Qatar Internet Advertising: The Future

The full effect of the credit crunch on internet advertising in Qatar has yet to be gauged.

Broadly speaking, though, there are two predictions of how internet advertising will be affected. One is that in a downturn online advertising will be adversely affected in line with standard advertising.

The other argues that, as internet advertising offers better reach, value and targeting, spend on internet advertising could actually increase during a down turn.

That's because internet advertising has certain huge advantages:

Reach

While a newspaper or magazine is limited to the people who buy that magazine, internet advertising can reach every internet surfer on the planet. That is over a billion people.

Measurability

Unlike newspapers and magazines, internet advertisers can know exactly how many impressions they are receiving for their money. (Google Analytics can't be manipulated.)

Targeting

When an advert is placed in a newspaper or magazine, there is no guarantee that the person reading the newspaper will be interested in the advert.

When an internet user searches for a product, they are actively looking to buy that product. When they are searching for a company, they are actively looking to contact that company. (That's why over 70% of internet searches on Qatcom result in contact with the advertising company.)

Value

Internet advertising continues to beat print advertising hands down in terms of value: which is why so many newspapers in America are in danger of going bankrupt. In Qatar advertising in print is expensive: a full page advert for one day in a newspaper costs QAR27,000. In contrast, the most expensive advertisement on Qatcom.com, the largest online business directory in Qatar , comes in at just QAR8/day!

So what's the future?

One industry report by Zenith Optimedia (reported in Arabian Business) is now forecasting that, while the rest of the global economy contracts, internet advertising will double during 2002.

Given the advantages of internet advertising, and the added pressure on businesses to seek out the most effective way of promoting their business in a downturn, we think that's a fair prediction!