As CEO of Leo Gulf, Nadim Ghrayeb believes the MENA advertising industry is entering a new era defined by quality growth rather than simple recovery. In this interview, he discusses how brands are investing in AI, first-party data, commerce, and integrated marketing capabilities to drive business transformation. He also explains why connected brand ecosystems that combine creativity, media, technology, and commerce are becoming the foundation of future growth across the region.
After a period of disruption and reinvention, what does “recovery” actually look like for MENA’s advertising and marketing industry today, and what signals tell you the region is entering its next growth phase?
Recovery in MENA is not a cyclical rebound; it is a structural reset toward higher-quality growth. What we see across the region is greater confidence in marketing as a driver of business transformation, with investment shifting toward precision, personalization, commerce, and connected brand experiences.
The clearest signal of the next growth phase is that clients are moving beyond budget recovery to capability building: first-party data, AI-enabled decisioning, smarter content ecosystems, and integrated models that connect brand building with measurable business outcomes. In markets such as Saudi Arabia and the UAE, this is being accelerated by ambitious national transformation agendas, a digitally native population, and a strong appetite for innovation.
Which campaign, idea, or strategic shift from 2025/26 best reflects how resilience in MENA has translated into creative and commercial strength, and what does it reveal about the region’s future direction?
What best reflects the region’s progress is the rise of commerce-led brand ecosystems — the kind of integrated work Publicis is built to deliver, where creativity, media, data, technology, and commerce operate as one system around client growth. In 2025/26, some of the strongest momentum in MENA has come from ideas designed not only to capture attention, but to convert it into action across content, creators, retail, and digital platforms.
Brands are no longer looking for isolated campaigns, but connected solutions that build relevance, accelerate demand, and deliver measurable outcomes across the full consumer journey.
What this reveals about the future is that MENA will increasingly reward partners with integrated capabilities — and that is exactly where Publicis is strongest.
