UAE’S LARGEST MORTGAGE PROVIDER JOINS SIREN’S CLIENT ROSTER
After months of negotiation, Siren is thrilled to announce that the UAE’s largest mortgage provider, Huspy has joined our roster of clients in Dubai. The story of acquiring Huspy as a client is also the story of how Siren came to be an international digital marketing agency with global ambitions.
We caught up with our Dubai Office’s Head of Digital and MD Harps Sohal to discuss the significant lengths Siren went to ensure that we won this globally recognised client.
What immediately stood out as a contrast between the UAE and UK regarding networking. Has it been easier or more difficult overseas?
‘Networking here in the UAE has absolutely been more effective. There is an air of comradery and there is a real community ethos to succeed in business in Dubai. With 90% of the population in Dubai made up of expats, there is a goldrush feeling that everyone is looking for opportunity and growth in an opportunity rich – digitally focused – environment. Here in the UAE, we have found that people are more trusting and more focused on the potential benefits of collaboration rather than the potential risks which walk hand-in-hand with networking in a new market.’
So networking led to our first meeting with Huspy? Was it smooth sailing or were there challenges to overcome?
‘Yes, a friend within Huspy really stuck their neck out for us to get us in the door. Preparation for the initial meeting was intense and for our initial proposal we looked at their current strategy, gaps in their digital marketing – specifically PPC – and highlighted missed opportunities in paid search which were ripe for capitalising on.
The initial meeting with three of Huspy’s team, Dan, Sawan and Yamini was excellent. It was super visual and there was a real buzz in the room about what Siren could offer Huspy to increase their leads and ultimately, their revenue.’
So this initial meeting went really well whilst we were still a UK-only agency. Where did a UAE office come from, and why was it so important for us?
‘The initial meeting went really well and in our second meeting with Huspy, more of our team, Senior Manager Steven and Senior Executive James joined me in Dubai for a larger, more insightful, strategy meeting with a much larger Huspy group, including key decision makers. My honest opinion was that we had done the best possible job we could have and I know that we would have done a better job than anybody else. The level of detail we’d gone into, the plans and proposals compiled by our team was extraordinary. Huspy was impressed… but what happened next was surprising but eye opening.
They had chosen another agency over us and although we had confirmation that we couldn’t have done a better job, the decision was due to Siren ‘not having feet on the ground here in Dubai.’’
So Huspy’s decision is why we have an office in Dubai today?
‘I wouldn’t say that. We already had plans for a permanent office in the UAE, after all, the second meeting with Huspy was – at that point – my seventh time in the emirates on business, however this news absolutely accelerated our timeline. Not having a permanent office in the UAE had proven costly and I wasn’t going to let that stop us again. 2 months after Huspy’s feedback we had made the decision to set up an office and I had to make the extremely tough decision to temporarily relocate to the UAE to oversee business here.
Other opportunities in the UAE were coming in thick and fast and what we had noticed is that whenever we would leave the UAE, the opportunities we had begun to discover overseas would die out when back in the UK. To enable growth in the region, we set up a permanent residence, business visas and other critical documents and re-established connections with Huspy soon after and acquired them as a flagship client.
Our flexibility and broad strategy which did not solely rely on Paid Social sealed the deal for us in the wake of kicking off services. Our omni-channel approach to digital encompassed Google, Paid Social, Youtube Ads etc and with 20+ years as subject matter experts in Google, we were able to provide a significantly stronger digital strategy than our competitors.
Five months after our initial meeting and a brand new office later, Siren had shifted gears from a Birmingham based digital marketing agency to a multinational digital agency with a strong UAE presence.’
What’s next for Siren Dubai. Is there any big news you can share with us?
‘There is a lot of opportunity here and digital marketing is an essential service in such a pro-digital nation. We have made strong connections here and although we have some amazing news on the horizon, I cannot give much away. We are, however on the verge of winning a contract to do digital for a globally famous football star, but I can’t say more than that. Needless to say, we are all very excited about that!
The Wrap
With Siren Dubai seeing so much success with paid search and paid social clients, the future is bright for Siren, meanwhile in the UK, our teams are working hard to give our clients an unbeatable service in PPC, organic social, SEO and more. Head over to our services page for more information and to read up on the latest developments happening in the UAE and beyond, visit our page!
