Advertising
Pokemon Go Craze in The Middle East
I wanted to write on something fairly light and fun today in light of recent the Middle East and Europe events. So, today I wanted to shine a light on Pokemon Go, the augmented reality mobile app that has become a global sensation (and if you’re asking what Pokemon Go is, where have you been for the past two weeks?). While Pokemon Go hasn’t been officially introduced into the Middle East, people are already playing the game here.
Advertisers and brands are also reacting to and using the sensation to market their products.
Probably first out of the blocks were, unsurprisingly to me, the Saudis. Two of the Kingdom’s telcos put out adverts promoting the craze, which isn’t surprising considering that you need a mobile and a data connection to play the game.
Saudi telco Zain became the first household brand to use Pokemon Go when it ran this advert across its social media channels early this week. Saudi Telecom ran this artwork the same day as Zain’s ad. The ad says, “with our network, we guarantee you’ll be able to catch’em all, but we can’t guarantee where!”
Other brands have also looked to leverage off the lovable Japanese characters. Cab booking service Careem ran out an ad, as did Jordan Tourism. The game uses geotargeting to get people walking around a physical environment such as a city, and brands whose services include travel and tourism (or any location-based product) fast realize the potential of getting players to visit their premises (or even country) to hunt the digital creatures.
The UAE-headquartered cab-hailing service Careem has leveraged Pokemon Go to promote its service and give gamers a discount. Even Jordan’s Ministry of Tourism has jumped on the Pokemon Go craze to get visitors to go and take a look at Amman’s Citadel.
Users have also been having fun and sharing their own experiences online. Some have been sharing their experiences, including one apparently from the front lines in Iraq and others in more mundane locations, including finding a Pokemon on top of a plate of Kunafe.
It’s enough to put you off your dessert! A Pokemon on top of a plate of Kunafe (image thanks to Samer Batter). This image is apparently from the front lines in Iraq, which probably isn’t the safest place to hunt Pokemon.
Local media have picked up the craze and people’s reaction to it in the region. Reports have circulated that people have ventured into all sorts of places as part of the game—two cartoons below best sum up that sentiment.
With his phone in his hand and an image of a Pokemon monster on the screen, the caption reads, “finally we see you at the Mosque.” (image thanks to Yaser Al Amoudi) Saudi cartoonist Abdullah Jaber came up with this image of how game players are so engrossed in the game that they don’t notice their surroundings
The craze hasn’t been without controversy. According to Gulf News, Al Azhar, Egypt’s top Islamic institution, has condemned the craze about Pokemon Go as “harmful mania.” “If such a game can deceive youngsters, I do not know where the minds of adults have gone. According to Gulf News, they can be hit by a car while being busy searching for Pokemon,” said Al-Azhar’s Deputy Abbas Shuman. Al Arabiya reported that Egyptian cabinet spokesman Hossam al-Qawish said an investigation into the game’s dangers was taking place. The spokesman added that the government was also considering new regulations to impose online games to limit possible threats to national security.
In addition, Gulf News reported that the UAE’s Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) has warned that criminals could exploit the popular Pokemon Go mobile game. Kuwaiti authorities have also warned against those who take photos of sensitive locations in the country. Brands promoting Pokemon have also been targeted, with the likes of Dominos Pizza and others called into question by those who consider Pokemon to be a work of the devil (if you don’t believe me, see below).
Dominos Pizza’s efforts to use Pokemon as part of marketing were called into question by one user, who claimed Pokemon were tools of the devil against Islam. The user told Dominos to change its marketing or risk angering the public.
There’s no doubt that the Pokemon craze will continue for some time to come and will only become more intense/insane when the app is officially launched in the Middle East. Pokemon advertising has been used smartly to get a younger audience to engage with traditional organizations such as museums and promote small businesses. Let’s hope that marketers here are just as savvy whilst being aware of local sensitivities. If you’re not already doing it, get ready to catch some Pokemon adverts in your vicinity soon!
And as an extra treat, here’s one television news clip on Pokemon from Kuwait, with a particular focus on how it’s turning youth into addicts.
As traditional advertising revenues plummet globally and broadcasting budgets are slashed, The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and South East Asia (SEA) regions have reported tremendous growth in digital adoption and a rise in digital advertising revenue as a result.
This growth is driven by an increase in internet users, smartphone penetration, and the rise of social media platforms. AI Copywriter tools are now being widely adopted by brands, organisations, and companies in these regions to enhance their digital advertising campaigns.
Let’s delve deeper into the trends and statistics of advertising revenue and digital adoption in MENA and SEA.
Digital Advertising in MENA
MENA has emerged as one of the fastest-growing digital advertising markets, driven by a young population and increasing smartphone penetration. According to a report by McKinsey, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has the highest degree of digitisation, while Egypt represents the largest untapped opportunity. The report also highlights a growth in the adoption of digital channels and spending in the coming years, coinciding with the increased use of artificial intelligence (AI) across all sectors.
The Market Size
The digital advertising market in the MENA region is estimated to be worth over 1.2 billion U.S dollars in 2021. The market is expected to continue growing, with a projected growth rate of 20% by 2024. The region’s e-commerce market is also expected to grow and reach 69 billion U.S dollars by 2020. The GCC and Egypt account for 80% of the regional e-commerce market.
Media Channels in the MENA
The advertising market in the MENA region is witnessing a major shift toward digital advertising. Traditional channels such as newspapers are declining, while the internet is taking over with 44.2% of the total ad expenditure in 2020, according to Statista. Social channels account for more than half of the total digital ad spend, surpassing global benchmarks. The region is also moving towards a “mobile-first” strategy, with a majority of internet traffic generated through mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets.
Performance Marketing in the MENA
Performance-based campaigns are gaining traction in the MENA region, with 59% of advertising agencies significantly shifting into performance-based campaigns, according to a survey conducted by the Interactive Agency Bureau (IAB). Brands are demanding payment by results (ROI & Return on ad spend ROAS) as well as enhanced consumer insights and analytics.
Digital Advertising Agencies in the MENA
The MENA region has over 500 advertising agencies that have a large number of employees, with Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE fuelling the region with small and medium-sized agencies. The UAE is home to big advertising firms, while Egypt, Lebanon, and Jordan represent the majority of digital marketing talents and creative resources. However, the highly qualified talents in digital advertising and performance are always moving outside the region to join companies in the European market.
Programmatic Advertising in the MENA
The slow transition from traditional to digital media is one of the key reasons programmatic advertising is struggling to dominate the region. Collectively, the MENA trails other regions in innovation and adoption of ad tech and marketing technologies. The top ad networks in the MENA region include Facebook, Google Ads, IronSource, Applovin, Adcolony, AdFalcon, InTarget, AdZouk, and Ambush. The United Arab Emirates is leading the growth in programmatic advertising due to technology partners and pressure from clients and brands to automate the process and use AI.
Digital Advertising by Sector
According to Ipsos research, the top ten sectors in the region are dominated by beauty care, food, telecommunications, and entertainment. Telecommunications companies, followed by real estate and banking, are the top categories.
Digital Advertising in SEA
SEA is a rapidly growing digital advertising market, driven by a young and tech-savvy population. According to a report by eMarketer, digital ad spending in SEA is expected to reach 15.3 billion U.S dollars in 2021, with Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam leading the growth.
The Market Size
The digital advertising market in SEA is expected to grow at a rate of 13.7% in 2021, with a projected market size of 22.45 billion U.S dollars by 2025. The region’s e-commerce market is also booming, with a projected market size of 153 billion U.S dollars by 2025.
Media Channels in SEA
SEA is also witnessing a major shift toward digital advertising, with traditional channels such as newspapers and TV declining. Social channels are the most popular, accounting for 63% of total digital ad spend, according to a report by Hootsuite. Mobile advertising is also on the rise, with a majority of internet traffic generated through mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets.
Performance Marketing in SEA
Performance-based campaigns are becoming popular in SEA, with advertisers demanding more accountability and transparency. Brands are looking for more measurement and optimisation to ensure their campaigns are reaching the right audience and delivering the desired results.
Digital Advertising Agencies in SEA
SEA has a large number of digital advertising agencies, with many emerging startups and creative agencies. The region is home to a highly skilled workforce, with many professionals trained in digital marketing and advertising.
Programmatic Advertising in SEA
Programmatic advertising is becoming more popular in SEA, with many brands and agencies adopting the technology to automate their advertising campaigns. The region is also seeing an increase in the use of AI-powered tools and platforms to help advertisers optimise their campaigns.
Digital Advertising by Sector
The digital advertising market in SEA is dominated by the retail and e-commerce sector, followed by the travel and hospitality sector. The region is also seeing growth in the financial services, healthcare, and automotive sectors.
AI Copywriter Tools in Advertising
AI copywriter tools are becoming increasingly popular in the MENA and SEA regions, with many brands and agencies adopting the technology to enhance their digital advertising campaigns. These tools use natural language processing (NLP) and machine learning algorithms to generate high-quality, engaging content that resonates with the target audience.
AI copywriter tools can help brands and agencies save time and money by automating the content creation process. They can generate a large volume of content quickly and efficiently, allowing advertisers to test multiple variations of their ads and optimise their campaigns for better performance. AI copywriter tools can also help advertisers improve the quality of their content by ensuring that it is grammatically correct, engaging, and relevant to the target audience. They can analyse data from social media and other sources to identify trends and insights that can inform the content creation process.
Conclusion
The MENA and SEA regions are witnessing tremendous growth in digital advertising and digital adoption, driven by a young and tech-savvy population, increasing smartphone penetration, and the rise of social media platforms. AI copywriter tools are becoming increasingly popular in these regions, providing brands and agencies with a cost-effective and efficient way to enhance their digital advertising campaigns. The future of digital advertising in these regions looks bright, with continued growth and innovation in the years to come whilst broadcast and traditional advertising feels the pinch. The time has come for the more conservative amongst us to take the plunge and fully embrace digital and all it entails.
Facebook will no longer allow Special Ad Category advertisers to use the Special Ad Audiences tool.
Meta will be sunsetting Special Ad Audiences, a tool that lets advertisers expand their audiences for ad campaigns related to housing, employment, and credit ads.
In 2019, in addition to eliminating specific targeting options for housing, employment, and credit ads, Facebook introduced Special Ad Audiences as an alternative to Lookalike Audiences.
Since the Cambridge Analytica scandal, Special Ad Category advertisers must declare their category before creating ads. If advertisers fail to declare it, the Facebook policy team shuts down their advertising accounts.
Now, it’s getting more limited with this new rule.
Deprecation Timeline
Following is the timeline from Meta regarding the deprecation of Special Ad Audiences:
- August 25, 2022: you will no longer be able to create new Special Ad Audiences.
- September 13, 2022: Special Ad Audiences will no longer be available in new ad creation via the API.
- October 12, 2022: Special ad audiences will no longer be available in new ad creation across Ads Manager and the API. After this date, the affected ad sets may be paused for delivery. To resume delivery of the paused ad sets, you will need to update them to remove Special Ad Audiences.
According to this timeline, you’ll no longer be able to use Special Ad Audiences in new ads via the API on September 13 and Ads Manager on October 12.
How can the Special Ad Category advertisers benefit from Facebook after this update?
It’s still unclear if Facebook is going to introduce a new way or release some restrictions for Special Ad Category advertisers or not.
That said, the only option is to go broad audience. However, some other options still benefit from the Facebook advertising platform. I will prepare some tips and tactics. Please keep an eye on Digital Boom for more.
Fresh Egypt, a Home Appliance company kicked off its Ramadan campaign with a 1:43-minute Ad promoting the company’s products. Starred by Ruby and Mahmoud El-esseily.
The Ad gained more than 600L views on YouTube and over than 1.2M views on Facebook. Fresh Egypt Ad caught the audience’s attention with its beautiful rhythmic song, saying, “because everything is much better when it’s fresh, make your life fresh and day delightful.”
Some people described it as one of the most beautiful ads this Ramadan, especially Ruby and Mahmoud El-esseily fans. Although it’s a bit different than last year’s ad that was performed by Ruby and Dina El-Sherbiny went viral in a split second.
Watch last Ramadan’s Fresh Ad featuring Ruby and Dina El-Sherbiny.
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