What Interesting Times does

Interesting Times is a privately held, full-service independent advertising and brand consultancy founded in 2010 in Beirut, Lebanon. The firm operates across five markets through six offices in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Beirut, Yerevan, Riyadh (operated under a locally registered Saudi entity, Sab' Atash for Advertising), and Marseille, supporting both regional depth in MENA and a limited European foothold. Headcount stands at approximately 80 people, with the company positioning itself as the most awarded independent agency in the MENA region across both creativity and effectiveness dimensions.

The company's offering is organized around three value-chain pillars: Value Creation (strategic innovation and consultancy), Value Consumption (creative marketing and performance media), and Value Delivery (digital and interactive brand experience, plus e-Commerce and technology services). Its formal service catalog comprises five core lines — Consultancy Strategy, e-Commerce, Technology, Marketing, and Media/Social — which together span strategy workshops, brand creative, performance media, digital experience build, and technology implementation. Underlying capabilities rely on standard digital, interactive, and commerce technology stacks rather than proprietary platforms, and the company does not disclose any proprietary software, patents, or AI/ML systems.

Interesting Times generates revenue through project-based professional services engagements delivered on a quote-based agency model, with no publicly disclosed pricing. Its customer base is concentrated in MENA enterprise and government accounts across luxury (Bvlgari, Chivas), automotive (Cadillac), beverages (RedBull), transportation/technology (Uber), consulting (McKinsey), and government/tourism (Dubai Tourism, PIF, NHC, Silal, RAK, TFO). The go-to-market is sales-led and consultancy-driven, leveraging an award-winning creative reputation and high-profile client logos as top-of-funnel credibility signals, converting through direct pitches and relationship-based engagements to major regional brands and public-sector buyers.

Name

Interesting Times

Legal name

Interesting Times

Website

https://interestingtimes.me

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Interesting Times is a Beirut-founded, independent full-service advertising and brand consultancy operating across five markets (UAE, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Armenia, France), serving enterprise and government clients in MENA with strategy, creative, digital experience, e-Commerce, and technology services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Marketing & Brand Consultancy

NAICS

Advertising Agencies (54181), Advertising Agencies (541810), Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services (5418)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)

akta.pro primary industry

Retail & Pop-up Experiences (In-store/Pop-ups) (MPAAAGAG)

Keywords

• Brand consultancy
• Creative marketing
• Digital brand experience
• E-commerce solutions
• Performance media

Headquarters

HQ city

Beirut

HQ country

Lebanon

HQ region

Middle East

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Agency / Consultancy Services: Revenue generated through strategic consultancy, innovation workshops, marketing services, and creative brand consultancy engagements. Projects are delivered across value creation, consumption, and delivery — spanning strategic innovation, creative marketing, performance media, digital experiences, and e-Commerce solutions.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Interesting Times is an independent marketing and brand consultancy agency offering integrated services across three value pillars: Value Creation (strategic innovation), Value Consumption (creative marketing and performance media), and Value Delivery (digital and interactive brand experiences). Its portfolio spans five core offerings: Consultancy Strategy, e-Commerce, Technology, Marketing, and Media/Social integration, delivered to major enterprise brands and government entities across the MENA region.

Product overview

Interesting Times is a marketing and brand consultancy agency offering an integrated suite of services across three value pillars: Value Creation (strategic innovation), Value Consumption (creative marketing and performance media), and Value Delivery (digital and interactive brand experiences). The company's service portfolio consists of five core offerings: Consultancy Strategy (brand consultancy, product culture change, and innovation workshops), e-Commerce solutions, Technology services, Marketing, and Media/Social integration. The agency operates across 5 markets with offices in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Beirut, Yerevan, Riyadh, and Marseille, serving prominent global brands.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Consultancy Strategy Innovative marketing and brand consultancy, product culture change, and innovation workshops designed to help enterprise clients transform their businesses and rethink how brands create and deliver value.
• e-Commerce e-Commerce solutions that enable businesses to create engaging and lucrative relationships with their customers across digital commerce channels.
• Technology Technology consulting and implementation services to help clients create and deliver better value through technology solutions, from consultancy through to implementation.
• Marketing Creative marketing solutions and performance media services, with the agency self-described as the most awarded independent agency in the MENA region for creativity and effectiveness.
• Media/Social Integrated media experience combining strategy, technology, creative, e-Commerce, and analytics capabilities to deliver comprehensive, integrated media campaigns for clients.

Named customers12 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Leo Burnett MEA: Major network creative agency with deep MENA operations serving enterprise and government clients on brand strategy and creative campaigns. Competes head-to-head with Interesting Times for the same regional brand mandates and creative effectiveness awards.
• Serviceplan Group (Middle East): Europe-rooted independent agency group that has expanded into the Middle East, offering integrated brand, digital, and e-commerce services. Comparable to Interesting Times as an independent, full-service agency targeting enterprise brands with multi-market delivery.
• FP7 McCann (MullenLowe Group): One of the largest independent-by-origin MENA creative networks, headquartered in Beirut and Dubai with offices across the Gulf. Directly comparable to Interesting Times as a Lebanon-rooted, MENA-focused creative agency serving major regional and global brands.
• Havas Middle East: Global communications group with established Middle East offices providing creative, media, and digital services. Competes with Interesting Times for the same multinational and regional brand clients across MENA markets.
• Impact BBDO (MENA): Leading MENA creative agency network (part of BBDO/Omnicom) and frequent award winner in the region. Closely comparable to Interesting Times in scope (full-service creative, media, digital) and target clients (regional enterprise and government accounts).
• VMLY&R (MENA): Global brand and customer experience agency with significant Middle East operations, combining creative, technology, and commerce capabilities. Directly comparable to Interesting Times' full-stack offering spanning creative marketing, digital experience, and e-commerce.
• Saatchi & Saatchi MENA: Global creative network with substantial MENA presence delivering brand-building and integrated campaigns to multinational and regional clients. A direct competitor for the same enterprise and government brand-transformation work Interesting Times pursues.

Broad incumbents

• WPP (Middle East operations): World's largest advertising holding company with extensive MENA operations (Ogilvy, VMLY&R, GroupM). Represents the broad incumbent competitive set for cross-region, multinational client pitches that Interesting Times also targets.
• Publicis Groupe (Middle East): Holds major network agencies (Publicis, Leo Burnett, Saatchi, Leo Burnett, Digitas) across MENA and is the dominant holding-company competitor. Represents the broader incumbent set against which Interesting Times competes for enterprise and government mandates.

Emerging players

• Tarek Atrissi Design / Tarek Atrissi Branding (MENA boutique): Smaller MENA-rooted independent branding and design studios that compete for a portion of the same brand-strategy and creative mandates. Comparable to Interesting Times as an independent creative peer at smaller scale and narrower service breadth.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/InterestingTimes
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/interesting-times

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Interesting Times