Saudi marketing spend grew 18% in 2025. Here is where the money is going.
The numbers
Saudi Arabia's marketing & advertising market grew from 12.4B SAR in 2024 to 14.6B SAR in 2025 — an 18% jump driven by:
- Tourism push (Visit Saudi, Diriyah, NEOM)
- Entertainment sector (live events, gaming, sports)
- E-commerce maturation (Tamara, Tabby, Salla)
Where the budgets are going
- Arabic-first content (38% of spend) — Brands realized English content underperforms. Saudis prefer Saudi Arabic dialect, not MSA.
- Creator partnerships (24%) — Saudi Twitter (X) is the most monetizable in MENA. Top creators charge 25k–100k SAR per post.
- Connected TV / streaming ads (18%) — Shahid, OSN+, Netflix
- Search + Performance (15%) — Google + Meta combined
- Outdoor + Activations (5%) — Mostly Riyadh corporate towers
What to do as an agency
- Have a Saudi-Arabic copywriter on staff (or partnership)
- Build a creator roster in Riyadh + Jeddah specifically
- Get familiar with GASTAT compliance for ads
- Understand the SAMA-regulated payment ecosystem
What to do as a brand
- Allocate 30% of MENA budget to Saudi (up from typical 15%)
- Hire a Saudi-resident agency or partner with one
- Plan campaigns around Saudi National Day (Sept 23) — biggest commercial holiday