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Campaign ME
a day ago
- Business
- Campaign ME
Powering deeper connections: Radio's role in the digital age
In an age defined by digital disruption, radio's remain a powerful and intimate medium. Its unique blend of immediacy, intimacy and cultural resonance continues to captivate audiences and offer brands a distinct platform for connection. From hyper-localised advertising strategies to the seamless integration of emerging technologies and content formats, Fouad Debouk, Audio Growth Senior Manager at MBC Media Solutions (MMS) explores how radio is not just keeping pace with change – it's helping shape the future of media engagement in a digital-first era. With a network spanning multiple stations and cities, how would you describe your overall listener base across Saudi Arabia? What key audience segments do you reach? MBC Group's listener base is exceptionally diverse, both demographically and geographically, reflecting the multifaceted nature of Saudi society. MBC FM primarily serves Saudi nationals across all age groups and from every province, truly representing the cultural and social fabric of the Kingdom. Panorama FM, meanwhile, connects strongly with the broader Arabic-speaking community, including audiences from the Levant, Egypt and North Africa. MBC Group's latest addition, LOUD FM, has quickly gained traction among English-speaking audiences, particularly resonating with Saudi youth – underscoring its commitment to innovation and evolving listener preferences. How do you work with agencies and planners to ensure that radio spots are culturally and contextually relevant – especially in markets such as KSA where nuance matters? We take pride in offering end-to-end creative production for all our radio clients – an approach that allows us to collaborate closely with agencies and planners from the earliest stages of ideation. Our in-house copywriting and production teams are deeply attuned to local culture, dialects and evolving audience expectations, ensuring every radio spot lands with authenticity and precision. In a market such as Saudi Arabia, where cultural awareness isn't just appreciated but expected, we focus on creating contextually rich storytelling that reflects regional values, humour and behavioural trends. We also leverage data-driven insights to inform everything from tone and timing to platform selection, aligning creatives with listener habits and daily media rhythms. Additionally, we stay ahead of shifting media trends by integrating formats such as interactive radio spots, real-time triggers and geo-personalised messaging – ensuring relevance in both content and context. This holistic, insight-led approach helps us deliver culturally aligned radio campaigns that not only support brand narratives but also foster deeper, more meaningful audience engagement. With the media mix shifting toward digital and on-demand platforms, how is radio repositioning itself within the broader advertising and content landscape? Radio is evolving into a dynamic, integrated content platform. We're actively bridging the gap between linear radio and digital engagement by investing in hybrid formats, interactive segments and on-demand content. This transformation enables us to remain top-of-mind for both listeners and advertisers, providing real-time reach with measurable impact – something few mediums can deliver with such immediacy and intimacy. How are you changing your approach to audience measurement, given the increasing need for granular, data-driven insights to attract advertisers? We are enhancing our audience analytics by incorporating more sophisticated data tools and third-party measurement solutions. Our goal is to provide advertisers with deeper insights into listener behaviours, preferences and engagement patterns – allowing for more targeted and effective campaign planning. These insights are increasingly valuable in demonstrating radio's return on investment (ROI) in a highly competitive media environment. What advertising categories are most active across your network, and are you seeing differences in brand demand by region or sector? Our advertising portfolio is remarkably broad, spanning quick-service restaurants (QSRs), fast-moving consumer goods (FMCGs), education, technology and hyperlocal businesses such as restaurants and aggregators. Notably, we're seeing a significant uptick in interest from international brands – largely driven by the success of recent high-performing campaigns. This reflects growing confidence in our platforms' ability to deliver measurable brand lift and localised impact at scale. Can you share an example of a recent brand campaign that really succeeded across your network – and what made it work? A standout example is Starbucks' recent promotional campaign on our network, which offered free coffee to anyone with a car plate containing the number 7. The activation resonated strongly with our audience, went viral across platforms and delivered exceptional footfall and brand visibility. The success underscores radio's enduring power – not just as a legacy medium, but as a vibrant, high-engagement channel for innovative brand storytelling. What are some promising technologies or formats that you see reshaping the radio experience in the region? What content formats are driving the strongest engagement right now? We're witnessing a surge in demand for spotlight formats and segment-based content, particularly in entertainment and sports. Shows such as Dawreena on MBC FM continue to dominate listenership, affirming their influence. Sports, especially football, is proving to be a major growth area. We're actively exploring ways to scale this across all our stations. In terms of technology, we're integrating more interactive and data-driven tools that will allow for better personalisation, greater interactivity and seamless cross-platform engagement. By Fouad Debouk, Audio Growth Senior Manager at MBC Media Solutions (MMS).
Campaign ME
12-03-2025
- Business
- Campaign ME
Podcast: MMS' Elie Raad on how brands can resonate better during Ramadan
On the latest episode of Campaign Middle East's On The Record podcast, Elie Raad, the Content Solutions Director at MBC Media Solutions (MMS) discusses the need for marketers and agency leaders to start planning for their Ramadan content and campaigns much earlier, to focus on investment into creative as much as into performance, and to truly go the extra mile to understand their audiences and the people they partner with. In conversation with Campaign Middle East, Raad answers some tough questions on how CTV is contributing to high-impact campaigns, while bringing marketers' dreams of cross-device targeting, broader reach and better brand and business outcomes to life. Raad shares insights on how brands can be more relevant and resonate better with audiences not only during Ramadan, but also pre-Ramadan, during Eid, as well as in specific moments during the Holy Month. 'What brands haven't been doing in recent years is looking at Ramadan in different stages. Brands always think of moments and the food during Ramadan, but they shouldn't look at the Holy Month as one period and use the same content and communication through the entirety of Ramadan,' Raad says. He explains, 'Brands need to understand their audience behaviours and segregate their communications. In the first week of Ramadan, people are still getting accustomed to fasting, so brands need to be a companion and find ways to make the process easier for people. Mid-Ramadan we see people look forward to family time, iftars, togetherness with colleagues and friends. Towards the end of Ramadan, we see people enjoy the process of gifting, sharing, and contributing to the community.' Raad even goes onto explain that consumer behaviour and purchase patterns change through the day during Ramadan. He says that what people normally do during the day, they start to do during the night through Ramadan. Talking about the effectiveness of CTV in cross-device targeting, Raad says, 'I think CTV holds a unique position as it's consumed across several devices. Every time people are watching it across devices – whether it's on a TV, a tablet, on a laptop or on the phone – we need to the user is in a different mentality. When you're watching CTV on a television, it's usually with a family, friends and there's a sense of togetherness. When you're watching it on a phone or a tablet, you're usually alone and in a more comfortable, relaxed location like in bed. This offers advertisers the opportunity to disseminate that message across different devices in a more personalised and customised manner, while still continuing their storyline and messaging.' Raad also speaks about the boom of content creators and user-generated content – especially during Ramadan – to boost real connections with hyper-local communities, and how premium content not only contributes to brand safety, but makes advertising more organic – rather than forced – by seamlessly integrating brand narratives within premium content. For more such insights from a very intriguing conversation, watch the full video above. CREDITS: Guest: Elie Raad, the Content Solutions Director at MBC Media Solutions (MMS) Host: Anup Oommen, Editor, Campaign Middle East Videography, studio and production: Ahmed Abdelwahab, Studio Manager, Motivate Media Group Editing: John Melencion, Content Producer, Motivate Media Group
Campaign ME
18-02-2025
- Business
- Campaign ME
Localisation: From preaching to living for Ramadan and beyond
On February 7, Campaign Middle East hosted our Breakfast Briefing: Ramadan Advertising and the Year Ahead for Media & Marketing 2025 featuring three engaging panels. The event organised by Motivate Media Group's Campaign Middle East, was held in partnership with Criteo, MBC Media Solutions and Snap Inc. The first panel was an insightful discussion that focused on how brands can approach Ramadan marketing, emphasising the importance of localisation and authenticity. It was moderated by Anup Oommen, Editor of Campaign Middle East, in partnership with MBC Media Solutions. It included speakers: Ana Elisa Seixas , Head of Marketing at New Balance Middle East, Africa & India; , Head of Marketing at Middle East, Africa & India; Hicham Fakhoury, Content Solutions Lead at MBC Media Solutions ; Content Solutions Lead at ; Mahmoud Maghraby, Media Director for MEA and Global Emerging Markets at Mars Middle East & Africa; Media Director for MEA and Global Emerging Markets at Middle East & Africa; Suad Merchant, Head of Brand & Corporate Communications at Mashreq. The panellists discussed the need for brands to fully embrace local cultures and values in their marketing strategies and what it means to be 'local' in the narration of a campaign before creating and selling it to consumers. Localisation, a thumb-stopping solution? Localisation is no longer an optional strategy but an integral part of marketing efforts. The panellists emphasised that effective localisation starts from within, ensuring that brands craft messages that genuinely resonate with their audiences. Fakhoury stressed this point by saying, 'I don't think localisation is a buzzword anymore. It should be a necessity. Otherwise, viewers will tune out from whatever they engage with and they will diffuse your message as a plan or as content that I'll switch off. It's not entertaining.' He highlights how marketing is all about shifting behaviours, with a lot of the initial steps of finding out what works for brands. 'The first step within our content. Does it fit? Are we talking to the right people? Will they be moved by what we are narrating to them? I mean, at the end of the day, we are in shifting behaviour,' If I'm selling you a product, whether entertaining you with comedy then I am aiming to shift your feelings. I need to shift your purchasing behaviour. This is why brands need to be truthful and need to resonate. I mean, if you reach audiences without resonating, you lose all the investment, time and the effort that you put.' Adding to the conversation, Maghraby adds that localisation cannot have a one-size-fits-all approach. 'While there are certain insights and best practices that are relevant across borders, the way we bring that to life matters. It needs to be meaningful and relevant for Saudis, as much as it is for people in the UAE, Brazil, or India, especially in a world where people are more than happy to skip an ad.' He noted that speaking the language of the market leads to higher engagement, stronger brand loyalty, and improved sales. In a crowded space, true localisation is what makes an ad 'thumb-stopping'. Seixas noted how there is a growing demand for content that feels real, relevant, and reflective of local experiences rather than generic messaging that lacks cultural depth. With that said, while localisation is crucial, the panellists cautioned against reducing it to mere Arabisation or superficial cultural cues. Localisation is not Arabisation The panellists agreed that today's consumers are looking for deeper connections with brands, rather than superficial nods to Ramadan. They warned against surface-level marketing tactics that rely on predictable symbols like the crescent moon and lanterns without a deeper narrative. Merchant underscored this point, 'Localisation is not really about Arabisation or using supposedly local images. Marketers must learn to dig deeper, and do their research about the people in the region, about traditions, and about culture – and this is not just for a one-off campaign but should be a critical part of the long-term brand-building process. That's how you connect with the emotions of key audiences, therefore creating consideration, loyalty and advocacy.' Seixas echoed this concern, noting that representation in advertising is still falling short: 'Over the last 20 years, I've seen many things change within marketing, but we're still not getting this concept of localisation right. We still have so-called Emiratis being portrayed in ads who are not Emirati, and any local Emirati can immediately identify that – which means that you've lost your local audience within seconds. We do need to do better.' Stories coming from their own backyard Authenticity was a recurring theme throughout the discussion. The speakers encouraged brands to shift their focus from messaging at audiences to fostering compelling stories that resonate with their audience. Maghraby emphasises the role of creators in this landscape, 'Creators play a huge role in localisation.' User-generated content is synonymous with localisation, and all brands need to be part of this to remain relevant. Seixas comments how creators already have the forum, they have a connection, engagement and a trusted community with their followers, and so to partner with them to deliver brand messages in a relevant meaningful way supports localisation efforts. Fakhoury noted how digital platforms like TikTok and Instagram are powerful opportunities for brands to build real connections. 'People don't want to be talked at; they want to be part of the conversation,' he explained, highlighting the power of user-generated content and influencer collaborations. Merchant brought attention to the balance between tradition and innovation in Ramadan campaigns. While heritage and cultural values remain central to the season, she noted that brands need to evolve with changing consumer behaviours. She cited examples of brands that successfully merged nostalgia with modern technology, such as AI-driven content that revived classic Ramadan moments. Ramadan marketing: 'I shouldn't be saying this' A significant discussion point was the power of purpose-driven marketing. The panel also touched on the immersive nature of Ramadan as a marketing moment. Fakhoury described it as a time when audiences are highly engaged. 'Ramadan is the biggest stage that content producers and brands have the opportunity to reach, a huge number of people that are connected through religion and culture and traditions,' It brings people together—whether around the TV, a campfire, or the dinner table. 'If you sit around campfires, directly our communication shifts to storytelling.' That's why storytelling is so powerful during this season. People expect narratives that reflect their culture, their emotions, and their lived experiences. The speakers shared examples of successful Ramadan campaigns that reinforced that Ramadan is a time of giving and that brands that embrace this philosophy can build stronger emotional connections with their audiences. Seixas and Hisham spilled confidential details about their Ramadan marketing plans, saying, 'I shouldn't be saying this,' and 'I hope we haven't signed an NDA.' They then went on to share their secrets. Catch the full moment at 54:50 in the full video. Final takeaways: Marketing that resonates As the panel wrapped up, the speakers encouraged marketers to go beyond surface-level messaging and truly understand their audience. They emphasised that success in Ramadan marketing comes from authenticity, creativity, and a deep cultural connection. The discussion provided valuable insights for brands looking to engage audiences during the holy month, reinforcing that meaningful storytelling and purpose-driven campaigns are key to standing out.
