Abu Dhabi: Advertising is expected to grow 34 per cent on social networks in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region in the coming years, experts at the Digital Media Forum have said.

A study by the Centre for International Media Assistance (CIMA) showed that about 100 million Arabs are expected to be online by 2015 and Arabs under the age of 29 will make up 75 per cent of Facebook users in the region.

In 2011 there were more than 40,000 active blogs in the Arab region, as well as digital advertising business, led by search engines, banner ads, mobile texts and social media, which allows everyone to create a personal brand, the study showed.

"Today one can reach a global audience with the click of a button. The advent of digital technologies is providing a wealth of opportunities in consumer choice and this will drive innovation in technology," said Raja Trad, CEO of Leo Burnett Group.

Speaking at the inaugural ceremony of the Digital Media Forum, Trad added: "The growth of advertising on social media channels in the next few years will be profound. It is now more important than ever for professionals to find ways to make communication innovative and fresh in order to captivate their audiences across various mediums."

He pointed out that advertising industry leaders have shared concepts and ideas, and have forecast developments in social network marketing, e-commerce and e-education, mobile applications and digital media regulations.

Zafer Younis, CEO of The Online Project, elaborated on the importance of a studied and focused approach in terms of social media. "It costs $50,000 (Dh183,655) — $100,000 now to get an average fan base of 100,000 on Facebook," said Younis.

‘Not all or nothing'

He added: "Professionals need to first evaluate what the message, audience and themes are before jumping on to the digital media bandwagon. For example, Facebook does magic for Fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG)s, while B2Bs will benefit more from LinkedIn. Social media is not all or nothing."

Reed Stevenson, Gulf bureau chief at Reuters, said: "As consumers started having more options of entertainment in media, this has led to a major drop in print newspaper readership among the young generation. We make $300 million from the media businesses worldwide, which is a fraction of the revenue we make from professionals."

"Women make 33 per cent of the Arab world using Facebook," said Fadi Salem, director of the Governance and Innovation Programme at the Dubai School of Government.

Dan Stuart, managing director of Living Social Middle East, discussed emerging e-commerce in the region, saying, "The key to its success is support and collaboration with local business in order to attract a resident consumer base."

Othman Sultan, CEO of du, commented that "social media is a tsunami that has changed everything".

Khalifa Al Shamsi, senior vice president of technology strategy for the Etisalat Group, also offered an insight into the telecommunications industry.

"[The] telecommunications industry is deemed very important nowadays and the expression ‘customer data is today's new oil' resonates profoundly with the audience and on Twitter channels," said Al Shamsi.

He added: "Utilising the right channel for the right message is key to social media success while e-commerce has yet to prove itself in the region, it is the next big thing."