The 2026 research worth a marketer's time. We pull out the key numbers and why they matter, then link you to the publisher for the full report.
MembersSnap's holiday guide argues that private chats with friends and family drive gift choices, and that Snapchatters plan and spend early.
ReportBalaconah mapped the main, technical and other sponsors of every Roshn Saudi Pro League club.
ReportWARC's latest quarterly outlook raises its view of the 2026 global ad market to more than $1.3 trillion. Social, search and retail media lead growth, AI is the main driver, and three platform owners now take close to 60% of spend outside China.
ReportSaudi National Bank led the week on X, with McDonald's, Ninja and Al Murabba Al Jadid topping their sectors by mentions.
ReportContagious picks 45 brands that win by selling experiences and community, not just products. Two are from Dubai: Bustanica and Xpanceo.
Kantar's annual ranking of the most valuable consumer brands in the UAE and Saudi Arabia. Combined value hit a record, driven mainly by banks and telecom operators, while Saudi retail brands lost ground.
SCOP's fifth annual study finds Saudis using fewer apps overall, with WhatsApp, Snapchat and TikTok still on top and YouTube and Telegram falling fastest.
McKinsey's global survey of 1,719 leaders in 97 countries finds AI is almost universal and agents are scaling at large firms. Measurable profit impact has not grown, though, and the share of high performers is flat.
The fifth edition of CST's annual look at how Saudis use the internet. The headline is AI: close to half of internet users now use AI tools, more than double a year earlier. It also covers speeds, data use and time spent online.
The 21st Kantar BrandZ Global Top 100 reaches a record combined value, driven by AI. Google returns to number one, four brands pass $1 trillion for the first time, and ChatGPT and Claude make headline gains.
WPP Media's midyear forecast raises its view of 2026 global ad revenue to about $1.3 trillion. It credits AI-driven investment and content-led formats such as streaming, gaming and social, while linear TV and audio stay flat.
The seventh Saudi edition of Ipsos's brand-influence study, which scores 120 brands on trust, engagement, innovation and other factors. Tech and social platforms lead the list, ChatGPT enters the top ten, and stc tops the local ranking.
ReportDeloitte's survey of 1,000 Saudi consumers aged 18 to 50 finds two in three now use generative AI, and strong support for age limits on social media.
A consumer study on how people across MENA shop and pay online. It finds that a secure, frictionless checkout is the main deciding factor and that half of shoppers are ready to let AI agents buy for them, though privacy remains the main concern.
Gartner surveyed 401 marketing leaders in North America and Europe. Budgets are roughly flat as a share of revenue, AI now takes a significant part of them, but most teams lack the processes to scale it.
dentsu lowered its 2026 global ad growth forecast at midyear because of geopolitical and economic uncertainty, raised its outlook for 2027, and still expects ad spend to outgrow the wider economy.
ReportKolsquare, citing P&S Intelligence, puts the GCC influencer market at $315.5 million in 2025, on track for $771.6 million by 2032, and argues that Arabic-first content is now the bar.
HubSpot's survey of more than 1,500 B2B and B2C marketers shows AI is now standard practice, short-form video gives the best returns, and Instagram has overtaken Facebook as brands' most-used platform. Proving ROI is still the biggest challenge.
Simon Kemp's midyear update tracks global internet, mobile, social and AI adoption as of April 2026. The standout finding is how fast generative AI has spread, with active users more than doubling in a year.
The Middle East consumer-markets cut of PwC's annual CEO survey. Regional consumer-business leaders are far more bullish than their global peers on growth and deals, and are applying AI to demand generation at nearly three times the global rate.
Adobe's 16th annual study surveyed 3,000 executives and practitioners and 4,000 consumers. Generative AI is already paying off in content and personalisation, but data and measurement gaps are holding back plans for agentic AI.
The Saudi results from AlixPartners' survey of more than 13,000 consumers in nine countries. Saudi spending intentions are rising while they fall worldwide, but loyalty is very low and shoppers switch easily for price, service or health benefits.
A sector report from Saudi Arabia's media regulator, produced with Oxford Business Group. It sizes the Kingdom's media, advertising, creator and gaming economy and sets out the 2030 growth targets.
Edelman's first Middle East youth study, based on more than 4,000 people aged 18-30 in 10 Arab countries. It finds a generation that is optimistic and confident with technology but under financial and social pressure, and that wants institutions to deliver real opportunities.
IAB's annual buyer survey of more than 200 US brands and agencies points to strong 2026 growth led by social, CTV and commerce media. AI, and agentic buying in particular, dominates buyers' priorities.
Salesforce surveyed about 4,450 marketers worldwide. AI use is now mainstream, agentic AI is still early, and data unification and responsiveness are the weak points that separate high performers from the rest.
What the first Money20/20 Middle East in Riyadh delivered, and what the organisers planned for the 2026 edition.
Visa's third wave of research tracking where Saudi consumers still use cash. Digital payments now make up the large majority of transactions, mobile wallets are gaining, and the remaining cash use is concentrated in tips, peer-to-peer payments and rent.
Edelman's 26th annual survey of almost 34,000 people in 28 countries finds societies moving from grievance to insularity. People are reluctant to trust those unlike themselves, and employers are the most trusted institution. The UAE ties for the highest trust score in the survey.
GASTAT's official yearly survey of internet, device and e-commerce use, based on a sample of nearly 20,000 households in all 13 regions. It shows near-universal internet use, with almost all users on social networks and most adults buying online.
Kantar's ten trends for 2026 planning, from marketing to AI agents and GEO to retail media, creators and micro-communities.
Qoruz counts 263,000 monetised creators across the six GCC countries in 2025, up 75% in two years, with fashion, beauty and lifestyle growing fastest.
ReportWeber Shandwick's second InfluAnswer Arabia survey finds 49% of MENA creators positive about AI, up from 29%, and 63% say VIP experiences matter to them.
The Dubai Press Club outlook projects MENA media growing at 4.9% a year, with advertising the largest segment at 38% by 2028.