Snapchat is one of the most underrated paid channels in the GCC, because outside the region it is dismissed as a teen app, while in the Gulf it has genuinely deep reach among under-35s that most advertisers overlook. According to Snapchat’s own regional figures, the platform reaches the large majority of 13-to-34-year-olds in Saudi Arabia, with reports citing well over 20 million users there, and Saudi Arabia is often described as one of Snapchat’s most important markets globally, with strong reach in the UAE and wider Gulf too. That creates a real arbitrage: while competitors pile budget into Meta and bid each other up, Snapchat can offer large, engaged reach with less advertiser competition. But it is not for everyone, and honesty matters here. Snapchat skews young, so it suits consumer and B2C brands, retail, food, beauty, entertainment, e-commerce, far more than most B2B. The creative must be native to the platform, vertical, fast and authentic, because polished TV-style ads fall flat. And it complements rather than replaces your other channels. If your audience is young and Gulf-based and your creative fits, Snapchat is an underused opportunity worth testing; if not, it is fine to skip it.
Mention Snapchat to marketers outside the Gulf and many roll their eyes, picturing teenagers and disappearing selfies. Inside the GCC, that dismissiveness is a gift to the brands who know better, because Snapchat’s reach here is enormous and its advertiser competition is comparatively light. Here is the honest case for and against it.
Why Snapchat is underrated in the GCC
Snapchat suffers a perception problem that does not match its Gulf reality. Globally it is overshadowed by larger platforms and written off as a young person’s toy, so many marketers never seriously consider it. But in the GCC, and Saudi Arabia in particular, its penetration among younger audiences is exceptional. Snapchat’s own market data describes reaching the large majority of 13-to-34-year-olds in Saudi Arabia, with more than twenty million users reported there, and the company frequently highlights Saudi Arabia as one of its most significant markets worldwide. The gap between that reality and the outside perception is exactly why the channel stays underrated, and why it can be an advantage for brands willing to look past the stereotype.
The real opportunity: less competition
The underrated status is itself the opportunity, because when advertisers overlook a channel, the ones who use it face less competition and often better efficiency. So much Gulf ad budget flows into Meta that advertisers there bid each other up, whereas Snapchat can offer large, engaged reach with fewer brands competing for the same attention. Industry reports in the region often cite lower costs per result on Snapchat than on some rival platforms, though this varies by campaign and should be tested rather than assumed. The principle holds regardless of exact numbers: reaching a big, engaged audience where fewer competitors are fighting for it is a structural advantage, and that is what Snapchat can offer the right GCC brand right now.
Who Snapchat is and is not for
Snapchat is a strong fit for some brands and a poor one for others, and being honest about that saves wasted budget.
| Good fit | Poor fit | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Consumer and B2C brands | Most niche B2B | Audience skews young and consumer |
| Retail, food, beauty, entertainment | Complex enterprise sales | Visual, impulse-friendly categories win |
| E-commerce and app installs | Long, considered purchases | Fast action suits the format |
| Native, vertical, authentic creative | Polished TV-style ads | Platform rewards native content |
| Youth-focused campaigns | Older-only target audiences | Under-35 reach is the strength |
Creative has to be native
The most common way brands waste money on Snapchat is by running creative that does not belong there, and this deserves emphasis because it sinks otherwise sound campaigns. Snapchat is a fast, vertical, camera-first environment where people expect authentic, native content, so a glossy landscape TV commercial repurposed into the feed feels like an intrusion and gets skipped. What works is creative built for the platform: vertical, quick to grab attention, genuine rather than overproduced, and often closer to what a creator would make than what a brand studio would. Brands that respect this and make native content see the reach and efficiency the channel is known for; brands that paste in old assets conclude Snapchat does not work, when really their creative did not.
The smallest first step
If your audience is young and Gulf-based, run one small Snapchat test with creative made specifically for the platform, vertical, fast and authentic, rather than recycled from elsewhere. A modest budget over a few weeks will tell you whether the reach and cost efficiency show up for your brand, which is the only way to know. If your audience skews older or your product needs long consideration, it is perfectly reasonable to skip Snapchat and put that budget where your buyers actually are.
Frequently asked questions
Is Snapchat really worth advertising on in the GCC?
For the right brand, yes, because its reach among under-35s in the Gulf is exceptional and advertiser competition is comparatively light. Snapchat’s regional data describes reaching most 13-to-34-year-olds in Saudi Arabia, a scale many marketers underestimate. But it suits consumer brands with native creative, not everyone. The honest answer is to test it if your audience is young and Gulf-based, and to skip it if not.
How big is Snapchat in Saudi Arabia?
Very large among younger audiences. Snapchat’s own market figures report more than twenty million users in Saudi Arabia and reach across the large majority of 13-to-34-year-olds, and the company often calls Saudi Arabia one of its most important markets globally. Exact figures shift over time and come largely from Snapchat and industry reports, so treat them as directional, but the scale among young Saudis is not in serious doubt.
What kind of businesses should use Snapchat ads?
Mainly consumer and B2C brands, retail, food and beverage, beauty, entertainment, e-commerce and apps, whose audiences are young and whose products suit visual, fast decisions. Most niche B2B and long, complex sales are a poorer fit. The platform rewards impulse-friendly, visual categories aimed at a younger demographic, so match your product and audience to that before investing.
Why do some brands say Snapchat did not work for them?
Often because their creative was wrong or their audience was a poor fit, not because the channel is weak. Running repurposed TV-style ads in a native, vertical environment reliably underperforms, and targeting older or B2B audiences on a young consumer platform will disappoint. When brands make native creative for a suitable young audience, results usually improve. Blaming the channel often hides a creative or targeting mismatch.
Is Snapchat cheaper than Meta in the Gulf?
It can be, and regional reports often cite lower costs per result, but this varies by campaign, audience and creative, so it should be tested rather than assumed. The more reliable advantage is structural: less advertiser competition on Snapchat than on heavily contested Meta placements. Rather than treating any cost claim as guaranteed, run a controlled test and compare your own results across channels.
Test the channel everyone overlooks
Snapchat is underrated in the GCC precisely because so many marketers dismiss it, which leaves real reach and efficiency for brands willing to test it with native creative. It sits alongside TikTok Ads as a youth-reach channel, offers relief from the competition on Meta, and pairs naturally with your Instagram strategy, while the clicks it drives still need strong landing pages to convert. Book a free 30-minute call through the contact page and we will assess whether Snapchat fits your audience before you spend a riyal, with no pressure either way.