Sergio AounFile no. 042

Subject Sergio Aoun   Ghazir, Mount Lebanon

I trained as an engineer and ended up studying people.

Performance marketer, copywriter and web developer. I plan and buy ads, write the words and build the sites, for brands in the US, the Gulf, Europe and Africa.

Sergio Aoun sitting on a stool, smiling

01 The short version

My degree is in civil and environmental engineering. Somewhere between structural calculations and my first client, I realised I cared more about why people buy than about why bridges stand.

I have spent the years since running ad campaigns, writing copy and building websites from Lebanon. Today that means lead generation for roofing companies across the United States and search campaigns for a watch dealer in Dubai. It also means Shopify and WordPress builds for Gulf brands, and articles and ads for a travel agency in Nigeria.

I read history the way some people read the news. It keeps me calm, and it keeps me honest. The tricks that sold wars and bubbles a hundred years ago still sell products today. I use the honest ones and I write about the rest.

Part of what I earn goes to charities at home in Lebanon. Outside work you will find me at the gym, on a late-night drive, or with a book and a notebook.

02 What I believe

Five rules I work by.

  1. Every dollar of ad spend should be traceable to what it brought back.
  2. The offer matters more than the targeting.
  3. The ad, the page and the form must make the same promise.
  4. Persuasion is a tool. I only point it at things I would buy myself.
  5. Bad news travels first. If a campaign is failing, you hear it from me before the report.
Sergio Aoun with author Kamal Dib at a book signing

03 Off the record

With Kamal Dib, author of Warlords and Merchants. His book is the backbone of my essay on the fall of Intra Bank.

Read my essay on Intra Bank

04 On file

Training and credentials.

  • Degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering
  • Meta Certified Media Buying Professional
  • Google Ads Search Certification
  • Meta Certified Digital Marketing Associate
  • Top Rated on Upwork

Languages: English and Arabic. Clients across the United States, the Gulf, Lebanon, Europe and Africa.

05 Off the clock

I also make digital portraits of animals in suits. It started as a joke and became a small collection.

See the portraits

Tell me about your business.

Send me a few details and I will tell you honestly whether I am the right person. If I am not, I will tell you who is.

Start a project or email [email protected]