Publicis Groupe Middle East has released the Resilience Business Pulse, a new market intelligence report examining how UAE business leaders navigated a period of regional disruption, and what their responses reveal about the road ahead.
Drawing on interviews with 60+ senior executives across FMCG, hospitality, automotive, retail, financial services, and logistics, alongside a 300+ consumer survey, the report points to a market that is recalibrating rather than retreating. Every leader surveyed expressed confidence in the UAE’s trajectory. 94% trust the government to protect the business environment, and 78% believe the country will emerge in a stronger competitive position.
On the marketing front, 92% of businesses kept spending, with 38% reallocating budgets internally rather than cutting. Money moved from OOH and events toward e-commerce, performance marketing, and CTV. Only 8% fully paused.
The findings suggest disruption is accelerating structural shifts already underway, toward digital commerce, AI-enabled efficiency, and more selective consumer engagement, rather than creating new ones.
The full Resilience Business Pulse report is available at pulse.potentialis.ai
