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Digital Revolution

Message from the Managing Director

The speed of growth of internet and mobile advertising has been so rapid over the past 7 months that it has taken even the people who expected it by surprise.

There are several factors which converged to make this happen. The first is the downturn in the economy. Ironically, this crisis has fueled a surge in digital advertising. Marketeers are forced to measure the results of campaigns and focus more on the ROI from advertising. Digital advertising is one of the only spaces that allows the advertiser to monitor results.

Another factor is the increase in the use in Egypt of advanced mobile phones which allow easy access to the mobile internet ‘on-the-go’, together with very competitive rates of access (50 Pts. per day) for unlimited browsing.

Sarmady is proud to be at the forefront of this exciting marketing experience. We are constantly striving to improve both the experience of the user (by offering enhanced content) and the experience of the advertiser (by better profiling, reporting, creativity and media planning).

And this is the purpose of this newsletter. So much is happening and so much of the landscape is changing that we thought we should share it with our clients, partners and affiliates.


		For Your Information
		35% of Internet users in Egypt will die without Internet – The Nielsen company According to the internet profiling study done by The Nielsen Company, 35% of Internet users in Egypt said that they cannot live without Internet The study also showed that lower social classes tend to have a bigger number of internet new comers compared to higher social classes. Yahoo!, Maktoob tie-up – Maktoob Business Yahoo! to extend reach to millions of consumers in the Arab World; signs definitive agreement to acquire Maktoob.com Bloomberg says that Yahoo! Inc.’s acquisition of Arabic language Internet venture Maktoob.com Inc. is a further boost for a regional online advertising market that is expected to grow as much as 40 percent this year. Read the full story here.


		Sarmady Corner
		100,000 unique users logged on to iCroc.com from their mobile handsets in August iCroc.com is Egypt’s first entertainment city guide that is available on Mobile Internet in both Arabic and English languages. Sarmady launched iCroc.com in June 2009 to cover the demand of a local city guide thus to provide users with daily updates around cinema listings, events, hangouts and food delivery directory. Moreover it provides opinions and valuable insights over different entertainment aspects in life. In less than 3 months, 100,000 unique users logged on to iCroc.com from their mobile handsets. Our reports show that over 80% of the traffic go to check the Cinema Listings and 85% of the traffic check the Arabic version of iCroc.com. Sarmady launched its 4th portal on Mobile Internet As part of our mission is to drive the mobile Internet via an impressive array of services and content, Sarmady successfully launched FilFan.com on Mobile Internet to be our fourth Mobile Internet portal after FilGoal.com, ContactCars.com and iCroc.com. FilFan.com has over 800,000 unique users a month on Web, we are expecting a monthly traffic of 200,000 unique user on the Mobile version before the end of 2009. Sarmady became The Nielsen Online Market Intelligence FIRST partner in Egypt The Nielsen Company in Egypt has recently launched the Nielsen Online Market Intelligence reporting tool. It allows detailed site audience reporting for advertising planning and enables advertisers to build detailed demographic profiles across sites. It has many other reporting features help clients have better tracking and analysis. Being the Number One Digital Network in Egypt, Sarmady became The Nielsen Online Market Intelligence FIRST partner in Egypt. Interested to read more about Nielsen Online Market Intelligence, click here. Sarmady.net – YOUR EYE on Egypt’s Digital Playground Sarmady has re-launched its website to reflect the dynamic nature and growth of digital advertising. The website, www.sarmady.net, will showcase innovation in the industry (locally and globally), best practices, and case studies of the top advertisers using digital media. Sarmady.net is also optimized for mobile viewing - the first corporate mobile internet site in Egypt.


		Affiliates Corner
		A new arm is added to The Number One Digital Network in Egypt Sarmady signed a new affiliate: PyramidsCapital.com is the first of its kind among the network. It is the online portal of Pyramids Capital that brings daily financial news, stocks and share prices direct to your mobile phone. The online portal is available on both fixed and mobile Internet, check it now pyramidscapital.com Zamalek.tv to join FilGoal.com and Ahlynews.com In our efforts to provide multiple sports channels, we have partnered with Zamalek.tv. Zamalek.tv is the home of Zamalek fans on the Internet and also attracts thousands of El Ahly fans. The addition of Zamalek.tv creates a perfect mix of local and international soccer as it complements FilGoal.com and AhlyNews.com. Kotobarabia.com became Sarmady’s third affiliate in one month Kotobarabia.com is an online Arabic publishing giant that is constantly adding book titles by establishing and maintaining business development channels with Arab publishing institutions. To date they have signed over 1,100 established writers, publishing houses, NGOs, research centers, periodicals, political and religious institutes. Kotobarabia.com serves the Arab Internet user who is interested in culture and literature.

Featured Campaigns

Pepsi MAX

"Digital remains to be a great potential for brand engagement purposes and Sarmady made it very easy for us as Pepsi and especially for a promising brand like Max.

We have launched a strong regional digital campaign for Pepsi Max and we wanted to have strong presence especially on Digital. Sarmady with their solid experience and efficient planning managed to generate the highest number of clicks and put Egypt as the best performing country."

Amr Sharara

Pepsi Max Brand Manager

Client: Pepsi Co.

Campaign period: July 20th - August 23rd

Objective:

Reach aspirational Egyptians below 30 years old and fulfill their dreams by asking them to register their wishes.

Digital Media used:

WAP site developed;
WEB banners on FilGoal.com (Arabic and English), FilFan.com, FilBalad.com, Youm7.com, Waffar.com;
WAP banners on Filgoal.com, VodafoneLive.com, iCroc.com and ContactCars.com;
Targetted SMS, MMS & PCM demographic fitting the profile (below 30).

Results:

12 Million PCMs delivered
550K SMS delivered
78K MMS delivered
17 million impressions served. 128,000 clicks, CTR 0.77%;
Campaign helped Max to reach 7 million Egyptians ( PCM, SMS, MMS, Online & WAP)
More than 60,000 visits to the Pepsi MAX WAP site

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

"We ran our first online digital campaign for one of our blockbuster movies in 2009 "Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince".

We liked the honest and informed advice about campaign plan and media choice. During the campaign, Sarmady's team were pro-active and quick to respond to changes. We found the tracking and reporting easy to use.

Definitely, we will go with Sarmady to advertise digitally in all our upcoming campaigns"

Cherine Zeind

CEO - United Motion Pictures, Sole Theatrical agent for 20th Century Fox & Warner Bros. Films in Egypt

Client: UMP

Campaign period: from 7th to 15th of July

Objectives:

Create awareness about the launch of the movie in Egypt.
Engage and reward users through an online competition and capture data of Harry Potter lovers.

Digital media used:

WEB banners on FilGoal.com, Filfan.com and FilBalad.com;
Mobile Internet banners on iCroc.com, FilGoal.com and Vodafone Live!

Results:

1245000 impressions served on WEB; 2500 clicks;
177000 impressions served on Mobile Internet; 3400 clicks;
700 registered user in the competition;
50 winners each won an invitation to attend the movie.

Vodafone Thanweya Amma

Client: Vodafone Egypt

Campaign period: from 13th till 19th of July

Objectives:

To create a community of Thanawiya amma students and aquire new generations going into college.
Provide this community/generation with other related services later on.

Digital Media used:

WEB banners on FilGoal.com, FilFan.com, ContactCars.com and AhlyNews.com

Results:

5 000 000 impressions served; 15 500 clicks;

Digital Tip of the Month

Have a call to action ... Digital is not a one way street

In a world where every click counts, the real goal is to get people back to your website where they can learn more and take a specific action to further the cause.

The Number One Digital Network in Egypt

Sarmady is the number one Digital Network in Egypt offering a truly unique digital advertising and marketing experience. Sarmady dominates the Egyptian fixed and mobile internet with a wide range of locally relevant content and services.

For feedback and suggestions, email marketing@sarmady.net