Executive summary

Like many aspects of life, advertising has gone digital. To capitalize on this shift, companies around the world are earmarking more of their ad spending for digital media.

Saudi Arabia is no exception. The Kingdom has many of the structural foundations for a world-class digital advertising ecosystem. Nearly everyone is online, with 99 percent of the population having Internet access and more than 48 million mobile connections. It’s also one of the world’s fastest-scaling digital economies, with digital activities accounting for almost 16 percent of GDP.

These strengths continue to drive strong growth in digital advertising investments across industries, and spending is projected to rise from just under $1 billion in 2020 to $2.8 billion by 2029. Yet greater investment alone does not guarantee stronger business outcomes. In a market with abundant reach, sophisticated platforms, and expanding budgets, advertisers are facing a major challenge: how to translate these advantages into measurable business outcomes.

Why are some advertisers consistently generating stronger returns while others see spending grow faster than results? According to our joint research with Snap Inc., the strongest performers have built greater maturity across four pillars:

Strategy and organizational alignment
Cultural and creative localization
Consumer journey activation
Disciplined use of data, technology, and measurement

Equipped with these insights, Kearney and Snap Inc. have combined industry expertise, proprietary data, and advertiser insights to develop a structured framework that defines what effective digital advertising looks like in Saudi Arabia. The framework provides a way for advertisers to assess their capabilities, identify priority gaps, and define practical ways to strengthen their marketing effectiveness and improve business performance.

Read the full report to learn more.

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