Two trade associations specialising in digital advertising say they are interested in boosting their activities in the Middle East.
Online media attracted just 4 per cent of the Arab world's $4.7 billion advertising spending in 2011, according to the Arab Media Outlook.
However, internet advertising is the fastest growing of all mediums, and is forecast to account for 10 per cent of the total ad market by 2015.
As the industry grows, the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA), which covers smartphone advertising, says it is boosting its activities here. The US-based Interactive Advertising Bureau, meanwhile, says the Middle East has been discussed as part of an international expansion drive.
The MMA’s Middle East operation was “soft launched” late last year, but says it plans to ramp up activities this October.
Amjad Al Qassimi, the regional manager for MMA Middle East, said it has already signed up 20 members in the Middle East, including du, Havas Digital and Clique Media.
MMA Middle East has a base in Dubai and plans to hold four events a year to help promote mobile advertising.
“Our role is to make mobile marketing an indispensable part of the marketing mix,” said Mr Al Qassimi.
The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) is also considering launching an operation in the Middle East. The association lobbies on behalf of its members, and has a code of conduct for the online advertising industry.
Anna Bager, the vice president and general manager of the IAB’s mobile marketing arm, said the organisation was expanding internationally.
“We are always looking at expanding into new markets. And this is a very interesting market,” she said.
Ms Bager said the IAB has examined opening an office in the Middle East, but could not confirm any other plans at present.
“Eventually I’m pretty sure we’ll open something here. The whole area is booming,” she said. “There is no concrete plan at this moment, but we’ve talked about it.”
The executives were speaking on the sidelines of the 5th Bar Mobile Marketing Forum in Dubai.
Karim Khalifa, the chief executive of the ad agency Digital Republic, and co-chair of MMA Middle East, said mobile advertising was an “extremely fast-growing” medium.
He estimates that the mobile-advertising market is worth between $10 million and $15 million in the Middle East and North Africa - just a fraction of the total ad industry.
However, this is growing by “double-digit” percentages, said Mr Khalifa.
“Because it’s small, the jumps are big,” he said. “So I would say that it’s at least a 50 per cent increase since last year in Egypt. [In Dubai], I would guess it’s the same level of growth, if not higher,” he said.
NYBL PROFILE
Company name: Nybl
Date started: November 2018
Founder: Noor Alnahhas, Michael LeTan, Hafsa Yazdni, Sufyaan Abdul Haseeb, Waleed Rifaat, Mohammed Shono
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Software Technology / Artificial Intelligence
Initial investment: $500,000
Funding round: Series B (raising $5m)
Partners/Incubators: Dubai Future Accelerators Cohort 4, Dubai Future Accelerators Cohort 6, AI Venture Labs Cohort 1, Microsoft Scale-up
Match info
Karnataka Tuskers 110-3
J Charles 35, M Pretorius 1-19, Z Khan 0-16
Deccan Gladiators 111-5 in 8.3 overs
K Pollard 45*, S Zadran 2-18
The%20specs
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At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
THE%20SPECS
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NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Company%20Profile
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The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
How green is the expo nursery?
Some 400,000 shrubs and 13,000 trees in the on-site nursery
An additional 450,000 shrubs and 4,000 trees to be delivered in the months leading up to the expo
Ghaf, date palm, acacia arabica, acacia tortilis, vitex or sage, techoma and the salvadora are just some heat tolerant native plants in the nursery
Approximately 340 species of shrubs and trees selected for diverse landscape
The nursery team works exclusively with organic fertilisers and pesticides
All shrubs and trees supplied by Dubai Municipality
Most sourced from farms, nurseries across the country
Plants and trees are re-potted when they arrive at nursery to give them room to grow
Some mature trees are in open areas or planted within the expo site
Green waste is recycled as compost
Treated sewage effluent supplied by Dubai Municipality is used to meet the majority of the nursery’s irrigation needs
Construction workforce peaked at 40,000 workers
About 65,000 people have signed up to volunteer
Main themes of expo is ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’ and three subthemes of opportunity, mobility and sustainability.
Expo 2020 Dubai to open in October 2020 and run for six months
The%20specs
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FROM%20THE%20ASHES
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A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
THE%20HOLDOVERS
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