Aliya Zaidi

I work in the Research team for Econsultancy. We publish reports covering best practice, user experience benchmarking, market data, supplier selection, template files, trends and innovation aimed at internet professionals who want practical advice on all aspects of e-business.

I manage Econsultancy's Innovation Report, which features short case studies on innovative marketing tactics in the digital world. If you are interested in submitting examples of work for this report, please email me at: aliya.zaidi@econsultancy.com

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Five interesting infographics from the Middle East

Infographics are becoming more and more popular in digital marketing circles in the Middle East, particularly as the volume of statistics, market data and research increases in the region.

Here we round up five of the most interesting infographics we've seen in 2012, related to internet marketing, online trends, and social media.

by Aliya Zaidi 13 August 2012 08:45am 2 comments

New report: mobile and social boost growth in paid search technology

This week, Econsultancy published an update to its PPC Bid Management Technology Buyer's Guide. The report estimates that the market for PPC bid management technology will grow by 17% in 2012, in line with the overall North American search sector, which is predicted to grow from a value of $22.9 billion, to $26.8 billion in 2013.

The report shows that many areas of digital are increasingly integrated, with the biggest opportunities for growth in this sector coming from mobile paid search, a focus on multichannel retailing and the continuing forward march of social media.

by Aliya Zaidi 08 August 2012 13:14pm 1 comment

Think local: how to optimise content for search in the Middle East

Econsultancy has published its first Search Engine Optimisation Best Practice Guide for the Middle East, authored by experienced digital marketing consultant, Husam Jandal.

Focused on country-specific search engine marketing strategies, the report stresses the importance of understanding your audience and producing locally relevant content for both the English and Arabic-speaking population.

This blog post touches on just some of the issues that marketers need to take into account when optimising web pages in the Middle East.

by Aliya Zaidi 11 July 2012 11:16am 11 comments

Q&A: Steffan Aquarone on online video best practice

Econsultancy has just published an updated version of its Online Video Best Practice Guide. The latest report reflects the evolution of online video from simply a 'nice-to-have' to a strategic marketing tool.

We caught up with the report's author, Steffan Aquarone, to find out more about how the world of online video has changed since the last version of the guide, and what the future holds for this rapidly moving space.

by Aliya Zaidi 03 July 2012 14:05pm 0 comments

New research: Cross-Channel Marketing Survey now live

In partnership with Responsys, Econsultancy has launched some new research for 2012, the Cross-Channel Marketing Survey, which looks at the cross-section of different online and offline channels, including integration with email, display advertising, mobile, plus much more.

The research aims to benchmark trends within the market, and the launch of this brand-new survey reflects the growing necessity for companies to take an integrated approach to marketing and remove the organisational barriers that are holding them back.

by Aliya Zaidi 01 May 2012 09:51am 0 comments

Middle East case studies: Beat FM wins ArabNet's best digital campaign

At ArabNet's Digital Summit in Beirut last week, Jordanian agency, Prodigi Corp, took home the prize for Best Digital Campaign for its work for radio channel, Beat FM.

The Facebook campaign asked people to share their pictures if they are a celebrity look-alike.

More examples of innovative social media case studies are beginning to come to light in the Middle East, which is exciting for the digital industry in this region.

Sharing case studies and examples of best practice is hugely beneficial for digital as a whole, enabling companies to learn from their peers and better understand best practices and rules of engagement.

With that in mind, here we look at Beat FM's case study in more detail, as well as some of the other campaigns shortlisted in this category at ArabNet's summit.

by Aliya Zaidi 04 April 2012 07:30am 2 comments

Bras and cupcakes: changing perceptions in the daily deals industry

The daily deals market has rapidly grown in the last three years, with market leader, Groupon, now present in 48 countries with an estimated 33m customers.

In late 2011, Groupon's IPO valuation was an estimated $12 billion. Despite this immense growth, the industry suffers from perception problems, with some even claiming the bubble has already burst.

However, the market is still relatively immature, and the industry faces many challenges before it establishes itself as a credible component of the marketing mix.

It was only a couple of weeks ago that Groupon was told to clean up its advertising practices by the OFT.

In particular, the industry needs to address its cases of failure head on and work with merchants to optimise the effectiveness of daily deals and prevent high-profile disasters (particularly those involving cupcakes).

by Aliya Zaidi 27 March 2012 10:52am 2 comments

Video: What happened at Digital Cream Dubai 2012?

At last week's Digital Cream Dubai, Econsultancy's CEO, Ashley Friedlein, presented the latest digital trends from the newly published State of Digital Marketing in the Middle East and North Africa report 2012.

In this post, we share a video blog from Paul de Bruin, Vice President of eZeliving.com, who talks about some of the main findings from the research.

by Aliya Zaidi 27 February 2012 07:46am 8 comments

What's holding back digital in the Middle East?

The latest research from the Middle East by Econsultancy indicates that the digital industry is experiencing rapid growth.

The State of Digital Marketing in the Middle East and North Africa report (supported by ArabianBusiness.com) shows that on average, 27% of of overall marketing budget is spent on digital, up from 22% since the last report was published 10 months ago in April 2011.

Overall, 58% of companies are planning to increase their digital marketing in 2012, and of these, 52% plan increases of at least 20%.

Despite the impressive growth rate, there's still a long way to go, as beyond restricted budgets, company culture, reliance on traditional marketing and the lack of skills are holding back marketers from making the most of the digital opportunities in the region.

In addition, the inability to measure return on investment is thought to be a barrier by 28% of marketers this year, up from 19% in the 2011 survey.

by Aliya Zaidi 26 February 2012 07:06am 4 comments

Multichannel boosts email: new report

It's an exciting time for the email marketing industry, and no matter what Mark Zuckerberg says, the end is certainly not nigh, according to new research published this week from Econsultancy.

According to Econsultancy's 2012 Email Marketing Platforms Buyer's Guide, the UK email marketing industry grew by an estimated 15.5% last year to a value of £388 million by the end of 2011.

The research highlights that the rise of cross-channel marketing is helping to fuel growth in the email marketing industry. Rather than operating in its own silo, email is now seen as an essential component of a wider campaign. Thanks to the rise of mobile, email is now everywhere, accessible anywhere, at any time and at any location.

by Aliya Zaidi 24 January 2012 13:36pm 0 comments