Reaching teens and young adults in the Middle East (page 2 of 2)

Sites such as 6arab.com and Mazika.com feature the leading Arab singers and mp3 downloads and are attracting the Arab youth audiences in droves. If you are looking for a more diverse group, then sites like mumtazz.com and timeoutdubai.com are certainly worth investigating.

For marketers opting for portal placements, a viral marketing feature should be top of mind. Jupiter Research recently found in its report "younger consumers are more apt to share online info -- including marketing info -- with others online." Researchers have named "buzz" and word-of-mouth marketing important to this segment.

Think Chat
If there is one thing that brings generation-Y consumers online in this region, then it is the ability to connect with others through the net. This becomes even more significant when regional sensibilities and conservatism is thrown into the equation.

Youth segments in this region are spending countless hours in chat rooms and on forums, discussing anything from relationships to religion. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that this may provide a brand with a captive environment to build the brand.

Finally there's this little channel we the industry often refer to as "Out-of-Browser" advertising or more commonly known as Instant chat. Instant chat's introduction caused a near revolution across both teenagers and adults alike.

Currently over 1.5 million consumers within the Middle East log-in to MSN Messenger every day and this provides a couple choice advertising options complete with high interactivity averages. Compare the size of this audience with any regional newspaper circulation and it becomes clear that online has progressed beyond the niche reach that marketers often attribute to it.