TXT Media sees the GCC as a high-velocity, innovation-ready market where brands are eager to experiment, scale and embrace predictive, AI-powered media intelligence — creating fertile ground for engineering-led solutions built around clarity, performance and contextual relevance, says its CEO Gianluca Vittorelli, in an interview with Communicate.
Excerpts:
What triggered your expansion into the already crowded GCC adtech and media intelligence space?
We chose to enter the market because the landscape has shifted from experimenting with digital innovation to scaling it. This is the moment when partners who can connect strategy, technology, and creative thinking can make the most meaningful impact, and that is exactly where TXT Media sits. It was a combination of all four. Over the past few years, TXT Group has been supporting several global clients. As the Group expanded, it became clear that our marTech arm, TXT Media, needed to be closer to markets where digital adoption is accelerating faster than the infrastructure.
At the same time, a rapidly maturing market and a growing network of regional partners made the decision both well-timed and organic.
In a competitive environment with strong local and global players, what unique value or capabilities does TXT Media bring to advertisers, publishers, and agencies in the GCC that they cannot get from existing incumbents?
For us, the value comes from the combination of what we offer and who delivers it. We bring proprietary technology and full-stack products, but equally important is the team behind them, people with both local and global experience who can service clients effectively across markets.
We also take an integrated approach, bringing creative relevance, contextual intelligence, and performance thinking together rather than treating them as separate layers. It’s not about doing something others aren’t; it’s about contributing to the ecosystem with solid technology, regional understanding, and a team that can connect both worlds in a meaningful way.
Coming from Europe, how does the media intelligence and adtech landscape there compare to what you’re seeing in the GCC?
As far as my experience goes, Europe, in some ways, operates in mature environments, and it’s a market where innovation tends to be quite structured.
The GCC, on the other hand, is faster, more dynamic, and more experimental. Brands here are willing to test, adapt, and scale in ways that are hard to find elsewhere. As the region continues to accelerate, I believe that we can support predictive frameworks that can help brands scale with great clarity and confidence.
For all these reasons, I strongly believe TXT Media sits naturally into the region’s requirement that is primed for rapid growth and innovation.
Who are your current clients or pilot partners in the GCC, and did any of these relationships influence your expansion into the region?
We’re currently working with all leading agencies and brands across various sectors, such as real estate, retail, automotive, travel, financial services, and more. While these partnerships didn’t directly influence the timing of our expansion, they did give us confidence that the region is aligned with the type of solutions we built and that there is room to keep innovating in a meaningful way, which is what we plan to continue doing.
For us, the move wasn’t triggered by one single relationship. It was more about recognizing a broader shift in the GCC market, which is becoming increasingly sophisticated, increasingly data-driven, and increasingly open to technology that improves quality. For this reason, TXT Media’s expansion will directly contribute through a combination of engineering-led products with a local-first approach.
Could you share concrete examples of how AI is applied within your workflows, such as predictive insights, creative analysis, sentiment detection, audience modeling, and fraud detection?
At TXT Media, AI is an accelerator for our teams, not a replacement. Our approach is simple: humans lead, and AI supports 24/7, which empowers our teams to make smarter decisions, faster.
As an example, one of our proprietary platforms, ARIA, powers several key workflows:
· Contextual intelligence and audience modeling: ARIA semantically analyzes content to identify ideal, fully cookieless contexts for campaigns.
· Real-time optimization: It monitors performance 24/7, recommending budget shifts based on conversion patterns and reducing impression wastage through smart deduplication.
· Lead qualification and fraud filtering: Before a lead reaches your sales team, ARIA pre-scores leads, removes bots, and routes only qualified prospects make it through.
· Creative analysis and predictive insights: We continuously A/B test formats at scale. ARIA identifies which creatives are most likely to drive engagement and recommends optimal messaging by segment, then our experts refine and activate the strategy.
The philosophy is simple: AI handles complexity and repetitive tasks. Our experts focus on strategy, creativity, and measurable client results. Results from experts, amplified by AI.
Looking ahead, TXT Media is evolving quickly to meet the needs of the market and developing products to service the requirements of brands across the region and beyond.
