Saudi Arabia has given marketing a far bigger role than most markets ever do. Usually, people already understand the product, the habit exists and the demand is waiting to be won. The challenge for brands is straightforward: differentiate, stay visible and convert better than the competition.
In Saudi Arabia, the job is not only to capture existing demand, but also to help create it. That is what makes the market so interesting. We are not only seeing the growth of brands, but also the emergence of entirely new behaviours across tourism, entertainment, culture and lifestyle.
In many cases, the consumer journey does not begin with comparison; it begins with introduction. Before asking people to choose you, the category itself needs to feel relevant, credible and desirable. That is a different challenge from markets where categories are already well established. It requires marketing to play a more foundational role in shaping perception and building interest before conversion can even begin.
Why the usual performance logic is not enough
This is where standard marketing playbooks start to fall short. A lot of modern media strategy is built around performance: capture intent, optimise the funnel, reduce cost per acquisition (CPA) and improve conversion over time. That works when demand already exists, when people are searching, comparing and ready to act. It becomes less effective when the audience is still deciding whether the category matters to them at all.
Tourism is the clearest example. Saudi Arabia is not operating from the same starting point as other destinations that have built leisure demand over decades. In many cases, the first task is not conversion; it is getting on the consumers’ radar. It is giving people a reason to notice, a reason to care and a reason to reconsider what they think they know. That type of shift cannot be driven through optimisation alone; it requires sustained investment in visibility, storytelling, cultural presence and scale.
Scale in Saudi means more than just reach
When marketers talk about scale, they often mean impressions and reach. In Saudi Arabia, scale does more than build reach; it builds legitimacy. High-visibility media, premium video, landmark outdoor placements, major partnerships and proximity to key events do something more important than exposure – they signal that a brand or a proposition matters. In a market where new categories are emerging, that signal carries
real weight.
This is also why short bursts tend to underperform. In more established markets, a well-timed campaign can drive results quickly because the audience already understands the category. In Saudi, where perception is being actively shaped, continuity matters more. Repeated presence builds familiarity; familiarity builds confidence; and confidence drives action.
Context matters as much as content
Saudi demands a different approach because audience behaviour is highly contextual. Consumption patterns are shaped by seasonality, social routines and key moments in the calendar in ways that directly affect impact. Late-night engagement, Ramadan patterns, event-driven attention and strong social influence play a role in how media is consumed.
Planning cannot be reduced to platform selection alone. It has to account for timing, setting and audience mindset. This is where many brands misread the market. Localisation is often treated as a language or a creative exercise, when in reality the more important question is behavioural: when does the message land, where does it land and what surrounds it? The same budget can deliver very different results depending on context, and the same message can lose impact if it appears at the wrong moment.
What makes Saudi different
What stands out in Saudi today is the level of coordination behind growth. Marketing is not operating in isolation from infrastructure, experience and investment. In many sectors, all four are moving together. Campaigns are not just promoting what exists, they are supporting the development of new categories in real time. That alignment gives marketers a rare environment to work in: one where communications help accelerate adoption rather than simply drive short-term results.
Saudi Arabia should not be viewed through a conventional marketing lens. This is not just a market where brands compete for existing demand. It is a market where demand is actively being shaped, normalised and expanded. For marketers, that changes the brief completely. The real question is no longer how do we sell into demand, but how do we help build a market people genuinely want to be part of?
By Eddy Hanna, Business Director, HAVAS KSA.
