Ad spend in UAE crosses Dh3.31b

Dubai: Advertisement spend in the UAE's print media rose by 70.43 per cent to reach Dh2.15 billon ($588 million) last year, compared to Dh1.26 billion ($345 million) the previous year, according to Pan Arab Research Centre.

This is about 65 per cent of the total advertisement spend of Dh3.31 billon ($904 million) recorded last year, which is about 42.58 per cent higher compared to the previous year's combined advertisement spend in the country.

In 2003, total advertisement spend in the UAE was $447 million.

Advertisers in the United States last year spent $143.3 billion, up by 3 per cent compared to the previous year's 139.2 per cent, according to International Advertising Association (IAA) which is holding its World Congress scheduled that starts tomorrow at the Dubai International Convention Centre.

Besides newspapers, print magazines received $136 million or 15 per cent of the total advertisement spend closely followed by the electronic media.

Advertisement spend in television reached $133 million last year, up by 8.13 per cent from the previous year's $123 million, said the Pan Arab Research Centre (PARC) statistics.

Among the various media, outdoor represents about $29 million while cinema takes $10 million while radio represents $7 million, as per PARC statistics.

Among the advertisers, mobile handset maker Nokia and real estate major Emaar Properties jointly top the list with nearly Dh30 million ($8 million) in annual advertisement spend, followed by Dubai's retail promotions Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF) which spends about $6.7 million and Damas Group that spends $5.8 million annually.

Interestingly, leading property developer Nakheel last year spent only $3.9 million, less than half of Emaar Properties.

Among the top advertisers, Dubai-based companies dominate the advertisement spend, while other emirates lag behind.

DSF's advertisement budget in 2004 was $8.7 million, which it reduced by $2 million last year.

This year's budget has also been significantly curtailed due to the sad demise of Shaikh Maktoum Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the late Dubai Ruler, who died on the first day of the DSF .

More than 1,800 creative professionals from around the world and the region have confirmed their attendance for the 40th IAA World Congress.

The list of IAA Congress delegates reads like a Who's Who of the advertising and media world, and includes the chiefs of the world's top five advertising and marketing services groups and the four most powerful media services networks.

Championing responsible marketing

• The International Advertising Association (IAA), headquartered in New York, was founded in 1938 to champion responsible marketing.
• The IAA, with its 56 chapters in 76 countries, is a one-of-a-kind global partnership whose members comprise of advertisers, media, advertising and public relations agencies, media companies, and academics.
• The IAA is a clearinghouse for industry issues and is dedicated to protecting and advancing freedom of commercial speech, responsible advertising, consumer choice, and the education of marketing professionals.

Ad market

• According to TNS Media Intelligence, the top 10 advertisers for the first nine months of 2005 spent $13.0 billion, up 2.2% compared to the same period in 2004.
• General Motors again claimed the top spot increasing their ad spend to $2.1 billion in the first nine months of 2005.
• Global advertisement market crossed $400 billion, of which, the US represents about $144 billion, the largest advertisement market in the world.