As part of this year’s SpotLite Magazine, we sat down with Ahmed Emam, Chief Sales Officer at BackLite, to discuss the UAE’s out-of-home market and what trends he expects to see in the near future. Here’s what he had to say.
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What interesting market trends did the out-of-home media industry see in 2022?

The OOH industry is seeing a strong recovery after the slowdown driven by COVID. In 2022 the tendency to go more on Digital-Out-of-Home (DOOH) was very obviously amplified by BackLite’s introduction to world-class stunning DOOH media solutions such as The Triple Crown, The Gateway, and Al Jawhara in Dubai. In addition, Forced Perspective 3D (FP3D) campaigns are the latest hype, providing the right blend between innovation, creativity and reach.

Each campaign on our iconic digital screens is inherently unique as a result of the creative ideas behind the campaign. BackLite Media screens at JBR and City Walk in Dubai are considered the first choice for brands to execute their 3D campaigns. They deliver successful innovative campaigns throughout the year via multiple sectors, including Luxury, Automotive, Cosmetics, Gaming and much more.

What upcoming trends do you expect to see in the industry in the next five years?

There is no doubt that DOOH will continue to grow and dominate. Communication with audiences will be more personalised, seeing location-triggered messages and more dynamic content. In the near future, DOOH will be integrated with online platforms to extend small-screen content onto large out-of-home screens.

How would you describe the current state of OOH in the UAE, and what does that mean for advertisers?

The OOH advertising industry in the UAE has been experiencing immense growth year after year. With the introduction of a data-driven approach and the digital transformation by BackLite Media, investments in OOH advertising are becoming more optimised and justified. Measurability allows advertisers to choose from a wide range of options for reaching their target audience.

With multiple touchpoints, campaigns can be more frequent on the roads, leading to increased visibility and impact. In other words, the advertiser books only what they need to book. In terms of formats, revolutionary DOOH products and enhanced OOH static assets have been introduced to the UAE market in the past couple of years by BackLite Media to ensure a more sustainable future for the industry.

How is the market growing, and what is BackLite doing to keep their competitive advantage?

We saw good market stats in 2022, and some finetuning can always help for more significant market growth and healthier competition.

BackLite Media will always focus on the finer details to ensure the clients receive unmatched quality. The client investment with BackLite Media reflects their trust in what we do. We commit to ensuring that our client gets a professional journey, and we help our clients by offering a complete OOH plan to create successful campaigns from all aspects.

In short, we treat every campaign as our first ever, WE CARE.

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