Resilience Business Pulse – a report by Publicis Groupe Middle East: What the Data Signals for Brands and Marketers in the UAE
The Resilience Business Pulse offers a view of how brands and businesses in the UAE responded to a period of disruption, combining leadership insights with Performics media intelligence and a 300+ consumer study conducted by Youth Studio, the Groupe’s proprietary intelligence hub on youth culture, to understand how marketing, media and consumer behaviour are shifting in real time.
Brands didn’t go dark; they recalibrated their investment
Despite uncertainty, brands largely maintained their presence in the market. The report finds that only 8% of leaders fully paused marketing activity, while 38% reallocated spend internally without reducing total investment, rising to 60% in FMCG.
The findings suggest that brands are prioritising efficiency, measurability and immediate return.
Budgets are shifting toward performance and precision
Media intelligence indicates a move toward lower-funnel, performance-driven channels, including e-commerce, retail media and digital performance.
Rather than prioritising reach, brands are focusing on efficiency, measurability and immediate return, reflecting a more disciplined approach to investment under pressure.
The question is no longer visibility, but relevance
The data suggests that brands are moving away from “always-on” visibility toward more considered, context-aware communication. In a period of heightened sensitivity, the emphasis has shifted to relevance, utility and reassurance, rather than scale alone.
Youth are becoming more selective and value-driven
Insights from a 300+ consumer study conducted by Youth Studio, the Groupe’s proprietary intelligence hub on youth culture, show that younger audiences in particular are becoming more selective and value-driven, prioritising reassurance, relevance and utility over broad brand messaging.
Demand is shifting across channels, not disappearing
While 72% of leaders report some level of demand decline, the data shows that 17% are seeing growth, and another 17% are seeing demand shift rather than fall.
For marketers, this signals that the opportunity lies in capturing shifting demand, not waiting for it to return.
AI is becoming a tool for speed and adaptability
The findings highlight the growing role of AI in enabling faster, more responsive decision-making. From research to optimisation, AI is helping brands move at pace, adapt messaging, and respond to changing conditions with greater precision.
The full Resilience Business Pulse report can be accessed here: https://pulse.potentialis.ai
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Contact:
Angela Bak
Director of Corporate Communications
Publicis Groupe Middle East
