The 2026 Mandate: Winning with Intelligence in MENA

As we close a remarkable 2025—a year that saw the MENA advertising market surge by an impressive 8% to $7.7 billion—it is tempting to focus solely on this vibrant growth. However, true leadership lies not in celebrating the present, but in interpreting its signals to navigate the future. The data from our This Year, Next Year Forecast is more than just a report card; it’s a roadmap to 2026 and beyond. Standing on the threshold of this new year, it’s clear that the profound transformations we witnessed are not just trends, but foundational shifts creating a new paradigm for advertising in our region. For brands poised to win, 2026 will be the year of radical integration and applied intelligence.

The most seismic shift we must address is the fundamental fusion of content and commerce. For years, we spoke of a marketing funnel, but in 2026, we must think of it as a continuous, dynamic loop. Our forecast revealed Commerce Media as the fastest-growing channel, surging by an astounding 23.5%. The prediction that it will eclipse the entire TV advertising market within the next 12-18 months has now become an imminent reality. This isn’t just about placing ads on e-commerce sites; it's about closing the gap between inspiration and transaction with unparalleled precision, powered by rich first-party data.

Simultaneously, the content landscape has been redefined. While linear TV saw a continued decline, streaming platforms experienced explosive 25.8% growth. The living room screen is not losing relevance; it’s becoming more addressable, more data-rich, and more interactive. The key insight for 2026 is that content and commerce strategies can no longer exist in separate silos. A brand’s video strategy on a BVOD platform must connect seamlessly to its retail media execution. The journey from watching a Ramadan series to adding a product to a cart will become instantaneous. The brands that thrive will be those that master this integration, turning every touchpoint into a potential point of sale.

Secondly, amidst this digital acceleration, we are witnessing a powerful renaissance of the physical world. Our forecast highlighted the incredible resilience of location-based advertising, which grew by a remarkable 23%. Out of Home (OOH), in particular, has become one of our most dynamic channels, expanding its market share with 23.1% growth. The narrative for 2026 is that OOH is no longer a static medium; it is a premium, data-driven canvas. Fueled by the GCC’s real estate boom and the rapid digitization of canvases, DOOH is on a clear path to represent nearly half of all OOH revenue. In an age of skippable ads and digital fatigue, the physical world offers an unmissable, high-impact environment. For 2026, the strategic imperative is to layer this physical advantage with intelligence—using data to deliver contextually relevant messages at a scale that digital channels alone cannot replicate.

This brings us to the ultimate connective tissue that will define success in 2026: Intelligence. The launch of WPP Media was built on this very principle. While search remains a formidable pillar, our young, digitally-native population is already looking beyond it, embracing conversational AI and new discovery platforms. The future of advertising, as defined by our Intelligence Framework, will be built on three pillars: being Pervasive, engaging consumers across multiple surfaces; Proactive, offering helpful and relevant suggestions; and Personalized, using rich data to tailor every interaction.

In 2026, this framework will move from theory to practice. Applied AI, powered by systems like our own WPP Open, will be the engine that connects a brand’s streaming content to its commerce platform, and its DOOH creative to its search strategy. It will enable us to not only reach consumers but to anticipate their needs, delivering value before they even ask. This is the new frontier of client service and the key to unlocking sustainable growth in our region's ambitious, technology-driven economies.

The year ahead is not about incremental changes. It is about embracing a new reality where media, data, and production are inseparable, where the digital and physical worlds are two sides of the same coin, and where intelligence is the currency of growth. As your partners, our commitment is to provide the integrated capabilities and strategic foresight to navigate this exciting era. The opportunities in 2026 are extraordinary, and together, we will build that future.