Today’s Middle East is an incredibly rich and diverse place. From the glitzy towers of Dubai to the buzzing streets of Cairo, it’s a land of inherent contradictions – where censorship of the internet exists alongside the highest social media usage in the world, religious clerics have larger Twitter followings than Hollywood celebrities, livestock are sold on Instagram, and social media has completely transformed the relationships between people, governments and brands. This talk, given at SXSW 2017, provides an in-depth view into life as a modern Arab, and how regional and global brands are succeeding or failing to connect with the Arab Digital Generation.

1. ARABS BE LIKE..
The Modern Middle East
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2. ‫عليكم‬ ‫السالم‬

3. Arabs love a good conversation.
But..

4. Arab governments like control.

11. “How do you know when you’ve
made it as a blogger?”
“You’re in jail.”

12. Enemies Of The Internet, 2010
Burma
China
Cuba
Egypt
Iran
North Korea
Saudi Arabia
Syria
Tunisia
Turkmenistan
Uzbekistan
Vietnam

14. Connected.
Young.
Confused.

15. Connected.

16. Connected.
• Saudi: Highest Global Penetration
• Region: continued solid growth
• 232 million users in MENA, 5x the number in 2012
• Double the average global video consumption.
• 510 million video views a day
• Saudi: the highest per capita consumption of YouTube globally.
• UAE: 2.6 million active users
• Saudi: 12 million active users
• UAE: 920K daily active users
• Saudi: 8.3 million daily active users

26. Young.

27. 68% of MENA is under 34
55% of Saudis are under 25
51% of Egyptians are under 25

28. Confused.

29. Which of the following is closest to your view?
2011
2012
2013
2014 54
60
65
83
46
40
35
17
Traditional values are outdated and belong in the past. I am keen to embrace modern values and beliefs.
Traditional values mean a lot ot me, and ought to be preserved for generations to come.
2014 ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller Arab Youth Survey

30. How we view Arabic
2015 ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller Arab Youth Survey
152263
“Knowing English can advance one’s
career more than knowing Arabic.”
193447“Arabic is losing its value.”
121573“Arabic is central to my national identity.”
Agree Disagree Don’t Know

31. Saudi Arabia

32. Insert text here
DATE
Yousef Tuqan Tuqan
Chief Innovation Officer, Leo Burnett MENA

39. A New Breed Of Celebrities

44. “I’ve put on this blacklight to show the effect
that Closeup Diamond has on whitening my teeth..”
“Did they put some in your hair, too?”

45. The Daily Show With Trevor Noah: 1,910,333
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert: 2,346,073
Eysh Elly: 3,241,144
YouTube subscribers

49. I(KEA) Got 99 Problems But A Bitch Ain’t One.

55. 14 Million Views

56. Jordan

61. Lebanon

64. United Arab Emirates

65. Mohammed, aged 56

70. Ohood Al Roumi
Minister of State for Happiness
Shamma Al Mazrui
Minister of State for Youth Affairs
Lubna Al Qasimi
Minister of State for Tolerance

71. Hope

72. ‫عليكم‬ ‫السالم‬

73. yousef
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