Lebanon is collectively known as a progressive country with an agenda for keeping cutting edge. This is true for all things in the name of fashion and lifestyle for those in the Mediterranean who have not witnessed it first hand. However, where Lebanon excels in style, it lacks in other domains, say Digital Advertising. If we dig a little deeper, we notice that the culprit lies in technology and the staggering slow adoption of broadband Internet. To date, only about 25-28% of the Lebanese population is online. Quite notably however, the ratio between total population to online population in Lebanon is highest among all neighboring regions in the Levant. This is promising.
Now onto the state of interactive communications in Lebanon. I have one word for you: Facebook. Ah yes, a penny for the amount of times a client has requested their banner go on Facebook. And that’s the extent of it for the most part. In truth, I do not blame them, as Facebook is the most frequented website in Lebanon. It’s where you can reach the majority of that 25-30% online population pie.
The truth of the matter is that web 2.0 in all its digital glory is not confined to a 728 x 90 at $2 CPM on Facebook. Web 2.0 extends to the intricate details of design, micro-interactions, viral, usability, measurement and more. The moment businesses start to realize this; the more their branding power is realized. Not to negate Facebook, but this predominately used banner strategy in Lebanon isn’t quite the strategy myself or others in my domain have in mind. A social web strategy should start and often end with the dialogue, not the monologue. It’s about leveraging social media such as Twitter, Facebook, Digg and YouTube to act in tandem with offline communications. Where TV plays wonderfully in the realm of brand awareness, digital fulfils the ever so hard to achieve brand consideration. Facebook and other website banners don’t cut it alone.
In essence it’s about educating the client about the opportunities to reach consumers at their touch points before yielding to the almighty banner. Slowly but surely we are seeing evolving media in Lebanon. This year JWT Beirut took home two MENA Cyber Cristal awards for interactive work done for Nokia and Diageo. The campaigns were fun, out of the box and most of all engaging.
Lebanon is slowly creeping its way up to a level playing field when it comes to digital. We’re witnessing solid partnerships between agencies such as Saatchi and interactive design houses such as Koein for noteworthy web design work. We are also seeing an up rise in independent interactive agencies such as Crea8mania, Element C2 and Born Interactive. Impact BBDO has recently pushed forward with an online department of their own, headed by yours truly. It’s a (bull) market worth watching.
Mona Chammas
More than a career, Mona¹s passion for all things Web 2.0 and beyond is indicated via her active online lifestyle including a personal blog (www.thisismona.com), which was featured in March¹s edition of ArabAd, and an account on Twitter (@mmonaa)
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