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Working in an exclusive partnership with GlobalWebIndex, Vivaki’s research and analysis company, Business Compass, have launched the world’s most detailed internet research project - the GlobalWebIndex in the Saudi Arabian market. To celebrate the launch they have developed an infographic that explores, in detail, the behavior of Saudi Arabia’s nine million internet users. This research provides the most in-depth understanding of the impact of the internet in the Middle East to date.
 
Click here to find the infographic at Communicate's online Data Center.

As Tom Smith, CEO of GlobalWebIndex explains, “This is a region with very limited internet research and we are excited to provide the most in-depth insight of the Saudi Internet consumer ever compiled, and in particular to show how their behaviour benchmarks with the rest of the world. The GlobalWebIndex data enables our clients to deliver local, regional & global campaigns and our partnership puts Vivaki in a unique position against regional agencies, to the benefit of brands operating within the region.”

Racha Makarem, General Manager MENA, Business Compass adds, ‘As Internet advertising continues to grow in the region, investing in research that provides in-depth insight and comprehensive understanding of consumer behavior is inevitable and necessary, and ensures that our planners are in tune with trends that are relevant to both our regional and global clients. As we continue to deliver value to clients across our network, GWI’s experience makes them the right choice for this exclusive partnership.’

The detailed infographic insight report includes global benchmarks and offers an overview of the internet market in Saudi Arabia, an exploration of consumers’ internet and social media behaviour and motivations, an insight into key web brands, and an assessment of the marketing implications these create. With access to the corresponding data from other regions, GWI and Business Compass are able to make global comparisons in areas such as social network growth and network behavior. Their data reveals that users across the world are very different in how they utilise their network. For example, there is more focus on messaging and less on content-sharing in established markets like the US and UK, but more focus on content and groups in fast growing markets.

Interestingly, several differences stand out when comparing Saudi Arabia’s data to the rest of the world, “we found that most of Saudi Arabia’s online community is young, well-educated and male,” adds Makarem. “Which in itself challenges the misconception that clients have in the region about the profile and background of users”. These Saudi users have a markedly different profile from the average global internet user and social networker. A few key distinctions include the fact that they are far more active in voicing their opinions on-line and are more than twice as likely to upload videos on-line than the global average. “What’s most interesting of all is the internet consumption vs. TV consumption figures,” added Makarem, “where nearly twice as many internet users are online more than 3 hours a day as watch more than 3 hours of TV.”

As Rayan Karaky, GM of Vivaki Digital states, “it’s a bit Ironic that despite our belief that harnessing data will dictate the success of the digital media industry and yet we find a huge lack in the basic understanding of how users approach the digital environment. We can’t afford a sit and wait attitude for data to come, so to us this is a first step towards truly delivering addressable media solutions to our clients, and there is a lot more to be done.”

The opportunities and threats revealed by the research are of key interest to marketers in the region, and Vivaki are excited to be able to share their findings with their clients. Karaky continues, “If social media can bring down regimes, I can only imagine what it could do to brands, you can try and ignore it, it will not ignore you; we are not willing to spend one more time explaining the importance of social media, if some don’t see it they never will; We are pressing ahead with data and a deeper understanding of the space, that’s what our clients want or will want. We have to be ready, our business depends on it.”

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