28 Oct 2005

Saudi Arabian digital-signage operator Spotmedia now claims 850 screens in its retail network and an impressive roster of advertisers including Procter & Gamble, PepsiCo, Mars subsidiary MasterFoods, and Gillette. Local advertisers include Almarai, the Middle East’s dominant dairy-foods company, and Saudi poultry specialist Radwa Food Production. Jeddah-based Spotmedia’s network, running on 42-inch plasma screens, was launched in 2004. Supermarket chain Al Azizia-Panda, the kingdom’s largest food retailer, was the first to take the network’s screens, rolling them out across 10 locations in Jeddah, the capital Riyadh, Al-Khobar and Makkah. Other Saudi top-ten supermarket-style retailers including the Giant department-store chain, Saudi Marketing Company’s FARM Superstores and Bin Dawood/Danube Group followed soon. However, Spotmedia has fallen slightly short of its target of 1000 screens by the end of 2004. The network shows ads for FMCG goods and can also deliver staff training. Historically the largest advertising market in the Arabian Gulf region, Saudi Arabia has this year fallen slightly behind the United Arab Emirates, according to the Arabian Research Company.