Seamless Middle East Exhibition 2023: Key Takeaways
From 23-24th May 2023 thousands of pioneering minds met and mingled to discuss the topic of “The Future of Digital Marketing”. At Zodiac Global, we feel incredibly lucky to have attended and learnt from the past few days. We are of course talking about the Seamless Middle East Exhibition. Hosted in the Dubai World Trade centre, we attended the Middle East’s largest and longest running conference where there are nine different content themes; Banking, E-commerce, Fintech, Home Delivery, Retail, Identity, Payments, BNPL & Lending and Digital Marketing.
At Zodiac Global, we have focussed our attention on the Digital Marketing stands and talks as that’s kinda our thing. But, we heard that the other content themes were also exhibited really well. At the Seamless Digital Marketing event they recognised the power of tech developments in the last decade and the exhibition was centred around to understanding that social media, analytics, automation and big data have changed the game. They used this conference to showcase the latest trends and marketing technology. I’ll now draw your attention to some of the key takeaways that we got from the conference.
TikTok is a powerhouse for advertising
Why is it important to advertise on TikTok?
Tik Tok is undeniably one of the largest platforms available, since its release on the global market in 2017 it has consistently gained popularity quicker than any other social media platform. TikTok beat Google and Facebook in 2021 for the title of most visited website online. It is clear that this is a platform that businesses need to be thinking about advertising on.
What was the panel discussion about?
The Seamless event featured a TikTok for businesses MENA boot camp that promised to teach business leaders everything they need to know about advertising on TikTok – the Gen-Z loved platform. They talked through how to set up an Ads manager account on the platform and what steps they would advise taking to create a campaign.
What did we learn?
Here we learnt some incredible statistics about the effectiveness of TikTok advertising like the fact that it offers 2-3x higher sales effectiveness on average than other media. In addition to this they claimed that TikTok ranks no.1 in the world on Ad Equity. It seems that TikTok is a powerhouse for advertising and should not be underestimated.
How do you make content that GenZ love?
Who spoke at the panel?
We listened to an excellent panel discussion where three experienced individuals discussed creating content that resonates with GenZ. The speakers were Jeremy Jauncey, Founder & CEO, Beautiful Destinations; Marjorie Balomaga, Assistant Marketing Manager – Social & Digital, Madinat Jumeirah Resort; Yusuf Omar, Co-founder, Seen (Rebranded from Hashtag Our Stories).
Why is important to market to Gen-Z?
It’s important to market to GenZ because in 2020 they made up 32% of the global population. Utilising influencer marketing is especially important as they value this type of marketing more than any other generation. GenZ place lots of trust the recommendations of their favourite influencers.
In the panel discussion they spoke about covered how GenZ resonates with content and advertising differently to other, older generations. One key thing to remember is that they are smarter in spotting and recognising advertisements and are savvy in what they choose to skip over.
This is why user generated content is so important, GenZ will typically skip over brand posted content but are much more likely to watch content created by users and influencers. User generated content provides social proof that your product or service is genuine and desirable.
How do you create content that GenZ will love?
Creating content to appeal to GenZ includes using short form video content such as instagram reels or TikTok videos. In these videos, to resonate with this audience, show that your brands values align with the values of this generation.
It appears that GenZ value:
- Making a difference.
- Community.
- Experiences over material things.
- Eco-friendly products.
- Aesthetic content.
Eco-friendly products are actually a particularly important consideration as over 60% of Gen-Z consumers say they prefer to pay for eco-friendly products.
We had a great time and learned a lot
At Zodiac Global, we attended the Seamless Digital Marketing Event and it was an incredible experience. The event showcased the latest trends in the marketing world and brought to light the importance of understanding which platforms are important and the importance of understanding your audience.
We enjoyed connecting with industry leaders and sharing out ideas and insights. Our team thoroughly enjoyed listening to the speakers and left the event feeling educated and inspired.
We can’t wait to attend the next digital marketing event!
Reach out to Zodiac Global here to find out how we can help you align your brand with the stars. Or if you’re an influencer, reach out to us for influencer management assistance.
