WHAT ARE THE BIGGEST SHIFTS YOUR INDUSTRY WITNESSED LAST YEAR?
Influencer marketing saw significant growth – up by 29 per cent in 2023. Our recent whitepaper, Influencing Business: The Global Rise of B2B Influencer Marketing, revealed that 100 per cent of Saudi businesses utilise a form of B2B influencers, with the UAE close behind at 96 per cent.
The paper underscored the immense opportunity for B2B influencers in the two nations — which have both recently been using the power of influencer engagements to capture the attention and trust of audiences. AI a continuing shift.
The use of generative AI is rapidly changing industries, and we are at the leading edge of this new inspiration economy.
WHAT WILL BE THE MOST NOTABLE CHANGES IN 2024?
The changes of 2023 will continue, with influencer marketing growing in strength, and long-term influencer-brand relationships developing. Adtech will continue to play a transformative role, with AI for data analysis enabling hyper-targeted, personalised content.
It’s forecast that there will be over 200bn devices connected and networked. Most won’t be smartphones, but everyday appliances. Each will enable brands to be more personalised and create unique engagement opportunities. We expect greater proliferation of advertising in online streaming services, as publishers look to maximise revenue opportunities.
HOW IS THE ROLE OF MEMAC OGILVY CHANGING?
Solving increasingly complex problems for our clients requires an array of talents and skills coming together. We’ve worked hard to integrate a connected culture across our MENA network. Our structure allows teams of experts across five business units to work fluidly together shaping Borderless Creativity – the conception of ideas at intersections, regardless of geography.
HOW ARE CLIENTS’ DEMANDS CHANGING?
With the growing abundance of data, clients want reassurance that you can
use this effectively; which might be as simple as showing you understand their audiences, through to using data effectively to unlock opportunities.
Everyone is looking for growth, and the majority of our clients are asking how our work will impact sales and help them grow. In an increasingly competitive market, it’s agencies that think beyond the current scope and see the bigger picture, that will come out on top.
-By Ghassan Maraqa, CEO MENA, Memac Ogilvy
