Campaign Middle East asked several industry experts their take on the question: Are strategies in the Middle East moving more towards outcome-based models?
Here’s what they had to say:
Faisal Mohammad Naim
Senior Strategist and Content Expert, Entourage
YES
With the advent of big data analytics, the creative industry is becoming more data-driven. As emphasis grows on ROI and measurable results, strategies in the region are shifting towards outcome-based models. Considering the modern highly competitive market and ever-evolving consumer behaviour, businesses are prioritising performance metrics and KPIs for better-informed decisions, to ensure their investments translate into tangible outcomes. Digital marketing campaigns are now more focused on engagement rates, conversions, and customer retention rather than mere reach. The transition is greatly working to foster accountability and innovation, while aligning marketing efforts with broader business objectives, ensuring sustained growth and success.
Roxanne Gahol
Senior Director – Strategy, OMD
YES
Regional strategies are moving towards outcome-based models. With the shift towards digital channels within the marketing mix, clients increasingly expect solutions that deliver tangible value and revenue growth. Marketers focusing more on lower-funnel media encourage agencies to embrace a level of risk by guaranteeing outcomes based on committed benchmarks. While doing that, marketers should not lose sight of building the brand and should maintain a balanced approach. Agencies that manage this risk with their client partners are ultimately rewarded with long-standing, mutually beneficial partnerships. This approach aligns marketing efforts with business goals, fostering trust and long-term collaboration between clients and agencies.
Shivani Dhawan
Senior Director – Marketing Science, Hearts & Science
YES
Strategies in our region are moving towards an outcome-as-a-service operating model that gets both brand and media working towards a singular growth objective. Limiting the value of media to delivering short-term incremental spikes in profitability adversely affects long-term, sustainable growth, a reality that brands are beginning to realise. The conversation is shifting from measuring incremental media output to defining outcomes linked to brand strategies that drive business growth through the right use of media. This also provides a broader canvas for brands to understand and measure the true potential of traditional offline channels, which helps them establish product differentiation for long-term, sustained growth.
James Jarrett
Senior Strategy and Partnerships Director, Assembly MENA
YES
Marketing strategies are increasingly outcome-based, thanks to advancements in performance tracking and attribution models. Today, there is a stronger focus on measurable results and return on investment, driven by data analytics and digital marketing. This allows marketers to track and optimise campaigns in real-time. The emphasis has shifted to specific goals like new customer acquisition, ROI, and customer lifetime value, rather than traditional metrics like reach, impressions and clicks.
Sary Richat
Regional Strategy Director, Mindshare MENA
MAYBE
Brands are demanding more tangible and measurable results for their marketing investment – website traffic, leads, and sales conversions – eclipsing the allure of vanity metrics like impressions.
The evolution towards outcome-based marketing is not just a trend but a testament to the power of a digitally savvy population. Their measurability of digital campaigns and the rise of programmatic advertising, which enables highly targeted and optimised strategies, are the driving forces behind this shift.
However, adoption varies across markets and sectors, with data availability playing a pivotal role. In the interim, a hybrid model blending traditional and outcome-based approaches is expected to persist.
Munther Al Sheyyab
Head of Planning and Strategy, Horizon FCB
MAYBE
All communication strategies are outcome-based to a certain extent. I believe a clear distinction should be made between being “outcome-based” and being “outcome-obsessed”. The latter seems to be gaining more prominence recently, which may not necessarily be a good thing.
While results are important, the irony lies in the fact that being too obsessed with outcomes can hinder achieving great results. I often ponder about “Dumb Ways to Die,” which has won five Grands Prix awards and is widely regarded as one of the most successful campaigns ever. Would it have survived the scrutiny of an outcome-obsessed team?
John Tippins
Regional Strategy Director, UM MENAT
YES
There is a mutually reinforcing relationship between accountability and automation, driving a noticeable shift towards outcome-based models in this region over the last couple of years. This trend is buoyed by the increasing investment in digital channels and the adoption of advanced data analytics and AI.
Accountability: Clients are expecting more transparent, metrics-driven campaigns that directly link marketing spend to business outcomes. Agencies are responding with performance-based solutions that have ROI at their heart.
Automation: AI-driven tools are enhancing efficiency and effectiveness in real time. This automation necessitates an even greater focus on dynamic results and their impact on desired outcomes.
Iqra Bukhari
Senior Strategist, MCH Global
YES
Given the competitive landscape, marketing and ad strategies are increasingly adopting outcome-based models. This transition marks a departure from traditional metrics like impressions and reach, and instead is favouring tangible results such as conversions and ROI which is achieved by anchoring each facet of a campaign to clearly defined objectives.
This holistic approach aligns with global digital trends, driven by advanced analytics and data-driven insights allowing for more personalised and meaningful experiences with strategy and optimisation at the core. As a result, agencies in the region are increasingly developing efficient and effective performance-based campaigns that align their success with their clients’ business goals.
