Ad executives' predictions

Many advertising executives say spending in the industry will remain flat this year although MBC, the region's largest broadcaster, is confident of growth

Zubair Siddiqui

Job: the managing director of the media agency UM Dubai

"I think [advertising spending in] 2012 is going to be very similar to 2011. The multinationals that declined; their spending have not really come back. The 30-35 per cent they cut in 2009 has been maintained. The multinationals are definitely cautious - they're 'wait and watch'. However, the local retailers are coming back, because they're trying to move something in the market. The retail market is there, and they are putting in the money."

Mohan Nambiar

Job: the chief executive of the media planning agency MEC in the Middle East and North Africa

"I think 2012 is the year that will bring some stability. The total advertising market will be very much flat. I don't think there will be a decline in spending from multinational clients. The passenger cars, the auto sectors, are still spending; there is an upward trend. I think spending on television will slightly be on the negative side. But I don't think it's going to be substantially lower."

Mazen Hayek

Job: the group director of PR and commercial at the MBC Group

"Multinationals are not dropping their advertising spending. What we're seeing as the trend for 2012 is growth. There is growth in online advertising, year on year. But in real ad-spend terms, the whole online ad spend still accounts for less than the total spend for one of MBC's medium-sized channels. We've been hearing about the growth of digital at the expense of TV for the past five years, but this has not proven real."