UAE
The global digital shift continuously affects the MENA region; however, despite the decline traditional media continues to be used by all audiences, advertisers, and media agencies. In the UAE the transition for 2016-2017 in media expenditures shows a decline of 10%, which is 1 percentage point higher compared to the transition of 2015-2016. This affects all media we monitor with the exception of radio, which grew by 12% this 2017. This noticeable decline across MENA is due to the economic decline the Middle East is currently facing. But despite this, traditional media remains in a steady position, only having minimal decline due to the cost-cutting done by most advertisers and media agencies to adapt to the digital shift as well as the economic instability experienced in the UAE and the MENA region. In terms of media agencies, the ranking in the UAE this year is as follows: Starcom Mediavest Group, MEC, BPG Maxus, Initiative and OMD. Similarly to 2016, Starcom Mediavest Group and MEC retains the top two positions, while Initiative has taken the 4th position this 2017 as BPG Maxus has taken over the 3rd position. OMD remains 5th for a third consecutive year. Taking a look at categories, the top 2 categories in the UAE are real estate and telecommunications. Real estate remains at in the 1st position while telecommunications moved up a rank, putting cars in 3rd place. Continuing with the rankings, the leading advertisers in the UAE in 2017 are as follows: Etisalat, du, Mcdonald’s, Carrefour and Emirates NBD. Etisalat and remain as the top 2 compared to 2016. We can highlight that the UAE contributes 9% of the 20.3 billion USD of MENA advertising spends in 2017.