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Waleed El Essawey, Managing Director at MBC Media Solutions Egypt (aka MMS - the media arm of MBC Group), offers key insights for effective brand integration and reach within the thriving media & entertainment sector of Egypt.
The Egyptian media and entertainment sector is a thriving one that impacts not only Egyptian viewers but those in the Arab world as a whole.
The region grew up watching their favorite Egyptian actors in movies, series, and plays that have touched their lives. Fast forward to today and the same is still true— though now, people have more flexibility to watch wherever they are and whenever they want.
Over the years, technological advancements have brought along social media, digital and streaming platforms, giving viewers the freedom to watch at their own time and whatever platform they prefer.
Though studies have found that broadcast TV still reaches more viewers than digital video in Egypt, it is important for brands to adopt cross-platform integration, to amplify their reach and conversion and strengthen their connection with viewers.
Insights from MBC GROUP’s Shahid VOD Platform show that of the active users in Egypt, which reaches more than 7.3 million users in Ramadan, 80% watch MBC’s premium Arabic content on their mobile phones.
Therefore, it is imperative for brands to engage with their audiences across multiple devices, to expand their marketing efforts by reaching their customers at every touchpoint. At MMS, we help them do just that through our suite of innovative solutions across TV, VOD & social media to name a few.
Moreover, we found that 68 per cent of these users were watching Egyptian dialect shows, indicating that viewers are looking to watch locally produced content that is familiar to them, and that they can relate to. An example of this is ‘West Al Balad’, the first Egyptian soap opera that is quickly becoming a hit and is airing on both MBC MASR and MBC GROUP’s VOD platform Shahid.
This trend is true for audiences across the region, who want to see themselves represented in the content they watch.
Brands should also keep this in mind when crafting their ads. Making sure that their ads are relatable, emotive and inclusive ensures that they connect with their audiences, and so achieve their marketing goals.
Brand integration is an effective way to do this in an unobtrusive way and without interrupting viewers while watching their favorite shows. Realizing the power of brand integration and to meet the high demand for brand integration solutions, we at MMS have developed various high-quality new formats using 3D graphic technologies and flexible brand integration opportunities.
We are always working closely with our clients to deliver the best and most innovative solutions out there, to solve their marketing challenges and to meet their needs by introducing innovative ad formats across TV, social media, digital, Shahid and much more. We’ve also been diversifying our partnerships, renewing partnership with social media platforms like Snapchat and Twitter, to make MBC Group’s premium content available for brands to leverage on these channels.
We strive to provide solutions that rely on content excellence, data-driven thinking, and partnership-led solutions to help brands attain their goals by leveraging the scale of MBC GROUP’s ecosystem in the best and most efficient way possible.
Believing in the impact of the media and entertainment sector in Egypt, MMS has set up an office in Cairo to offer our expertise to clients through our suite of tailored, innovative and creative solutions that engage with their audiences across MBC GROUP’s ecosystem.
Our teams on ground in Egypt aim to build relations with local brands through adopting an inclusive approach that encompasses all businesses, from SMEs or large multinationals, by creating customized offerings that address their specific challenges to help them successfully implement TV, radio and digital solution investments that maximize their return on media investment.
These unique solutions ultimately aim to effectively connect brands with their audiences in a seamless and innovative way.
