Digital MarketingService
Snapchat advertising in the Gulf
A regional picture that global commentary often misses.
Kaelo Global is a Dubai company licensed in Meydan Free Zone, with over 100 clients served so far.
At a glance
What it is
Media plans written far from the Gulf can carry assumptions that do not hold once they arrive.
A principal, Kaelo Global digital marketing
Snapchat is often dismissed in Western media planning as a platform for teenagers that is losing ground. Its position in the Gulf is very different, and media plans written in London or New York can carry assumptions that do not hold here. Checking the local picture, instead of repeating the global one, can make a real difference to a consumer brand's results.
Snapchat ads in MENA reach a wide consumer audience in Saudi Arabia, the UAE and the wider Gulf, and the platform offers vertical video, augmented reality lenses and story formats that suit people who shop on their phones. We assess whether your customers are genuinely reachable there, build creative for the format and compare the results with the channel the budget would otherwise go to.
Snapchat suits consumer brands in retail, food, beauty and entertainment much better than B2B businesses, and we say so plainly when a business would be better served elsewhere.
What's included
Six areas of scopeJudging it on regional evidence
The useful question is who can be reached on Snapchat in your market and at what cost compared with the alternatives, instead of how the platform is performing globally.
Creative built for the format
Vertical, sound-on and fast. Widescreen videos reused from other channels perform poorly and are the usual reason a test looks like a failure.
Options for restricted categories
For categories the larger platforms restrict, regional alternatives matter more than they would elsewhere, subject to the same approval requirements as any other channel.
Measured against the alternative
The useful comparison is the cost of each result against the channel Snapchat would replace, instead of looking at it in isolation.
Arabic and English creative
Campaigns prepared in both languages where the audience calls for it, with Arabic copy reviewed by native speakers before it runs.
Lenses, filters and story formats
Formats that let people interact with a brand, planned around a clear objective such as a product launch or a seasonal campaign during Ramadan.
How the work runs
Audience fit
Checking whether your customers can genuinely be reached on the platform in your markets.
Creative made for the format
Creative built for Snapchat's placements from the start, instead of adapted from other channels.
Reading the test properly
Results compared with the channel the budget would otherwise go to, instead of with doing nothing.
Scaling or stopping
A clear recommendation after the test, either to scale the budget with a plan or to stop and move the money elsewhere.
When to come to us
- 01You sell to consumers in the Gulf and Snapchat is missing from your media plan.
- 02Your category is restricted on the larger platforms.
- 03You can produce vertical, sound-on video, or you would like help creating it.
- 04You are planning a launch or a seasonal campaign aimed at younger adults in Saudi Arabia or the UAE.
What we do not do
- Cropping widescreen videos into a vertical frame and calling it a test.
- Publishing regional performance figures we have not measured ourselves.
- Recommending Snapchat for B2B campaigns where the audience is unlikely to be found.
Related reading
The less familiar advertising channels, and when they are the right choice.
A sceptical audience that notices marketing language straight away.
A channel for reaching new audiences, with a poor reputation that comes mostly from misuse.
Common questions
