Aegis Media announces results from its consumer study for Middle East and North Africa

In doing so, Aegis Media has gained an unrivalled level of insight that moves beyond understanding media consumption: For the first time in the region, CCS has measured consumer interaction with the entire media landscape in a single study and examined how communication channels influence a decision making process across a wide range of specific industries.

As a consequence CCS will help brands understand the most effective touchpoints relevant to their target audience. For example, analysis specific to the FMCG category in the UAE has revealed that in-store media is twice as effective among Non-Arabs (41%) compared to Arabs (20%) in terms of prompting consumers to sample product. And in the telecom sector 25% of Arabs are prompted into action thanks to advertising on social networking sites but for non Arabs the response rate is as low as 4%.

CCS also includes comprehensive data on demographics, lifestyle habits, daily routines and brand information. The result is a far deeper level of actionable insight on attitudes towards specific media channels in the region, thereby introducing greater accountability into any integrated communications plan (ICP) that incorporates bought, owned and earned media channels.

As a result the study dispelled many myths in regards to digital and online communications.

In bought media in KSA for example, advertising through social networking sites is twice as effective, in terms of brand awareness, than advertising via email marketing. However, in the UAE it's the opposite; email advertising is the most effective digital touch point with 24% of the total population remembering brands as a result.

It is no surprise that social networking sites are the most important digital touchpoint, but CCS highlights the need to have social-engagement strategy that is integrated and geared towards generating earned media. For instance in UAE, while 12% of consumers would visit a brand's social networking page, the figure would increase to 43% when the page is specifically recommended by a friend.

And in earned media CCS has the unique ability to identify the 'opinion leaders' in a wide range of consumer categories. For example, in electrical appliances, women, specifically South Asian women, are most likely to be the group which offers advice and shape wider opinion. Whereas in finance, Emirati men are the most likely demographic to offer advice.

Michael Nederlof, CEO of Aegis Media Middle East and North Africa, explains the benefits in more detail, "The breadth and depth of CCS will enable us to identify the most valuable consumer segments for our clients and understand their relationship with any media that can be bought (as in TV advertising or print insertions), owned (as in brand websites) and earned (as in social media, PR and word-of-mouth). With this level of information, Aegis Media can introduce greater precision into its media plans and most importantly, integrate this information with the CCS Planning Tool to ensure an effective campaign is implemented each and every time."

Speaking specifically about the power of CCS, Group Intelligence Director at Aegis Media MENA, Patricia Harrewijn, added, "CCS will uncover nationally-representative insights which are not widely available in this market, especially in relation to digital usage and attitudes; from browsing behaviour across social networking websites to the mobile content that is commonly accessed and the popular applications which are downloaded."

"CCS also has the ability to reveal instant messaging habits and chart popular participation in blogs and on forums. In short, CCS is the first-of-its-kind research tool in the Middle East and North Africa and it will have a profound effect on how we currently develop our media plans at Aegis Media," she added.

Following its launch, the study will be conducted every two years, available for clients working with Aegis Media-owned agencies that include Carat, Isobar and iProspect.