Mariam Nihal

Saudi Gazette

 

Recently Keek, a popular social media network known for its 36-second videos, signed Saudi Telecom (STC) as their first advertising client.



Saudi Gazette spoke to Bill Blummer, SVP Monetization and Sales Solutions for Keek who said STC was chosen as the first advertiser on Keek. “Seen as the largest and most innovative company in its sector in one of our most active regions. As a data provider and more, STC remains on the edge of media consumption and distribution.”



With over 6 million users from the region, Saudi Arabia is highly significant as it is one of the highest in engagement per user globally. “We look at Keek data regarding engagement with our socail video sharing metrics from all over the world. While not our largest social footprint, Saudi drives a region of our most engaged users.”



With STC, Bill explained brand partnerships and monetization are Keeks revenue strategy globally. “Just now being announced at AdvertisingWeek here in New York this month. Keek wants to help define this new space of social, native video content for brands that helps redefine the media space.”



Talking further about the Saudi social media scene he said: “I really appreciate the level of sophistication and knowledge working with Ibrahim at SMV and the Exec.team there. Very responsive and innovative. They are willing to move fast to take advantage of opportunity, which so many companies miss out on. We are continuing to innovate and collaborate with SMV, especially on the native video advertising component and other clients across the world.”



Ibrahim Jabri, SMG Lead Digital Planner STC said that at a time when video consumption is soaring, UGC and connected communities have gained superior weight in the consumer/brand relationship. Ibrahim believes brands in Saudi Arabia have been consistently challenged to strengthen their influence, particularly on the younger crowd, who dominate online video streaming. He said Keek’s newly released advertising platform is irrefutably a huge opportunity for brands in Saudi Arabia, giving them new heights to build on their influence and further expand their conversation with the Saudi Youth in a fresh new way.



Keek has 69 million registered users, with some of the highest engagement levels in the Middle East. This audience reportedly consumes over 1 billion page views on average per month.