In 2020, Saudi Arabia, the second largest Arab country, had a total population of around 35 million people. 1
The current population growth rate is 1.59% and will continue to increase steadily till 2060, with a large section expected to be young, tech savvy, hyper connected citizens who are eager for the opportunities offered by the country’s digital transformation. 1
The behavior of consumers in KSA is expected to evolve with the improvement and expansion of digital technology.
In light of the continuous growth of mobile media consumption in-market, Snapchat partnered with IPG MEDIABRANDS - MENA to uncover video consumption habits and to get a better understanding on the state of video in the region and how it affects brands. Thanks to the Mediabrands research study (in Jun’21), 2 we are now able to understand user behavior across different platforms.
Based on the results of this proprietary market research, Snapchat has 1.3x higher video consumption penetration on a weekly basis than the average of all other social media platforms. 2 Saudis use Snapchat to watch videos 20% more than the other social media platforms on a weekly basis.
According to the Mediabrands research study, users in Saudi Arabia spend over 3 hours consuming video content on a daily basis on Snapchat. 2 The amplitude of video content is the main reason why more people are consuming more videos on Snapchat in comparison to other platforms in Saudi Arabia.
Snapchat’s popularity is high among people aged between 16 and 24. They are also 1.4x more likely to watch videos on Snapchat than other social media platforms on a weekly basis. 2
Additionally, the Mediabrands research study revealed that Snapchat is not only a mass medium, but it also indexes higher than the average of other social platforms by 1.2x on a weekly basis when it comes to more affluent users (HHI SAR 20K+). 2 This itself has big implications for advertisers wanting to connect with users who can afford more premium items. That same social platform competitive set also under-indexes when it comes to parents, as they watch more videos on Snapchat.
The reach and higher time spent on Snapchat versus other social platforms has a very big impact from a marketing and media perspective for advertisers of all sizes. Not only do brands want to ensure that they are reaching as many people within their target audience through their video communication to grow market share, but also want to do so on platforms like Snapchat where the user is attentively watching the content where their video ads appear.
The research also helped uncover Snapchat’s overall strength in reach and time spent on the platform in Saudi Arabia across various segments.
In parallel, through a cross-media research done by IPG MEDIABRANDS - MENA during Ramadan 2021, 3 we proved that Snapchat works well with TV to deliver a third of the campaign impact on communication awareness and contributed to 13.9% incremental reach over TV. A big learning to leverage Snapchat as the base of Media plan, and that Snapchat can work synergistically with TV and other platforms, and drive a healthy brand impact for video advertisers.
In conclusion, if brands want to resonate with Saudi consumers, they can drive long-term success by being effectively engaging now with these audiences, and seizing the opportunity to be relevant.
By using the above data and building awareness and consideration intelligently through marketing capabilities and investment, brands can become ‘top of mind’ with Saudi consumers – and thereby penetrate the market more than ever before.