I recently read an article that included the following 2 statistics. In combination, and as a digital marketing die-hard, they made me very nervous… The article covers a new study from Booze & Company on Middle East planned advertising spend in 2009.
- Middle East regional spending on online advertising is expected to grow by 25-35% in 2009
- Only 25 percent of marketers consider themselves savvy enough to capitalise on opportunities in online advertising
This sounds like a mounting and predictable outcome. If spending is set to increase, then this is a grand opportunity for the online market to really take off in the region. However, if the vast majority of the marketers leading these digital campaigns are not comfortable with online advertising, then we are heading towards a great let down that may unfairly and incorrectly be blamed on the medium. I do hope that the marketing teams are taking time for training, briefings and consulting about online advertising before embarking on this adventure, openly recognizing that failure to do so will ensure dismal results. This is a great opportunity for advertising agencies and smaller niche companies (such as my own) to reach out to clients to help them better plan, execute, and measure online campaigns. If we are willing to take on their additional spend, then we have the responsibility of imparting our knowledge of the medium, and ensuring we both are prepared for this shift in focus to online advertising.
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