Page 18 - Gulf Marketing Review

C O V E R S T O R Y

“Instead of high hopes,
as was the case in 2017,
I’m having moderate
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THE CHALLENGE IS HOW MUCH
CLIENTS ARE WILLING TO SPEND

Abed Bibi, former CMO, Meraas, and co-founder, yougotagift.com

I agree there have been many challenges from conventional to digital media. I
marketers had to face last year. Many of these think the trend will continue in 2018,
challenges were related to planning a holistic as brands are finding it easier to reach out marketers about the arduousness of achieving
customer-retention strategy for a brand or to to their target consumer faster than before. set marketing goals.
re-position a company. Marketers had to confront In line with consumer preferences, the Hopefully, 2018 should turn out to be
the truth that the effectiveness of a campaign conventional ad budgets are also making a better, as I’ve scaled down expectations,
is more than the creative or the advertising shift towards digital, making it the primary which means better results. Instead of high
part, and there’s a bigger front to explore, i.e., focus of any marketing plan. hopes, as was the case in 2017, I’m having
social media and digital media, which form Not many of my expectations came true, moderate expectations this year.
the biggest slice of the cake. actually, and I’m sure this to have been the The challenge [in 2018] is how much clients
In 2018, we will face a lot of new challenges case with many of my peers. are willing to spend on campaigns. Another
and as many changes. This will necessitate My expectation was that the second half challenge is for people to keep their jobs safe
marketing to change, both in terms of strategy of 2017 could pick up, which would encourage in this uncertain environment. The last, but
and execution, which will affect the businesses positive sentiment among marketers and definitely not the least, is VAT and how it will
as a whole. businesses. However, that was not the way impact clients.
One of the most noticeable trends of 2017 the second half turned out. On the contrary, (Bibi spoke to GMR at the Hanson Search
was that more and more consumers are moving there was an increasing realisation among Breakfast Panel Event held recently in Dubai.)

18 I GULF MARKETING REVIEW I DECEMBER 2017/FEBRUARY 2018