Based on a report which will be published in full at Digital Cream Dubai later this month, more than half of businesses across MENA will increase spending on social media penetration in 2012.

The report, which surveys a number of companies operating in MENA, shows that 69% plan to increase investment in offsite social media, incorporating platforms such as Twitter, Facebook and YouTube, while 54% will boost their budgets for on-site social media, which include blogs and other interactive features.

Companies have been pushing to incorporate social networks in their business as those who successfully utilize social media increase web traffic, lead generation and revenues.

In this regard we choose 5 remarkable social media campaigns from around the region that employed YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, Blogs and Foursquare respectively. Let us know which one is your favorite!

Airport Flash Mobs - Dubai & Beirut Airport

A flash mob is a song-and-dance routine performed without warning in a public place. The term was first used in 2003, when some of the first flash mobs were organized. Since then, hundreds have been staged all over the world. One example that has reached the highest levels of fame is the Sound of Music flash mob in the Central Station of Antwerp (Belgium).

On March 5th a group of 30 dancers from a dabkeh troupe dressed as passengers started a flash mob in the middle of the Beirut Airport's Duty Free shops. The YouTube video generated more that 2.2 million views and was blogged about by the Huffington Post, one of the world's most powerful online publications.

Similarly, to launch the Dubai Duty Free DXB charge card, Dubai Airports commissioned a flash mob stunt that became the biggest viral marketing campaign ever in the UAE within 24hrs. The YouTube video and digital marketing campaign was seen by over 2 million people within a month.

Turkcell - Smartphone & Internet Bundle

Turkcell, the leading mobile phone operator in Turkey, developed a campaign to promote their new smart phones bundled with mobile internet.  

The campaign featured the smartphone packed in gift boxes and covered with post-its. Using a live video feed, Turkcell asked Twitter users to unpack the box by tweeting what was written on the post-its using the hashtag #turkcelltweet. During the competition contestants could take part in games, such as Pictionary, Trivia and word puzzles winning minutes and mobile data. The final challenge was to get a celebrity to retweet the message in order to win phone.

The campaign was live for 3 hours a day over 7 days and generated 56,734 tweets. It became a Twitter trending topic in Turkey, reaching 3.6 million people.

Catch me if you can - Volkswagen Middle East

To celebrate the launch of the all-new Volkswagen Jetta in the region, participants were required to spot the masked Jetta in key locations, snap a picture of it and upload it onto Facebook for a chance to win the recently launched model.

To create curiosity and build anticipation for the official launch, the Jettas were covered with foiling, hiding its distinguishing features and shape so that they were unidentifiable to the public with a message placed on both sides of the vehicles, urging passersby to visit the www.besurprised.com website to find out more about this mystery car and the prize to be won.

As a result, the Facebook page amassed over 15,000 likes from fans throughout the campaign.

Zaatar w Zet - Missing Z

Zaatar w Zeit reached out to bloggers and utilized various social networks as well as a dedicated website to create a buzz and spread information on the theft of the letter 'Z' from their logos by a group called Z Liberation Cell.

The campaign’s aim was to introduce Zaatar w Zeit’s new logo, a literal interpretation of the name featuring a leaf and a drop of oil, with the negative space between the two forming a Z, hence the title ‘Missing Z’.

Here are is a sample of the letters that were sent to bloggers (Courtesy of ‘This is Beirut’)

Green Peace - Blue Shield 2011

Green Peace Lebanon employed various digital media tools to attract people to “set sail with them” on their Secret Mission “Blue Shield 2011”

Since only around 30% of people on Green Peace’s mailing list engage in their activities carried, the NGO thought carefully on how to grow the list in order to increase the total number of active members and came up with a secret mission that would turn the audience into “Agents” awaiting exclusive news and missions from Greenpeace.

Influenced by Greenpeace-Turkey, the NGO used Foursquare to attract audience to join their list. Green Peace would target coffee shops and restaurants or even events where they knew people at that certain place will be interested in joining their cause.

So which of these is your favorite? Let us know in the pole below. Also feel free to add any other campaign that has caught your attention in the comments section.

Part of its upcoming 2012, ArabNet is proud to announce a new competition for the region's best digital agencies and creatives!  The ArabNet Case Study Challenge (ACSC) honors excellence in online advertising, recognizes innovative individuals and organizations, and helps set a high standard for digital marketing.

We're looking for the best campaigns that have leveraged technology and new media, and we want to hear the story of how you promoted a brand or service using any or all of online ads, video, mobile, microsite, newsletters, email, social media and other tools. For more information Click Here.