The rapid increase of digital engagement across the Middle East and Africa presents advertisers with a unique set of both opportunities and regulatory challenges. The Trade Desk, a globally recognized programmatic advertising platform, is establishing itself as an alternative to major tech ecosystems, empowering brands to responsibly utilize data while enhancing their reach and effectiveness.
Terry Kane, Managing Director for the Middle East & Africa at The Trade Desk, sheds light on how the company is assisting advertisers in navigating the region’s swiftly changing media environment—from connected television and retail media to AI-powered automation—while maintaining a focus on transparency, brand security, and quantifiable outcomes.
How is The Trade Desk positioning itself within the UAE and broader MENA region, where advertisers are contending with both rapid digital growth and a distinct regulatory framework
The MENA area symbolizes a hub of innovation and potential, and we see ourselves as pivotal in forging that future. By leveraging data intelligently, The Trade Desk aids brand advertisers and agencies in meeting their objectives, helps publishers maximize revenue, and enhances the online experiences for consumers.
The Trade Desk serves as an alternative to large tech platforms (like Facebook, Amazon, and Google), and our guiding principles are reflected in every aspect of our operations, from client interactions to the continuous enhancement of our platform.
Our mission is to build a more sustainable and ethical advertising ecosystem predicated on trust, objectivity, and transparency. Our exclusive clientele comprises advertisers. We do not own any content, which enables us to maintain full objectivity. Our focus will always be on delivering the appropriate ad impression in the right context at the right moment and price to help meet our clients’ marketing objectives.
This approach holds particular significance in the Middle East and Africa due to the market’s complexity and opportunities: on one hand, there are advanced economies within the GCC that host some of the most sophisticated advertisers globally; on the other hand, rapidly growing African markets are on the rise.
Brands are eager to engage global audiences while demanding high standards of transparency, security, and compliance with data laws. Our platform integrates these priorities, enabling precise targeting, secure executions, and compliance across numerous trusted partners.
Our goal is to enhance the value we provide to the open internet significantly.
With the rise of connected TV and streaming in the region, how are you assisting brands in effectively reallocating their budgets to this medium
In the UAE, 65% of residents watch streaming content daily, accounting for an average of 11% of their weekly media consumption. Moreover, individuals in MENA spend about 70% of their online time on the open internet, away from the confines of major tech platforms, engaging with news websites, premium streaming services like Netflix or Disney, and audio content. This trend is not reflected in the current digital advertising expenditure in the Middle East, leading to potential losses for brands.
There is a substantial opportunity to connect with audiences where they spend their time, using data-driven and premium, secure platforms. As consumer focus shifts, marketers must reconsider how they allocate their advertising budgets. Connected TV (CTV) should undoubtedly be part of the digital strategy for the region, leveraging the significant impact of big screens with the precise targeting capabilities of small screens.
The most effective advertising is that which is targeted. Utilizing data wisely is the key to successful targeting, which is why it is central to our strategy. We strive to simplify data application for advertisers, providing insights that foster ongoing improvement. Programmatic advertising refers to the automated placement of digital ads, utilizing software and real-time information to reach specific audiences across diverse devices and premium channels.
The programmatic advertising sector in MEA is expected to grow at a CAGR of 7.89% over the next five years, making data-driven marketing tactics more influential than ever. We collaborate with a wide array of advertisers globally, connecting them with premium publishers and quality advertising opportunities, thereby ensuring brand safety and maximizing campaign effectiveness.
We aim to enhance opportunities for both advertisers and publishers in the region. Greater inventory automation unlocks new value for publishers and drives higher returns on content. For advertisers, this translates into enhanced insights, improved targeting, and transparent reporting.
Meanwhile, there is a significant demand from global advertisers looking to connect with the 350 million people across MENA. To take advantage of this, the industry must focus on expanding quality inventory, ensuring transparent reporting, and embracing programmatic solutions.
Retail media has been referred to as the ‘third wave’ of digital advertising. How are you collaborating with retailers in the Middle East to create opportunities for advertisers
Retail sales in the GCC are projected to reach $386.9 billion by 2028, with the sector expanding at a CAGR of 4.6%. The UAE and Saudi Arabia are anticipated to lead this growth, with projected CAGRs of 5.4% and 5.1%, respectively, establishing the region as a burgeoning retail hotspot.
Retail data is vital for an omnichannel strategy, transforming consumer purchasing behavior into actionable insights that allow advertisers to target more effectively and relevantly. This evolution is challenging the data monopoly held by major tech companies. While these companies keep their data within closed systems, we empower advertisers to leverage retail data to carve out a more open, transparent option.
Under the retail media umbrella lies offsite retail data. This involves securely utilizing a company’s retail data, enabling brands to target across multiple channels, including television. This is particularly exciting for advertisers, as it broadens the scope of retail media from merely a “direct sales” channel to a more comprehensive brand-building opportunity.
Offsite retail data is a catalyst for growth within the retail media sector, which is the fastest-growing form of ad spending, with global expenditure anticipated to reach $140 billion this year, comprising over 20% of total digital advertising costs.
As consumers seamlessly transition between online and offline environments, retail data serves as the essential link connecting these experiences. At The Trade Desk, we utilize this powerful data to help advertisers gain a comprehensive understanding of the customer journey from digital ads to both online and in-store purchases, enabling smarter optimizations that promote genuine business growth rather than just improved metrics.
In the Middle East, retail data represents a nascent avenue for monetization, with significant potential for those willing to capitalize on it. Activating data from retailers to reach the desired audiences across the open internet yields valuable insights for targeting and measuring success.
We take pride in the strides we are making in retail data, both on a global scale and in the region, in collaboration with key innovative brands like Majid Al Futtaim. The potential in this field is huge, and we are dedicated to leading the charge. Recently, we welcomed Mansour Salemeh, previously in charge of retail and eCommerce at Meta, to expedite our initiatives.
Data privacy is increasingly becoming a prominent issue globally. How does The Trade Desk ensure that advertisers in this region can use data responsibly while still achieving effective targeting and outcomes
The digital advertising landscape is at a pivotal moment, moving from a cookie-based approach to one built on consent and transparency.
The long-term success of our industry and the open internet relies on alternative identifiers that honor consumer privacy while enabling publishers to effectively monetize their ad space. Establishing clear, reliable, and consumer-centric identity is the key challenge and opportunity for advertisers, shaping the future of relevancy and precision in digital marketing campaigns.
To transform the landscape, we must shift from an opt-out model to an opt-in environment, redefining the relationship between consumers and advertisers, granting users greater control over their data.
Interestingly, consumers in the UAE are more receptive to sharing information with brands than their counterparts in leading European markets. Forty-nine percent are open to sharing their data with beloved retailers and brands, while 44% would do so for a smoother and personalized ad experience. Furthermore, 46% of participants concurred that sharing some data is necessary for a seamless shopping experience. (Source: UAE FMCG Consumer Purchase Behaviour Study).
We are fully dedicated to enhancing data privacy capabilities throughout the region, working closely with advertisers to guarantee compliance with GDPR and local regulations while advancing identity initiatives and UID strategies in partnership with key stakeholders.
Many advertisers in the region still heavily rely on major tech platforms. What are the most significant misconceptions about programmatic advertising on the open internet that you aim to address
Major tech companies still dominate the advertising ecosystem, controlling what audiences see, how it is measured, and what brands are informed about their effectiveness. Increasingly, the analytics they provide do not correlate with actual business outcomes advertisers are experiencing.
The first common misconception relates to audience engagement. In reality, individuals spend over 70% of their time outside social media spaces, yet the bulk of advertising investments does not reflect this reality. This disparity represents one of the most significant disruptions in the industry today and underscores the opportunity we are introducing to the market.
Globally, we’re witnessing a resurgence in television advertising through CTV and early-stage growth in personalized formats like gaming and audio advertising.
The second prevalent misconception, particularly in this region, is that programmatic advertising equates to low-quality or inexpensive options. This understanding is fundamentally incorrect. At The Trade Desk, we ensure that every advertising channel is thoroughly vetted for brand safety, maintaining one of the industry’s best records for protecting advertisers.
An Adalytics report indicated that we were the only significant ad-tech firm that didn’t direct brand advertisements to spam sites, and we stand out for our stringent safeguards and inventory controls.
Our premium inventory collaborations include some of the most reputable and recognizable names in media, such as CNN, Disney, Netflix, DAZN, and Spotify, among many others. Programmatic advertising is not about inferior quality; it focuses on providing access to the highest quality channels at scale with transparency and control.
Closed systems often benefit those who oversee them, frequently at the expense of others. The compromises are considerable. The allure of convenience or superficial savings shouldn’t come at the cost of control. Major tech’s walled gardens resemble all-inclusive resorts: convenient but limiting. Savvy brands, agencies, and advertisers recognize this and demand transparency, autonomy, and measurable performance from their media expenditures.
As the digital advertising industry approaches $1 trillion, the shift is apparent: the future of advertising centers on control, choice, and enhanced transparency rather than reliance on a handful of giant platforms. The most enduring solution involves leveraging data-driven advertising on the open premium internet, which offers real-time insights, precise targeting, and access to quality content in secure environments that adapt to genuine consumer demand.
Looking to the future, how do you envision AI and automation influencing The Trade Desk’s offerings in the Middle East, and what implications does this hold for the prospects of transparent, data-driven advertising
We were established to introduce the same levels of efficiency and transparency to digital advertising as those found in real-time trading in financial markets. Our media buying platform ranks among the most advanced independent AI-driven systems globally, evaluating over one trillion ad opportunities daily, roughly 17 million opportunities every second, to ensure the correct message reaches the appropriate audience in the right context.
Our platform is designed differently than others in the industry, utilizing a unique methodology that allows advertisers to incorporate a wide array of variables while making advertising purchases. It facilitates seamless omnichannel campaigns that reflect the real-time movement of users across devices throughout their daily lives.
From morning podcasts to evening streaming, we comprehend how consumers navigate their digital lives. We eliminate the annoyance of repetitive ads, replacing them with fresh communications that respect consumers’ time and engagement. This results in advertising that feels seamless within the digital experience rather than an interruption. The best ads enhance, rather than disrupt, the user experience.
We will continue to harness the advantages offered by AI, but only when we confirm that they add value to our platform experience. The company’s steadfast commitment to innovation has positioned it as a partner to global giants including Netflix, Spotify, Disney, Sky, and other leading brands such as Unilever, P&G, Uber, and McDonald’s.