Elie Khouri, CEO of Omnicom Media Group MENA, shares his take on the 15 trends that will count in 2015. These include moderate growth, the significance of emerging markets, data-empowered marketers, the transformation of the media agency, digital as the main act and more.

1. 04❘28.09.14
If things have
tended to move
slowly in the
region, the
most significant
trends I am
watching are
about speed
15for‘15
ElieKhouriOmnicomMediaGroup
I
t’s never too early to peek
into the future; in fact we
should never stop doing so.
The more aware we are
about what’s around the cor-
ner, the better prepared we
canbe.Hereisapersonaltake
on the most significant
trends that will shape the
comingyear.
1.Steadyasshegoes
Not so long ago, we could
flaunt double-digit growth
ratesasabadgeofsuccess.Yet,
it seems so far away. Today,
low single-digit increases are
as common here as they are in
more mature markets, re-
flecting a more measured ap-
proach by companies on the
ground, more conservative
allocations from global HQs
and a stronger focus on digi-
tal. This doesn’t mean the
growth targets are any lower
though and the mandate is to
do more with the same or,
sometimes,evenless.
2.Lookingbeyond
theobvious
In population and spending
powerterms,SaudiArabiare-
mains the region’s power-
house and the focus of atten-
tionforconsumerbrands.Yet,
other markets, such as Iran,
Iraq and Egypt, will become
more and more significant in
companies’ future plans.
They all come with their
unique challenges, be they
political or economic, but
brand owners are looking to
maximise growth and miti-
gate risk by exploring multi-
ple emerging opportunities
intheregion.
3.Data-empoweredmarketers
Marketers’ ambition is in-
creasingly to enhance corpo-
rate agility, detecting trends
and reacting in real-time,
planning on the present or
eventhefutureratherthanon
the basis of historical data.
Empoweredbydataandtech-
nology, they aim to capitalise
on every opportunity to per-
form better.The dream of re-
movingtheuncertaintyabout
which part of the marketing
budget is not performing is
fastturningintoreality.
4.Thetransforming
mediaagency
To help marketers realise this
ambition, media agencies
haveakeyroletoplay. Infact,
they have several.As curators
of trends, analysts of data,
writers of strategies, manag-
ers of investments, program-
mers of algorithms, produc-
ers of content and developers
of innovations, we are now
less in media and more in
marketing services. We are
at the crossroads of the
marketing industry, aggre-
gating all the skills clients
need to realise their ambi-
tions. Blending ‘mad men’
with ‘math men’, ‘media’
agencies are best placed to
lead in this new order
where medium and message
are as intertwined as data
andcontent.
5. Not a sideshow but the
mainact
Thefactthattheshareofdigi-
tal investments is growing
and at a quickening pace will
surprise no one. The scale
might. Next year, we antici-
pate it will represent close to
20 per cent of total net bill-
ings,growing not only in vol-
ume and value but also so-
phistication. Clients are
becomingmoreandmoread-
venturous, buoyed by the ef-
fectiveness of their past inno-
vations and the massive
appeal of social media plat-
forms in the region. By 2018,
digital is expected to capture
aboutonethirdoftheregion’s
advertisingbudgets.
6.Theshiftingbalance
ofpower
The rising weight of digital
media, as well as the consoli-
dation of investments into a
handfulofsuppliers,willkeep
on altering the dynamics of
our media market. Digital gi-
ants are now competing with
TV and print heavyweights,
stimulatingthedigitisationof
traditional media groups. As
we’ve seen in other sectors,
digital technology is leading
to disintermediation, en-
abling companies to bypass
intermediaries to go directly
to their customers. In the ad-
vertising industry, it allows
mediaownerstoprovidetheir
services directly to brand
owners. This may work for
smalleradvertisers,butlarger
ones still need independent
partners to manage more
complex and advanced re-
quirements.You can’t replace
neutral and platform-agnos-
ticadvicewithsimpletransac-
tionswithonevehicle.
7.Thevalueofdata
The power is shifting to the
providers and analysts of the
data our digitised lives are
generating.Morethandata,it
is important to focus on the
ability to identify the impor-
tant and meaningful connec-
tions, the ones that make the
difference between a good
decision and a bad one. Even
more than that, it is the speed
at which we react to the
emerging trends impacting
our clients’ brands that mat-
ters. Up until recently, media
performance was the key ob-
jective media agencies and
clients shared, when in fact it
is business performance, in-
cluding brand health,that re-
ally counts. Instead of using
proxy media measures, our
mission is to demonstrably
improve business KPIs and
we’ve made exciting progress
in this area. The multiplica-
tion of channels, disciplines
and metrics makes getting a
holistic view increasingly
complex, so advertisers look
to us for ways to aggregate
andexploitdatainameaning-
ful and effi-cient way. More
and more, we will be evaluat-
ed on our ability to demon-
strate the business impact of
our strategies and campaigns,
right down to the last click or
transaction.
8.Automationwillmakeus
morecreative
The automated buying of
digital advertising at scale, a
human-guided process that
combines machine-based
transactions, data and algo-
rithms,is proving increasing-
ly popular as it is based on in-
telligence garnered from
centralized data. Together
with the dynamic pricing
of real-time bidding or
without it, programmatic
saves us all valuable time
while freeing up human re-
sources to focus on being
more creative and producing
more deeply engaging and
lastingexperiences.
9.ContentxDatax
Technology=Context
The impact of data is also felt
in content. Though unlikely
bedfellows, together they
allow brand messages to ap-
pearinthemostvaluablecon-
text possible.Weaved togeth-
er through the technology of
data management platforms
(DMP), we apply the value of
data to content production,
creating more and more tai-
lored brand experiences, in-
creasingly in real time. Our
first steps in this field are
hugely exciting and more will
follow. We’re already work-
ing on predictive models and
approaches.
10.Targetingtheindividualon
amassivescale
After sharing their thoughts
on social media, consumers
are now able to share their
biometric data. Wearable
technology will add yet an-
other layer of information,
increasinglypersonal,withall
the anxiety about privacy that
this causes. Yet, the value to
consumers will see their
adoption rise and allow
brands to eventually tailor
communications right down
totheindividualinrealtime.
11.Sharingisthenewblack
Even here in the Middle East,
we’restartingtoseetheemer-
gence of a sharing economy,
allowing individuals and
companies to share resources
and assets. There are some
early movers in the region,
often inspired by popular
global formats, and it’s likely
more will follow. Driven by
the search for cost-efficiency
or a more altruistic environ-
mental concern, this trend
will force brands to consider

2. 28.09.14❘05
the role they play in this new
environment,particularlyifit
becomes as significant as it
haselsewhere.
12.Smallscreen,bigimpact
Mobile technology has cer-
tainly freed up media
consumption, allowing con-
sumers to have the world
in their pocket. Be they
mobile phones,smartphones,
phablets,tabletsornowwear-
ables, these devices are en-
abling a new lifestyle without
limits, quietly changing con-
sumption patterns. Every-
thing is commented on,com-
pared and even bought at the
touch of an index finger. In
2015, m-commerce in the re-
gion is expected to represent
$5 billion, a third of the total
e-commerce market. To
fully capitalise on this oppor-
tunity, it won’t be about sim-
ply being accessible through
mobile devices but having a
dedicated and relevant mo-
bile experience ready. The
roleofmobileinthepurchase
cycleisgrowingandwillforce
retailers to rethink their cus-
tomerexperience.Elsewhere,
stores are gradually turning
into showrooms or collection
points. Here, they’re still a
fav-orite form of entertain-
ment, but the experience
won’tgountouched.
13.Nomediumisanisland
We have long detected the
concurrent consumption of
media across devices, a trend
that is becoming more and
more pronounced. Today,
over 80 per cent of Saudi and
UAE smartphone owners use
their devices while watching
TV,overathirdwhileontheir
computers. This split atten-
tion creates both challenges
and opportunities, as we have
to consider these interactions
rather than treating each me-
dium in virtual isolation.
Audience measurement stud-
ies, particularly single-media
ones,havealongwaytogobe-
fore they actually reflect the
real world. Video neutral
planning is a reality and new
technologies will allow us to
increase reach by placing ads
onTV and tablets at the same
time or ambush competitors
bytargetingtheirads.
14.Thevalueofprinciples
When most decisions balance
therationalwiththeemotion-
al, authenticity and ethics can
make all the difference.Stake-
holders resonate better with
principled businesses in this
age of growing transparency.
Our own experience shows us
that talent, as well as clients,
also make career or business
decisions on similar princi-
ples. Being a good corporate
citizen is no longer a soft KPI,
just for show, but rather is a
crucial differentiator, as long
as the move is genuine. In the
years ahead,sustainability will
become an intrinsic part of
corporate culture, rather than
a mere allocation in the mar-
ketingbudget.
15.Thevalueofart
In this challenging world, we
can all do with a breath of
fresh air. We’ve chosen art in
the workplace. It comes with
the added benefit of boosting
creativity, stimulating imagi-
nation and creating engage-
ment with staff and clients.
Who knows,besides being an
investment in the future,
maybe the rising value of art
will be a beautiful way to soft-
entheimpactofshrinkingcli-
entfees…
These 15 trends are a selec-
tion from a far bigger list
of meaningful trends on
which we are keeping an
eye. Whether we look at the
economies of our region,
its consumers and their
priorities, cultural shifts,
the impact of technologies
or the evolving media land-
scape, it’s obvious nothing
ever stands still. Neither
should we because that’s the
bestwaytofallbehind.
Elie Khouri is the CEO of
Omnicom Media Group
MENA
Khouri... ‘The dream of removing the uncertainty about which part of the marketing budget is not performing is fast turning into reality’