Ghada Ismail

In the final part of our interview, Abu Zannad turns to Saudi startups with international ambitions and closes with the one piece of advertising history he’d want every founder to know before they spend their first marketing riyal.

As Saudi startups look to expand internationally, how important is it to adapt their brand and messaging to different markets without losing their original identity?

“I think the wrong question for a Saudi startup is: “How much of our Saudi identity should we keep when we go abroad?”

The more useful question is: “What did being built in Saudi Arabia teach us that could make us more valuable somewhere else?”

Because origin by itself is not a strategy. It is raw material for a strategy.

And I think Saudi startups should be increasingly confident about this. The ecosystem has changed enormously. Saudi Arabia recorded $1.72 billion in venture-capital investment across 257 deals in 2025, the highest levels the market has seen. We are no longer only asking whether globally competitive startups can be created in Saudi Arabia. Increasingly, we are asking which of them can travel.

But travelling does not mean becoming culturally anonymous. The strongest global brands rarely erase where they came from. They understand what should travel intact and what needs to be translated.

I would ask a Saudi founder to think about four things.

First:

What is your Saudi core?

Not the flag. Not Arabic typography. Not putting a palm tree into the identity.

What capability, insight or sensibility did growing up inside this market actually give you?

Maybe you learned to design technology for Arabic-speaking consumers rather than adapting English technology afterwards. Maybe you became unusually good at operating in regulated and fragmented environments. Maybe your understanding of hospitality produced a different service standard. Maybe you grew up around a culture of family commerce and understood social selling differently. Maybe rapid transformation in the Kingdom taught your company to operate at a pace and scale that companies from more settled markets are not accustomed to. Maybe there is something in Saudi food, design, beauty, gaming, tourism, fintech or culture that the rest of the world has not encountered in this form before.

But the discipline is important:

Don’t ask what is Saudi about us. Ask 1-what is uniquely Saudi about us that is useful to somebody else.

Unifonic is an interesting example. It began in Saudi Arabia solving the difficult reality of reliable communications in fragmented, regulated markets and across Arabic language environments. Today it describes cultural fluency, trust and AI-native customer experience as part of its proposition. Something learned locally became a capability that could travel.

Foodics is another Saudi-born company that took its restaurant technology beyond the Kingdom into markets including the UAE and Egypt. The transferable asset was not “Saudi-ness” as decoration. It was a solution developed inside a sophisticated regional F&B environment that was relevant to restaurant operators elsewhere.

That brings me to the second question: 2-What are the qualifying factors in the market you are entering?

Strategists sometimes call these points of parity.

These are the things you have to get right simply to be taken seriously. If I enter Germany, Singapore, the UAE or Britain, what does the category expect? What is the regulatory standard? What does good customer service mean? What payment behaviour exists? What is the expected delivery time? What does trust look like? Which features are simply assumed? What tone belongs on the platform? What does the audience consider credible?

These are not necessarily reasons someone will choose you. They are the price of admission. A Saudi fintech company cannot enter another market saying, “We are proudly Saudi,” while failing to understand its financial regulation. A consumer startup cannot insist that its Saudi customer journey must be reproduced exactly in London.

Identity is not an excuse for irrelevance. You earn the right to be different only after you have demonstrated that you belong in the category.

Then comes the third question: 3-What are your winning factors?

These are your points of difference. Once I believe you can perform the basic job as well as the alternatives, why should I choose you? This is where Saudi origin can become strategically interesting. What can you offer that the incumbent cannot easily copy? A product insight? A technology? A cultural understanding? A design sensibility? A service model? A community? A particular form of hospitality? Access to a new cultural world? A way of solving complexity that your home market forced you to learn?

So I would separate very clearly:

Qualifying factors get you into the consideration set.
Winning factors give people a reason to choose you.

And both have to be understood at several levels: the market, the category, the audience, and increasingly, the platform.

Something that makes you distinctive on TikTok may be irrelevant in enterprise sales. Something that wins in Saudi food culture may need a different cultural translation in Paris. Something that works in B2C may signal the wrong things entirely in B2B.

So the identity stays coherent. The expression adapts.

This is where I think the national Saudi Made brand offers a very useful lesson. The program was deliberately created as a unified identity for Saudi products and services in domestic and international markets, and from the beginning it has been associated with quality, competitiveness, credibility and excellence. More recently that architecture has expanded: there is a Saudi Tech label supporting technology companies abroad, while the Saudi Crafts identity has been explicitly built around creativity, authenticity and quality presented in a contemporary way.

I find that combination interesting.

Quality and innovation on one side.
Authenticity and cultural confidence on the other.

Saudi Arabia does not have to choose between heritage and modernity. In many ways, the interesting story of Saudi Arabia today is precisely the tension between the two. That is something Saudi startups can borrow from; not necessarily the Saudi Made logo itself, because that has eligibility requirements, but the larger idea of what Saudi provenance can begin to mean.

A Saudi startup going abroad should ask:

4-What does “from Saudi Arabia” add to this particular proposition?

Sometimes the answer may be heritage. Sometimes technology. Sometimes design. Sometimes hospitality. Sometimes ambition. Sometimes the credibility of having solved a difficult problem in one of the world’s fastest-transforming economies. And sometimes, frankly, Saudi origin may add nothing relevant to the customer’s decision. Then don’t force it.

Because the objective is not to make every international customer admire where you come from. The objective is to give them a compelling reason to choose what you built. That is why I would never tell Saudi founders simply to “localize.” Localization can become another superficial exercise: change the language, hire a local influencer, swap some images and call the job finished.

I prefer the word trans-creation.

Trans-creation asks a much harder question:

5-How can the same meaning survive in a different cultural grammar?

This is actually one of the larger ideas behind AdEntity. Cultures have always survived contact not by remaining untouched, but by absorbing and translating what comes from outside while retaining enough coherence to remain recognizable.

Brands are not very different. The identity should have a centre. The expression should have flexibility. So if I had to give Saudi startups one framework for international expansion, it would be:

Know what is non-negotiably yours.
Learn what is non-negotiably theirs.
Meet the qualifying factors.
Protect the winning factors.
Then translate the expression for the market, category, audience and platform.

Don’t export the Saudi advertisement. Export the Saudi advantage. And perhaps the strongest global Saudi brands of the future will not be the ones that become less Saudi as they travel. They will be the ones that discover which part of being Saudi the world finds valuable.”

If you were advising a founder launching a startup today, what is one lesson from the history of advertising that you would want them to understand before spending their first marketing budget?

“My first advice? Please refer to my previous six answers. But if I had to reduce 100 years of advertising history to one lesson, it would be this:

Media amplifies.

It does not create meaning.

If you haven’t understood the human, the culture, the category, the product truth, and why anybody should care, spending more money will not solve the problem. Today, AI can simply help you waste that money faster.

So before buying attention, build something worth paying attention to. Then amplify the hell out of it.”

Ghada Ismail

In this second part, Abu Zannad turns to the resource startups actually have plenty of: creativity. He explains why “out-noticing” the competition matters more than out-spending them, and why so many founders confuse visibility, reputation, and meaning when they talk about “building a brand.”

How can startups use creativity as a competitive advantage when they cannot compete with larger companies on advertising budgets, resources, or brand recognition?

I think we first need to stop treating creativity as incidental, as this magical thing that occasionally happens when a talented person walks into a room. Creativity is becoming a much more important competitive capability precisely because AI is making so many other capabilities abundant.

Today, almost everyone can produce more content, more variations, more designs, more headlines and more analysis, faster and cheaper than ever before. So producing more is becoming less interesting. The competitive advantage increasingly lies in seeing something other people did not see.

I often describe it as the difference between information and insight. Two companies can have access to exactly the same data and come to completely different conclusions. Same data. Different eyes. That difference is human judgement.

And I don’t think insight has to be left to luck. There are conditions that make it more likely. Experience gives you patterns. Curiosity makes you notice what does not fit. Scepticism stops you accepting the first explanation. Contradictions reveal where reality is behaving differently from the category’s assumptions. Connections allow two things that normally live separately to collide.

Sometimes even constraint helps. I call that creative desperation: when you genuinely cannot solve the problem in the conventional way, you are forced to find another path. That is why startups may actually have an advantage. A large incumbent can often buy another media plan. A startup cannot. It has to notice something the incumbent has stopped noticing.

Look at the extraordinary group of younger businesses emerging around us:

Dollar Shave Club did not beat the shaving establishment by producing a more expensive shaving commercial. It understood internet humour and attacked the seriousness of the category.

Liquid Death looked at bottled water and asked why water had to behave like bottled water at all. It borrowed from punk, heavy metal and entertainment culture.

PRIME understood that creator communities themselves could become an extraordinary distribution system.

Crumbl turned cookies into something closer to sneaker drops; weekly anticipation, scarcity, reviewing and participation.

Sleep or Die looked at the soft, calming visual language of the sleep category and contradicted it completely.

And Dubai Chocolate may be one of the most fascinating cases of all. Someone created an unusually sensory product: “the crack of the chocolate, the colour of the pistachio, the texture of knafeh and a platform discovered that people could not stop watching it”. The algorithm accelerated the phenomenon; it did not originate the human fascination.

I think we should stop treating cases like these as amusing stories about things that “went viral.” They are evidence. We are watching something close to a new applied science of cultural creativity develop in front of us.

Every platform is producing an enormous live laboratory of human behaviour. Every unexpected breakout gives us something to study. What was the human tension? What cultural code did the brand recognize? What category convention did it violate? What community carried the idea? What made somebody want to participate rather than merely watch? What behaviour did the platform reward? What made the idea travel from one subculture into another?

Those are not questions only for advertising people anymore. They are questions for founders, anthropologists, behavioural scientists, strategists and technologists. And over time, we can begin building frameworks around them; not formulas for producing virality, because culture will never be that obedient, but better places to look for the unexpected.

That distinction matters. Creativity is not a formula. But neither is it magic. We can study it. We can develop our intuition. We can accumulate cases. We can recognize patterns. We can learn the grammar of a platform, a category, a culture or a subculture; and then have the courage to break that grammar when the human insight tells us to.

This, to me, is where AI becomes enormously useful. Let the machine search wider. Let it retrieve more cases, make more connections, generate more possibilities and accelerate experimentation.

But the human still has to ask: Which one matters? Which contradiction is interesting? Which observation is merely strange… and which one reveals something genuinely human? Which idea deserves to exist?

Because AI can increasingly generate ten thousand possibilities. The scarce capability is knowing which possibility is worth pursuing.

So my advice to startups would be: don’t try to out-produce the large companies. You probably can’t. And increasingly, there is little advantage in doing so anyway. Out-notice them. Out-understand them. And then use creativity to turn what you noticed into something the culture cannot ignore.

What do you think startups misunderstand most about building a brand: is it about visibility, reputation, or creating an identity people want to associate with?

I think what startups misunderstand most is the word brand itself.

They often think the sequence is: Build the product. Acquire customers. Grow. And when we become big enough, we will “do the brand.” Usually that means a new logo, a brand book, perhaps a large campaign.

But the uncomfortable truth is that you are building the brand from the first day whether you intend to or not. The first product experience builds it. The first customer complaint builds it. The way your founder speaks builds it. The price builds it. The packaging builds it. The people who choose you build it. The things you repeatedly say, and the things you repeatedly do, build it. So visibility, reputation and identity are not really three competing answers. They are three different layers.

Visibility means: I know you exist.

You can buy visibility. You can hack it. You can go viral and acquire enormous visibility almost overnight. But visibility is not a brand. We are surrounded today by things that became very visible and disappeared six months later.

Reputation means: I have learned what to expect from you.

You deliver. The product works. You keep your promises. There is consistency between what you say and what actually happens. Reputation takes longer because it has to survive contact with reality. And then there is something more interesting.

Meaning.

At some point, the strongest brands begin to signify something beyond the immediate utility of the product. Choosing the brand says something. Sometimes it says something to other people. Sometimes, more importantly, it says something to ourselves.

That is very close to the argument I make in AdEntity. Modern advertising became powerful because it taught objects to carry meaning. A watch stopped being only an instrument for telling time. A car was not only transportation. A pair of shoes was not only protection for the feet. Commercial objects became signals through which ambition, taste, rebellion, belonging, care or achievement could become socially legible.

And AdEntity does not argue that brands invented those desires. It argues that the surrounding system; the brand, product, image, celebrity and media environment… helped teach people how those desires could be recognized.

That is why I would hesitate to tell a founder, “Create an identity people want to associate with.” It is almost right. But it can lead to another mistake: inventing a beautiful brand personality with no relationship to the actual business.

Meaning has to be earned through product truth.

If Liquid Death behaved like a rebellious entertainment brand but the product, packaging and every interaction reverted to conventional bottled-water behaviour, the mythology would eventually collapse.

If Apple talks about creativity but produces experiences that feel careless, the symbolism weakens.

A brand cannot indefinitely advertise a meaning that the business itself does not substantiate. And this is where I think startups face a particularly modern trap. Startups live inside dashboards: ‘CAC. ROAS. Conversion. Cost per click. Retention. Downloads. Funnels’.

These numbers matter enormously. I would never advise a founder to ignore them. But because they are visible every morning on a dashboard, they begin to acquire psychological authority. What we can measure immediately starts to look more important than what is accumulating slowly.

And brand accumulates slowly. Memory accumulates. Familiarity accumulates. Trust accumulates. Distinctive assets accumulate. Meaning accumulates. This is why performance marketing is so seductive. You spend today and something happens tomorrow.

Brand building is more like compound interest. For a while, it can look as though very little is happening. And then one day people search for your name instead of the category. They recommend you without being paid. They recognize you before they see the logo. They forgive you a small mistake because there is accumulated trust. They consider you before the performance ad arrives. They may even pay slightly more because the alternative does not feel equivalent.

That is an economic asset, not a communications indulgence.

Airbnb gave us a fascinating demonstration of this. When the company dramatically reduced marketing during the pandemic, traffic recovered to roughly 95% of its 2019 level before marketing expenditure fully resumed. By the fourth quarter of 2020, more than 90% of traffic was direct or unpaid. Brian Chesky’s conclusion was essentially that Airbnb had become culturally established enough that the brand itself was generating demand.

That is what founders should aspire to. Not necessarily becoming a verb. But getting to the point where every customer does not have to be rented again from an advertising platform. Because if every sale requires another paid impression, another promotion and another retargeting message, you may have built an efficient acquisition machine. You have not necessarily built a brand.

There is another problem that optimization culture creates for startups: they change too much. New headline. New proposition. New design. New tone. New campaign. New audience. New creative every week because something performed 4% better. Experimentation is essential for discovering what works. But once you discover something valuable, brand building requires the opposite capability: the discipline to repeat it.

Memory needs consistency. And let’s not confuse consistency with repetition.

The Ehrenberg-Bass work on distinctive assets is useful here. Colours, sounds, shapes, characters, packaging and other recognizable cues only become assets when people repeatedly learn to associate them with one brand. They are built and protected over time; they do not become distinctive because somebody declared them distinctive in a brand guideline.

So perhaps I would give founders a very simple architecture: Be visible enough to enter the mind. Be good enough to earn a reputation. Be consistent enough to become remembered. Be meaningful enough to stand for something.

And make sure the product continuously earns the story you are telling.

Because a brand, in the end, is not the campaign. It is not the logo. It is not the number of followers. It is not even what the founder says the company stands for. A brand is the memory and meaning that remain when the advertising disappears. That is what startups should start building from day one.

Ghada Ismail

Ahmad Abu Zannad is an advertising strategist and author of AdEntity, a new book arguing that advertising did more than sell products over the past century; it helped build modern identity itself, turning ancient human signals like status, belonging, and ambition into a shared language understood across cultures. The book’s central warning is that this role is now shifting to algorithms, which Abu Zannad argues are moving beyond shaping what we buy to shaping who we become.

In the first installment of Sharikat Mubasher’s interview with Abu Zannad, we explore the deeper forces shaping brand-building today: how culture actually works (and how startups misread it), what has really changed as advertising has moved from the TV era to the age of AI, and why an obsession with algorithms and data can quietly replace understanding people with merely measuring them.

Your book looks at how advertising became deeply connected to culture and technology. How can startups use culture to build brands that people genuinely connect with?

“I would start by changing one word in the question. I don’t think startups should use culture. I think they should understand it.

Culture is not putting a local celebrity in an advertisement, borrowing a dialect, or adding familiar symbols to a campaign. Those are expressions of culture. Culture itself is much deeper. It is the shared understanding of what success looks like, what generosity means, what makes somebody trustworthy, what feels prestigious, what feels embarrassing, what belongs and what does not.

And beneath culture sit very old human motivations.

People everywhere want belonging, recognition, security, status, love and hope. But cultures give those motivations different expressions. Ambition in Riyadh does not necessarily look exactly like ambition in London or Tokyo. The human motivation may travel; its cultural meaning changes.

And when I say culture, I don’t only mean national culture. Internet culture, youth culture, creator culture and subcultures are cultures too.

Look at Dollar Shave Club. They entered shaving against companies with enormous budgets and decades of category authority. They couldn’t outspend Gillette, so they understood something happening culturally: people were increasingly suspicious of over-engineered products, corporate language and inflated prices. Their famous low-budget 2012 launch film spoke in the irreverent language of internet culture and generated 12,000 new subscribers immediately after launch.

Or look at Liquid Death. They entered perhaps the ultimate commodity, water, and behaved nothing like a water brand. They borrowed the visual codes, humour and attitude of punk, heavy metal and energy-drink culture: tall cans, a skull, “Murder Your Thirst,” absurd entertainment. The founder has explicitly described the ambition as building an entertainment company that monetizes through beverages.

PRIME did something different again. Logan Paul and KSI entered one of the world’s most competitive beverage categories with something Coca-Cola and Pepsi could not simply manufacture overnight: an existing cultural relationship with millions of people. The product launched in 2022 out of creator culture, turning two former rivals into partners and their audiences into an extraordinary distribution network for attention.

None of these companies began with the advantages traditionally needed to enter such categories. What they possessed was cultural capital before they possessed category power.

That is where I think startups have an interesting advantage over very large companies. They may have less money, but they are often much closer to the tension they are trying to solve. The founder may have lived the frustration, spoken the language of the community and understood a behaviour long before somebody turned it into a market-research chart.

So I would tell a startup: don’t begin by asking, “How do we make our brand culturally relevant?”

Ask: What is already alive in culture that nobody in our category is seeing… and what legitimate role can our product play inside it?

Because if you cannot outspend the category, you may still be able to out-understand it culturally.

The best brands do not impose themselves on culture. They find something already alive within it… and become useful enough, meaningful enough and distinctive enough to belong there.”

From the traditional advertising era to today’s AI-driven landscape, what has changed most about how brands earn consumers’ attention, and what has remained the same?

“I think the biggest change is that we have moved from an age of persuasion to an age increasingly shaped by selection.

In the traditional advertising era, a brand would buy access to an audience through television, newspapers, magazines or outdoor, and then the creative idea had to do the difficult part: make people notice, remember, feel something and perhaps change their behaviour.

There was still a human author in the middle of that process. A strategist, a writer, a creative director, a filmmaker. Someone was making a judgement about people and culture and saying: I think this idea will matter.

Today, the system is very different.

The algorithm increasingly decides what reaches you, how often you see it, what disappears, what gets amplified and what comes next. And AI is accelerating this dramatically. We can now create hundreds or thousands of variations, personalize them, test them in real time and optimize continuously around whatever generates a measurable response.

So the machinery of attention has changed enormously.

But the strange thing is that the human being underneath it has changed very little.

We still want many of the things our grandparents wanted: belonging, recognition, status, love, security, hope, companionship, achievement. This is one of the central arguments in AdEntity. Advertising did not invent these desires. At its best, it understood them, translated them through culture and gave them contemporary symbols, products and stories.

A diamond could become a signal of commitment. A car could become a signal of achievement or freedom. A sports brand could turn effort into a story of personal transcendence.

The technology changed. The human motives did not.

And I think that distinction matters enormously now because AI creates a temptation to confuse response with meaning.

An algorithm can learn that outrage keeps me watching. It can learn which image makes me click, which headline makes me pause and which version converts 3% better. But a reaction is not necessarily a relationship. And attention is not necessarily admiration.

This is where I worry about the direction of advertising. We are becoming extraordinarily good at optimizing the signal while sometimes forgetting to ask whether the signal means anything.

The old advertising industry could certainly produce terrible work, but its greatest work tried to create something people would voluntarily carry into culture: a line, a story, an aspiration, a piece of music, an image, sometimes even a new way of seeing themselves.

The danger today is that we settle for something much smaller simply because we can measure it more precisely. So if I had to put the whole transition in one sentence:

The old challenge was, “How do I persuade you?” The new power is increasingly, “What will the system keep showing you?”

That is an extraordinary technological shift. But brands should remember that behind every data point is still a very old human animal trying to belong, aspire, love, achieve and make sense of the world. The screen keeps changing. The human being behind the screen changes far more slowly.”

Has advertising become too obsessed with algorithms and data at the expense of understanding people? What can startups learn from that?

“Yes, but I would be careful with the criticism because I am not against data, algorithms or AI. Quite the opposite. I think they are extraordinary tools.

The problem begins when we confuse efficiency with intelligence.

Years ago, in Adman vs. Chomsky, I challenged Noam Chomsky’s description of advertising as an industry whose prime task is to ensure that “uninformed consumers make irrational choices.” I still disagree with that as a definition of advertising. Human beings were irrational long before the first advertising agency existed. Behavioural economics has simply helped us understand some of the shortcuts through which people navigate a complicated world.

But there is a danger today that we take those cognitive biases; scarcity, social proof, loss aversion, immediacy, outrage, fear of missing out… and hand them to an algorithm whose only instruction is: find what produces a response and do more of it.

Then AI allows us to generate another hundred versions, test them faster, target them more precisely and optimize them continuously.

We should ask ourselves: is that progress?

Or have we simply become better at doing mediocre advertising faster, cheaper and more intrusively?

That, to me, is the misuse of the algorithm. Because there is another possibility.

Look at Sleep or Die, a young sleep brand that looked at an entire category filled with lavender colours, peaceful bedrooms and soft wellness language and basically said: this is not what insomnia feels like. The brand called exhausted customers “zombies,” used provocative cigarette-style packaging and built an entire irreverent world around the seriousness of sleep. One unconventional product post on LinkedIn reportedly reached more than 180,000 people, and around 4,000 people joined the waitlist before launch.

The algorithm did not come up with that idea. It discovered that people found the idea interesting.

And Dubai gave us an even more extraordinary example.

FIX Dessert Chocolatier did not begin with a dashboard saying, “Pistachio content has a high completion rate.” Sarah Hamouda began with a craving and created something genuinely different: chocolate, pistachio, tahini, and the crunch of knafeh. Then a creator filmed herself breaking the bar open. You could see the green filling, hear the crack and crunch, and almost experience the texture through the screen.

That video eventually exceeded 120 million views, and FIX reportedly received more than 30,000 orders after it took off. The phenomenon became so large that “Dubai chocolate” became a global food category, copied by some of the world’s biggest confectionery companies.

Again, the algorithm did not invent Dubai Chocolate. It recognized that human beings could not stop looking at it.

Crumbl is another useful example. Its weekly rotating cookie drops created anticipation and FOMO before TikTok amplified them; on the platform, its campaign reached 22 million people and grew followers by 1,500% in two months. The interesting part is that the platform was amplifying an existing behavioral idea, the weekly drop, not substituting for one.

And that is what I think startups should learn. Don’t ask AI to compensate for the absence of an idea. Don’t use behavioral science merely to locate the next vulnerability you can press.

Understand people first. Create something distinctive enough to deserve attention. Then let the algorithm do what it is exceptionally good at: find the people for whom that idea resonates and help it travel.

The algorithm should be an amplifier, not the strategist. And perhaps that is the simplest way I can put it: AI should help great ideas travel faster. It should not merely help mediocre ideas become cheaper.”

Noha Gad

Businesses do not all operate the same way throughout the year. Some enjoy steady demand month after month, while others experience clear peaks and quieter periods driven by seasons, holidays, or industry cycles. Understanding these patterns is essential for owners, managers, and investors who want to plan wisely and avoid cash-flow surprises. From tourism resorts and landscaping companies to holiday retail and travel services, seasonal companies can be highly profitable when managed well; however, they also face distinct challenges in finance, staffing, and marketing. 

What are seasonal businesses?

Seasonal business refers to fluctuations in business that correspond to seasonal changes. This does not mean they operate only in one season for the most part, with a few exceptions. Key examples of seasonal businesses include alternative holiday retailers, moving services, tour guides, holiday clubs, and more. There are few steps founders and business owners must follow to start a seasonal business:

• Understand the market. As an owner, you must be sure there is enough demand for the products or services that can generate enough income during the peak season. To gain knowledge, you can conduct simple market research, asking potential customers whether they would buy from you at the prices you are considering charging.
• Develop a marketing plan. Seasonal businesses must often work harder to promote themselves, often to simply remind customers they are there. To hit the ground running, you should leave enough time for your publicity and advertising to attract customers. 
• Manage cash flow. Successful cash flow management can represent a significant challenge for seasonal businesses because they receive most of their income in a set period, but may have outgoings at other times. The temptation can be to spend too much when cash is plentiful, creating cash flow issues when revenue is down.
• Purchase essentials. You must accurately estimate demand by using your market knowledge/research. Getting favorable terms from suppliers can be more difficult when buying within a limited period, but there's no harm in trying by using your business relationship with them. 
• Diversify products. If offering discounts and holding promotions doesn't help you to make sales when sales slow down, maybe you could modify your offer to give it wider and longer-lasting appeal. 
• Improve offering and analyze results during quiet period. Use quiet periods to analyze your results and think of ways you can improve the business for when it becomes active again.  

Key challenges seasonal businesses face

Seasonal businesses share several recurring difficulties that stem from their uneven revenue patterns. These challenges affect cash flow, staffing, inventory, and overall planning.

• Cash-flow volatility: revenue concentrates in a few busy months, while many costs, such as rent, loan payments, insurance, and subscriptions, continue year-round. This mismatch can create liquidity gaps during the off-season.
• Staffing and training pressures: Owners must hire and train temporary staff quickly for peak periods, then manage layoffs or reduced hours when demand falls. High turnover and repeated onboarding can raise costs and affect service quality.
• Inventory and capacity planning risks
  Over-ordering before a slow period ties up cash in unsold stock, while under-ordering before a peak can lead to missed sales and dissatisfied customers. Balancing inventory levels with uncertain demand is a constant challenge.
• Marketing timing inefficiencies. Spending on advertising too late or too early reduces return on marketing investment. Seasonal businesses must align promotion with the demand curve to maximize impact.

To sum up, seasonal businesses can deliver strong profits, but only when owners plan for the full annual cycle, not just the busy months. Success depends on understanding demand patterns, preparing a focused marketing plan, and, above all, managing cash flow so that peak-season earnings cover off-season costs.

The main challenges, such as cash-flow volatility, staffing swings, inventory risks, and mistimed marketing, are predictable and manageable with the right discipline. Founders who research their market, negotiate smartly with suppliers, diversify offerings, and use quiet periods to analyze results and improve operations are better positioned to turn seasonality from a risk into a strategic advantage.

Ghada Ismail

Media buying has come a long way from negotiating television spots, newspaper placements, and billboard locations. Today, it is a data-driven discipline powered by artificial intelligence (AI), automation, audience analytics, and real-time optimization. Brands are no longer simply buying advertising space; instead, they are investing in technologies and strategies that ensure their marketing investment reaches the right audience at the right time.

This transformation is reshaping advertising markets worldwide, and Saudi Arabia is no exception. As businesses accelerate their digital transformation under Vision 2030, advertisers are demanding smarter, faster, and more measurable campaigns. In response, a new generation of Saudi companies is redefining media buying by combining technology, creativity, and data-driven decision-making.

While the term "AdTech" is often associated with software platforms and AI-powered advertising tools, Saudi Arabia's evolving media buying ecosystem extends beyond startups developing proprietary technology. It also includes agencies that integrate digital marketing, analytics, creative strategy, and campaign optimization into comprehensive media buying services. Together, these companies are helping brands navigate an increasingly complex advertising landscape.

Media Buying Has Become a Technology Business

The rise of digital platforms has fundamentally changed the role of media buyers. Instead of manually selecting where advertisements should appear, marketers now rely on sophisticated tools that analyze audience behavior, measure campaign performance, and automate bidding across multiple advertising channels.

Programmatic advertising has become a cornerstone of modern media buying, allowing advertisers to purchase digital inventory in milliseconds using automated auctions. AI algorithms continuously evaluate campaign performance, optimize budgets, and identify high-performing audiences, enabling businesses to maximize return on investment while reducing wasted advertising spend.

This shift has transformed media buying from a transactional activity into a strategic business function. Success is no longer measured solely by how many people see an advertisement, but by how effectively campaigns generate engagement, conversions, and long-term customer value.

Why Saudi Arabia Is Ripe for Innovation

Saudi Arabia's rapidly expanding digital economy has created fertile ground for innovation in advertising and media buying. The Kingdom boasts one of the highest internet and smartphone penetration rates in the region, while social media platforms have become central to consumer engagement and purchasing decisions.

At the same time, the government is encouraging businesses across sectors to embrace digital transformation, increasing demand for sophisticated marketing solutions. As companies compete for consumer attention in an increasingly crowded online environment, they require partners capable of combining media planning, creative storytelling, data analytics, and performance measurement into integrated campaigns.

This growing demand has opened opportunities for Saudi agencies to move beyond traditional advertising and adopt technology-driven approaches that improve campaign efficiency and accountability.

How Saudi Companies Are Reinventing Media Buying

Saudi Arabia's media buying ecosystem is evolving through companies that blend strategic planning with digital innovation, helping brands reach audiences across multiple channels while delivering measurable business outcomes.

Bassmat is among the agencies reflecting this evolution. As an integrated marketing communications company, it offers media planning and buying alongside services such as digital strategy, search engine optimization, social media management, public relations, and campaign analytics. Rather than treating media buying as an isolated service, Bassmat positions it within a broader communications strategy that allows brands to coordinate messaging across digital and traditional platforms.

A similar integrated approach can be seen at True Vision (TrueVS), which focuses on digital marketing and performance-driven campaigns. By combining media buying with branding, creative development, audience targeting, and digital strategy, the agency helps businesses optimize advertising investments based on measurable results instead of impressions alone. This reflects a wider industry shift toward performance marketing, where campaign success is evaluated through conversions, customer acquisition, and return on investment.

Lenzo demonstrates how media buying is expanding beyond digital advertising into experiential marketing. The agency specializes in brand activations, exhibitions, events, and immersive experiences that connect physical engagement with digital promotion. As brands increasingly seek omnichannel marketing strategies, companies like Lenzo illustrate how media buying now extends across multiple consumer touchpoints, creating campaigns that bridge online and offline experiences.

Meanwhile, Tech Wave highlights the growing convergence between technology consulting and marketing services. Known for its expertise in software development and digital transformation, the company also provides digital marketing solutions that leverage technology to improve campaign effectiveness. This reflects a broader trend in which media buying increasingly relies on technological capabilities, including automation, analytics, and digital infrastructure, rather than creative execution alone.

Although these companies operate with different business models, they share a common objective: helping advertisers make smarter decisions using technology, customer insights, and integrated marketing strategies.

AI Is Changing the Rules

Artificial intelligence is becoming one of the most influential forces shaping the future of media buying. AI-powered tools can analyze vast amounts of consumer data, predict purchasing behavior, identify the most valuable audience segments, and continuously optimize campaigns while they are running.

Instead of relying on historical performance alone, advertisers can now adjust budgets in real time, personalize advertising messages, and automate routine campaign management tasks. These capabilities improve efficiency while enabling marketing teams to focus on strategy and creativity.

For agencies, AI is not replacing human expertise but enhancing it. Success increasingly depends on combining technological capabilities with market knowledge, creative thinking, and a deep understanding of consumer behavior.

What Comes Next?

Saudi Arabia's media buying industry is expected to keep evolving as more businesses invest in digital transformation and online advertising. To stay competitive, agencies will continue adopting new technologies such as AI-powered analytics, smarter audience targeting, creator marketing, and integrated campaigns that run across multiple platforms.

The advertising industry is also adapting to growing privacy expectations. As third-party cookies become less common, brands are placing greater value on first-party data collected directly from their own customers. Agencies that can help businesses use this data effectively while still reaching the right audiences are likely to have a competitive advantage.

Generative AI is also set to play a bigger role in media buying. It can help agencies create content faster, identify the best audience segments, and optimize campaigns more efficiently. While AI will automate some routine tasks, it is unlikely to replace marketing professionals. Instead, it will make human creativity and strategic thinking even more valuable, allowing agencies to deliver smarter and more effective campaigns.

Conclusion

Media buying is no longer simply about purchasing advertising space. It has become a multidisciplinary practice where technology, creativity, analytics, and customer experience work together to deliver measurable business outcomes.

Saudi Arabia's media buying industry reflects this transformation. While innovation is often associated with AdTech platforms, the Kingdom's broader ecosystem of marketing agencies is also playing a critical role in modernizing how brands reach consumers. Companies such as Bassmat, TrueVS, Lenzo, and Tech Wave demonstrate that successful media buying increasingly depends on integrating strategic planning, digital expertise, and technology into every stage of the advertising journey.

As Saudi Arabia continues building a digital-first economy, the organizations that combine innovation with measurable performance will help define the next chapter of the Kingdom's advertising industry, one where media buying is not just about visibility, but about delivering meaningful business results.

Ghada Ismail

A decade ago, artificial intelligence was largely viewed as a futuristic technology discussed in research laboratories and Silicon Valley boardrooms. Today, it writes code, detects diseases, powers government services, personalizes shopping experiences, and helps businesses make decisions in seconds. AI has rapidly evolved from a niche innovation into a transformative force that is reshaping industries and economies across the globe.

Every year on 16 July, Artificial Intelligence Appreciation Day celebrates these technological advances and the people driving them forward. Yet for Saudi Arabia, the occasion represents something even more significant. It is an opportunity to reflect on how artificial intelligence has become a central pillar of the Kingdom's economic transformation, driving innovation, attracting global investment, and creating entirely new industries under Vision 2030.

Rather than simply adopting AI technologies developed elsewhere, Saudi Arabia has pursued a far more ambitious goal: building an ecosystem where artificial intelligence can be developed, governed and commercialized at scale. In just a few years, the Kingdom has laid the foundations for an AI-powered economy through national strategies, digital infrastructure, talent development and partnerships with some of the world's leading technology companies.

From Vision 2030 to an AI Economy

Saudi Arabia's AI ambitions are rooted in Vision 2030, the national blueprint launched to diversify the economy beyond oil and position innovation at the heart of future growth. While digital transformation has long been a priority, artificial intelligence has evolved into one of the Kingdom's most strategic investments, underpinning everything from government services and healthcare to finance, manufacturing, and education.

A defining milestone came in 2019 with the establishment of the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA), which was tasked with leading the Kingdom's AI and data agenda. The following year, the launch of the National Strategy for Data and AI (NSDAI) provided a comprehensive roadmap for developing AI capabilities, attracting investment, fostering innovation and creating a globally competitive digital economy.

Since then, Saudi Arabia has consistently demonstrated that AI is not merely a technology initiative but a national development strategy. The Kingdom has introduced policies to encourage innovation, developed governance frameworks for the responsible use of AI and invested heavily in the digital infrastructure needed to support increasingly sophisticated technologies.

This long-term commitment has translated into measurable international recognition. Saudi Arabia ranked first globally in the Government Strategy pillar of Tortoise Media's Global AI Index, an assessment that measures the strength of national AI policies, governance structures, public investment, and implementation. The ranking reflects more than ambitious targets. It recognizes the Kingdom's establishment of SDAIA, the rollout of the National Strategy for Data and AI, dedicated AI governance frameworks, sustained investment in digital infrastructure, and coordinated efforts to embed AI across government and industry. Together, these initiatives have positioned Saudi Arabia among the world's most proactive governments in developing a national AI ecosystem.

Saudi Arabia's AI by the Numbers

The scale of Saudi Arabia's ambitions is reflected in both its investments and expected economic impact. According to PwC, artificial intelligence is projected to contribute US$135.2 billion to the Kingdom's economy by 2030, equivalent to approximately 12.4% of GDP, making it the highest projected AI-driven economic contribution among Middle Eastern economies and one of the highest globally. Since establishing the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA) in 2019, the Kingdom has launched the National Strategy for Data and AI (NSDAI), introduced the Arabic large language model ALLAM, established HUMAIN to accelerate AI infrastructure and innovation, and expanded AI applications across healthcare, finance, education, logistics, manufacturing, and government services. Alongside these initiatives, Saudi Arabia has introduced AI ethics principles and governance frameworks, demonstrating that its AI agenda extends well beyond technology adoption to encompass policy, talent development, infrastructure, and long-term economic transformation.

Saudi Startups Are Driving the Next Wave

Government initiatives may have laid the foundation, but Saudi Arabia's startup ecosystem is increasingly becoming one of the strongest drivers of AI innovation.

A growing number of startups are demonstrating that the Kingdom is moving beyond AI adoption to AI creation. Rather than simply integrating off-the-shelf technologies, these companies are developing solutions tailored to regional markets and real business challenges.

Mozn has emerged as one of Saudi Arabia's leading AI companies, using machine learning to combat financial crime, strengthen compliance and support smarter risk management for financial institutions. Lucidya has built one of the region's most advanced AI-powered customer intelligence platforms, helping businesses analyze Arabic-language conversations across social media and digital channels to better understand consumer behavior.

Meanwhile, Intelmatix is applying artificial intelligence to enterprise decision-making, enabling organizations to optimize operations and improve strategic planning through predictive analytics. Companies such as Salla and Zid are also embedding AI into e-commerce platforms, while startups across healthcare, logistics, cybersecurity and retail continue introducing AI-powered products designed specifically for regional markets.

The Next Frontier Is Trust

As artificial intelligence becomes increasingly sophisticated, experts believe the next stage of AI adoption will depend less on algorithms themselves and more on the quality, security, and resilience of the data that powers them.

According to Tim Pfaelzer, Senior Vice President and General Manager for EMEA at Veeam, organizations are entering what he describes as the "agentic era," where AI systems are evolving beyond simple assistants into autonomous digital workers capable of making decisions and performing tasks with minimal human intervention.

"AI is revolutionizing how organizations unlock value from their data, providing instantaneous insights and uncovering opportunities that were previously out of reach," Pfaelzer says.

He believes this shift is fundamentally changing how businesses operate.

"These agents are becoming autonomous, 24/7 digital workforces, scaling productivity and accelerating decision-making."

The scale of investment reflects this growing confidence. According to Pfaelzer, hyperscale technology companies have collectively invested more than US$650 billion to build the infrastructure supporting the next generation of AI innovation. At the enterprise level, adoption is accelerating rapidly, with 88% of organizations already piloting AI agents across their technology environments.

Yet despite this enthusiasm, readiness remains a significant challenge.

According to Veeam's research, only around 7% of organizations currently possess the foundational capabilities required to be genuinely AI-ready.

For Pfaelzer, the problem is not artificial intelligence itself—it is the quality of the data feeding these systems.

"The lack of visibility into data can cause AI models and agents to act on incomplete, outdated or inaccurate information, leading to unreliable outcomes at machine speed."

To address this challenge, Pfaelzer argues that organizations must establish what he describes as a "trust layer" built on complete data visibility, governance and resilience.

"By ensuring AI agents are powered by secure, accurate and readily recoverable data, businesses can unlock AI's full potential without allowing it to become their Achilles' heel."

For Saudi Arabia, this approach aligns closely with its broader AI strategy, which emphasizes responsible innovation alongside rapid technological advancement. As the Kingdom continues expanding AI adoption, building trustworthy and resilient data ecosystems may prove just as important as developing increasingly powerful AI models.

Celebrating Progress While Preparing for the Future

Artificial Intelligence Appreciation Day is often viewed as a celebration of technological breakthroughs. Saudi Arabia's story offers a broader and more compelling perspective.

The Kingdom's AI journey demonstrates that meaningful progress requires far more than sophisticated algorithms or headline-grabbing investments. It depends on long-term national planning, modern digital infrastructure, responsible governance, strategic partnerships and, above all, people capable of transforming innovation into real economic and social value.

Over the past several years, Saudi Arabia has methodically laid these foundations. Through Vision 2030, it has established national AI strategies, built world-class infrastructure, nurtured a vibrant startup ecosystem, attracted global technology leaders and accelerated AI adoption across sectors that directly affect the lives of millions of people.

The next phase of this journey will likely be defined not by the size of AI models or the speed of technological breakthroughs, but by how effectively artificial intelligence improves productivity, enhances public services, empowers businesses, and creates sustainable economic growth.

As the world marks Artificial Intelligence Appreciation Day, Saudi Arabia is celebrating more than the rise of a transformative technology. It is celebrating the emergence of an AI ecosystem built with a long-term vision; one that is positioning the Kingdom not simply to participate in the global AI revolution, but to help shape its future.

Ghada Ismail

In the first part of this series, we explored why media buying matters for startups and how a well-planned advertising strategy can help young businesses reach the right audience. We also discussed the role of a media buyer in managing campaigns, optimizing budgets, and improving return on investment.

In Part Two, we will build on that foundation by examining the different types of media buying available to startups. Understanding these options can help founders choose the channels and buying methods that best align with their goals, target audience, and stage of growth.

Traditional Media Buying

Traditional media buying refers to purchasing advertising space through offline channels. Although digital advertising has become dominant, traditional media can still be valuable for startups seeking broad brand awareness.

• Television advertising: Suitable for startups targeting a large audience, though it often requires a significant budget.
• Radio advertising: Effective for local businesses and startups aiming to reach commuters or regional audiences.
• Print advertising: Useful for reaching niche audiences through newspapers, magazines, and industry publications.
• Outdoor advertising: Includes billboards, transit ads, and posters, which can help increase local visibility.

Traditional media buying can enhance credibility and brand recognition, but it may offer less precise targeting compared to digital channels.

Digital Media Buying

Digital media buying involves purchasing advertising space on online platforms. This is often the most practical option for startups because it offers detailed targeting, measurable results, and flexible budgeting.

• Search engine advertising: Ads appear on search engine results pages when users search for relevant keywords.
• Social media advertising: Platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, and X allow startups to target users based on demographics, interests, and behavior.
• Display advertising: Banner and visual ads appear on websites, apps, and online publications.
• Video advertising: Ads are shown before, during, or after online video content on platforms such as YouTube.

Digital media buying is particularly attractive for startups because campaigns can be adjusted quickly based on performance data.

Programmatic Media Buying

Programmatic media buying uses automated technology to purchase digital advertising space in real time. Instead of negotiating directly with publishers, advertisers use software platforms to bid for ad placements based on audience data.

• Real-time bidding (RTB): Advertisers bid for ad impressions as they become available.
• Private marketplace (PMP): Premium publishers offer ad inventory to selected advertisers through invitation-only auctions.
• Programmatic direct: Advertisers purchase ad inventory directly from publishers at a fixed price.

Programmatic buying allows startups to target specific audiences efficiently and optimize campaigns automatically.

Performance-Based Media Buying

Performance-based media buying focuses on paying for measurable results rather than simply paying for ad placement. This model is especially valuable for startups because it aligns advertising costs with business outcomes.

• Cost per click (CPC): Payment occurs when a user clicks on the ad.
• Cost per acquisition (CPA): Payment occurs when a user completes a desired action, such as making a purchase or signing up.
• Cost per lead (CPL): The startup pays for each qualified lead generated through the campaign.
• Cost per thousand impressions (Cost Per Mille or CPM): Payment is based on the number of times the ad is displayed.

Performance-based buying helps startups track ROI more accurately and allocate budgets to the channels that generate the best results.

Influencer and Native Media Buying

Influencer marketing and native advertising are increasingly popular media buying strategies for startups seeking authentic audience engagement.

• Influencer marketing: Startups partner with influencers to promote products or services to their followers.
• Native advertising: Ads are designed to match the format and style of the platform where they appear, making them less disruptive to users. For example: A fintech startup might sponsor an article on a business website titled “How Small Businesses Can Improve Cash Flow Management.” The article provides useful information while also mentioning the startup’s payment solution. Because it resembles regular editorial content and provides value to readers, it is considered native advertising.

These approaches can help startups build trust and reach targeted audiences in a more organic way.

Choosing the Right Media Buying Type

The best media buying strategy depends on a startup’s goals, target audience, budget, and growth stage.

• For brand awareness: Digital display ads, social media ads, and outdoor advertising can be effective.
• For lead generation: Search engine advertising and performance-based campaigns are often the best options.
• For niche targeting: Direct media buying, influencer marketing, and native advertising can deliver strong results.
• For scalable growth: Programmatic media buying allows startups to optimize campaigns efficiently as they expand.

To Wrap Things Up…

As we continue this media buying series, it becomes clear that there is no one-size-fits-all approach for startups. Each type of media buying offers unique advantages, and the right choice depends on the startup’s objectives, audience, and available resources.

For many early-stage startups, digital and performance-based media buying provide the most accessible and measurable starting points. As the business grows, programmatic, direct, and traditional media buying can become valuable additions to a broader marketing strategy.

Ghada Ismail

People are increasingly choosing where to receive medical care based on more than just the treatment itself. Faster access to specialists, advanced technology, personalized support, and a smooth patient journey are all shaping decisions about seeking care abroad.

As demand for cross-border healthcare grows, countries around the world are investing heavily to position themselves as trusted medical tourism destinations.

Saudi Arabia is among the countries working to seize this opportunity. Supported by Vision 2030 and major investments in healthcare infrastructure, the Kingdom is steadily building the foundations of a medical tourism ecosystem. With internationally accredited hospitals and specialized treatment centers, digital health services, and dedicated programs for international patients, Saudi Arabia is aiming to offer not only high-quality care but also a seamless experience tailored to visitors from abroad.

While the Kingdom is still developing its presence in a competitive global market, its expanding healthcare capabilities, growing private-sector participation, and business-friendly reforms are creating new opportunities for hospitals, healthcare companies, and investors.

A Growing Opportunity in Medical Tourism

Medical tourism has become one of the fastest-growing segments of the global healthcare industry. Patients are increasingly willing to travel abroad in search of better healthcare experiences, whether that means faster access to specialists, advanced technologies, personalized care, or internationally recognized hospitals.

Saudi Arabia sees this trend as an opportunity to diversify its economy while strengthening its healthcare sector. According to Research and Markets, the Kingdom’s medical tourism market was valued at approximately US$200 million in 2024 and is projected to reach US$680 million by 2030, reflecting a 22.5% compound annual growth rate as investments in healthcare infrastructure, private hospitals, and specialized services continue to expand.

Unlike some established destinations that compete primarily on affordability, Saudi Arabia is developing a different value proposition. The Kingdom is leveraging modern healthcare facilities, internationally accredited providers, highly qualified medical professionals, and integrated patient services to attract visitors from the GCC, the wider Middle East, Africa, and other international markets.

The sector also aligns closely with Vision 2030’s broader objectives of increasing private-sector participation, attracting foreign investment, and positioning healthcare as an important contributor to economic diversification.

Private Healthcare Providers Are Leading the Way

Much of Saudi Arabia’s progress in medical tourism is being driven by the private healthcare sector.

Over the past decade, private hospital groups in Saudi Arabia have expanded their facilities, introduced advanced medical technologies, and pursued international accreditations that help strengthen confidence among overseas patients. Many providers have also broadened their focus beyond clinical care, recognizing that international patients expect a comprehensive experience that begins before they arrive at the hospital. Among the leading players is Dr. Sulaiman Al Habib Medical Group, which describes itself as one of the Middle East’s largest private healthcare providers. The group has developed a network of hospitals equipped with advanced medical technologies and internationally accredited facilities, supporting its ability to serve patients from across Saudi Arabia and the wider Gulf region.

Saudi German Health has strengthened its international patient offering through dedicated services that support appointment coordination, patient assistance, and other services designed to facilitate treatment for overseas visitors in the Kingdom.

Similarly, Dallah Health offers international patient services that support patients throughout their treatment journey, including coordination of care and related patient services. The company’s internationally accredited hospitals also reinforce its reputation for quality among both local and international patients.

Another example is the International Medical Center (IMC) in Jeddah, which has developed services for international patients through personalized care coordination and partnerships with insurance providers.

Collectively, these organizations demonstrate that Saudi healthcare providers are increasingly competing not only through clinical excellence but also through convenience, hospitality, and patient-centered services.

Creating a Seamless Journey for International Patients

Medical tourism is no longer defined solely by hospitals. Around the world, successful destinations rely on a broader ecosystem of businesses that simplify the patient journey from the moment treatment is considered until long after recovery.

Saudi Arabia is gradually developing this ecosystem.

One example is SAGE, a healthcare consultancy and medical travel facilitator that works with hospitals, governments, and healthcare organizations to improve international patient services, headquartered in Saudi Arabia. Rather than providing treatment directly, the company helps connect patients with healthcare providers while coordinating referrals, treatment planning, travel logistics, accommodation, and recovery support.

This concierge-style model is becoming increasingly important as international patients seek simplicity and reassurance throughout the treatment process. By reducing administrative complexity, facilitators such as SAGE help create a smoother healthcare experience while allowing hospitals to focus on clinical care.

The sector is also benefiting from broader coordination efforts. The Medical Tourism Cooperative Society is working to strengthen collaboration between healthcare providers, tourism companies, investors, and other stakeholders with the aim of developing a more integrated medical tourism industry. Such initiatives reflect a growing recognition that attracting international patients requires cooperation across multiple sectors rather than individual hospital efforts alone.

Digital Tools Are Making Care Easier to Access

Technology is becoming another important factor in Saudi Arabia’s medical tourism ambitions.

For international patients, convenience often begins long before boarding a flight. Many Saudi healthcare providers now offer virtual consultations, online appointment scheduling, digital access to medical records, and remote follow-up services that allow patients to communicate with specialists before and after their visit.

These digital services help patients better understand their treatment options, prepare for their journey, and remain connected with healthcare providers once they return home. They also reduce uncertainty, one of the biggest concerns for people considering medical treatment abroad.

Saudi Arabia’s growing digital health ecosystem is therefore complementing investments in physical healthcare infrastructure, creating a more seamless patient experience that aligns with global expectations.

Challenges Still Need to Be Addressed

Despite the progress, Saudi Arabia still faces several challenges before it can establish itself as a leading medical tourism destination.

International recognition remains one of the biggest hurdles. Countries such as Thailand, Türkiye, India, and Singapore have spent decades building strong global reputations for medical tourism, supported by extensive marketing campaigns and well-established international referral networks.

Pricing transparency is another important consideration. International patients increasingly compare destinations based on the overall value they receive, making clear pricing structures and predictable costs essential for building trust.

Expanding partnerships with international insurers, strengthening referral networks, and increasing awareness among overseas patients will also be crucial if Saudi Arabia hopes to compete more effectively in the global marketplace.

What the Future Holds for Saudi Medical Tourism

Medical tourism represents far more than an opportunity for hospitals to attract additional patients. It has the potential to generate demand across a wide range of industries, including hospitality, aviation, transportation, insurance, digital health, and professional services. Every international patient contributes to an economic value chain that extends well beyond the healthcare sector.

For Saudi Arabia, this aligns closely with Vision 2030’s ambition to diversify the economy by creating new industries driven by innovation and private investment. As hospitals continue expanding their international patient programs and supporting businesses develop more integrated services, medical tourism could emerge as an increasingly important contributor to the Kingdom’s visitor economy.

Saudi Arabia may still be building its reputation as a medical tourism destination, but its strategy is becoming increasingly clear. By combining modern healthcare infrastructure, internationally accredited providers, digital patient services, and a growing network of supporting businesses, the Kingdom is laying the foundations for a competitive regional industry. The next phase will depend not only on attracting more international patients but also on delivering an experience that encourages them to choose Saudi Arabia with confidence.

Ghada Ismail

Every startup dreams of growing fast, but growth doesn't happen just because you launch a great product. No matter how innovative your app, e-commerce store, or SaaS platform is, people need to know it exists.

Today, it's easier than ever to launch digital ads on platforms like Google, Meta, TikTok, and LinkedIn let anyone create a campaign in just a few minutes, in addition to traditional channels, like TV, Radio, and Email Campaigns. But running ads is one thing, while running ads that consistently bring in customers is another.

Many startups learn this the hard way. They spend thousands on campaigns that reach the wrong audience, use messaging that doesn't resonate, or fail to generate meaningful results. That's why hiring a media buyer isn't simply another marketing expense. It can be one of the smartest investments an early-stage business makes.

A Media Buyer Is More Than Someone Who Buys Ads

Despite the name, media buyers do much more than purchase advertising space.

They build advertising strategies that match your business goals, choose the right platforms, manage budgets, test different creative materials, monitor campaign performance, and make ongoing improvements based on real data.

Their job is to make sure your marketing budget delivers the best possible return. Instead of chasing clicks, they focus on attracting the people who are most likely to become customers.

They Help You Avoid Costly Mistakes

For most startups, marketing budgets are tight, so every riyal needs to count.

Without experience, it's easy to overspend on the wrong audience, overlook important performance metrics, or keep investing in campaigns that simply aren't working. These mistakes can quickly eat into valuable capital.

A skilled media buyer knows what to look for and can spot problems before they become expensive. Often, the money they save through better campaign management outweighs the cost of hiring them.

They Reach the Right People

Modern advertising platforms offer powerful targeting tools, but knowing how to use them effectively takes experience. A media buyer understands how to reach the people who are most likely to be interested in your product based on their interests, online behavior, demographics, or purchasing intent.

The result is usually better-quality leads, higher conversion rates, and a lower cost to acquire each customer.

They Let Data Guide Every Decision

Every campaign generates valuable insights, from conversion rates and customer acquisition costs to return on ad spend. A media buyer knows how to interpret this data and turn it into smarter decisions.

Instead of asking whether people clicked on an ad, they're asking bigger questions: Which audience is converting best? Which message is driving sales? Which platform deserves a larger share of the budget?

By constantly testing and refining campaigns, they help improve results over time.

They Give Founders More Time

Startup founders already have enough on their plates. Between building products, managing teams, talking to investors, and serving customers, there's little time left to master digital advertising.

Hiring a media buyer means founders can focus on growing the business while someone with the right expertise handles campaign performance and optimization.

Growth Becomes Easier to Scale

As your startup grows, your advertising needs become more complex.

An experienced media buyer knows how to increase budgets strategically, test new audiences, and expand into new markets without letting customer acquisition costs spiral out of control. That makes growth more predictable and sustainable.

Choosing the Right Media Buyer

Not every media buyer is the right fit for every startup. Look for someone who understands your industry, has experience working with businesses at a similar stage, and is transparent about how they measure success.

The best media buyers don't just share reports filled with numbers; they should be willing to explain what those numbers mean and how they're helping your business grow.

To Wrap Things Up…

Advertising is one of the fastest ways for startups to reach new customers, but it can also become one of the fastest ways to waste money if it's not managed properly.

A good media buyer helps you make smarter decisions, spend your budget more effectively, and attract customers who are genuinely interested in your product. In a crowded digital marketplace, that expertise can make the difference between campaigns that simply generate clicks and campaigns that drive real business growth.

Ghada Ismail

Saudi Arabia is quietly entering a new demographic chapter. While the Kingdom remains widely known for its youthful majority—with more than 70 % of citizens under the age of 35—another segment of the population is steadily expanding: older adults. According to the General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT), about 1.7 million people aged 60 and above now live in the Kingdom, representing roughly 4.8 % of the total population in 2025. 

This shift is subtle compared with global aging trends but significant enough to influence how healthcare, social services, and digital technologies are designed and delivered. The World Health Organization and Saudi health authorities define the elderly as individuals aged 60 years or above, a demographic that is expected to grow in the decades ahead amid rising life expectancy and improvements in healthcare access. 

Across homes, clinics, and digital platforms, artificial intelligence (AI) is beginning to play a meaningful role in enhancing seniors’ quality of life, helping them remain independent, connected, safe, and engaged in ways that align with Saudi cultural values and Vision 2030 priorities.

Aging and Its Challenges

Aging often brings layered challenges. Chronic disease management, reduced mobility, memory changes, and social isolation can gradually erode independence. Traditional care systems, heavily reliant on family or institutional support, are increasingly stretched amid smaller household sizes and urban lifestyle shifts. In Saudi Arabia, these concerns are compounded by a healthcare environment preparing for the future dynamics of a longevity economy.

Yet many older Saudis are actively engaged both socially and digitally. GASTAT’s 2025 Elderly Statistics Bulletin shows that over 60 % of elderly Saudis participate actively in social events, with 63.4 % of men and 57.3 % of women reporting regular activity. Additionally, high rates of digital engagement—where about 87 % of elderly men and 78 % of elderly women use smartphones or computers—reflect a population already comfortable with basic technology. 

Wearables: Personalized, Continuous Support

One of the most visible intersections of AI and elder care is through wearables, smart devices capable of continuous monitoring and predictive analysis. These devices use machine learning to track vital signs such as heart rate, movement, sleep patterns, and irregular activity. The real value lies in algorithms that can detect deviations from personal norms and alert caregivers or family members before small issues become emergencies.

A notable Saudi startup leading innovation in this space is Me’kaaz, which has developed AI-enabled wearable solutions tailored to senior care. Rather than serving merely as emergency alerts, Me’kaaz’s technology focuses on early detection and prevention. It captures subtle changes in activity or routines that may signal emerging health problems—whether related to mobility, cardiovascular health, or daily function—helping families and clinicians intervene proactively.

Importantly, these technologies are linguistically and culturally localized for Saudi users. AI interfaces support the Arabic language and sensory cues that feel natural and respectful, ensuring seniors can interact comfortably with devices. This cultural resonance is crucial in a society that emphasizes family involvement and dignity in elder care.

AI Companions and Social Connectivity

Physical health is part of the picture, but emotional well-being is equally important. Loneliness and social isolation have been linked globally to depression and cognitive decline, particularly among seniors living alone or with limited mobility.

AI-powered digital companions are entering this space as well. These systems combine conversational capability with reminders, mental exercises, and engagement tools designed to keep elderly users mentally stimulated and socially connected. Me’kaaz and other innovators are exploring how these companions can deliver culturally relevant content, including religious and community-oriented interactions, enriching everyday life for seniors who may spend long hours alone.

Such AI companions are not a replacement for human interaction, but a supplemental presence, especially valuable for those whose families live at a distance or have demanding work schedules.

Training for an AI-Enabled Life

Technology adoption does not begin with advanced gadgets; it begins with confidence. Recognizing this, national and private initiatives in Saudi Arabia are increasingly focusing on digital literacy for older adults.

A notable example is the collaboration between Huawei Technologies and stc Group, which launched a senior-focused training program under Huawei’s global “Education for All” initiative. The program’s SmartTruck serves as a mobile digital classroom, traveling across regions of the Kingdom to deliver free, hands-on training for people aged 50 and above.

These workshops cover practical digital skills: using smartphones, accessing online services, understanding digital safety and fraud protection, and navigating AI-enabled tools. In its early phase, the initiative trained more than 2,000 seniors through over 150 workshops, underscoring strong enthusiasm among older adults for digital skill-building when instruction is accessible and age-appropriate.

While these sessions don’t teach deep AI theory, they build foundational confidence. For seniors, learning to interact safely with digital systems reduces anxiety, increases participation, and lays the groundwork for more sophisticated AI engagement, whether through telemedicine, smart wearables, or digital communities.

AI in Healthcare Systems

AI’s role is expanding beyond the home into broader healthcare delivery. Hospitals and clinics across the Kingdom are using AI tools for diagnostics, predictive analytics, and remote monitoring—beneficial for senior patients managing chronic conditions.

AI can help clinicians identify high-risk patients sooner, personalize treatment plans, and reduce unnecessary hospital visits. For seniors, this means more tailored care with less physical strain, particularly for those managing conditions like diabetes, hypertension, or cardiovascular issues.

Government entities such as the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority are central in shaping ethical AI deployment across sectors, including healthcare. Professional bodies like the Saudi Association for AI and Healthcare are also contributing research and education frameworks to align AI adoption with clinical standards and ethical guidelines.

Cultural and Ethical Dimensions

Despite the promise, challenges persist. Not all seniors have equal access to smartphones, high-speed internet, or ongoing support, particularly in rural areas. Digital inequality remains a real barrier to the full potential of AI adoption.

Privacy concerns also loom large. AI elder-care systems rely on sensitive personal data—from biometric readings to behavior patterns—making data protection and transparency essential. Ensuring that seniors understand how their data is used and protected is particularly important in a society where privacy and family reputation are highly valued.

Cultural compatibility remains key as well. AI systems must respect Saudi social norms, language nuances, and religious practices. Solutions that feel foreign or disconnected from daily life are unlikely to gain traction, regardless of their technical sophistication.

Looking Ahead

Saudi Arabia’s broader AI ecosystem—strengthened by national strategic investments, research institutes, and innovation incentives—provides fertile ground for senior-focused technologies. Future developments are likely to include more advanced predictive care models, AI-assisted cognitive health tools, and deeper integration between home-based systems and national healthcare platforms.

Demographic data indicate that the proportion of older adults in Saudi Arabia is modest but growing. According to GASTAT’s 2025 Elderly Statistics Bulletin, people aged 60 and above currently represent about 4.8 % of the population, with men slightly outnumbering women in this age group. While still a small share, demographic trends suggest this segment will expand in the coming decades as life expectancy rises and fertility rates decline, reflecting broader global aging patterns. This gradual increase highlights the need for proactive planning, innovative care models, and policies that embrace technology while maintaining human dignity and social inclusion.

Embracing Aging with Intelligence

AI for senior citizens in Saudi Arabia is no longer a theoretical concept; it is taking shape now through wearable devices, digital engagement programs, and healthcare innovations that respect cultural values. These technologies complement family care, empower seniors to stay connected, and enhance their ability to live independent, fulfilled lives longer.

By investing in localized tech solutions, digital literacy training, and ethical AI frameworks, Saudi Arabia is fostering an environment where aging with intelligence and intention is possible. For the Kingdom’s older adults, this means accessing tools that enrich daily life—while retaining the autonomy, dignity, and social bonds that define Saudi culture.

Ghada Ismail

In Saudi Arabia, where digital adoption is accelerating at record speed and competition across retail, food, fintech, and lifestyle services is intensifying, loyalty is no longer about occasional discounts or plastic cards tucked into a wallet. It is becoming a strategic, data‑driven layer that sits at the heart of how brands engage, retain, and grow their customer base.

Today’s digital loyalty platforms are reshaping the relationship between brands and customers in the Kingdom. Built for mobile-first consumers and powered by real-time data, these platforms move beyond transactional rewards to create ongoing, personalized engagement. From coalition loyalty wallets and restaurant‑focused aggregators to fintech‑embedded cashback systems, Saudi startups are redefining what loyalty looks like in a digitally native economy.

Loyalty in a Cashless, Mobile‑First Economy

Saudi Arabia’s push toward a cashless society under Vision 2030 has created fertile ground for loyalty innovation. As digital payments, e-commerce, and app-based services become part of everyday life, consumers expect seamless experiences across touchpoints, including how they earn and redeem rewards. Loyalty has shifted from being a marketing afterthought to a core product feature, closely tied to payments, data analytics, and customer experience design.

Market research indicates that the Saudi loyalty programs sector is expanding rapidly, driven by increased smartphone penetration, widespread adoption of digital wallets, and rising demand for personalized offers. Brands are recognizing that acquiring new customers is expensive, while retaining existing ones through meaningful engagement delivers far greater long-term value. In this environment, digital loyalty platforms act as connective tissue, linking brands and customers through continuous, value-based interactions.

From Fragmented Programs to Unified Loyalty Ecosystems

One of the long-standing pain points for consumers has been fragmentation. Customers often find themselves juggling multiple loyalty apps, cards, and point systems, many of which offer limited value or cumbersome redemption processes. Saudi startup WalaOne emerged to tackle this problem by introducing a coalition‑based digital loyalty wallet that aggregates rewards from multiple merchants into a single platform.

Rather than forcing users to manage separate programs, WalaOne allows customers to earn and store points from a wide network of participating brands in one place. These points can then be redeemed across different categories, including retail, dining, travel, and services. For consumers, the value lies in simplicity and flexibility. For merchants, the benefit is access to a broader ecosystem that encourages cross‑brand engagement and repeat spending.

What makes this model particularly relevant to Saudi Arabia is its scalability. Small and medium-sized businesses, which often lack the resources to build proprietary loyalty systems, can plug into an existing network and immediately offer competitive rewards. Strategic partnerships with payment infrastructure providers have further strengthened this approach, enabling loyalty features to be embedded directly into checkout and payment flows rather than treated as standalone programs.

Reinventing Restaurant Loyalty Through Aggregation

The food and beverage sector is one of the most competitive in the Saudi market, especially in urban centers such as Riyadh and Jeddah. Despite this, a relatively small percentage of restaurants operate structured loyalty programs, often due to cost, technical complexity, or lack of data insights. This gap has opened the door for startups like Mithu, which is focused on building a unified loyalty platform tailored specifically for restaurants and cafes.

Mithu’s proposition is built around aggregation and engagement. Instead of individual restaurants running isolated programs, customers use a single app to collect rewards across multiple dining venues. The platform incorporates gamification elements and personalized offers, encouraging users to return more frequently and explore new brands within the network.

For restaurant operators, Mithu offers more than just a loyalty tool. It provides access to customer behavior data, enabling businesses to understand visit frequency, spending patterns, and preferences. This insight allows restaurants to design smarter promotions and reward structures that go beyond blanket discounts. In a sector where margins are tight and competition is fierce, data-driven loyalty can become a powerful lever for sustainable growth.

Aviation Loyalty Goes Digital: AlFursan as a National Ecosystem

Beyond retail and fintech, Saudi Arabia’s aviation sector offers one of the most mature examples of how loyalty programs can evolve into full-fledged digital ecosystems. Saudia’s AlFursan loyalty program stands out as a benchmark in the local market, illustrating how loyalty can extend far beyond frequent-flyer miles.

Originally designed to reward air travel, AlFursan has expanded into a multi-partner, lifestyle-driven platform that allows members to earn and redeem miles across a wide network of partners, including hotels, car rental companies, retail brands, banks, and telecom operators. This shift has effectively positioned AlFursan as a coalition loyalty program that connects travel with everyday spending.

Crucially, AlFursan’s digital-first approach reflects changing consumer expectations. Members manage their accounts, track miles, and redeem rewards through digital channels, while partnerships with banks and payment providers enable miles to be earned through card spending rather than flights alone. This integration transforms loyalty from an occasional travel perk into a continuous engagement tool that remains relevant even when customers are not flying.

From a strategic perspective, AlFursan demonstrates how loyalty programs can serve as national-scale engagement platforms. By anchoring the ecosystem around a trusted national carrier, the program reinforces brand affinity while driving value across multiple sectors. For Saudi consumers, this means loyalty that aligns with lifestyle and mobility. For partner brands, it offers access to a highly engaged customer base with strong spending power. For customers, rewards feel effortless, earned automatically as part of daily spending. For merchants, fintech-linked loyalty programs drive higher transaction volumes and repeat visits without requiring separate systems.

This convergence of payments and loyalty is particularly powerful in a market like Saudi Arabia, where regulators and policymakers are actively encouraging digital financial adoption. As fintech platforms collect richer transaction data, they can personalize offers with greater precision, matching rewards to individual spending habits and preferences.

Data, Personalization, and the Experience Economy

At the core of modern loyalty platforms lies data. Saudi consumers are increasingly receptive to personalized experiences, provided they deliver clear value and respect privacy expectations. Digital loyalty platforms analyze transaction histories, visit frequency, and engagement patterns to tailor rewards that feel relevant rather than generic.

This shift reflects a broader move toward the experience economy. Instead of simply offering points or discounts, brands are using loyalty platforms to unlock exclusive access, priority services, and curated experiences. Whether it is early access to product launches, special dining events, or premium customer support, loyalty is becoming a way to deepen emotional connections rather than just incentivize purchases.

Cross‑sector partnerships are also gaining momentum. Coalition programs that link retail, travel, entertainment, and financial services allow loyalty points to travel with customers across different aspects of their lifestyle. This interconnected approach increases the perceived value of rewards and encourages customers to remain within a broader brand ecosystem.

Challenges Facing Digital Loyalty Platforms

Despite strong momentum, digital loyalty platforms in Saudi Arabia face several challenges. Data privacy and cybersecurity remain top priorities, particularly as platforms integrate with payment systems and collect sensitive customer information. Building trust is essential, and platforms must demonstrate transparency in how data is used and protected.

Another challenge lies in differentiation. As more brands adopt digital loyalty tools, customers may experience fatigue if programs fail to offer genuine value. Platforms must continuously innovate, using insights and technology to keep engagement fresh and meaningful. For merchants, aligning loyalty strategies with broader business objectives — rather than treating them as isolated marketing campaigns — is critical to long-term success.

Regulatory compliance also plays a role. As loyalty platforms intersect with fintech, data governance, and consumer protection frameworks, startups must navigate a complex regulatory landscape while scaling their solutions.

Loyalty as Strategic Infrastructure

What is increasingly clear is that loyalty in Saudi Arabia is evolving into strategic infrastructure rather than a tactical add-on. Digital loyalty platforms sit at the intersection of commerce, payments, and customer experience, shaping how brands interact with consumers over time. For startups, this presents a significant opportunity to build scalable, platform-driven businesses that serve both sides of the market.

As competition intensifies across sectors, brands that invest in thoughtful, data-driven loyalty strategies will be better positioned to retain customers and increase lifetime value. Platforms that succeed will be those that simplify experiences, respect consumer trust, and continuously adapt to changing expectations.

Conclusion

Digital loyalty platforms are redefining the rules of engagement in Saudi Arabia’s rapidly digitizing economy. Through unified wallets, sector-specific aggregators, and fintech‑embedded rewards, startups are transforming loyalty from a passive benefit into an active relationship-building tool.

For consumers, the future of loyalty promises simplicity, relevance, and real value. For brands, it offers deeper insight, stronger retention, and a more sustainable path to growth. As Saudi Arabia continues its journey toward a fully digital economy, loyalty platforms will play a central role in connecting brands and customers, not through points alone but through experiences that keep them coming back.

Noha Gad

In today’s fast-paced financial world, investors seek tools that balance accessibility, diversification, and cost-efficiency. This quest propelled the Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs) from a novel idea into a cornerstone of contemporary investing. ETFs elegantly solve this puzzle, offering a one-stop solution that bridges the gap between sophisticated strategy and everyday execution.

Similar to mutual funds, ETFs pool money from many investors and invest in stocks, bonds, short-term money-market instruments, other securities or assets, or some combination of these investments. However, ETFs can sometimes be more tax-efficient than mutual funds. In ETFs, investors buy and sell ETF shares on national securities exchanges at market prices. 

What is an Exchange-Traded Fund (ETF)?

Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) are investment funds that hold several underlying assets. They can be bought and sold on an exchange, much like an individual stock. They can be structured to track anything from the price of a commodity to a large and diverse collection of stocks, even specific investment strategies.

The combined holdings of the ETF are known as its portfolio, which is usually managed by a registered investment adviser. Each ETF share represents an investor’s part ownership of the ETF’s portfolio and the income the portfolio generates.

An ETF can own hundreds of securities across various industries, or it can be dedicated to one particular industry or sector, such as the technology sector.

Types of ETFs

Various types of ETFs can be used for income generation, capital growth, or to mitigate risk in a portfolio. This includes:

       - Equity ETFs. Also known as passive ETFs, this type comprises a basket of stocks and aims to replicate the performance of the broader equity market or a specific sector or trend. 

       - Bond ETFS. They provide regular income to investors and do not have a maturity date. Their income distribution depends on the performance of underlying bonds. Distribution in bond ETFs depends on the performance of underlying bonds, which may include government, corporate, and state and local bonds, usually called municipal bonds.

       - Industry or sector ETFs. They focus on a specific sector or industry. They provide diversified exposure to a single industry, one that includes high performers and new entrants with growth potential.

       - Commodity ETFs. This type focuses on investing in commodities, such as crude oil or gold. They can diversify a portfolio, making it easier to hedge downturns.

       - Currency ETFs. They track the performance of currency pairs, consisting of domestic and foreign currencies. Some investors use these ETFs to diversify a portfolio, while importers and exporters use them to hedge against volatility in currency markets.

       - Inverse ETFs. These funds earn gains from stock declines without having short stocks.

       - Leveraged ETFs. A leveraged ETF seeks to return multiples (e.g., 2× or 3×) on the return of the underlying investments. These products use debt and derivatives, such as options or futures contracts, to leverage their returns.

The goal of each ETF is to replicate its index as closely and cost-effectively as possible. There are two types of replications: physical and synthetic. Physical replication is the classic method of replicating an index. If the ETF directly holds all securities of the index, this is known as full replication. However, full replication is not always possible. Meanwhile, synthetic replication allows ETF investors to invest in new markets and asset classes. A synthetic ETF tracks a benchmark index using derivatives and swap agreements rather than owning the underlying securities.

Pros and cons of ETFs

ETFs offer a powerful combination of benefits that align with modern investment goals:

      - Exposure to many stocks across various industries.

      - Low expense ratios and commissions.

      - Risk management through diversification.

      - Can focus on targeted industries or commodities.

      - Can be bought and sold easily via any cost-effective online broker.

While powerful, ETFs are not a perfect solution. Smart investors are aware of these nuances:

      - Diversification illusions: A niche ETF or single-industry-focused ETF may concentrate risk rather than spread it. True diversification often requires a broader portfolio.

      - Fee variability: While most are low-cost, some actively managed or complex strategy ETFs carry higher fees that can erode returns.

      - Liquidity risks: Lesser-traded ETFs can have wide "bid-ask spreads," making transactions more costly, and may be difficult to sell quickly at a fair price.

Finally, ETFs provide a versatile solution for investors at every level by offering a unique blend of stock-like tradability and mutual fund-like diversification. Their inherent advantages, including low costs, transparency, and flexibility, make them an exceptionally efficient vehicle for executing both simple and sophisticated investment plans. By leveraging their advantages while respecting their limitations, investors can harness the full potential of ETFs to build a more resilient and efficient path to their financial future.