Addressing 'Generation Y' forum, MBC Group Director highlights importance of engaging with Arab youth

Mazen Hayek, MBC Group Director of Marketing, PR and Commercial, participated as a panel member at the Middle East's premier youth marketing forum.

"As the region's premier broadcaster, MBC has succeeded in developing a bouquet of generic and thematic channels with a relevant entertainment offering for everyone, from families, to movie buffs, to kids, to the new Arab woman, to active male youth, to news devotees," comments Mazen Hayek.

"Arab youth are the heartbeat and future of Arab society. They represent a vast pool of talent, skills, ideas and potential for the Arab world to harness. As the fastest growing segment of the population they are characterised by a strong sense of identity and purpose. The challenge for Arab media is to foster youth with the aim to help contribute to building a knowledge culture.

"It's obvious Arab youth love to spend quality time with TV, engaging and interacting with programs and content. Consequently, we owe them the best in brand positioning, sharp targeting, quality content, clever scheduling, and great packaging," continues Hayek.

"Our advertising partners realise the full potential of the connection between media and youth, hence they look to nurture sustained relationships. They recognise the need to connect by getting high ROI and value for ad spend, but also by exploring non-conventional means of brand exposure."

During the panel discussion, Hayek highlighted the phenomenal success of MBC Action, showcasing it as a reference in marketing and addressing the entertainment needs of youth.

"MBC Action has proved that it's still possible to build a very strong youth brand on TV. We created a brand with an unstoppable personality, backed by top content, packaged in a channel environment that feels like home: catering to the high-octane aspirations of Generation Y, and we've been rewarded by unparalleled ratings performance, rating consistently in the top ten pan-Arab channels," concludes Hayek.