The UAE’s attention crunch: Why smart comms strategies matter now more than ever

By Astrid French, Head of Middle East, Aspectus Group 

At Aspectus, we’re constantly analysing market movements and trends shaping the business and communications landscape. It’s vital to ensure our storytelling doesn’t just work in theory, but lands in practice.  

One such trend unfolding right now in the UAE is worth a closer look. And this isn’t a post-match analysis – it’s a live scenario that demands close attention and action.  

What’s going on?  

In short, the UAE has an attention crunch.  

Too many voices are chasing too little space. 

This is forcing a major shift in how brands, journalists and audiences are interacting. And if you’re active in the UAE – or plan to be – this has real implications for how you are seen, heard and understood by your target audience.  

Let’s unpack it. 

Think supply and demand economics. In a healthy situation, the amount of demand matches supply, and vice versa.  

If we put that in the context of marketing and communications:  

• Demand = all the brands, companies and voices that want (or are demanding) attention. 

• Supply = journalists’ bandwidth and audiences’ attention span to supply said attention. 

In the UAE, demand is skyrocketing. The volume of companies launching, expanding and announcing news is extraordinary. And this isn’t a challenge, or a negative thing. Quite the opposite. It’s a sign of economic strength, ambition, commercial buoyancy – and it’s creating a goldmine of innovation and interest in the region. 

But supply? It’s not growing at the same pace. Journalists covering the UAE are doing an outstanding job, but they haven’t suddenly quadrupled in number, nor have the publications. So that’s one vehicle of supply that is being outweighed by demand. And the other part of supply – human attention – is limited in its very nature.  

Though all eyes are on the UAE’s evolution, attention is ultimately finite. So, we must not kid ourselves into thinking that endless owned and paid content – though technically possible – overrides the issue of supply. Because if the reader is already at capacity, it’s a whistle in the wind.  

We’re reaching a tipping point. This is what we call the attention crunch. 

Communications in the crunch era 

So, what do we marketeers do? Are our efforts now obsolete?  

Far from it. The UAE’s communication landscape isn’t broken – it’s just busy. And this means brands’ visibility differentiator requires a sharper strategy, treating the market with the insight, rigour and high impact approach it deserves.  

From tactics to trust: building long-term impact 

Here’s a taster of what that looks like: 

• Setting the right expectations: UAE PR and marketing agencies have a responsibility to be honest with clients about what really will move the needle. Overpromising or over relying on vanity breadth metrics (for example – a high reach publication but one that doesn’t actually reach your target audience) must be replaced by depth metrics that are KPI’d against the reality of today.  

• A critical friend: Not everything is news or insight. Pushing a weak story or opinion helps no one. Journalists and readers alike will thank you for filtering smartly. 

• Think long-term, not tactical: A single announcement or a handful of media engagements per year will not carry your brand far. In a saturated environment, breaking through means being more intentional, more creative and more informed – consistently. 

• Investing in relationships: Journalists are both brilliant and incredibly busy. Building relationships with them, and ensuring outreach is thoughtful and perfectly aligned to their beat, is essential for a successful media relations strategy.  

• Competitor reviews: We know that no brand likes to dictate its strategy via that of a competitor’s. But there is real value in understanding in real time where whitespace or saturation exists to inform, rather than define, where we’ll get cut through.  

• Create brand content and messaging that earns its place: This is the baseline. If it doesn’t resonate, it won’t do much of anything, no matter how loud you shout. Attention must be earned, not assumed. 

Final thoughts – why the attention crunch is a good sign 

The UAE’s attention crunch isn’t a problem. It’s a signal of growth, ambition and opportunity. 

But it does mean the bar for UAE communications strategies is rising every day. Getting it right takes insight, experience and a little creative courage. 

Want to talk about how to navigate the crunch? We’d love to help. 

Key takeaways:  

What is the UAE’s attention crunch? 

It’s the imbalance between a surge in brand communications and limited media bandwidth and audience attention in the UAE. 

How can brands stand out in a saturated UAE market? 

By being strategic – prioritising smart targeting, relationship-building with media, and crafting resonant, insight-led content. 

Is PR in the UAE still effective during the attention crunch? 

Absolutely. But success now requires sharper, long-term strategies and a deeper understanding of what truly earns attention.