By: Hind AbuAlia: Head of Marketing, EMEA & APAC Expansion, Amazon Ads

2025: Reclaiming the Human Signal through Strategic Rationalization

Looking back, 2025 was a period defined by strategic depth, clearing out the noise, and “shedding” outdated tactics. The industry underwent a strategic rationalization. We sifted through flashy tech and realized that we need to focus deeply, with methodical work of understanding people and consumers. In the UAE and KSA, where 72% of shoppers now complete their purchase journey in a single day, “speed” was our greatest teacher. However, we learned that speed without a human anchor is just noise. Successful brands used this period of introspection to isolate the “human signal”, recognizing that in high-anxiety periods, positivity and unity in advertising perform significantly better. We stopped just “targeting” and started “listening,” simplifying the customer journey to meet the instantaneous intent of our region.

2026: Galloping Toward the Age of Conscious Builders

As we move into 2026, the energy is shifting from deep rationalization and over stimulation to high-velocity intentional creation. The marketer’s role is fundamentally evolving into a Growth Steward, architecting and enabling growth with an evolved toolkit. To win in this new era, we can anchor our strategies in some defining shifts:

Intentional Fluidity: We’re seeing customers make highly considered trade-offs. They’ll invest in quality, experience, or brands that signal meaning and trust, while being ruthlessly practical elsewhere. These aren’t two different audiences. They’re the same people navigating uncertainty with intention. The more useful lens now is context: where someone is in their day, their mindset at that moment, and what role a category plays in their life. The journey is no longer linear, and it’s rarely singular. It stretches across content, culture, commerce, and community, often collapsing decision-making into a very short window. For marketers, this demands a different kind of design. Not more messages, but more coherence. Not rigid funnels, but systems that can flex, allowing brands to show up with the right tone, value, and creativity depending on intent. This is where creativity expands beyond communication and becomes part of the operating model: shaping experiences, guiding choices, and staying relevant as priorities shift. In 2026, growth won’t come from chasing either premium or value audiences. It will come from understanding how people move fluidly between both, and building journeys that feel intuitive, respectful, and human, regardless of price point.

Cultivating Emotional ROI: We are entering the “Escape Economy,” a global shift projected to reach $13.9 trillion by 2028. Consumers are seeking sanctuary from “doomscroll fatigue”. In 2026, the most resonant brands won’t be the loudest; they will be the “modern mythmakers” that offer immersive, joyful experiences that restore connection.

Creators as Founder: The “Creator Economy” is declining; the “Creator Enterprise” has arrived. We are moving past tactical “shout-outs” toward strategic partnerships where creators are treated as entrepreneurs and culture architects. Initiatives like the Amazon Creators Foundry are the blueprint for this, empowering regional creators to turn a following into a scalable business storefront.