Ghassan Kassabji, CEO of Impact BBDO Dubai and Chief Growth Officer MENA, believes the region’s recovery remains uneven and closely tied to geopolitical developments. In this interview, he discusses the signals he is watching for growth, why client planning for a Q4 rebound is significant, and how an organic wave of support for the UAE has become one of the most powerful examples of resilience and long-term brand strength in 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 will vary significantly country by country and sector by sector, and anyone claiming the region has already turned the corner is reading a different set of signals than I am. The geopolitical situation remains unresolved, and the market has contracted in a recognizable sequence: events and experiential businesses were hit first, media buying followed, and creative agencies have felt it to a lesser extent, partly because many clients are already planning for a Q4 recovery rather than pulling back entirely. That planning activity is the most honest signal available right now. Across financial services, real estate, and tourism, organizations are building plans that assume a stabilization window in the second half of the year.
We also asked leaders: Which campaign, idea, or strategic shift from 2025/26 best reflects how resilience in MENA has translated into creative and commercial strength and what it reveals about where the region is heading next?
The most instructive example of resilience translating into creative and commercial strength in 2025/26 didn’t come from a campaign. It came from the people who live in the UAE. When the security situation escalated, and parts of the foreign media began questioning the UAE’s stability, what followed was an organic, unrehearsed wave of solidarity from millions of residents across more than 200 nationalities. A single post reading “I Stand With UAE” reached 1.8 million views within hours. No brief produced it, and no agency orchestrated it. Residents described it simply: “We are one team. There is no other place I want to be but here.” For our industry, that is the most compelling proof point for long-term brand building we have seen in years.
