Snapchat long stood out among other social media platforms for introducing interactive user experiences such as filters and augmented reality features.
But today, with TikTok on the scene and Meta, Instagram and YouTube introducing products for creating content, the social media scene has evolved, technology has changed and audiences are different.
General manager, Middle East and North Africa at Snap Inc., Hussein Freijeh, joins Business Extra host Kelsey Warner this week to talk about how the platform has maintained its loyal audience in the Gulf, which is one of the most engaged regions in the world for the platform.
In Saudi Arabia, 90 per cent of 13 to 34 year olds and 71 per cent of parents use Snapchat, and in the UAE, one in three 18 to 34 year olds is an active user.
Freijeh explains how Snapchat focused on the localisation of its business in the region by engaging families and friends who he said use the app’s features as a tool to nourish their relationships creatively.
Pioneering augmented reality, Freijeh also talked about the ways AI meets AR, how Snapchat is keeping up with the current fierce competition in technology and why the platform doesn’t pursue growth at all costs.
Freijeh joined Snap Inc. in 2016 and was previously managing director for Yahoo Middle East, Africa and Turkey, after he led advertising at Maktoob, which Yahoo acquired in 2009.
In this episode
Snapchat in 2023 (0m 27s)
Engaging the MENA region and building loyalty (6m 29s)
The digital ads model and Snapchat revenue (9m 57s)
The future of Snap (16m 17s)
Read more
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Snap boosts hiring in Saudi Arabia as it taps into AR growth in Mena
Snapchat Spotlight Middle East launch: everything you need to know about the platform
Opening Rugby Championship fixtures:Games can be watched on OSN Sports
Saturday: Australia v New Zealand, Sydney, 1pm (UAE)
Sunday: South Africa v Argentina, Port Elizabeth, 11pm (UAE)
THE TWIN BIO
Their favourite city: Dubai
Their favourite food: Khaleeji
Their favourite past-time : walking on the beach
Their favorite quote: ‘we rise by lifting others’ by Robert Ingersoll
Ordinary Virtues: Moral Order in a Divided World by Michael Ignatieff
Harvard University Press
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
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What is double taxation?
- Americans living abroad file taxes with the Internal Revenue Service, which can cost hundreds of dollars to complete even though about 60 per cent do not owe taxes, according to the Taxpayer Advocate Service
- Those obligations apply to millions of Americans residing overseas – estimates range from 3.9 million to 5.5 million – including so-called "accidental Americans" who are unaware they hold dual citizenship
- The double taxation policy has been a contentious issue for decades, with many overseas Americans feeling that it punishes them for pursuing opportunities abroad
- Unlike most countries, the US follows a citizenship-based taxation system, meaning that Americans must file taxes annually, even if they do not earn any income in the US.
