As the global downturn puts pressure on advertising budgets, brands in the region are increasingly turning to online advertising, where they can keep better track of how their money is being spent, according to regional online advertising experts.
Research companies do not yet track the size of online advertising's slice of the region's total advertising spending pie, but professionals working in the industry say its growth mimics the upward trend in the US and European markets.
"Big companies are spending up to 7 per cent of their budgets on online advertising, up from 5 per cent last year, and some are planning to go up to 9 per cent," said Mazen Halawi, the corporate sales manager of Ayna, an Arabic search engine serving the Middle East and North Africa. "I believe that there will continue to be more online advertising, because online is targeted and it's measurable."
The company, which started in 1997, claims a ranking just beneath Google as the most used search engine in the region. It officially launched its online mapping service - the first in Arabic and English in the region - at the Media and Marketing Show in Dubai yesterday.
Since it launched in 2000, the pan-Arabic web portal Maktoob.com has seen its usage grow rapidly, according to Hazem Habash, an advertising sales executive at the company. "In 2006, we had 2 million unique users. Now we have 9.6 million unique users. So you can see the trend," he said. "There's been growth of 260 per cent in advertising spending from 2006 to 2008."
Internationally, online advertising spending appears to be a lone bright spot in a darkening outlook for the advertising industry as a whole. Internet advertising revenues for the first six months of this year were up 15.2 per cent on the same period last year, to US$11.5 billion (Dh42.24bn), according to an Interactive Advertising Bureau and PricewaterhouseCoopers report released last month. Revenues in the fast-growing search and display-related advertising sector were up almost 24 per cent during the same period, to $5.1bn.
"Due to the unique efficiency and effectiveness of targeted and measurable campaigns, internet advertising has shown strong growth in the first six months of 2008, compared to the same period last year," said David Silverman, a partner in PricewaterhouseCoopers entertainment, media and communications practice division. "This growth has come in spite of an environment that has put significant pressure on the advertising industry in general."
In the UK, the study said the resilience of online advertising turned what would have been a 4.6 per cent year-on-year decline in overall advertising spending in the first half to a slide of only 0.7 per cent.
"Online is not immune from the economic downturn, but while other sectors see falls in expenditure, the internet is still experiencing an incredible increase and is propping up the entire advertising market," the report said.
The online advertising market worldwide is expected to increase by 23 per cent to $43.3bn this year, according to the European Information Technology Observatory (EITO).
"The world market for online advertising is booming in 2008, despite the economic slowdown in many areas," said Bruno Lamborghini, the chairman of EITO. "Even in the USA, with the damage inflicted by the financial crisis, is still by far the largest market for internet advertising, the EITO forecasts growth will be at 13 per cent. This brings online advertising income in the USA to a total value of ?13.6 billion (Dh63.1bn) for the year 2008."
But the Middle-Eastern region still has a way to go before it can fully realise its potential as a market for online advertising. Husni Khuffash, the UAE country manager for Google, reminded the audience at yesterday's show that the Middle East still lagged about five years behind the US when it came to internet usage.
"Today, Arabs on the internet are 5 per cent of users, while Arabic content is less than 1 per cent," he said. "That shows that as a community, we consume more than we produce."
khagey@thenational.ae
The specs
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Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
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THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
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Army of the Dead
Director: Zack Snyder
Stars: Dave Bautista, Ella Purnell, Omari Hardwick, Ana de la Reguera
Three stars
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
Disclaimer
Director: Alfonso Cuaron
Stars: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline, Lesley Manville
Rating: 4/5
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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Nayanthara: Beyond The Fairy Tale
Starring: Nayanthara, Vignesh Shivan, Radhika Sarathkumar, Nagarjuna Akkineni
Director: Amith Krishnan
Rating: 3.5/5
UAE Falcons
Carly Lewis (captain), Emily Fensome, Kelly Loy, Isabel Affley, Jessica Cronin, Jemma Eley, Jenna Guy, Kate Lewis, Megan Polley, Charlie Preston, Becki Quigley and Sophie Siffre. Deb Jones and Lucia Sdao – coach and assistant coach.
Company Profile
Founders: Tamara Hachem and Yazid Erman
Based: Dubai
Launched: September 2019
Sector: health technology
Stage: seed
Investors: Oman Technology Fund, angel investor and grants from Sharjah's Sheraa and Ma'an Abu Dhabi
Essentials
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly direct from the UAE to Los Angeles, from Dh4,975 return, including taxes. The flight time is 16 hours. Alaska Airlines, United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Aeromexico and Southwest all fly direct from Los Angeles to San Jose del Cabo from Dh1,243 return, including taxes. The flight time is two-and-a-half hours.
The trip
Lindblad Expeditions National Geographic’s eight-day Whales Wilderness itinerary costs from US$6,190 (Dh22,736) per person, twin share, including meals, accommodation and excursions, with departures in March and April 2018.
Business Insights
- As per the document, there are six filing options, including choosing to report on a realisation basis and transitional rules for pre-tax period gains or losses.
- SMEs with revenue below Dh3 million per annum can opt for transitional relief until 2026, treating them as having no taxable income.
- Larger entities have specific provisions for asset and liability movements, business restructuring, and handling foreign permanent establishments.
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THE SPECS
Engine: 3.6-litre V6
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 285bhp
Torque: 353Nm
Price: TBA
On sale: Q2, 2020
The squad traveling to Brazil:
Faisal Al Ketbi, Ibrahim Al Hosani, Khalfan Humaid Balhol, Khalifa Saeed Al Suwaidi, Mubarak Basharhil, Obaid Salem Al Nuaimi, Saeed Juma Al Mazrouei, Saoud Abdulla Al Hammadi, Taleb Al Kirbi, Yahia Mansour Al Hammadi, Zayed Al Kaabi, Zayed Saif Al Mansoori, Saaid Haj Hamdou, Hamad Saeed Al Nuaimi. Coaches Roberto Lima and Alex Paz.
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Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
MO
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Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
Developer: Treyarch, Raven Software
Publisher: Activision
Console: PlayStation 4 & 5, Windows, Xbox One & Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5
The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
Power: 310hp
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Price: From Dh192,500
On sale: Now
The specs
Engine: 77.4kW all-wheel-drive dual motor
Power: 320bhp
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Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh219,000
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The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
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The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)
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ADCC AFC Women’s Champions League Group A fixtures
October 3: v Wuhan Jiangda Women’s FC
October 6: v Hyundai Steel Red Angels Women’s FC
October 9: v Sabah FA
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
Abu Dhabi GP starting grid
1 Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
2 Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes)
3 Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari)
4 Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari)
5 Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull)
6 Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
7 Romain Grosjean (Haas)
8 Charles Leclerc (Sauber)
9 Esteban Ocon (Force India)
10 Nico Hulkenberg (Renault)
11 Carlos Sainz (Renault)
12 Marcus Ericsson (Sauber)
13 Kevin Magnussen (Haas)
14 Sergio Perez (Force India)
15 Fernando Alonso (McLaren)
16 Brendon Hartley (Toro Rosso)
17 Pierre Gasly (Toro Rosso)
18 Stoffe Vandoorne (McLaren)
19 Sergey Sirotkin (Williams)
20 Lance Stroll (Williams)
More on animal trafficking
The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
Wicked
Director: Jon M Chu
Stars: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey
Scorebox
Dubai Hurricanes 31 Dubai Sports City Eagles 22
Hurricanes
Tries: Finck, Powell, Jordan, Roderick, Heathcote
Cons: Tredray 2, Powell
Eagles
Tries: O’Driscoll 2, Ives
Cons: Carey 2
Pens: Carey