GCC Marketers ARE RETHINKING BRAND STRATEGY
Marketers across the GCC are reassessing how brand drives growth. Our own commissioned research with CMOs, reveals a widening gap between long-term brand conviction and short-term commercial pressure, and it is reshaping how marketing decisions are made across the region.
According to JWI’s Marketing Through Uncertainty report, 57% of senior marketing leaders identify brand-building as the primary driver of long-term growth. Yet 72% say their current focus remains on short-term performance. The tension between those two realities is defining the strategic conversation for CMOs and brand leaders across the GCC right now.
Marketing is being recalibrated, not paused
Despite ongoing uncertainty, brands across the Middle East are not retreating from marketing, they are refining how it is delivered.
While 71% of respondents report delaying or pausing campaigns, this is rarely a standalone decision. In 80% of cases, it is combined with budget reallocation, messaging shifts and increased customer communication. This points to a more deliberate, strategic response where marketers are actively reconfiguring channel strategy and creative output, rather than withdrawing from the market entirely.
Brand equity regains its place at the top table
The research signals a meaningful shift in how marketing effectiveness is understood across the GCC.
Brand equity and long-term customer loyalty were both cited by 57% of respondents as primary growth drivers. Regional and cultural relevance ranked highly at 43% – reflecting the distinct demands of marketing in the Middle East, where cultural intelligence is not a differentiator, it is a baseline requirement.
In contrast, only 14% identified performance marketing as a primary driver of long-term growth. This implication is significant, as short-term conversion alone is insufficient to sustain brand momentum in this market.
Tension facing GCC marketing leaders
The findings expose a clear disconnect between what marketers believe drives growth and how marketing is currently executed.
Brand is widely understood to underpin long-term performance. Yet short-term commercial pressures continue to shape measurement frameworks, budget allocation and day-to-day decision-making. For CMOs operating across the UAE, Saudi Arabia and the wider GCC, this tension is proving to be a live strategic challenge.
Charli Wright, Owner and CEO of JWI, said: “There is clear alignment on what drives long-term growth, but the way marketing is measured hasn’t caught up. Marketers are being asked to deliver immediate results, while also building long-term value. That tension is shaping how decisions are made day to day. The opportunity now is to move beyond reactive planning and build strategies that can sustain performance over time – not just in stable conditions, but under pressure.”
From reaction to resilience
The report points to an evolution in the role of marketing across the Middle East.
Rather than focusing purely on short-term demand generation, marketing leaders are increasingly expected to contribute to business resilience – building brand platforms, deepening customer trust and developing adaptive strategies that perform under pressure, not just in favourable conditions.
For brands operating in the GCC, this is the strategic shift that separates those who lead the market from those who simply respond to it.
Download the Marketing Through Uncertainty Report to read the full findings and understand what they mean for your brand strategy in the Middle East.