Twitter has launched advertising services in North Africa while launching similar services in the Middle East.
This follows user subscriptions tripling in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. The increased uptake of Twitter in the region is thought to have been motivated by widespread usage of the network during the Arab Spring protests in 2011.
Shailesh Rao, Twitter Vice-President for International Operations, said: “The two are interconnected – the rapid growth of our user base with the timing of why we want to help brands connect with that audience.”
Already Twitter has managed to secure some big advertising accounts, with Pepsi and Etihad Etisalat (Mobily) amongst the confirmed clients.
Only four percent of the total advertising spend in MENA region is accounted for by digital advertising, but Twitter bosses still believe a tech-savvy population and rising Internet penetration in the region points to significant potential for growth.
The micro-blogging platform will launch advertising in Egypt, along with some Middle Eastern countries, through Egypt’s Connect Ads, a subsidiary of Cairo-listed Orascom Telecom Media and Technology.
Mohamed El Mehairy, Connect Ads’ Managing Director, said: “Social media advertising is totally different because it relies on what people say. It’s about two-way, not one-way, communication.”
