We’re back with Part 2 of “Top 10 Media Trends in 2025” with Dana El Zein. If you thought Part 1 was packed with insights—you haven’t heard anything yet. In this episode, Dana El Zein (Director of Digital & Media, ex-Meta) returns to explore the next wave of trends that will shape digital marketing, media planning, and brand strategy across MENA in 2025. From creator-led storytelling to CTV and podcast advertising, we dive into the shifts marketers need to embrace now to stay competitive.
🎯 In Part 2, we cover:
💡 This episode is loaded with practical insights, examples, and frameworks to help you plan smarter, measure better, and build deeper brand connections in a noisy digital world.
📌 Don’t forget to catch Part 1 for the full trend breakdown.
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Hi, Donna. Hi,~ uh,~ hi, listeners and viewers, welcome back. This is the second part of Top Trends in 2025 with none other than Donna [00:01:00] Zin,~ um,~ the industry veteran. ~Uh, ~really, really lucky to have you on the show. ~Um, ~yeah. You wanna learn more about Dana? You can go ahead and listen to the first part, which is the previous,~ uh,~ episode of the Top Trends in 2025.
So we're gonna continue our discussion on what those trends are, right? And the next one that we are going to cover is creator led content. Which is reshaping brand, brand storytelling. Yes. What do you think, Donna? Look, I think creators have been here for a while. ~Uh, ~I think types of creators are evolving.
~Uh, ~so, you know, we, we started maybe a couple of years ago with a lot of fashion influencers or what, actually they were called influencers originally, right? Yeah. We, no one calls influencers anymore now. It's great. They did like a rebranding, complete rebranding. ~Uh. ~Yeah. And I think thanks to platforms like Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, you know, they, [00:02:00] they are prioritizing creative,~ uh,~ creator driven content,~ uh,~ which means that they're here to stay.
Yeah. And so, as brands, we need to be partnering more and more, and increasingly with these creators, whether they're, you know, the big macro creators as we call them, or micro creators, I think. What's important for brands actually is the, is the ability to choose creators that are authentic to their brands, right, and to their brand values.
And also choose creators, or give creators that creative flexibility to actually deliver content and create, which is what they're known for. Content in their own style and ways. Yeah. ~Uh. ~What time sometimes tends to happen is, you know, there are very specific big names that are out there that all the brands want to work with, but sometimes it just doesn't fit the brand personality or the tone of [00:03:00] voice.
Yeah. And a niche content creator might be a lot more relevant to your brand. So I think the opportunity in today's world is really to explore. Different types of creators,~ um,~ not just based on their following, but based on how relevant they are and, and, and how much of a fit they are to your brand. Right.
~Um, ~and one thing to always keep in mind is social media audiences, whether TikTok audience or Instagram audience follow creators on social media, not brands. True. Right. So it's always important to. Think like a creator, but also work with creators and work with, you know, even brands can be creators. Yeah, right.
I dunno why I am thinking of this because I just was at this event. Yeah. And this is like in way an ad, but I actually was there a week ago at this Nespresso Times Sarah Bag collaboration. I dunno if you heard of it. [00:04:00] No, it was actually super interesting. So basically, Sarah's bags. She's a designer in Lebanon, and she's a Lebanese designer who creates beautiful handbags.
Yeah. And Nespresso, they created a capsule collection. Wow. So she basically took Nespresso's capsules and created Quin out of them. And then that's how she designed her latest bag, which, you know, supposedly took over 15 hours. But I actually thought that was an incredible collaboration and partnership.
Yeah. So 'cause creators can come from anywhere. It's not necessarily, you know, the influencer space, but it's also rethinking and re-envisioning how different brands can come together. Yeah. Yeah. I really like that. ~Uh, ~and this leads us into employee generated Yes. Content, right? Which,~ uh,~ something that,~ um,~ audiences are finding very relatable.
Absolutely,~ um,~ you know, to talk about the brand a hundred percent. And I think it goes back to the first point. So if we think of why [00:05:00] creators play such a big role or have played such a big role, it's because it's a lot more authentic and authenticity. I think in today's world, not just in today's world.
I think authenticity always won. But I think in today's world it's a lot more prominent because maybe we've strayed away from that with a lot of brands. Not walking the talk, you know? Mm-hmm. The, it's, it's easy to create a beautiful brand and make statements. So just to sort of, ~um, ~not go off on a tangent.
Yeah. Employee generated content is increasingly becoming relevant because it's authentic and because it enables you as,~ um,~ as consumers to really see the behind the scenes of that co ~uh, ~the, the company mm-hmm. ~Uh, ~that these people might be a part of. It gets. People to understand the culture, hear about product updates from them.
~Um, ~and I think it's, it's actually a very, very powerful media tool for brands to leverage. Yeah. That they might not be [00:06:00] utilizing enough today, whether it. You know, creating t LDRs mm-hmm. And then sending it out to make it easy for their employees to share content, to post content on their own socials, whether it's LinkedIn, but also, you know, other channels.
Yeah. Right. And I think the Facebook, like meta team do it really, really well,~ um,~ where they,~ um,~ they create pieces of content that. You know, announced, let's say the latest,~ uh,~ advertising update. Yeah. And then teams on the ground are quick to share it right on their socials. So a company with 5,000 employees is a company with 5,000 potential creators.
Absolutely. That can be a powerful tool. So the next one is. CTV advertising, which is one of those that has been there for a while. CTV advertising isn't new, but it's sort of picking up this year. ~Um, ~yeah. Yeah. What, what do you, what do you think is, is,~ uh,~ is that what, why is it picking up this year [00:07:00] and,~ um,~ have you seen an ad on CTV?
Netflix has launched its ad supported,~ uh,~ platform. ~Uh, ~I think there's another one which is launching a tiered. Yeah, exactly. ~Um, ~Disney Plus, I believe is launching soon. They have a tiered one. Don't quote me. Okay. ~Uh, ~yeah, you have ads on YouTube that you can serve YouTube. Smart TVs don't YouTube. Yeah. ~Um, ~do you think these head differently, they're on the big screen in your, in your living room?
They do. I definitely think they do. ~Uh, ~look, I think it's picking up as a trend because obviously consumers are spending more time streaming, right? Mm-hmm. So they're no longer watching cable tv. They're watching,~ uh,~ Netflix, Amazon Prime, whatnot. So it is on the big screen, big screen once again. But I still think that.
Somehow, I don't know. I don't really have a, a, a strong opinion on ctv. Mm-hmm. Other than the fact that I think we need to experiment with it. And [00:08:00] we need to experiment with it in the, in, in whatever ways are available. So whether that's through programmatic, because it is limited, right? It's it's very new.
Yeah. It's very new. And it's also, the measurement part is, is a bit limited 'cause it's on a smart tv. Yeah. You can't really. ~Um, ~track everything that's, that's going on on the smart tv, right? It, there's, it's not like there's a, a, a browser that users or the viewers will, will use to click on the ad and then, you know, go to the website.
~Uh, ~we're seeing these QR codes Mm, you know, appear. So the shoppable? Yes. Yeah. That's interesting. I think those are really immersive experiences and I think. The contextual aspect of it actually is what can be very, very interesting in this space. Right, right. It is a big touch point,~ uh, uh, ~like you rightfully said.
Yeah. People are spending time watching,~ uh,~ Netflix,~ uh,~ streaming on their, on their TVs, and so it is a big screen. So I guess you'll, [00:09:00] brands will get a really good amount of visibility when they serve their ad. Yeah, I don't know. Sorry. I just have a thought on that. Yeah, like for example, because obviously now it's the popular show.
Yeah. White Lotus, right? Yeah. Thailand, four, I think it was Four Seasons. Was it? I think I started one, one episode and then I got distracted. But,~ uh,~ I heard a lot about it. It's good one. You should watch it. Yeah. But anyways, the point is like those destinations Yeah. Like that's the perfect in destination advertising, right?
Yeah. Like you're literally watching a show, taking place at a specific. In a specific hotel. Yeah. I think that's very, very powerful. Yeah. If the next ad you see, you know, whether it's the hotel itself or let's say a booking.com advertising Thailand as a whole. Yeah. ~Um, ~that can be very powerful. And it's not just ads, it's also,~ uh,~ sponsorship.
Yeah. Like you're seeing,~ uh,~ destinations,~ um,~ invite these. ~Uh, ~production studios to shoot in these destinations. And that's, that's is a form of [00:10:00] advertising as well. True. ~Um, ~next one, and that, that one is, is, is pretty dear to me. ~Um, ~which is podcast advertising. ~Uh, ~podcast advertising. It's becoming a powerful performance channel.
I think in the region here, we're probably not as. Advanced as abroad as really Markets, yeah, markets like the US where. ~Um, ~some really famous podcasters can get like a seven figure, seven figure deal. Okay. ~Uh, ~hopefully you'll break that norm. That's a, that's a big hopefully, but manifest it. Yes. I'll, I'll, I'll manifest it.
~Um, ~podcast advertising is, is I feel, is different. Podcasts content is different. I think it's more intimate. It's ~um, ~podcast audiences are much more dialed in,~ uh,~ versus when there's scrolling on social media. ~Uh, ~what's your take on that? So the reason I was surprised actually, when you said that is because I think.[00:11:00]
I read somewhere that in the Middle East, maybe it's even Saudi Arabia. Yeah. As the market is one of the, has one of the highest podcast,~ uh, uh, ~usage. Yeah, exactly. At 60% of Saudi,~ uh,~ population business to podcast. I'm surprised. See that, you know, like the market from an advertising,~ uh,~ from an advertising standpoint hasn't followed the, this, that sort of trend.
Mm-hmm. ~Um. ~I definitely think podcasts and audio ads as a whole is a massive opportunity for brands, and I think there's different ways that they can tap into it, right? Like the brand can be, can sponsor ads. Mm-hmm. On the podcast that are relevant to the topic. So again, making it very contextual or the brands can actually sponsor the entire podcast.
Yeah. But I think brands need to also realize and recognize that. The value it. So any podcast, there's value to the consumers, right? There's reasons why you have,~ uh,~ an audience that listens to you. Yeah. And they [00:12:00] want value out of it. So it it can't be about the brand. Yeah. It has to be about the value that the brand.
A hundred percent agreed. Right. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. I think this is the, this is the,~ uh, um, ~the opportunity is also when it benefits the host, right? It, it helps him with his journey,~ uh,~ to I. Do give back to their, to his audience. Right. If a brand, for example, is,~ uh,~ giving,~ uh, uh, ~free vouchers, for example Yeah.
For something that's beneficial and relevant for what the podcast was talking about. Absolutely. ~Uh, ~I think that's a great example of, of a, of how brands could leverage podcasts onto the final trend. Which is measurement is becoming more important than ever. I feel like measurement has always been more important than ever every single year.
Yeah. Especially when it comes to digital media, actually, with any media, any movement. But even more so I think in digital media, you're right, like [00:13:00] there's a lot more metrics Yeah. That, that you can, ~uh. ~So we're seeing a decline in vanity metrics and a rise of actionable KPIs or actionable metrics. One, some of these vanity metrics, I would say for those listening would be things like impressions, like cost per ~uh, uh, ~thousand impressions or CPM or views, or cpv, or CPCs.
~Um, ~these are becoming less important and what brands are looking. ~Uh, ~at nowadays are things like brand metrics. We're seeing a much, much,~ uh, uh, ~bigger use of BLS studies,~ um,~ mms,~ uh,~ and other types of studies. Do you think this is a good direction brands are following? Yeah, absolutely. I think, look, I think brands and any business really, right?
If you don't have goals and you're not measuring. Then you're not really able to, to progress or to evolve. Yeah, so I think there are the [00:14:00] in, as you said, like the in platform solutions, whether it's lift studies, enabling brands to understand through incrementality what works and what doesn't. And then there's the more.
Complicated or not complicated, but a bit more difficult to set up. Right. Like the mms. Yeah. Which allow you to have this sort of cross channel view in order to understand what, what's working across all of your media. Mm-hmm. Not just a particular channel. And I definitely think that brands should. I mean, especially in digital, that's the beauty of it, right?
That ability to experiment. Yeah. And I, I come from a school of thought that, you know, you test and you learn and you iterate and it's just a continuous cycle. And I think if marketeers are brave enough to take that approach in their marketing, which is not be afraid to take risks, allocate let's say 20% of your budget purely for testing in order to.
First, learn what works and then scale [00:15:00] your investments into what you know is working and what's guaranteed. We'll definitely see a lot of businesses start to have a lot more success mm-hmm. In, in today's world. Mm-hmm. I really like the point on incrementality, and I think this is something that's definitely on the rise, which is incrementality testing.
~Uh, ~so yes, so we're moving away from vanity metrics. We're going more into. Brand metrics more into what's the ultimate value that we're driving,~ um,~ with metrics such as customer lifetime value with ROI,~ uh,~ and, and very importantly,~ uh,~ incrementality. Yeah. ~Um, ~absolutely. Donna, thanks so much. This has been incredible.
Thank you for having me. I think, I think we've covered lots of good stuff. ~Uh, ~I invite, yeah, I invite the, the audience to please do comment if you think we missed on a certain trend. I'm happy to bring Donna back to talk about those. Love to, yeah. ~Uh, ~that would be fantastic. Thank you so much for having [00:16:00] me.
You are welcome. Thanks, Donna. Bye. Bye.