Powerful positioning of brand presence in Saudi

Media

SMC is behind highly influential sports and entertainment media campaigns

Saudi Media Company (SMC) is a pioneering media enterprise in the advertising industry, offering innovative sales and marketing solutions. With the ambition of becoming a leading global media powerhouse in advertising media sales and sponsorships across Sports & Entertainment, SMC is committed to continuously raise the bar. The company’s wide ranging media solutions span broadcast (Radio/TV), print, digital, social, and mobile platforms.

Economy Middle East recently had the opportunity to interview SMC’s CEO, Khalid Al Khudair, to discuss the company’s strategies for achieving its ambitious goals. Through the interview, Al Khudair shed light on SMC’s comprehensive plan for expansion and innovation, as well as its focus on delivering top-notch media services to clients across different sectors.

How are you positioning SMC as the Media Partner of Choice? What is your USP?

First and foremost, SMC is presented as a valuable partner and trusted advisor. Our focus is on driving digital transformation for the media industry, a goal that permeates everything we do. By investing in knowledge, technology and talent, we are able to make a meaningful impact. This is achieved through impactful campaigns and compelling stories that demonstrate SMC’s transformative influence.

Our vision for SMC is to be a strategic media catalyst, operating with excellence and driving significant local and regional growth to instill leadership within the industry.

You transitioned from banking to media. Knowing the disparity between the two fields, can you tell us more about your input to the media industry?

While it is a significant change, I believe that common sense is crucial in this process. The crucial aspect is to examine insights and discover the most relevant and authentic information that will make a difference. The entire process revolves around collecting data, creating assets, and implementing strategies based on careful analysis. It is also vital to cultivate the best talents in the industry and unleash their full potential. With the right approach, nothing is beyond our reach.

What’s the strategy behind directing your media services and investments to Sports and Entertainment? Are you expanding the pie at some point?

We are working together to achieve the best possible results and meet the growing demand we are experiencing in the Kingdom. Our goal is to establish a strong presence in the sports industry and we are currently representing and managing Mrsool Park, which is at the core of all sports and event sponsorships. With this platform, we are able to host and manage some of the most prestigious sporting events in the region. Our strategy is centered on technology, sponsorships, contacts, clientele, and our user base in the region, in order to strengthen our brand presence. It is worth noting that the entire media scene in the Kingdom is familiar with this venue, which further enhances our reputation. We have exciting plans and news that I wish we could share at this time. However, we are confident that they will add significant value to our journey.

Sports and entertainment are becoming key sectors for Saudi GDP growth. What is your take on those two market segments in terms of growth outlook, attracting FDI, and uniqueness that only a country like Saudi can offer?

Undoubtedly, factors such as market size, infrastructure quality, and political/economic stability hold great significance in attracting foreign direct investments (FDIs). In this regard, the Kingdom is offering unparalleled opportunities that provide a healthy and enriched life, contributing to the rapid growth we’re currently witnessing.

Our approach is to tackle challenges head-on, and our mindset is open to push the envelope, achieve our goals and surpass expectations.

How do you see the way ahead for your company, given the competitive environment that the region presents in those media fields? What innovative solutions will set you apart moving forward?

At SMC, our focus is on identifying the value for clients, users and the ROI – what is in it for them and their audiences – that is linked to any deliverable we’re trying to capture from our brands.

To do this, we leverage our prestigious digital assets, advanced audience segmentation tools, the database and cutting-edge technology to see how we are complementing a collection of user behavior online along with AI and various tech in order to host those campaigns.

We understand that selecting the right tools is critical to the success of our campaigns. Contextual targeting is a key strategy we use to develop effective campaigns that drive high performance, allowing us to stand out from the competition and deliver outstanding results for our clients. By using the right digital strategies and empowering our technology, we are confident that we can deliver efficient and effective campaigns that yield significant ROI.

It’s also worth noting that we have a significant advantage in the market due to our partnership with leading digital media assets in the region such as MBC, SRMG, SBA, beIN Media Group, and many others. This gives us a powerhouse positioning within Saudi Arabia.