Ahmad Haidar, Managing Director, dentsu KSA.Title: Managing Director, dentsu KSA
Years in the role: 6 years
Years in the industry: More than 20 years
Years in the Middle East region: More than 40 years
Other roles / board memberships: MMA KSA Board Member
Power Essay: Marketing without a map in Saudi Arabia
When I first moved to Saudi Arabia more than 20 years ago, the marketing landscape looked very different. Fewer channels, longer timelines, predictable campaigns – we could plan months ahead and still be confident about how audiences would respond. That certainty doesn’t exist anymore.
Saudi Arabia today is one of the most dynamic markets in the world – not because there’s a rulebook everyone is following, but because there isn’t one. In this environment, there are no fixed formulas, no guaranteed paths to success. Brands, agencies and platforms are testing, learning and adapting in real time – and that’s what makes the opportunity here so exciting. In Saudi Arabia, we’re drawing the map as we go.
Part of what makes this market unique is the pace of change. Decisions happen quickly; investments are bold; and audiences adopt new behaviours faster than almost anywhere else. With Vision 2030 accelerating diversification across entertainment, tourism, retail and technology, the scale of opportunity is huge. But speed creates its own pressure. Brands aren’t just competing within their category anymore; they’re competing with culture itself.
“Brands aren’t just competing within their category anymore; they’re competing with culture.”
Audiences here are younger, more connected and more expressive than ever before. They expect brands to reflect their values, speak their language and earn their place in the moments that matter to them. And they have more control than ever over what they watch, share and buy. I hear this from clients every day: the pressure to stay relevant is relentless, and decisions that once took months now happen in weeks, sometimes days, as brands fight to stay part of the cultural conversation.
Nowhere is this shift more visible than in Saudi Arabia’s growing sports, entertainment and cultural economy. From football and gaming to festivals, music and film, audiences are forming passionate communities around the things they love – and shaping conversations in real time. For brands, these spaces represent huge opportunities, but showing up isn’t enough. Success depends on participating authentically, creating partnerships, stories and experiences that audiences choose to engage with. Increasingly, marketing here is about turning culture into commerce – connecting passion to purchase in ways that feel natural,
not forced.
In a market moving this quickly, success depends on how fast we can respond. It’s no longer about locking in plans months in advance – it’s about testing, learning and adapting in real time. That means working differently: bringing creative, media, data and partnerships together from the start to deliver ideas that live inside culture, not around it.
And the pace isn’t slowing down – if anything, it’s accelerating. For brands and agencies, the opportunity is clear: Stay close to audiences, move with them and create work that connects meaningfully in the moments that matter most.
The brands and agencies willing to navigate uncharted territory, experiment boldly and adapt faster will define what marketing looks like for the next decade.
Highlight of the last year
Over the past year at dentsu KSA, we focused on developing our teams across all verticals and scaling capabilities. We launched dentsu Sports International, introduced our production unit TAG, and strengthened media, creative and CXM capabilities – delivering campaigns that are bold, culturally relevant and truly make a difference.
Rapid fire
What the industry needs to talk more about:
Building local talent, real culture.
What the industry needs to talk less about:
Empty metrics that don’t matter.
If you could change one thing in the blink of an eye, you would …
Close the talent gap fast.
What’s one thing about you that would surprise your team?
Energetic outside work, always moving.
What mobile application can you not live without?
WhatsApp.
What word / phrase do people remember you for using the most?
“One team. One goal.”
What’s one local / regional tradition that you love the most?
Family gatherings.
If you could choose any two people, currently alive, in the world to share a meal with you, who would it be?
Too many to choose. Table’s full.
What’s your top word of advice for Gen Z and Gen Alpha?
Be bold, stay curious.
What’s your go-to comfort food?
Steak.
What’s your favourite ad from the past 12 months?
HungerStation X Fananees Ramadan campaign.
