CAIRO: Mobile advertising is exhibiting strong potential in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, with 64 percent of respondents believing it will mirror the successes of internet advertising, finds a survey conducted by Acision, a leader in intuitive messaging, intelligent charging, and content enablement. The survey revealed that mobile advertising was already taking hold in the region, with 48 percent of those sampled saying they received mobile ads two to four times a week. The survey, however, revealed that regional consumers are demanding ads that are both relevant and engaging. The majority of respondents said operators needed to study their databases before sending out SMS ads, ensuring that they were relevant to the audience. An Arabic SMS ad, for example, should not be sent to a non-Arabic speaker because irrelevant ads are deleted immediately. Three hundred samples were taken in the Mobile Advertising Survey from across the region in a bid to improve mobile advertising in the region and tackle challenges mobile operators face when offering the service. "The survey results indicate a promising future in the region, said Nabil Khalil, managing director of Acision in the MENA region. "Mobile advertising offers significant opportunities for precise targeting across all mobile data channels, along with the ability to provide users with highly personalized services. The key is keeping things lively and relevant, objectives that we at Acision work hard to achieve. According to the survey, the preferred form of mobile advertising is through text messaging as opposed to visual. Around 18 percent of respondents specified that there was a need for advertisers to engage in more creative ads to capture the attention of consumers through multimedia messaging. Those who believe mobile ads will take off in the region explained the medium would thrive because it is "hip. The survey also finds that an opt-out facility is another issue mobile operators need to address, as 65 percent of respondents are not aware of the opt-in or opt-out nature of mobile advertising. Moreover, those interested receiving mobile ads preferred receiving special offers and targeted information. Acision allows mobile operators to generate advertising revenues, independent of third parties such as internet-based advertising brokers. Acision goes beyond the current limitations of SMS-push or mobile internet-based advertising and enables operators to insert advertising into any existing IT or communications event. The company has partnered with high volume mobile data services for the region's leading telecom operators, such as Zain, Qtel, and Oman Mobile, among others. Over 50 percent of global messaging traffic is generated through its platform
