Digital marketing in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is an emerging trend by corporations to push their brands further and gain acceptance into the market. I have selected a customized advertisement adopted by telecommunications company Zain to promote its internet package plan in the Saudi market. As a leading player in the telecommunications industry in the country, the company wanted to push its weekend data offer in an innovative and effective way (Zain, 2018). Therefore, the business entity entered a collaboration with Google as they analyzed the video content internet users viewed on YouTube and used two video teasers on the consumer before availing the offer video. The goal of the advertisement by Zain in Saudi Arabia was to push the telecommunication firm’s weekend data offer in an innovative and creative way.

Method of Digital Advertisement

Zain telecommunications used two google technology platform when launching the campaign: Vogon and google ads. The former is a Google tool which allows a particular brand to implant audio, text or images on YouTube videos to create an indefinite number of variations (Google, 2017). The Vogon tool allowed the Zain Corporation in Saudi Arabia to modify the video advertisement content to target specific industries. The Google Ads tool, on the other hand, was essential for enabling the application to sequence various videos to the targeted market (Google, 2017). The majority of the target market targeted by the telecommunication firm was the youth population who form about 70% of the total population in the country (World Bank, 2018). Also, the youth spend close to fifteen hours every day on the internet (World Bank, 2018). Through the use of the two Google tools, Zain was able to customize the message of their advertisements and push it in a dynamic way to achieve a high impact in a manner which was cost effective. Customizing the message using the Vogon google tools allowed Zain to promote its products creatively, while the Google Ads reinforced the message to make it effective towards achieving the goals of the brand.

For the Zain digital advertisement to be successful, it was critical for the firm to find a method of identifying the top trending content on YouTube in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.  Google helped identify the most popular videos within the Middle East country at the time, which Zain used to create market segmentation (Google, 2017). The telecommunication provider categorized the market into cars, sports, music, and so forth and formulated customized content relevant to each of the segments. Using a single base video font and jingle, Zain used Vogon to generate about 70 videos (Google, 2017). The advertisement model infused creativity and innovativeness to reach as many people as possible in the Saudi Arabian telecommunications market.

The partnership with Google Inc. was crucial towards making the customized digital marketing tools used by Zain successful. The Sequencing tool obtained from the American multinational technology company was utilized to create an exciting video journey for the user. Zain mapped the videos produced in Vogon to show across 70 advertisements in the Google Ads (Google, 2017). Also, the telecommunication company enlisted the services of Mindshare, a media agency partner to streamline the level of targeting. Mindshare achieved sophisticated targeting through optimizing the advertisement campaigns on a granular and contextual level (Google, 2017). Innovation was at the heart of the Zain digital advertisement which was made possible by the partnerships fostered through collaborations with Google and Mindshare.

Working with other technology companies made the digital advertisement exercise financially viable. The telecommunications provider estimated the total cost of making 70 videos to $140,000, which was economically unviable. Using Vogon proved to be a creative solution, as the tool allowed Zain to reach over 2.5 million customers at a frequency of five (Google, 2017). The brand offer marketed on digital platforms by Zain was also effective, as evidenced with the reported 50% uplift in the brand search queries generated in the first seven days of the campaign launch. Overall, the Zain internet offer was well received by the Saudi Arabian market in a cost-efficient manner (Google, 2017). Also, the use of various technology partners to push its message through digital advertisement proved innovative and effective for reaching the high number of customers.

The Zain campaign was a success due to the approach adopted by the firm. By monitoring the trends in the type of videos which the target market viewed on popular sites such as YouTube, the telecommunication company was able to customize its message to meet the needs of the customer. The messages were first sent as a teaser, to get the attention of the viewer without appearing a nuisance. The latter, while nearing the completion of the video, another short teaser appeared, this time more interesting and creative. Finally, when the viewer finished the video, the brand targeted them with a tailored message, inviting them to try their package on internet access. For the model of digital advertisement to work, Zain telecommunications had to inject elements of creativity to deliver a captivating message to the target consumer (Google, 2017). Also, the nature of the advertisement demanded the use of numerous video clips to convince the customer to try their brand. The method of marketing proved a success since all the telecommunications provider solicited the expertise of different companies to help make the dream a reality. Devising a method of making the digital content to reach many people at the same time in a manner which was cost-effective was critical to the success of the marketing strategy.

Conclusion

The goal of Zain Corporation in the Saudi Arabian market was to push its weekend data plan in an innovative, creative and effective way. The company enlisted the support of a number of technology companies in the country to facilitate the implementation strategy. The brand aimed to target the young Saudis in the telecommunication industry with their digital marketing. To effectively achieve the purpose, Zain used Google tools such as Vogon and Google ads to segment the market for easier identification of marketing promotional messages. Also, the company enlisted the support of Vogon to reduce on costs of making and sequentially distributing video clips which were to be used in the advertisement process. Eventually, the brand succeeded in achieving a substantial market recognition for its products as evidenced by the upward surge in the inquiries made by interested consumers. Also, the use of media agency firm Mindshare helped Zain streamline its video targeting so that it targeted its content to a specific market segment. The use of various technology firms by Zain to achieve its market goals contributed to enhancing the message, reduced the costs associated with the advertisement and reached specific members of the target market.

References

Google. (December 2017). Case Study: Zain’s Powerful Customized Ad Campaign. Think with Google. Retrieved from: https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/intl/en-145/success-stories/local-case-studies/zain-case-study/. Accessed on: 11^th December 2018.

World Bank. (2018). Saudi Arabia. World Bank Group. Retrieved from: https://data.worldbank.org/country/saudi-arabia. Accessed on: Accessed on 11^th December 2018.

Zain. (2018). Zain. Zain. Retrieved from: https://www.sa.zain.com/auto forms/portal/site/personal?AF_language=en&gclid=Cj0KCQiAurjgBRCqARIsAD09sg_hZ9w7kfln7uwuEnfHEs-Qz9CM0IwYp1-gF3wfpcDzMOOame9injkaAu9WEALw_wcB. Accessed on 11^th December, 2018.