Twitter announced plans to open its first office in the MENA region in Dubai in the next few months.
Twitter announced plans to open its first office in the MENA region in Dubai in the next few months.
“MENA is a key strategic market for us and our new Dubai office will serve as the focal point to help our development across the region,” says Shailesh Rao, vice president for Asia Pacific, Latin America and Emerging Markets at Twitter, in a press statement. “Dubai is a regional hub for many brands and advertising agencies and we are excited to build a team on the ground here who can work with partners directly, helping them get the most out of Twitter,” he adds. Several factors have contributed to Twitter’s growth in the Middle East, most significantly the changing demographics. More than 30 percent of the MENA population is now between the ages of 15 and 29, representing 100+ million youth who have grown up with the Internet and social media. The Gulf region, UAE and Saudi Arabia in particular, represent some of the largest groups of active internet users, and will most likely continue to be the driving centers for Twitter’s ever-growing presence.
Several factors have contributed to Twitter’s growth in the Middle East, most significantly the changing demographics. More than 30 percent of the MENA population is now between the ages of 15 and 29, representing 100+ million youth who have grown up with the Internet and social media. The Gulf region, UAE and Saudi Arabia in particular, represent some of the largest groups of active Internet users, and will most likely continue to be the driving centers for Twitter’s ever-growing presence.
Recent statistics show that 88 percent of the Middle East’s online population uses social networking sites daily including Twitter. “Globally in 2014, we’ve seen user growth across our markets aligned to key cultural moments. In MENA for instance, TV was a significant catalyst – we saw a 200 percent increase in TV conversations between 2013 and 2014,” says Rao.
The upcoming Dubai office is the latest in Twitter’s concentrated effort to boost their global offline presence. In the past 12 months, Twitter has opened several offices around the world – Q4 alone saw the addition of 13 new markets – resulting in a current sales presence in 73 countries worldwide. “Our vision is to make Twitter relevant for everyone, everywhere. 77 percent of our monthly active users are outside of the US. Our expansion and decision to set up office in Dubai is a natural step in being closer to our customers and partners, and provides a great opportunity for us to continue our growth. We will also continue to work with our ads partner Connect Ads in the region,” says Rao.
