2006 a good year for Jordan’s ad sector: One-third rise in spending

Jordan’s advertising sector has recorded its best-ever year, driven in part by competition in the booming telecommunications sector. In 2006, $215 million was spent on advertising, a 33% rise on the previous year’s figure of $162 million. While, in regional terms, Jordan’s advertising industry is still a relatively small player, accounting for just 3% of the Middle East’s total expenditure, it has registered strong growth for all but one of the past six years and has expanded to embrace all mediums. The largest single advertiser in Jordan last year was the telecommunications sector, which spent $31.4 million to promote its services to the public. With four mobile phone companies now operating in the tight Jordanian market, competition is fierce and an appealing advertising campaign can be crucial to attracting new customers and wooing others away from rivals. According to Mustapha Tabba, the newly-appointed president of the Jordanian chapter of the