Are We Just Shouting Louder? Marketing in a World of Noise

There’s a certain moment in every modern city that you might recognize—a crescendo, if you will. It’s when you’re caught at an intersection, surrounded by flashing billboards, car horns, notifications dinging on your phone, and people yelling into their devices. This moment is everywhere. It’s all around us. And it’s hard to escape. That intersection is a microcosm of the current marketing world: loud, cluttered, and relentless. Marketing today feels like we’re all standing at the same crossroads, shouting at the top of our lungs, hoping someone—anyone—will hear. And yet, amidst all this chaos, one question remains: are we truly connecting, or just contributing to the noise?

Yet the more we shout, the more deafening it becomes, and the more people stop listening.

The digital advertising spend numbers are staggering—Saudi Arabia's advertising expenditures grew to $2.34 billion in 2024, reflecting an 8.4% increase, with the digital segment experiencing a significant growth of 11.9%.[1] The UAE's advertising expenditures reached $1.57 billion in the same year, with $1.12 billion allocated specifically to digital—up 8.6% from before.[2] These numbers show us a trend, not towards creativity, but towards volume. The louder we are, it seems, the better. But what does that volume translate into when we think about what audiences truly want? And, perhaps more importantly, what they need? For marketing professionals, this means it's crucial to shift focus from simply increasing spend to understanding how that spend translates into meaningful engagement. Are we delivering the value that makes consumers stop and pay attention, or are we just contributing to their fatigue? These numbers should prompt us to rethink our strategies—not just to be seen, but to truly connect.

Where Did Connection Go?

The rise in digital advertising expenditures tells us one thing clearly: marketing budgets are growing, but are they growing intelligently? There is a notable emphasis on programmatic advertising, and Saudi Arabia spent $1.4 billion on programmatic advertising in 2024, reflecting a 12.7% increase.[3] The UAE, similarly, spent $796 million, with a 10.2% growth rate.[4] We are spending more and more on algorithmically determined placements to target segmented audiences, and in doing so, we contribute to a cacophony that’s slowly losing its ability to distinguish itself.

According to various studies, as much as 30% of digital ad spend, specifically programmatic "marketing" is lost to fraud, including click farms, fake impressions, and inflated metrics. As we discussed in a previous article titled The Fraud in Your Ads, this is exactly why digital and programmatic marketers see blockchain as a threat. Blockchain isn’t just about technology; it challenges the entire advertising business model. If transparency became the norm, the questionable practices propping up inflated advertising metrics could vanish, fundamentally altering the landscape of digital advertising.

The Fraud in Your Ads: Why Blockchain Might Be Our Only Hope

Digital advertising is drowning in fraud, fake metrics, and deceitful dashboards. Enter blockchain—a solution that promises genuine transparency and accountability. Let’s stop selling illusions and start rebuilding trust, bringing humanity back into marketing. It’s time for real change.

Caffeinated Musings by Bilal HallabBilal Hallab

In this relentless growth, marketing seems to have turned into an arms race of megaphones, trying to reach as many eardrums and eyeballs as possible without much concern for the brains and hearts behind those eyes and ears. Take, for example, the recent ad campaign by a major telecom provider in the region that flooded every channel—TV, digital, billboards, even cinema screens. The sheer volume was overwhelming, but the message was generic, lacking any real insight into consumer needs. This kind of campaign exemplifies the 'arms race' where the focus is on presence rather than impact. But is this growth in expenditure yielding a parallel increase in meaningful connection? Judging from how consumers are responding—not quite.

Middle Eastern consumers are indeed open to embracing digital channels; the overall digital adoption rate in Saudi Arabia and the UAE is an impressive 78%.[5] However, there’s a stark gap between trust and satisfaction. Consumers trust digital channels in this region, but satisfaction metrics paint a different picture—digital offerings are falling short of expectations.[6] This paradox—trust without satisfaction—speaks to the absence of truly engaging, meaningful experiences. It’s not enough to appear on a screen; we need to add genuine value to that experience. Marketers must focus on understanding the specific needs and preferences of their audiences, ensuring that digital interactions are not only accessible but also enriching and personalized. By delivering content that speaks directly to their audience's pain points and aspirations, brands can begin to close this satisfaction gap.

Time for Marketers to Reflect

Imagine being bombarded with fifty notifications in an hour—ads, reminders, updates, pop-ups. Now imagine this every hour, every day. That’s the reality of today’s consumer. Consumers are fatigued, and yet marketers have collectively decided that more is somehow better: more impressions, more retargeting, more messages—but the result is diminishing returns.

According to HubSpot's State of Marketing Report 2023, 41% of consumers say they trust marketing messages less than they did a year ago.[7] This decrease in trust directly correlates with a surge in advertising saturation—a space where every brand is shouting, but very few are speaking to their audience. To regain this trust, marketers need to focus on authenticity, transparency, and value-driven content. Tailoring messages to genuinely address consumer needs and building long-term relationships, rather than just pushing products, can help bridge this trust gap.

Consumers today are sophisticated, and they crave authenticity. In a Euromonitor survey, 46% of online consumers in the UAE expressed a preference for products with proven efficacy over lower price in 2023, up from 40% in 2022.[8] This data reveals a shift towards value-driven decision-making—people want proof, not promises; connection, not campaigns. Consider the example of Emirates Airlines, which has successfully leveraged authenticity in its marketing campaigns. Instead of simply promoting destinations, Emirates shares behind-the-scenes glimpses of their crew members' lives, highlights customer stories, and creates content that showcases real experiences. This human touch has resonated strongly with audiences, building trust and creating a deeper emotional connection.

Connection, Not Volume

Let’s talk about meaningful connections. It’s almost comical that in an age of unprecedented technological connection, we struggle to make authentic human connections through marketing. Authenticity should be easy—it’s as simple as understanding who you are as a brand and communicating that honestly. Practically speaking, authenticity means staying true to your brand values, showing vulnerability when appropriate, and prioritizing genuine engagement over polished perfection. It’s about using real customer stories, honest feedback, and transparent communication to build trust. Yet, in the chase for market share and impressions, authenticity often falls by the wayside.

Here’s a truth that’s both uncomfortable and freeing: not every consumer needs your message. In fact, aiming to be heard by everyone almost guarantees that you’ll truly resonate with no one. Brands in the UAE and Saudi Arabia who have successfully cut through the noise have done so by speaking meaningfully to smaller audiences, not by shouting at larger ones.

Take, for instance, a recent campaign by a local wellness brand that focused on community storytelling rather than high-budget, flashy ads. Their narrative revolved around real people, real challenges, and how their products made a difference. They weren’t the loudest brand out there, but they were real, and they were effective. The campaign resonated because it made people feel—it offered substance over noise. The results spoke for themselves: the brand saw a 35% increase in community engagement and a 20% uplift in sales during the campaign period, demonstrating the power of genuine connection.

Smarter, Not Louder

To connect meaningfully with audiences, marketers can take the following practical steps:

• Prioritize Authenticity: Focus on delivering genuine messages that reflect your brand's true values. Consumers appreciate honesty and transparency.
• Leverage Personalization: Create tailored experiences by understanding the specific needs of different audience segments. Personalization fosters a sense of connection.
• Use Storytelling Effectively: Share real stories from customers or employees to create an emotional bond. Authentic narratives are memorable and build trust.
• Engage on Preferred Platforms: Understand where your audience prefers to engage—whether it's mobile apps, social media, or other digital platforms—and meet them there with appropriate content.
• Focus on Quality over Quantity: Reduce the volume of generic ads and invest in creating fewer, more impactful messages that resonate deeply with your audience.

The path forward is not without challenges. The lure of metrics—clicks, views, impressions—is powerful. It’s measurable. It’s easy to present in a boardroom. But the intangible side of marketing—connection, trust, value—is where the future lies. It’s where growth will come from, especially in the Middle Eastern markets where cultural nuance and genuine connection are highly valued.

Middle Eastern consumers strongly prefer mobile apps as their channel of choice, with engagement rates on apps being 1.6 times higher than those in developed markets in Europe and North America.[9] This insight is a clear call for brands to understand and respect consumer preferences rather than pushing their agendas on every available platform. Meet your audience where they are, not where it’s most convenient for you. Brands should adapt their mobile strategies by creating app-specific content, offering value through exclusive app deals, and ensuring seamless, user-friendly app experiences to maximize engagement and foster loyalty.

We must shift our focus from being the loudest to being the clearest. Instead of contributing to the roar, we need to become the whisper that intrigues, the quiet that cuts through, and the voice that stays after all the noise has faded. Consider how Apple approaches its marketing—often focusing on minimalism and simplicity. Their 'Shot on iPhone' campaign, for example, emphasizes real user experiences with stunning visuals, without cluttered messaging. This clarity has made their voice resonate long after the initial message is delivered.

Why Are We Shouting?

As we wrap up, it's time for a reality check. Take a moment to reassess your current marketing tactics—are they truly resonating, or just adding to the noise? Consider how you can refine your strategies to focus on real value, authentic storytelling, and meaningful engagement. It's these shifts that will allow your brand to cut through the clutter and genuinely connect with your audience.

To bring this full circle, let’s return to that intersection. You’re still there, surrounded by noise. But imagine, just for a moment, that one voice—calm, certain, sincere—cuts through the chaos. Instead of yelling for your attention, it speaks quietly but clearly, directly to you. You stop. You listen. Because in that moment, when everything else is demanding your attention, that voice offers something that no one else does: real value.

That’s the kind of marketing we need today—a kind that stops trying to overpower everything else and starts focusing on connecting, genuinely and deeply. It’s not about turning up the volume; it’s about saying something worth listening to.

Marketing isn’t about being the loudest person at the party. It’s about being the one with something worth saying, to those who are ready to listen. Let’s put down the megaphones and pick up a conversation—one that respects, connects, and delivers genuine value to the people we’re speaking to. So, how will you ensure your voice is the one that truly resonates?