialists giving clients exactly what they are looking for- global thinking with local nuance.”

M&C Saatchi UAE CEO Scott Feasey commented, “Now is the ideal time to launch Sport & Entertainment in the GCC- a market experiencing remarkable growth and gaining global recognition. This new offering not only complements our existing services but also positions us to significantly amplify the impact of brands in this thriving sector. I’m very excited to welcome the agency to the region.”

This expansion follows the arrival of Robin Clarke, who joined as global CEO just two weeks ago and commented, “I’m excited to grow M&C Saatchi Sport & Entertainment globally and the introduction of a new offer in a market that’s rich with opportunity is an exciting step on our broader growth plan.”

Today the agency also released its second Fancom trend report, reflecting on the summer of sport and culture. UK CEO Laura Coller said, “June to September were landmark months for us. In the sport space alone, we delivered campaigns for the EUROS, working directly with UEFA as well as with adidas, for the Olympics with our clients the IOC as well as Old El Paso and Dreams, and with Barclays for Wimbledon. We’ve pulled our learnings into the second issue of our Fancom trend report, which offers clients insights into how to effectively speak to the multiple, converging communities within the passion spaces we occupy.”

“This second issue of the report is all about Togetherness, a key theme across the summer’s biggest cultural moments. To bring that theme home, we’ve invited our colleagues from M&C Saatchi Sport & Entertainment’s international offices to contribute - London, North America, Berlin, Amsterdam, Sydney and Johannesburg - making it our first global Fancom issue.”

The new report has been released on the agency’s website today and was penned by its team of passion specialists across its strategy, creative, events, social, influencer, partnerships and PR teams. 

Fancom, a portmanteau of ‘fan’ and ‘community’, is a term the agency introduced at the beginning of the year to represent its shift away from marketing to fans as homogenised groups and into a more nuanced approach that offers a better understanding of how to connect to today’s more discerning, and more nuanced, consumer while also offering concentric growth opportunities by inviting more communities in.