Contact
Phone:+ 92 321 920 1945
Email: ovais@dairah.pk
Adress: Suite 508, Al Fizza Glass Tower Gulshan e Iqbal Block#10-A, Karachi, sindh, Pakistan
From a Freelance service provider to a thrilling full-service Digital Agency. Here’s how Dairah has grown over the years.
It was July 2012, and I was sitting in my office when I first discussed this with the owner of the company that I wanted to pursue my MBA and couldn’t continue my job with it.
I knew I was leaving the company where I served as the Manager of Digital Media and learned how to run an E-commerce business while only a few people in Pakistan were actually aware of this term at that time. With a few projects in hand, I continued my studies and my passion simultaneously. And for one of my freelance projects, I contacted Kashif.
Kashif & I know each other since the early 2000s, we used to play counter strike in a clan called Fable. At that time, he was working in the advertising industry.
In September 2014, when I approached him for a project I came to know that he has started his own advertising agency with two friends and was looking for someone to build a website for his company.
I did his project, and he helped me in mine. Soon we realized that we need each other. He had a vast knowledge of conventional advertising and I was experienced in tech stuff.
Right after completing his website, I got another project from Oman Air. It was an awareness campaign for their latest offering for HAJJ season. I did this project with him as a consultant, managed the entire campaign from media releases, ad serving, campaign optimization to reporting.
In late 2014, I got a project from a political party to manage their upcoming election campaign. I created the proposal for them, involved Kashif in the creative process and designed a plan for integrating BTL activities, get UGC and more relevant eyeballs. It was one of its kind campaign that led to an electoral victory.
Meanwhile I was working on my own dream project medicalstore.com.pk, which was going to be the No.1 choice of consumers to buy healthcare products online in Pakistan.
Meanwhile, I was working on one of my own dream projects. Medicalstore.com.pk, Pakistan’s no.1 online pharmacy and healthcare portal.
After the success of the election campaign, Kashif invited me to his office and discussed the partnership opportunity with his agency. In no time, Usman (His Partner) managed to convince me that the organization is the right fit for me. We thought it would be a great idea to fill out each other’s shortcomings. The industry was transforming, digital advertising buzz was initiating and companies were looking for agencies with digital media management capabilities.
Usman -“We can do great”. Ovais-“Let’s do it”
The very next question that popped up in our minds was what kind of companies we might want to pitch? There were a few companies we immediately agreed on. The first client we worked with was Fakt Exhibitions, we made some websites for them, managed social profiles and advertising campaigns for multiple events. Soon we achieved Qatar Airway’s account for digital advertising & in no time the leading Engine Oil Company handed over the entire digital media account to us. We were on the winning streak, we were pitching and winning the clients when Allah decided to bless us with something more, and we brought the Bank Al Habib onboard too. By the end of 2015, we were serving clients from 7 industry verticals ranging from FMCG, Airlines, Financial institutions, lubricants, healthcare, education and real estate.
I was standing at a point where I was about to leave a team of more than 15 people, lavish office, cool working environment and on the other hand a chance to live my dream, build the biggest healthcare platform of Pakistan.
Without overthinking I released my fist and grabbed the opportunity, but it was not that easy, the venture needed funds like any other startups. Fortunately, I never learned how to give up.
I wanted to promote my dream and make it the No.1 choice of consumers buying healthcare products online in Pakistan. I chose Digital Marketing, but why only my dreams when I know I can give wings to multiple brands from different industries who are looking to fly.
The first thing I did after getting the desired space and designing the identity and logo of Dairah, was trying to land some clients. I used my contacts and managed to land a few clients.
But not everything was that smooth…
Client’s requirements and platforms were changing, agencies have now established digital media wings, and the video was the new creative format. I decided to hire a full-time animator and outsourced the design initially while managing the other aspects of business myself.
Within just a few days, Uride (A private ride hailing service company in Pakistan) was onboard with us and a few big wins helped us scale the business.
Adress: Suite 508, Al Fizza Glass Tower Gulshan e Iqbal Block#10-A, Karachi, sindh, Pakistan
