In a recent speech, Joseph Ghossoub, IAA World President and Chairman, stated that  “TV is still the boss” in terms of attracting ad spend, but heralded “the rise of the niche”.

Speaking at the 2007 Media & Marketing Conference in Dubai, Ghossoub said online proliferation will pose problems for the medium.

He said that “TV is still the boss” in terms of attracting ad spend, but also heralded “the rise of the niche” across all advertising platforms.

Digital “is not everything” when it comes to the future of the region’s advertising, and goes on to say that “Digital is not the only trend."

“I don’t want to downplay digital as a force in advertising; it is growing but there are still other significant influences.

“Our inclination is to always think about digital.

“Digital is a driver but it is not everything.”

Ghossoub, CEO of The Holding Group and former President of the IAA UAE Chapter, delivered a speech entitled ‘Who will get the advertising dollars in 2008?’

He said digital advertising still makes up only a fraction of ad spend in the Middle East.

He added that TV still “tops the charts” when it comes to reaching high-spending young consumers, with 95% total penetration across the GCC compared to 59% reach by the internet.

This “re-affirms TV’s status as the media leader”, he said.

He also highlighted “online proliferation” – a trend that he says gets little coverage.

“Up to seven million websites are launched worldwide every day”, he said.

“Even if these figures are inflated slightly, it points to a very troubling trend for the medium.

“For advertisers, such proliferation means targeting becomes an impossibility.

“For owners of such sites, it means ad revenue will be hard to come by.

“Think about how hard it is for a small, start-up publication to get advertising. Multiply that by millions for websites.

“I don’t want to undermine the rising importance of digital; my point is that it will always be a single element in a much larger spectrum.”

Ghossoub also said proliferation in TV means mainstream, general-interest channels are starting to lose out to smaller channels – evidence of “the rise of the niche.”

He said: “There have been a lot of articles over the past 12 months saying the industry is in a state of confusion and doubt.

“It’s important to point out the truth in all that.

“Outdoor, print and TV still fair well in terms of building trust and recognition for consumers, and this will remain so for a long time to come.”

Ghossoub said key themes for the industry in the future will be “placement, involvement and relevance.”

He ended his address with a rallying call to the region’s advertisers.

He said: “Our industry must produce messages that are compelling, memorable and that create bonds with consumers on an emotional level.

“This is something that maybe the industry could do better here in the Middle East.”

Source: IAA UAE website