As CEO MENA at Wavemaker, Marc Ghosn has a front-row view of how brands across the region are adapting to rapid technological and consumer shifts. In this interview, he argues that MENA’s advertising industry is not recovering but evolving into a more business-focused, AI-powered ecosystem. He discusses how brands have redirected investments rather than retreating, the growing influence of commerce and data, and why adaptability has become the defining characteristic of today’s consumer.
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?
In my opinion, this is not a recovery. A recovery is where you pick up where you left off. But from what I’ve seen, our clients in the region have used this uncertain time to accelerate into new areas of growth, becoming more business-centric and tech-focused, and investing more rapidly in AI.
Brands learnt their lessons from Covid, recognizing cutting budgets will leave them behind their competitors. Instead, they have been reallocating investment to address the shifts in demand and behavior.
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?
AI is providing us with more data on the countless live decisions taken by consumers based on sporadic changes that are happening not day to day, but minute to minute. Strategies have been influenced by these continual shifts in consumer behavior. A key shift has been in commerce. Consumers have turned to buying everything online, not just small irregular purchases, but weekly groceries and big purchases like TVs. People have also become more agile and nomadic throughout this period. Consumers are more prepared and adjusted to their plans changing at a minute’s notice, one minute working in the office, the next home schooling, or heading abroad for fully ‘remote living’.
