“Don’t push people to where you want to be; meet them where they are.”-Meghan Keaney Anderson, VP Marketing, HubSpot.
This saying couldn’t have been said better, looking at all the changes happening over the past few months in the MENA region and how rapidly marketing behavior and media consumption is changing amid of it all.
Below, in my opinion, are few examples that are game changers:
KSA: A total liberalization in December 2019 of what the country represents; The MDL Beast was a historical moment in the Saudi culture and history; whereby bloggers and international media were invited to cover this event portraying the new image that Saudi is trying to depict, thus, shifting and impacting new ways of marketing and different approaches for events in the country.
Adding to that – and as per KSA Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, Saudi Arabia now ranks amongst the top 10 developing countries in United Nations E-commerce Index, making them a key player in the world of digital commerce, meaning top player in the digital advertising spent. (https://www.mcit.gov.sa/en/media-center/news/215287).
Lebanon: With the 17th of October 2019 revolution – that is still continuing in the streets of the country – and the issue it is facing with importing products from abroad due to currency issues, Lebanese are witnessing a total shift in the way they are consuming products; making local brands more desirable in terms of supply and affordability…
However, with low budgets with the majority of Lebanese brands and the shy spent of international products, what tools and media are going to be consumed in times of revolution? Is this going to lead furthermore the rise of video on demand and is the long-awaited Instagram shopping that was introduced in Lebanon in 2019, picking up as projected?
UAE: Expo 2020 is happening this year and as per the Research Gate survey; Digital marketing is the most used channel for this event…Not forgetting the emerging of the new trend in the region and specially in UAE: TikTok application and its remarkable successes in getting concrete results. As per Arabian Business, TikTok Dubai Tourism campaign attracted 54 million views through #thisisDubai challenge. However, what’s next after Expo 2020? What will the scene look like post this global event?
In 2020, consumers want the brands to meet them where they are and demand their perspective on topics that are happening in their country, meaning inclusive marketing and brand transparency are key in the dexterity of brands these days and the way they should approach these changes .
By, Nathalie Maljian, Marketing Consultant
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