Digital advertising has grown to become one of the most important forms of marketing worldwide, especially after the coronavirus pandemic, which led to a huge jump in online consumption, enabling the industry to reach more audiences than ever. By 2024, the
was forecasted to grow by 11 percent. The growth of mobile technology in the MENA region has helped with the increased use of digital advertising.
was expected to grow by around 20 percent by 2024 with a significant share of spending targeting the GCC. Saudi Arabia had the highest
in the MENA in 2021, followed by the UAE.
An overview on the advertising climate in the UAE
UAE is considered an attractive market for marketers and advertisers looking to increase their brand awareness due to its large working population and high internet usage rates. Largely attributed to the fact that it is home to many headquarters of internet giants and digital agencies, Dubai is considered the main entry into the advertising market within the pan-Arabic region. The UAE was ranked the fourth
most attractive country worldwide for digital agency professionals. The UAE’s advertising spending is mainly driven by OOH and digital advertising. Expo 2020 was among the top advertising boosters in the country in 2021, with the
digital advertising spending growth rate for that year reaching a whopping 100 percent in that year.
Digital advertising challenges
While digital advertising presents vast opportunities for retailers, it is not without its challenges. Changing online privacy regulations and the planned roll out of third-party cookies are two major challenges facing the industry worldwide. Third-party cookies are deeply embedded in the digital advertising ecosystem, and finding a suitable replacement is difficult. Beyond replacing the targeting capabilities of cookies, the emerging solutions are shaping the market by decompartmentalizing buying platforms and environments, enabling centralized campaign management, and moving the entire industry toward a more people-centric advertising model. Another challenge faced by the industry is ad fraud. The EMEA region had the highest
digital ad fraud or sophisticated invalid traffic rate compared to other regions. Social media advertising is also susceptible to fraud. Over 60 percent of
Instagram influencers involved in fraud had between 100,000 to one million followers in the UAE.
This text provides general information. Statista assumes no
liability for the information given being complete or correct.
Due to varying update cycles, statistics can display more up-to-date
data than referenced in the text.
