Gulf brands write ads in Arabic even with English names, Adly data shows

A snapshot of ads created on Adly’s platform from February to October 2026 shows Gulf businesses overwhelmingly advertise in Arabic, even when their brand names use English letters. The findings suggest regional marketers favor a premium Arabic voice and local hooks over imported English-language ad tactics.

Why it matters: - Adly’s data points to a regional advertising playbook that differs from English-language markets. - The findings matter for brands entering the Gulf because an English brand name does not predict an English campaign. - The results suggest local language and tone choices can shape how brands reach customers across the Gulf.

What happened: - Adly, an AI marketing platform built Arabic first, published a snapshot of ads created on its platform between February and October 2026. - The data covered businesses in the Gulf Cooperation Council, the Levant and North Africa. - In the Gulf, 43% of businesses on the platform had brand names written in English letters. - Those same businesses made 92% of their ads in Arabic. - In the UAE, 94% of ads were made in Arabic.

The details: - One in five Gulf businesses used luxury words such as “luxurious” and “refined” in their ads. - That compares with about one in seven in the Levant. - 17% of Gulf brands chose a luxury brand voice. - Only 5% of brands in North Africa chose a luxury brand voice. - Fewer than one in 200 Gulf businesses mentioned free delivery. - About nine in ten Gulf businesses that wrote numbers in their ads used Western digits such as 123 rather than Arabic-Indic digits. - The snapshot excluded automated content, test accounts and internal accounts. - Each tactic was counted once per business, so frequent advertisers did not skew the results. - Word matching was approximate, and the businesses were platform users rather than a random sample of the region.

Between the lines: - The findings challenge a common assumption that English naming signals English-language marketing in the Gulf. - The data also suggests that premium positioning may be a stronger default in Gulf advertising than the value-led hooks common in English e-commerce ads. - Founder Hani Hourani said many Gulf businesses choose an English name for the shop front and then sell in Arabic. - Hourani also said the region’s marketing playbook has its own language, register and hooks. - He added that imported advice often pushes brands to lead with free delivery and English copy, while local businesses tend to do the opposite.

What's next: - Adly is positioning its platform around Arabic-first ad creation for brands that want to market in the Gulf and beyond. - The company says businesses can use Adly to design social posts, ads and short videos, write copy, publish to Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn and X, and launch Meta campaigns from approved designs. - Adly is also available as an app inside ChatGPT. - More information is available on Adly’s website.