Saudi companies in race for on-line exposure

With the Saudi economy booming, boosted by government initiatives to accelerate non-oil-related sector growth, an increasing number of companies are looking to establish bases in the Kingdom, and a large percentage are looking to achieve greater exposure through online channels.

AME Info is the natural choice for companies determined to increase their internet presence in the Middle East. The online business resource, which has an Arabic language and English language version, currently carries more than 50,000 news articles as well as full contact and activity details of more than 200,000 companies from 14 countries across the Middle East. With daily news updates categorized according to vertical markets, video and audio features, specialist commentary on the Middle East's financial markets and contributions from guest writers, AME Info offers a comprehensive analysis of business development and activities.

Lars B. Nielsen, AME Info's Vice President of Sales & Marketing, and one of the company's co-founders, commented: "Investments in Saudi's non-oil economy have more than doubled in the last ten years and businesses across all vertical sectors are establishing bases here. As internet use matures here, it is only natural that these companies want to use on-line channels to reach their target audiences. With MIS Gulf's unmatched experience and local knowledge, we feel that AME Info will be able to attract a large bulk of this advertising spend."

AME Info's attractiveness to advertisers has recently been strengthened by the recent publication of the company's first e-audit, carried out by the London-based Audit Bureau of Circulation Electronic (ABCE). The audit, the first known survey of a Middle East website, revealed that AME Info had 236,238 unique users and 2,349,226 page impressions in May, putting the site alongside leading Middle East newspapers in terms of audience reach, despite being focused exclusively on the business segment.

"With an increasing amount of investment in the Saudi market coming from overseas, marketing professionals are demanding far greater levels of insight into the regional media than has previously been the case," said Karim El Kassir, Account Manager, MIS Gulf. "The fact that AME Info is independently audited means that companies are able to fully justify their advertising spend - they have a clear indication of what they receive in return. This practice is common in places like New York and London, but previously unknown in the pan-Arab world. At MIS Gulf we have no doubt that the AME Info brand is an incredibly strong proposition for Saudi advertisers."

AME Info's information resource website also records more than 60,000 subscribers for its personalised "My AME Info" service - providing users with the benefits of instant e-mail news updates and contact information for listed companies, and exclusive interviews with senior executives.