As the Middle East’s advertising and marketing industry emerges from another period of disruption, questions around recovery, resilience and future growth are once again in focus. Mazen Jawad, CEO of Horizon Holdings, believes the region’s long history of overcoming economic and geopolitical challenges has created a uniquely resilient business environment. In this interview, he discusses the signals pointing to MENA’s next growth phase, how different sectors adapted during recent disruptions, and why agility, diversification and strategic focus will continue to shape the future of the communications industry.
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?
Over the past three decades, our region has faced repeated “black swan” events, from major economic shocks to political conflicts, each placing immense pressure on economies and disrupting growth. Every crisis forced governments, businesses, and industry leaders to act quickly, balancing immediate mitigation efforts with preparations for recovery. And despite varying timelines and outcomes, recovery always followed. Today’s conflict is unprecedented in many ways, but the region’s resilience remains undeniable.
More recently, Middle Eastern economies have delivered strong and consistent growth, with the private sector playing a central role in driving momentum. The GCC countries have reinforced their position as regional and global business hubs through diversification, investment and long-term vision. This resilience is clearly reflected in the advertising and communications industry.
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?
The impact of the conflict has varied across industries. Sectors heavily reliant on tourism, conferences and transit traffic experienced the greatest disruption, requiring businesses to adapt quickly.
From the outset, we identified that demand across specific business verticals — particularly financial services, insurance and essential consumer sectors would remain resilient or even accelerate under these conditions. This allowed us to proactively work with clients to maximize existing opportunities and optimize returns during a volatile period.
For businesses more exposed to tourism and transit activity, agility became critical. Many successfully mitigated part of the impact by rapidly shifting their focus, messaging and media investments toward local communities and domestic demand. From a communications perspective, the situation also required recalibrating narratives, channel strategies, and audience targeting.
