On May 30, 2021, Campaign Middle East will publish a supplement dedicated to the media, marketing and advertising scene in Saudi Arabia. When King Salman succeeded to the Saudi throne in 2015 following the death of his brother King Abdullah, he appointed his son Mohammed bin Salman as minister of defence. In 2017, ‘MBS’ was named Crown Prince, and has been seen ever since as the power behind the throne. Under his guidance, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has seen reforms on a scale not seen before in a traditionally conservative country. The Crown Prince has spearheaded drives to reduce the kingdom’s reliance on both hydrocarbons, which have long accounted for almost half of GDP, and on the foreign labour and talent that makes up about 80 per cent of the workforce. He has also pushed a liberalisation agenda that has included reducing the power of the religious police, allowing women to drive and opening the country up for non-religious tourism.
The social and political changes in the kingdom, as well as specific initiatives are spurring a rapid evolution of the media, marketing and communications industry in the kingdom. In 2016 the General Entertainment Authority was established. It is responsible for bringing in non-religious tourism, opening cinemas, sporting events and concerts among other economic drivers that would have been unthinkable only a few years before. In April 2018, the first cinema in 35 years opened in Saudi Arabia. There are plans to have 2,000 screens in place by the end of this decade. In 2018 women were allowed into sports stadiums for the first time, and only a year later Saudi Arabia hosted a WWE women’s wrestling match. This year will see the first Formula One Saudi Arabia Grand Prix take place in Jeddah. Since 2018, the kingdom has seen concerts like from the big-name western artists including David Guetta at MDL beast, Enrique Iglesias, the Black Eyed Peas, Mariah Carey, Sean Paul and Akon.
Campaign’s Saudi Arabia Guide 2021 looks at how the market is changing. It looks at clients, consumers and agencies, providing an essential guide to the industry in the kingdom. Among other sections it will include:
- The Agency directory : Building on the success of the ready reference formula of Campaign’s annual agency guides. This directory would be the ideal resource for clients looking for the best partners to promote their brands in Saudi Arabia. This will include local branches of international agencies, and also independent and home-grown Saudi agencies. Basic listings are free, or agencies can opt to pay to enhance their listings. FORMAT: Basic free listing: Free listings are open to only agencies with a business licence and office in Saudi Arabia. Agency name, Type of agency (Media/Creative/Digital/PR – Choose any one), Year founded, Head of company, Agency bio (50 words max), Key clients, Email, Services offered (5 max) & Office location in Saudi. Paid Half Page listing: Open to all Agencies – Includes the above info + High Res Company logo, Leadership panel (Pics & Designations of up to 4 top management), Website, Local Phone numbers, Social media handles, Awards won, Key clients & Additional services + Annual subscription of the Online Directory. Paid Full Page listing: Open to all Agencies – Includes the above Half page listing + a Half page interview / Advert. The interview would also be published on www.campaignme.com as the main lead story along with posts on Campaign’s Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn & Instagram pages with your social handles for more exposure. Listings example here for reference.
- Local work : Highlighting some of the best recent work created by Saudi agencies and for Saudi clients. Pages of inspiration and recognition. FORMAT: A video link to the work/high res images, 100 word write up and creative credits.
- Data galore : Including research, trends, ad spend predictions, historical data, social media user analytics, consumer spending habits and trends, broader economic indicators and more. The guide will provide a one-stop resource for those planning media campaigns and marketing strategies. FORMAT: Please email us all the details and we will get back to you with our feedback and suggestions.
- Expert insight and analysis : Among the topics we will be covering are: social media; influencers; cinema; events; television; outdoor and much more. FORMAT: Please email us the topic for review and we will get back to you with our feedback and suggestions.
If you have insights into any of the above pointers and the Saudi Arabian market that can help the industry understand the opportunities and challenges that the kingdom presents, please get in touch with us.
Final deadline for submitting all content would be 18th May. Issue would be out on 30th May 2021.
For any of the above information and for branding and partnership opportunities, including paid Half Page listings rates, sponsorships, partner content or display Full Page Ads, please email Campaign’s publisher [email protected]. or call +971506453365.
