A lot of effort needed to get GCC marketers to think digital

Dubai: Save for a few who adapted early and those who joined their ranks later, GCC marketers still seem to shy away from putting a digital face to their brands. Sure, most of them have a Facebook page or a Twitter handle, but it is a moot point whether they are going about doing anything cutting-edge and creative with them.

However much they may say it, there is just not enough “like” going on for digital. Not exactly an ideal situation for a medium that is expected to grow in triple-digit mode in the short-term and be valued at more than $250 million (Dh918 million) by the next three years or so. Currently, digital-specific campaigns represent a couple of percentage points of the overall annual ad spend in the region. So, why is digital not getting the vibes from marketers?

“There is still fear, misunderstanding and resistance, but most of all there is a lack of enthusiasm by brands, organisations and companies to put real budgets behind social media,” said Louay Al Samarrai, managing director at the consultancy Active. “This hesitancy to invest in a new form of reputation and brand engagement is the biggest hurdle to be overcome.”

Understanding

Many in the local ad industry believe that regional markets are two years behind the US or the UK in bridging the digital divide. “It’s not about the technology, it’s the mindset, the depth of true understanding of what social media is and how to use it to effectively engage your audience,” said Al Samarrai. “It’s also to some extent about the culture — corporate and social — where traditionally it was all about one voice — the organisation, the brand, the distributor, etc.”

In such an environment, the optimum way for regional marketers and brands to take digital seriously would be to harp on the cost factor. “A Dh250,000 budget could get you a month’s worth of exposure on a prominent billboard, but the same would easily fuel a two- or three-year campaign on a social media platform of your choice,” said Manoj Domadia, head of marketing at Al Madani Group, which has been one of the early movers onto the digital bandwagon.

“Compared to other traditional media platforms, the shelf life of a campaign on social media is actually longer and that is another huge cost advantage to any marketer.”

Other advantages

There are other pluses, not least the fact that a campaign on a Facebook can be homogenised to tap a wide audience in one go rather than be tweaked each time to suit one individual market as is the case with print or outdoor media. In the case of fashion brands, pilot tests can be launched ahead of a new season without breaking the bank spending on traditional media.

“The priority for marketers is to get a Facebook user to share his “like” for a particular campaign among his contact group,” said Domadia. “This ‘incentivising of sharing’ lets a brand to cast its net wide without having to pay anything on top of the initial cost — no other medium can do that.”

For any marketer there is nothing more compelling than a cost to benefit argument. A few more likes on Facebook and followers on Twitter would be enough to get regional marketers to think digital.