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How has the pandemic affected the various marketing mediums, and marketers’ thinking? Has there been a paradigm shift towards digital mediums versus traditional channels of marketing? Which media channels are trusted the most by consumers?

Of the many changes the world has gone through in the past year since the start of the pandemic, consumer behaviour and evolving expectations from brands is an important one that is also critical for marketers and advertisers.

Kenya and Nigeria cautiously optimistic in their marketing endeavours

Covid-19 has turned the world upside down for almost every industry. The marketing industry is no exception. Globally, close to half of marketers have reduced their marketing activities for the meantime, aiming to increase them to full capacity again in the future. From a Sub-Saharan perspective, we see Kenya and Nigeria following this trend, while the South African shows more polarization: On the one hand some marketers have reduced their activities altogether while some on the other hand have actually increased them during the evolution of the pandemic.

With each passing day, there is a growing choice of platforms for people to consume news, entertainment, sports and engage socially on. At the same time, this leaves marketers and brands with a difficult choice of having to choose between the various platforms or prioritize one over the year. Thanks to the unusual year 2020, consumer habits have further changed, making the task of marketing and advertising even more difficult.

In the Middle East, when we look at brand and advertising reach, digital media sources strike a hard punch than the traditional avenues of radio and television. The move to digital platforms is more widespread in this region (looking specifically at the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia) than it is in other areas of the world.