Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 25 April 2023 – Leo Burnett Riyadh, a leading advertising agency under Publicis Groupe, has been appointed as the Social Media Agency of Record for Ithra, a leading cultural and creative destination by Saudi Aramco. Adding to this, the Agency will also manage Ithra’s new digital well-being initiative Sync, as their Digital and Social Media Agency of Record. 

These wins expand Publicis Groupe’s thriving presence within Saudi Arabia with a wide portfolio of clients across industries.   

Thamer Farsi, CEO of Publicis Communications, Saudi Arabia, said, “These appointments are a testament to the capabilities and strength of our talented team, who have been consistent in delivering results and impactful creative solutions. We are grateful for the opportunity to partner with Ithra to support their online brand presence as well as their digital wellbeing initiative, Sync, with innovative social and digital campaigns.” 

As the incumbent agency, Leo Burnett will be responsible for driving Ithra’s social platform strategy and developing campaigns and digital communications to engage and inspire their audience. In the case of Sync, the agency’s focus will be to elevate the platform’s global positioning by creating impactful content and implementing strategic social and digital campaigns.

Commenting on the wins, Shadi Elmourad, Business Lead for Leo Burnett, Riyadh said, “We are humbled and honoured to be chosen as the incumbent agency to handle both Ithra’s and Sync’s social media and digital creative communication services. As a dedicated agency working closely with Aramco for the past five years, this is a great opportunity to expand our exposure and team within the brand’s wider ecosystem. We truly believe in each brand’s impact and we look forward to enriching lives with Ithra and building a movement around digital well-being with Sync. With our social and digital communication expertise and the opportunities both Sync and Ithra offer, we are venturing into a new era of storytelling that will inspire people and bring them true value.” 

Yousef Al-Mutairi, Communications & Marketing Division Head for Ithra, said: “We are excited to go on this journey with Leo Burnett and Publicis Groupe. We worked on Ithra’s regional brand campaign, “Inspire Your World”, with them, which was a massive success. We trust in the capabilities and unique vision the team will bring to both Ithra and Sync brands, and we look forward to creating next-level communication excellence together.”

Leo Burnett’s appointment comes after a competitive pitch involving several global agencies lasting several months. Leo Burnett previously worked with Ithra on a project basis for their ‘Inspire your world’ brand campaign in 2021 with successful outcomes.