Despite comparatively lower digital advertising spends, the UAE has realized the importance of digital. This is further seen in the business to business (B2B) growth trends in the region as well. Leading businesses in the UAE are planning to increase their digital investment by 25 percent year-on-year according to Omobono Middle East’s What Works Where’ (WWW) study.

With a planned increase in digital investment, the study shows that 66 percent of respondents will increase their digital marketing budget over the next 12 months.

“Previous WWW results have proven that integrating digital communications within marketing programs and the organization in our data-driven, digitally led world, pays dividends – improving both effectiveness and efficiency for corporate brands. By combining sharp analysis of current digital activity in the UAE with deep understanding of global digital practice, we have produced a road map to help progressive businesses in the UAE to prosper with our inaugural #WWWUAE2017 study,” said Francesca Brosan, Co-Founder and Chairman of Omobono.

Social Media Investment
Of the increased budget, 20 percent is to be invested in social media. LinkedIn is said to be the biggest winner, with 97 percent of respondents set to allocate part of their B2B digital marketing budget to the business and employment-oriented social networking service. A further 88 percent are to allocate funds to Facebook and 69 percent to Twitter. YouTube is to receive increased investment from 56 percent of respondents.

While the majority of marketers expect to shift their spending priorities in 2017, the percentage to be invested in digital over the next 12 months is noticeably low compared with other markets such as the UK, where digital marketing budgets are to increase by 55 percent over the same period.

The commitment to digital progression is palpable but the research has also revealed that businesses lack the training to realize their ambitions, with several respondents commenting on the absence of suitable certified courses.

Changing Role Of HR
HR today is no longer limited to the internal voice of the brand, but is rapidly becoming the representative voice of the company for external partners and audiences alike. The WWW 2016 UK study revealed that 75 percent of respondents agree HR’s digital practices contribute to the overall brand profile.

One striking finding from the research is that the employee channel is not yet being used as powerfully by businesses in the UAE as it is in other markets. Ensuring the organization is living the brand comes in as the lowest priority (at 19 percent)for marketers.

This is in stark contrast to the 2016 UK findings, where 28 percent of marketers surveyed saw increasing value in the channel. Nor are they particularly interested in using digital data to improve this situation. It is a current priority for only one in six respondents and only 3 percent identify motivating employees as a future priority.

This subtle shift in digital ownership – from marketing to HR – challenges traditional brand promotion and engagement, forcing many organizations to realize that a truly effective brand presence requires integrated conversations and marketing communications.

Best Utilized By All
Digital cannot remain the responsibility of any single function, or team, but is a resource best involving and best utilized by all. It’s an issue spotted by 31 percent of respondents who identified aligning their activities with other departments in the organization as one of their key challenges for the future.

“One of the key objectives of the study was to identify how UAE businesses are reaching, engaging and winning customers through digital communications and understanding how marketers should be working with internal and external resources to drive competitive advantage. The challenge is no longer about becoming an expert in all disciplines, but in how best to identify, bring together and manage the most qualified digital experts, resulting in teams ready to deliver proven excellence across the board. This will become central to the ambitions of any business within the UAE, especially those with further aspirations,” said Hadley Newman, Managing Director at Omobono Middle East.

The findings are part of Omobono’s WWW study which has been launched in the UAE for the first time this month.

The study, which was carried out in conjunction with Radius Global Market Research is the result of interviews conducted across 12 industry segments including Banking & Finance, Professional Services, Leisure, Transport, Consumer Electronics, Telecom and Automotive in the UAE. The study combines interviews and open-ended opinions from CMOs, marketing directors and digital marketing heads of leading companies within the UAE such as Du, Fujitsu and Noor Bank to name a few.