Digital marketing packages in Dubai: how to compare them fairly
A bundle is priced as one number so that no part of it can be priced alone. The one-page sheet that turns any package into hours, people and deliverables.
The short answer
A digital marketing package bundles several channels into one price, which hides how much of the fee buys senior time, how many hours each channel gets and what is excluded. Put every package on one sheet as hours, named people and monthly deliverables. Magnetic Keys publishes its prices: most monthly services start from AED 12,000 a month excluding VAT, with ad spend paid straight to the platforms.
A bundle is a way of selling several things at once so that none of them can be priced alone. That's the whole problem with a digital marketing package, and the fix is a single sheet that turns any package into hours, people and deliverables. Fill it in for two quotes and the better value usually shows, or the gaps in the answers do.
What does a digital marketing package hide?
Five things sit inside a bundle's price without being named.
- The seniority mix. Of the hours in the package, how many belong to a senior person who decides and how many to a junior who executes? The monthly price looks the same either way.
- Cross-subsidy. A discount on the bundle can be a premium on the one channel you came for, because you pay for every channel in it.
- Shared time. A person named on your account may be named on many others, so 'dedicated' is a word to ask about.
- Media inside the fee. If your ad spend runs through the agency's account, ask for the platform's invoice beside the agency's so you can see whether anything is added.
- The renewal price. A first-term price is a promise about month one to month twelve, and says nothing about month thirteen.
Turn the fee into hours and a blended rate
Ask for hours per month, split by seniority, for each channel in the bundle. Hours are a rough measure of effort, but they can be divided, and a bundle that refuses to state them can't.
The sum is the fee divided by the hours, which gives a blended rate, plus the share of those hours that are senior. Say two made-up bundles cost the same AED 18,000 a month: one gives 72 hours with 24 of them senior, the other 96 hours with none. The first works out at AED 250 an hour with a third of the time senior, the second at AED 187.50 an hour with no senior time, and neither figure says which is better until you know what your account needs.
Hours are an input and not a result, so use them to catch quotes that can't be true and not to pick a winner. A retainer that promises senior attention on four channels for a fee that couldn't pay for it is making a promise the arithmetic can't keep.
A comparison sheet, filled in for two made-up packages
One page, one column per package, the same rows for each. The last column says what a gap in the first two should tell you.
| Row on the sheet | Made-up Package A | Made-up Package B | What a gap tells you |
|---|---|---|---|
| Channels covered | SEO, social and Google Ads | SEO and social | A channel you're paying for and didn't need |
| Named people and share of their time | None named | Three named, each at a stated share | Who actually makes the decisions |
| Hours a month by seniority | Not stated | 100, of which 30 senior | Whether the fee can pay for the work |
| Deliverables a month | 'Content as required' | 8 posts, 2 articles and 1 report | Whether the work can be checked |
| Languages | English | English and Arabic, the Arabic written natively | Whether Arabic is real work or a promise |
| Ad spend | Paid through the agency | Paid directly to the platforms | Whether a mark-up could sit inside the spend |
| Term and notice | 12 months, no break | 6 months, then 30 days' notice | How much risk you carry |
| Who owns the accounts | Not stated | You do, with the agency granted access | What you can take with you |
How Magnetic Keys prices its work
Our prices are published and come in three shapes: monthly services scoped on the work, fixed-scope packages with a set price and timeline, and tiers for UAE real estate. Most monthly services start from AED 12,000 a month, everything excludes VAT, and ad spend is paid directly to the platforms so it never sits inside a fee. The pricing page has every line.
A fixed package is the right shape when the scope is the same every time or the job has an end. The Growth Audit Sprint at AED 18,000 is an example: it diagnoses where marketing leaks money and finishes with a costed 90-day plan. It's the wrong shape for a multi-channel retainer, where the mix should change as results arrive. Each package lists what it excludes as plainly as what it includes, because a price only protects you when the boundary is written down.
For UAE real estate the plug-in marketing department runs on a six-month minimum and 60 days' notice, with a fixed monthly price for each tier. Those terms are on the page, and the same test applies to us: put our scope next to anyone else's on the sheet above.
Six questions to ask before you sign
- Do unused hours carry over? Silence, or 'the fee is the same whatever gets delivered', is the weak answer.
- Can I drop a channel mid-term, and does the price fall? 'The bundle price is fixed' means you're locked in.
- What is the price at renewal? 'We'll review it' is the weak answer.
- Who pays the platforms, and from which account? Any version where you can't see the platform's own invoice should worry you.
- Which number will you report each week? Followers, reach and impressions say little. Leads and cost per lead, set against revenue, say more.
- Is VAT included? The Ministry of Finance sets UAE VAT at 5%, so a quote that doesn't say is a quote that could be 5% higher.
If an agency won't itemise a bundle, ask for the price of its largest channel on its own. A refusal is also an answer, and the proposal red flags post lists the other ones to watch for.
Questions people ask
What should a digital marketing package include?
At least the channels covered, the named people and their share of time, hours or deliverables per month, the languages, who pays the platforms, how results are reported, what is excluded, and the term and notice period. If any of these is missing from the quote, ask for it in writing before you compare prices.
How much do digital marketing packages cost in Dubai?
No single market range is worth quoting, because a package's price follows channels, seniority, languages and volume. Magnetic Keys publishes its prices: most monthly services start from AED 12,000 a month, websites from AED 35,000 and fixed-scope packages from AED 18,000. All exclude VAT. Compare any package by hours, people and deliverables.
Is a package cheaper than buying services separately?
Not automatically. A bundle can include channels you wouldn't buy alone, so a discount on the whole can be a premium on the part you wanted. Price the channel you need on its own, then compare that with the bundle's price per channel.
Should a digital marketing package include ad spend?
It's cleaner if it doesn't. When ad budgets are paid directly to Google and Meta, the platform's invoice shows exactly what was spent and the agency's fee covers only the work. If spend runs through an agency, ask for both invoices so you can see whether anything has been added.
How long should a digital marketing contract be?
Long enough to see a first result and no longer. Most sites see SEO movement in 3 to 4 months and competitive terms take 6 to 12, so a six-month term is easier to justify than twelve months with no break clause. Ask for notice rights in both directions.