How Etisalat Unlocked Its Potential Through Digitalization

Etisalat is a telecommunications company based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). It is one of the largest telecommunications providers in the Middle East, Asia, and Africa. The company was founded in 1976 and is headquartered in Abu Dhabi, the capital city of the UAE. Etisalat provides a wide range of services including mobile and fixed-line telecommunications, internet, and digital television. The company has operations in 16 countries across the Middle East, Asia, and Africa, including Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Nigeria, and Afghanistan, among others.

Making The Most Of Technology

One of the key factors contributing to Etisalat’s success is its investment in advanced technologies. The company has been at the forefront of 5G technology and has played a leading role in the development of the next-generation network in the UAE. Etisalat was the first telecommunications operator in the country to launch a 5G network, providing its customers with high-speed internet connectivity and enabling new applications such as virtual reality and augmented reality.

Awards And Social Responsibility

In addition to its technological advancements, Etisalat is also known for its commitment to customer service. The company has won numerous awards for its customer service, including the Best Customer Experience Management in the Middle East award at the Telecoms World Middle East Awards in 2020. It is also actively involved in corporate social responsibility initiatives, including education and environmental sustainability programs. The company has launched several initiatives to support education in the UAE, including the “Tamkeen” program, which provides scholarships for UAE nationals to pursue higher education.

Turning Around With Targeted Ads

According to Saadeddine Nahas, director of digital communications at Etisalat UAE, being top of mind was no longer sufficient. The company wanted to deliver targeted ads that would resonate with customers and prompt them to take action. To achieve this goal, Etisalat UAE partnered with Google and the creative agency Ad-lib to develop a dynamic creative optimization strategy that was highly focused. The company had three primary objectives: to connect customers with products that met their needs, to encourage customer engagement, and to leverage data-driven insights to optimize results. Through this approach, Etisalat UAE aimed to deliver an exceptional customer experience that would keep customers coming back for more.

Leveraging The Power Of Automation

Adaptive advertising templates known as dynamic creative files are created using raw photo assets or base ads. These templates are designed to be flexible, with an automated creative management platform that replaces the content elements, such as calls to action, exit URLs, images, and more, based on the specific interests of the target audience. This results in personalized content that is more likely to engage the intended audience.

Ad-lib was responsible for developing 3,600 dynamic creatives for Etisalat UAE’s continuous campaign using only six raw assets. This task was accomplished in just seven days, which would have taken a designer several months to complete manually. The automated process enabled the ads, which were designed to be compatible with multiple formats and channels, to be launched within three weeks of the campaign’s inception.

Using Google Signals To Power

Etisalat UAE utilized Google Signals to segment consumers based on their location and interests to deliver targeted advertising. By collecting viewer data at the time of ad serving, the assets were automatically adjusted to ensure that the most appropriate ads were always served to the ideal audiences in real time. The assets were grouped into four categories: Etisalat UAE’s eLife offerings, sports fans, internet bandwidth and location, and movie lovers.

The first category featured eLife products, including mobile, internet, and TV packages, that consumers had previously shown an interest in. The second category was targeted towards sports fans, where data insights around upcoming matches were used to showcase upcoming sporting events. The messaging encouraged consumers to consider Etisalat UAE’s eLife TV product, which includes sports channels, to catch the game. The third category utilized a changing API to log internet speed tests across key UAE locations, and the ad content offered audiences a real-time comparison of what internet speed they were getting on their devices in their area versus what Etisalat UAE could offer. The fourth category was optimized towards movie lovers, where the creative was tailored to shoppers’ film interests, encouraging them to consider eLife internet and TV packages. This approach allowed Etisalat UAE to connect consumers with their ideal products, encourage engagement, and harness data-driven insights to optimize results.

Results That Broke All Bounds

Etisalat UAE’s personalized dynamic creative optimization campaign was highly successful in achieving its goals. The campaign resulted in a significant increase in lead generation, with a 3.5X increase from its previous campaign. This was an impressive feat, considering the highly competitive nature of the telecommunications industry in the UAE. The campaign also saw a remarkable increase in click-through rate (CTR) in just two months, with a 54% rise. This indicates that the personalized dynamic ads were highly engaging and relevant to their target audience, leading to more clicks and engagement.

Additionally, the cost per lead decreased by 20%, which was a significant cost-saving measure for the brand. This reduction in cost per lead was likely due to the campaign’s efficient targeting of the right audience with relevant, personalized ads. The success of this campaign demonstrated the effectiveness of dynamic creative optimization strategies in achieving marketing goals and driving business growth.

This was Etisalat’s story of transforming its services with the power of digitalization. For more stories from the world of branding and marketing, join World Brand Affairs. We bring you the most insightful news of the industry and its most powerful people from across the globe.