Saudi agency Social Clinic rebrands as FRWD after 15 years.
Social Clinic, the Saudi agency founded in 2011, has renamed itself FRWD, pronounced "Forward". The agency says the new name reflects how far it has moved beyond its social media roots.
FRWD now offers strategy, creative, media, technology, AI, experiences and production. Its client list over the years includes AROYA Cruises, Toyota, IKEA, Emirates NBD KSA and the Royal Commission for AlUla, and it has worked on Diriyah Season. The agency's new positioning line is "Where Logic Meets Magic", with the stated purpose "We Create Momentum". It says its strategists, creatives, media specialists, technologists and data analysts will work more closely together, from research and social listening through to campaigns that are adjusted as results come in, with AI used to widen creative exploration and help optimisation.
Chief executive Rayyan Jamjoom said the agency started when brands in Saudi Arabia were only beginning to take digital seriously, and that clients have since handed it bigger and more complex problems. The name, he said, describes the agency it has become and where it wants to go next. FRWD keeps the same team, client relationships and partners.
The announcement, reported by Campaign Middle East on 21 October, gives no figures for headcount, revenue or new offices, and names no new clients or hires.
The agency itself links the change to the pace of development in Saudi Arabia, where new destinations, industries and experiences are changing what clients need from agency partners. For marketers choosing agencies in the Kingdom, it is a reminder that former social specialists now pitch as integrated partners, so it pays to ask exactly which capabilities sit in-house and which are bought in.
Why it matters
A long-standing Saudi social specialist is repositioning as a full-service agency, widening the choice for brands with integrated briefs in the Kingdom.
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