This year was all about AI, and 2026 will be too.
Digital intelligence is the biggest disruptor in the media, marketing and advertising industry. Any predictions that don’t put AI centre-stage will be wide of the mark.
I conferred with Chat GPT and Microsoft’s Copilot when looking back on 2025 and forward to next year. They largely agreed with one another, and I agree with much of what they anticipate will be important. However, the narrative they weave seems too polished to be fully credible.
All the predictions made by me, AI or anyone in or close to the marketing communications industry will probably come true to some extent. But, with existential changes afoot, it will take a wider lens than a single year to see true, deep-rooted transformations become uniform and ubiquitous.
My research assistants claim that 2026 will see a combination of fast adoption of new trends in the GCC and more-conservative uptake elsewhere in the region.
The UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar will “accelerate rapidly” in AI native marketing, connected TV (CTV) and data. Egypt, the Levant and North Africa will show steady adoption, hampered by budget constraints and infrastructure gaps.
Creators, commerce and short-form video will remain dominant culturally and economically, while AI-led discovery and behavioural targeting will reshape media planning. Localisation and Arabic-first content “will become more strategically important than at any time in the last decade”, the AI predicts.
I’d temper the effusiveness of these predictions.
Much of the material AI can consult is written by marketers for the marketing press. It is packaged to make its authors look like they are ahead of the curve, and that they can picture the curve clearly. Neither of these tacit assertions is often true.
GCC countries will be ahead in the region, I agree, but perhaps not gathering as much speed as AI predicts. Rather, the UAE will continue to be where media, marketing and advertising are done in the Gulf. Qatar will spend some money, but most exciting work for that market will be done in Dubai. Saudi Arabia will be the gravitational force around which the industry’s planets revolve.
The UAE will continue to be where media, marketing and advertising are done in the Gulf
Creatively and in terms of its cultural sway over the industry, the kingdom will continue to grow. But its wells of wealth aren’t limitless. Giga-projects are quietly being shelved or becoming reality. The former means the death of a vision – and its budgets. The latter is always less awesome – and comes with more terrestrial ad spend – than when the project was announced.
However, content produced for the Saudi market – for ads and CTV or streaming services – will continue to tilt in favour of Arabic-first. This will help build the careers of local creatives in an industry long dominated by expats working in English. Dubai agencies, catering to Saudi Arabia, will promote local talent.
The Levant and North Africa will be held back by weaker economies, political turmoil, and unreliable power and internet. But they will remain a breeding ground for Arab talent. The cream that rises to the top there will be skimmed off to enrich Dubai’s offerings to Saudi Arabia.
AI predictions anticipate that quality, “authentic” influencers with something to say will triumph over content farms. That would be nice, but I fear it is misplaced optimism.
The industry loves to sing the praises of authenticity, but it also loves a bargain. We have a few more years ahead of influencers-for-hire and AI slop.
Gaming is a highlight in the region, with Saudi Arabia in particular investing in video-game companies and tournaments. The Middle East has a young population, often out of work and with little to do in a prohibitively hot climate.
GCC countries in particular have money to spend and strong digital infrastructure. This is somewhere we can lead the world, with brands talking to players and fans in their own languages and on their own platforms.
Regional agencies will continue to be shaken by changes outside their own geography. After a series of agency mergers over the past few years, now the holding groups themselves are starting to eat one another.
Omnicom has bought fellow New York network IPG, and in the wake of that we will see big agency names vanish. These include DDB and FCB, both one-time movers and shakers within the Mena advertising ecosystem.
Further reading:
Further reading:
Rumours abound of a takeover of the UK’s WPP, perhaps by France’s Havas, and even if this does not happen in 2026, we may see more consolidation and mergers of agency brands.
This could clear the way for more independent shops to blossom.
In combination with the push for local and Arabic content, local agencies and production companies will have the opportunity to shine.
AI tells me 2026 will be “the year of plurality – multiple futures, multiple speeds, all demanding attention at once”.
I sort of agree. Yes, 2026 will be like this. Only less so.
Austyn Allison is an editorial consultant and journalist who has covered Middle East advertising since 2007
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