MENA’s Digital Advertising Landscape is continuing to evolve in step with consumer behaviour shifts. In previous editions, we have explored the opportunities that in-app advertising and MENA’s digital advertising landscape hold.
In this edition, we explore how the digital advertising landscape is evolving with changing consumer behavior. Specifically, despite social media’s strong influence on MENA’s consumer spending today, user engagement has started shifting towards alternative channels with richer context and information—such as e-commerce apps, AI chats, and CTV.
Digital advertising has continued to be the primary growth driver for MENA’s advertising industry, reaching 3/4th of ad spends by 2030
The MENA ad market continues to be driven by digital channels as consumers are increasingly spending significant amount of time online. Key factors fueling this growth include rise in mobile-first consumers, a strong digital community, and seamless conversions from discovery to purchase. Additionally, declining time spent on television and a low preference for print media have accelerated the rise of digital advertising.
The MENA’s digital ad market is on par with maturity levels of global counterparts…
MENA’s digital advertising market has reached maturity levels comparable to global leaders, with the UAE leading the charge at 80% digital ad share. The regional average of 69% puts MENA on par with United States (77%) and China (72%), significantly ahead of emerging markets such as India.
… driven by greater influence of Social Media than the West
What sets MENA region apart is its unique consumer behavior patterns. Unlike Western markets, where search dominates, social media holds significant influence in MENA. This is driven by higher time spent on social media, higher trust in content creators and a strong preference for visual content.
This is evident in how the share of social media has increased the fastest so far; however, going forward, we expect the channel mix to change
This regional preference for social discovery and recommendations has shaped the advertising landscape, with platforms such as YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram emerging as market leaders. Going forward, the advertising landscape is expected to shift towards other channels specifically display channels such as e-commerce apps and CTV (Connected TV).
The growth will be driven by the entry of new publishers, emergence of alternative mediums and rise in learning-linked content consumption
This shift is being fueled by three key factors:
- Entry of New Publishers:
- Traditionally, digital advertising has stuck to open channels (Social media platforms, public websites). However, with the growing prominence of retail consumer apps in the region (eg, Noon, Jahez, Talabat, Careem, etc.), these channels become a direct way to connect with consumers and advertise products & services.
- Emergence of Alternative Channels & Mediums:
- Connected TVs and Smart Home Assistants offer rich context and highly personalized campaigns to consumers, thereby making them an essential channel of connect for brands targeting households.
- Evolution of product search: With LLMs (For e.g. GPT-4, Gemini, Claude) increasingly being used for search, their adoption continues to surge. These platforms are rapidly evolving into influential channels that shape consumer spending.
- Shifting behaviour in content consumption: Digital Media users in MENA are rapidly changing their content consumption patterns. In a recent survey of digital media users in MENA, we found out that 30% of respondents expressed a clear intent to shift toward learning rather than purely seeking entertainment on these platforms.
Overall, MENA’s digital advertising landscape is poised for significant shifts as content consumption patterns evolve. A key change is how users now perceive social media channels, alongside the rise of platforms that foster deeper consumer interaction. Brands will need to adapt their advertising strategies to build a more organic connection with their audiences.
