|
|
UAE
George Akra: Video advertising provides more brand exposure, more engagement and better results
Mon, 2012-01-16 09:16 - By
Advertising Business, Digital Media, Interview & Opinion, Media Business, Electronics & Technology, Media, AdSense, Arab Spring, Click Through Rate (CTR), egypt, Flash Player, George Akra, HTML5, JORDAN, KSA, Toot Corp., UAE, youtube
mediaME spoke to George Akra, co- founder of Toot Corp., a company that has several online properties including ikbis.com, a regional video sharing site. George discusses the growth of online video in the region, the effects of the current political climate on video content, and the future of online video advertising in the Middle East and more.
Q. Tell us about the growth of video viewership in the Middle East in the past few years.
We have seen that an increasing amount of people are watching videos online. Internet penetration has increased in several countries especially in the Gulf, like the UAE and KSA, and it is growing in countries like Jordan and Egypt. So, Internet penetration is constantly on the rise, and Internet speed is also increasing regionally. This means people have more bandwidth, and therefore have the ability to watch more videos. This can also be attributed to the breadth of content that is now available.
Q. What in your opinion are the obstacles to faster growth in this regard? Why isn’t there more Arabic content on the Internet?
There are several contributing factors. To start with, I think the major issue is that Internet penetration remains relatively low. It is increasing exponentially, and we now have higher Internet speeds and more bandwidth, but it is still a problem. The other problem is that there is a lot self censorship in the region, meaning people are still afraid of producing their own content. For people hoping to monetize such a service, this remains a critical issue.
Q. From your experience, what are the most popular video content categories in the Middle East? And kindly tell us about some differences on a country-by-country basis.
It really differs from time to time. Before the regional revolutions, we were seeing a lot of content that was funny and entertaining. The videos featured a lot of pranks ...etc. The videos covered a range of genres, but the user-generated content that was most popular was basically the content that was shot in countries like KSA (videos of people drifting in their cars, people pulling pranks on each other). After the revolutions, we had a lot of political content being uploaded. A lot of people uploaded footage of protests that they had filmed with their phones. We are seeing more opinionated videos being uploaded, as people's desire for freedom of expression has increased over the past year.
Q. Ikbis and video communities are at the forefront of the video advertising revolution in the Middle East. Tell us about video advertising options and why they differ from typical web advertising.
Video advertising is different from regular banners in the sense that you are seeing visual content that is animated, that is moving. The advertisement is part of the video itself, so it is very similar to TV advertising because you have to watch the ad in order to view the actual content. It is so effective because you get more brand exposure and more engagement. This type of advertisement will surely yield better results. The 'Click Through Rate' (CTR) of a video campaign will generally be much higher than that of a banner campaign.
Q. Are we reaching the tipping point for video advertising to grow exponentially in the Middle East? Or is it still early?
Most agencies (the major ones, at least) have started running video advertisements. Their clients, as well as the agencies themselves are very happy with the results. We are seeing major organizations now advertising via online video advertisements. There is still a long way to go in the region in terms of development. Advertisers still don't use the correct ad formats (the correct length of ads and proper filming techniques). However, over the next twelve months we expect to see considerable growth in the online video advertising industry.
Q. What in your opinion are the obstacles preventing faster growth in digital media expenditures in the region?
First of all, you have all these companies (and their marketing managers) that still do not believe in the effectiveness of online video advertising. Many people want to stay in their comfort zone. They want to see a tangible ad, a billboard in the street, an ad in a newspaper or on TV. They still don't believe in the power of online advertising and its efficiency and measurability. That's the major reason why we continue to see small online budgets.
Q. What is the next big thing or major technology that will impact video advertising?
Google Adsense has been providing video advertisements for video publishers, and i think they will be making their way to the region soon. Clients will also begin advertising via YouTube, so I think that will be interesting. We are also seeing more ad networks moving into video advertisements, so that will be a trend to observe.
In terms of technology, I think something that would be able to provide video sites with the ability to publish ads without using a proprietary player would be a real breakthrough. We may be seeing that happening with integration of video for various video players, whether it be using 'Flash' or 'HTML 5'.
Pan Arab Research Center reveals regional ad spend for 2011
Sun, 2012-01-08 09:04 - By
Ad spend, Bahrain, egypt, kuwait, Lebanon, M Shaharyar Umar, Oman, Pan Arab Research Center, PARC, qatar, Saudi Arabia, The Arab Spring, UAE
The Pan Arab Research Center has released its advertsing statistics for 2011. According to the PARC's findings, the region demonstrated resilience and stability in the wake of the Arab Spring as advertising revenues totaled US$14.3 billion in 2011 (a 4% increase). According to the PARC's findings, the UAE has regained its status as the leading advertising market in the region, demonstrating a 1% growth.
Pan Arab Research Center report reveals 4% increase in regional ad spend in 2011
Sun, 2012-01-08 08:51 - By
Advertising Business, Advertising News, Advertising, Arab Spring, Pan Arab Research Center, Saudi Arabia, UAE
The Pan Arab Research Center has released its annual report revealing regional ad spending statistics for 2011. According to the PARC's findings, the region demonstrated resilience and stability in the wake of the Arab Spring as advertising revenues totaled US$14.3 billion in 2011 (a 4% increase). According to the PARC's findings, the UAE has regained its status as the leading advertising market in the region, demonstrating a 1% growth. However, the region has suffered considerably due to the political/economic situation. The UAE and Saudi Arabia were the only regional markets that demonstrated positive growth rates.
To download the PARC report, click here
UAE is the region's largest advertising market
Thu, 2012-01-05 09:20 - By
Advertising Business, Advertising News, Advertising, egypt, GulfNews.com, M. Shaharyar Umar, Pan Arab Research Centre, Saudi Arabia, UAE
According to data from the Pan Arab Research Centre, the UAE has regained its status as the region's largest advertising market in 2011, as the UAE saw $1.44 billion in ad spending this year. Saudi Arabia came second in the region, with a 9% gain in ad spend. "Only Saudi Arabia and the UAE out of the monitored markets in the region posted growth," said M. Shaharyar Umar at the Pan Arab Research Centre. Meanwhile, Egypt's ad spending plummet by nearly 40% as the country experienced political turmoil.
Read more at GulfNews.com
Eurostar Group targets revenues of USD 1 billion by 2020
Mon, 2012-01-02 10:04 - By
Eurostar Group, a well diversified conglomerate with core interests in digital satellite receiving systems, consumer electronics (CE) and other businesses, has announced a target of USD 1 billion in annual revenues by 2020.
Illegal 'repeater' devices being sold in UAE
Sun, 2011-11-20 13:01 - By
Repeater devices are being sold in the UAE to enhance mobile coverage in areas where there is limited connectivity, despite the fact that the sale of such devices is illegal in the UAE. Repeaters can enhance mobile coverage within a particular area by capturing and boosting a weak mobile signal through an antenna and amplifier. Residents in low connectivity areas have resorted to using these repeater devices in order to enhance their mobile connectivity.
Read more at Emirates247.com
High demand for media professionals in UAE
Thu, 2011-11-17 08:28 - By
According to industry experts, the demand for media professionals in the UAE has increased over the past year. According to Lama Ataya, Chief Marketing Officer of Bayt.com, there has been "an increase in demand for bilingual PR professionals and copywriters, with industry-specific experience. Arabic content writers, specifically for the web, are also highly sought. Our latest job index survey revealed that the skill UAE employers need in their new hires is ability to communicate effectively in both English and Arabic (55 per cent)”.
The industry has grown in terms of employment opportunity in the past few months. “We currently have over a hundred jobs that fall under the media and creative industry. The high number isn't surprising, as media has always attracted top talent across the region. Yet, in the past few years, the industry has seen a massive change in its very nature, thanks to the shift to new types of media like digital and social. Of course, this has led to the creation of completely new roles and jobs that reflect the virtual landscape. Today, our job market space is full of companies seeking to hire ‘community managers’, ‘digital brand managers’, ‘online advertising sales professionals’, ‘social networking officers’, etc.,” said Ataya in a statement to Emirates 24|7.
Read More at Emirates247.com
iMessage service to resume in UAE
Mon, 2011-11-14 09:34 - By
Digital Media, Media Business, Media, apple, BlackBerry Messenger, du, Etisalat, iMessage, thenational.ae, UAE
UAE-based telecomm providers promised to reinstate Apple's iMessage service after its suspension earlier this week. Telecom provider Etisalat said it disabled the tool because it was being investigated by the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA). Rival telecom provider du also admitted to suspending the iMessage service after recieving complaints from customers.
Imessage is similar to BlackBerry Messenger, as it offers free instant messaging services. Both telecom operators are set to reinstate the iMessage service, but neither offered any details on the TRA's investigation.
Read more at Thenational.ae
Dubai on the Cultural Map
Wed, 2011-11-02 09:18 - By
It's not often an e-mail reduces a grown man to tears of happiness. But then not too many young designers are told that the Victoria & Albert Museum want to add shoes from his debut show to its permanent exhibition.
UAE may enforce a law regarding spreading "rumours" through social media
Sun, 2011-08-14 09:23 - By
There have been recent media reports of the UAE enforcing a law that prescribes three to ten years imprisonment for spreading rumours through social media. This has evoked a shock for many people in the region.
The reports have triggered a heated debate on Qatari social networking sites with people arguing if such a law was needed at all and whether Qatar should follow suit. However, most commentators, though strongly opposed to rumour-mongering, said they favoured free expression through the Internet.
Subscribe to mediaME Weekly Newsletter
