By Jalaja Ramanunni
Campaign Middle East’s Marcomm360, Predictions 2023, brought together leading brands and agencies in the region with a unified goal of sharing ideas to elevate the region’s media, marketing and communications industry.
The fifth edition of Marcomms360 hosted intensive and entertaining sessions that helps professionals navigate the year ahead.
If you missed this year’s Marcomms 360 on Predictions 2023, worry not. Here are our top 10 takeaways from the conference:
- 2023 will see a giant leap forward as AI becomes even more entwined within our daily lives. However, artificial intelligence is here to make us more human. The mistake we make is that we try to imitate computers. Humans are irrational, unpredictable, emotional, biased and sentimental. These are strengths that help us have that human connection — Daniel Shepherd, regional head of strategy & product MENA at PHD.
- Content providers have been living their moment since 2019. The pie of paid content has grown steadily since then. However, here’s a surprising statistic — 27 million households across the MENA have access to pay-TV services but only 7 million are paying for those— Michel Joumaa, agency partnership lead at MMS and Jalal Jassoma, agency partnership lead at MMS.
- The subtle and equally loud shift of consumers towards connected TV is clearly a need-based evolution. Brands and agencies can target any age group with connected TV, and not just millennials — Gulrez Alam, chief investment and strategy officer at ArabyAds.
- Nobody really knows what the metaverse is but 73 per cent of people said they are likely to use the metaverse in 2023 — Jess Hickman, managing director at Audience Collective Middle East.
- Shifts in the advertising industry affect how advertisers create trusted digital connections, drive reach, efficiency and achieve growth. The rise of retail media, the power of first-party data and the growth in gaming are emerging trends that that are on top of the minds of marketers —Moustafa Ismail, industry head at Amazon Ads.
- 2023 will be the year of everything-as-a-service and sectors without servicisation will enter it. Clients are increasingly investing in POS technology like apps. By the end of 2023, each of us will have an average of 10 loyalty apps on our phones — Pankaj Pagarani, head of data sciences at Publicis Groupe.
- While playing offense into a recession led by a restricted marketing budget and a rapidly changing landscape, AI-led marketing can help brands react with certainty in the face of uncertainty – especially when walled gardens, privacy regulations, the looming threat of recession and talent shortage are all set to upset the established order of things — Neel Pandya, CEO of EMEA and APAC at Pixis.
- With 3D DOOH, the real challenge lies in connecting the real world to the virtual world. Digital transformation of the OOH industry lies in innovations in data measurements, digital immersive experiences and smart solutions — Philip Matta, Group COO at W Group (Hypermedia and DigitAll).
- While personalisation of data is king, marketers need to be respectful about how the data is used. It is an age of intense personalisation and marketers need to understand who is viewing an ad. As we push boundaries and enter the metaverse, brands need to be meaningful and convey what is true to them — Hossam Alsaeed, general manager, brand marketing and customer experience, Nissan Middle East; Terry Mo, head of digital, OMD MENA and Bhaskar Bateja, head of customer journey strategy, Nissan United, TBWA Raad.
- 2023 is a great year for nano- and micro-content creators with high engagement rates. Brands will shift their focus from considering vanity metrics to return-on-ad-spend — Zainah Yassin, client partnerships manager at Vamp.
You can view the pictures here. If you missed this one, we encourage you to attend the Marcomms360 next year and make your own list of takeaways to share with your community.
