User:Kk2019/sandbox

Of Middle Eastern countries Egypt is more lenient than others on rules and regulations of advertising and media. By the Egyptian constitution freedom of the media is guaranteed, and for the most part the government is respectful of that, but there are still laws in place to restrict the media. However, in the 2005 presidential election, office director for Information Minister Ahmed Selim declared they were entering an era of “free, transparent and independent Egyptian media”.

Egypt is traditionally a print based advertising in media. It was not until 1995 that Egypt had nearly 100 television channels. Once television came to popularity private broadcasters were not allowed to broadcast their own news, instead they were to stick to entertainment. The Ministry of Information was the organization that controlled content in state-owned broadcast media. Fortunately, Egypt was the first Middle Eastern country to have its own satellite. Traditionally advertisement in Egypt has been very conservative in content. Gender roles were reinforced heavily and controversial topics were not addressed. Then, and even now, certain objects are still not shown in advertising such as alcohol and undergarments, as they are seen as ‘immoral’ by government authorities and some of the public. However, now in more modern times, women are being a force in advertising. Egypt is now in a post-revolution era. As a result, a lot has opened up to marketers and advertisers on what they can and want to do. This revolution can be capitalized on very well as long as marketers respect and honor the spirit of the movement. Advertisements will now be seeing a new audience with different wants, needs and expectations. Women’s issue and rights movements are beginning to take place through advertising campaigns as well as social media in Egypt is taking off, especially Facebook. The National Council for Women launched a campaign back in 2016 empowering women to ‘break barriers and not accept society’s narrow perceptions’. Also, because of the popularity of Facebook many advertising mediums are using the classic ‘like button’ icon in their ads to appeal to their newly informed audience. Online advertising is also proving to be very successful as it is now much easier to access and see. There is also massive market for online adverting as about half of Egypt’s population is 29 years old or younger.

What this means for the future of Egypt is there is a growing job market in marketing and advertising. New agencies and corporate positions will be created as a result in a higher demand for media experts. This also means more steps being taken towards freedom in the media. With a more progressive generation in charge of the media we will see it begin to alter and expand to fit their changing needs and to connect with the rest of the world.