Branded entertainment in the MENA region is still in its infancy. While there are clients and networks that have embraced this form of communication, there are still several networks which area wary of how the communication is perceived. With the prevalence of state run networks across the region, the ability to create content is limited. It is more accepted with private and paid channels. The ability for networks & talent to craft carefully created programs to appear as though they are not a paid endorsement of the product is the key to balanced success. This narrow window of accepted branded content is navigated by only a few agencies with specialized divisions

Saudi Arabia’s mainstream media is widely censored by the government. Saudi youth struggle to find content that appeals to them or allows them to participate freely in building their own entertainment experience. As it stands today, only 1% of online media is produced in Arabic which does not allow for choice or diversity that the Arab youth crave.

Meet Omar Hussein, the John Stewart of Saudi Arabia and creator of the satire YouTube-based show “Altayer” (“On The Fly” in English). Omar challenged the mainstream media establishment. People tune in to his show expecting witty and outspoken commentary on socio-political topics in KSA. This made him an immediate hit and his show attracts 43 million views and 470,000 subscribers (http://www.youtube.com/3al6ayer). He regularly gains massive traction in the social media space.

Blackberry segment’s “HaroBnaro” was an immediate hit and received a staggering 5.3 million views. Fans’ participation increased to record levels, posting 30,000 comments and 135,000 likes on YouTube (Ref: YouTube .

The campaign drew the mainstream media attention who interviewed Omar and his team (Ref:

AlJazeera, Dubai One TV, MBC).

Backberry managed to reverse its downhill brand preference trend by creating an exclusive entertainment experience for its users. It became the catalyst that allowed them to become part of the show rather than disrupting it. Blackberry’s brand preference increased by 5% and its consideration increased by 4% (Ref: GFK Brand Tracker Dec 2012).

The app rose to become the no 1 local app on AppWorld in Saudi Arabia with 83,000 downloads so far (Ref: Blackberry Appworld stats).