Media Daily Digest

Daily Media & Advertising Trends Digest – 10/30/25

ByBander Momenah

1. AI‑first platforms driving campaign optimisation (global → local)

Platforms such as Google, Meta, Snapchat, TikTok and Spotify are shifting from “we react to user behaviour” to “we anticipate and act”. The article “The AI‑powered platforms playbook” emphasises how these platform owners are providing tools to integrate data, unify analytics + ad flows and surface insights that cross silos (analytics, media‑buying, CRM) rather than leaving them separate. Campaign Middle East+1
Relevance for MENA/KSA: With the region’s increasing digital maturity, brands need to move from “just run ads” to “connect data, creatives, performance” – the platforms are ready; execution needs to catch up.

2. Fast‑growing digital ad spend, but moderation in growth rate

According to WPP Media, the MENA advertising market is forecast to grow 8% in 2025 to reach about US$6.3bn, with digital pure‑play (search + retail media + social) making up ~65.9% of total ad revenue. Campaign Middle East
What this signals:

  • Digital remains dominant.
  • But the growth rate is slower than the double‑digits of earlier years → pressure on efficiency.
  • Allocation of budget needs sharper performance focus.
    KSA angle: As one of the largest markets in the region, local agencies and brand teams must optimise spend across channels rather than assuming volume wins.

3. Changing digital behaviour in KSA/UAE: social commerce, AI, evolving audiences

The Deloitte “Digital Consumer Trends 2025” for KSA/UAE show rapid acceleration of generative AI adoption, social commerce expansion, and shifting content‑consumption habits. Deloitte Italia Also, recent research on Gen Z in the GCC highlights that for this cohort: social platforms are often the starting point (not just search), they trust micro‑influencers and UGC, and they expect authenticity. Eureka Digital
Implication for media/ads:

  • For KSA campaigns targetting younger demos, plan for discovery on social first (TikTok/Instagram/Snap) rather than purely search.
  • Incorporate social commerce or commerce‑adjacent formats.
  • Use creative styles that reflect authenticity and community rather than purely “broadcast” style.

4. New regulatory & ad‑ecosystem infrastructure in the region

While not exclusively KSA, regional developments matter for local operations. For example, the UAE Media Council launched an “Advertiser Permit” for social media and influencer content creators in the UAE to ensure transparency and regulation of promotional content. Campaign Middle East
Note for KSA operations: While KSA may have its own specific rules, regional shifts suggest heightened regulation is likely (or already active) around influencer/post ads. Audits and compliance should be on your radar.

5. New ad‑product / tech tool launches: creative analytics enters growth stage

A notable product launch: Segwise (an AI‑first ad creatives platform) announced its AI Creative Analytics tool that tags creative elements (hook dialogue, backgrounds, CTA, characters) and maps them to performance metrics like ROAS/CPA. PR Newswire+1
Why this matters:

  • Creative is becoming a major lever beyond just targeting/bidding.
  • For regionally‑targeted campaigns (KSA/MENA), using such tools might allow differentiation via creative insight rather than just media spend.
  • Could be a testbed for localised creative optimisation.

Actionables

Based on the above trends, here are specific tactical recommendations:

  1. Audit your creative‑performance mapping
    • Using your current campaigns in KSA/MENA, create a matrix of creative elements (format, hook message, CTA, language dialect, cultural reference) vs performance (CPA, ROAS, CTR).
    • Identify the top three recurring visual or message elements that correlate with better performance.
    • Create a new ad set where you swap out the lowest performing element (e.g., change the CTA phrasing or replace the hero visual) and measure for 1–2 weeks.
  2. Integrate a “check the data flow” for analytics → media buy set‑up
    • Ensure that first‑party data, CRM or offline conversion signals (in KSA) are being connected into your ad campaign set‑up (especially on Google & Meta). The “AI‑platforms playbook” emphasised this integration gap. Campaign Middle East
    • For your next campaign, add a step: verify data paths from “user action (offline/online)” → “data warehouse or platform” → “campaign attribution layer” → “media optimisation”.
    • If you find gaps (e.g., untracked conversions or missing CRM match), allocate a small budget to fix this before scaling the major budget.
  3. Prioritise social commerce/test‑first discovery for younger demos in KSA
    • For brand/product campaigns aimed at Gen Z or younger audiences in KSA, build a mini‑pilot on TikTok (or Instagram Reels) focusing on social‑commerce‑like format (shoppable post, link‑in‑bio, influencer micro‑collab) rather than purely search traffic.
    • Set up tracking to compare acquisition cost and ROAS of that pilot vs your standard search/display channels over a 2‑week window.
    • If the social commerce pilot shows favourable CPA/ROAS, scale that format and adjust budget accordingly.

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