Saleh Agha, Managing Director, OMD UAEAs we welcome 2025, it’s clear the media and advertising landscape in the Middle East continues to evolve. The patterns that began to emerge in 2024 – heightened consumer scepticism, an insistence on purpose and authenticity, and the mingling of physical and digital experiences – are now racing forward at full speed. For brands and media strategists, predicting the near future means understanding how three distinct generations –millennials, Gen Z and Gen Alpha – are reshaping the conversation and affecting how brands run their businesses.
Each generation has its own motivations, content preferences and platforms of choice, creating an environment where traditional formats and cutting-edge innovations co-exist. Amid this hybrid media reality, advertisers who remain flexible, culturally attuned and ready to engage their audiences on their own terms will find lasting success.
Find alignment with the digital storytellers
Millennials have long passed the era of simply chasing the latest trends. Now in their prime earning years and focusing on family life, they’ve honed a keen sense of what matters most – and what’s just marketing fluff.
While they still enjoy settling in for a big sporting event on TV, especially a high-stakes regional football match that brings friends and family together, their content consumption extends far beyond the living room setup.
They’ll switch effortlessly between linear television, connected TV, and on-demand platforms that deliver regionally inspired content. For millennials, it’s about finding brands that show up in relevant, meaningful contexts – adding value rather than simply adding volume.
Inspire the visual communicators
Gen Z has inherited a digital world but isn’t jaded by it. Instead, they seek out authenticity, community and cultural relevance. Sure, they’ll tune into traditional broadcast events – key music award shows, high-profile sports tournaments – because these moments create shared cultural touchpoints.
Digital-first and fast-paced, this generation gravitates toward platforms that deliver quick, snackable content and real-time updates, perfectly suited to their busy, always-connected lives. They’re redefining how media is consumed, prioritising short-form videos, bite-sized news, and easily digestible updates that fit seamlessly into their day.
They’re also leading the charge in the rise of audio streaming platforms and podcasts, embracing on-the-go listening as a primary mode of consumption. Their celebrities and idols are not the typical red-carpet ones – theirs are on YouTube, TikTok and Twitch.
They want brands to show up as collaborators, not loudspeakers – offering content that genuinely reflects their interests and helps fuel their ever-evolving cultural dialogues.
‘Edutain’ the tech-savvy innovators
Gen Alpha, the youngest cohort on the scene, is growing up in a world where screens and smart devices aren’t just part of the media environment; they’re part of the furniture. Their formative experiences with content are immersive, interactive and designed to stimulate curiosity.
Parents might still trust linear kids’ TV shows – but Gen Alpha also engages with family-friendly streaming channels loaded with language-learning series, interactive science experiments and storytelling that sparks the imagination.
In 2025, these young viewers will increasingly consume augmented reality (AR) and voice-activated stories through smart speakers. By blurring boundaries between learning and play, brands can gently fold themselves into Gen Alpha’s world, forging positive early associations. But what’s next for Gen Alpha, only time will tell. Gone are the days of pitting old against new. In 2025, the media ecosystem is all about hybridity, cultural relevance and genuine connections across multiple platforms.
Millennials, Gen Z, and Gen Alpha all consume content on their own terms, blending linear TV habits with streaming behaviours, diving into podcasts head first, experimenting with mobile gaming and AR-driven experiences, and seeking out narratives that reflect their values, passions and identities.
To thrive, advertisers must think like cultural anthropologists – paying attention to what these generations care about, meeting them in the spaces they already inhabit and crafting stories that feel like a natural part of the conversation.
Sports, gaming, food, music, wellness, education – these are the touchpoints that can link brands to audiences’ daily lives. By partnering with local creators, tailoring content to platform-specific nuances, and showing consistent respect for their viewers’ time, interests and intelligence, brands can win the trust and loyalty that will carry them well beyond 2025.
This is the blueprint for success: hybrid, flexible, genuine and always evolving – just like the generations that will shape our media future.
By Saleh Agha, Managing Director, OMD UAE
