May 30, 2025

Uncovering
Snapchat’s
ROI in the GCC

Insights from a Multi-Brand Market Mix Modeling Analysis

In an era where digital advertising dominates, brands are constantly seeking ways to maximize their marketing investments. To uncover Snapchat’s role in driving business success in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region, Snap Inc., in collaboration with Omnicom Media Group MENA (OMG) and Annalect MENA, conducted an in-depth Market Mix Modeling (MMM) analysis.

The research focused on various industries in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, shedding light on Snapchat’s effectiveness in delivering strong returns on investment (ROI) and providing valuable insights for advertisers looking to optimize their spending strategies.

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Snapchat’s Role in the GCC Market

Social media has revolutionized how brands engage with their audiences, and Snapchat has emerged as a key player in this transformation. The platform’s immersive content formats, including Snap Ads and Augmented Reality (AR) Lenses, offer a unique and engaging way for brands to connect with consumers. With Gen Z and millennials making up nearly 75%¹ of its user base, Snapchat provides an ideal environment for brands to capture attention and drive meaningful interactions. The research revealed that Snapchat contributed 3.2%² of total brand sales, accounting for a quarter of the total contribution from social platforms.

MMM Analyses For The Measured Brands Demonstrates That Snapchat Has The Highest ROI Compared To All Other Media Categories

When evaluating media effectiveness by comparing ROIs across media groups — offline, digital non-social, social media, and Snapchat, Snapchat led with an ROI 14% above. Additionally, despite receiving only 8% of brands' total ad spend, Snapchat contributes to 10% of all media-driven sales, further demonstrating its ability to deliver superior results. What sets Snapchat apart is its ability to capture and retain user attention. According to research by Amplified Intelligence, consumers pay five times more active attention to ads on Snapchat compared to other mobile in-feed video ads, reinforcing its position as a highly engaging advertising channel.

Snapchat contributes to 10% of all media-driven sales, further demonstrating its ability to deliver superior results.

Optimizing Ad Spend for Maximum Growth

For brands looking to harness the full potential of Snapchat, strategic budget allocation is key. According to the MMM analysis, doubling the spend across these brands is projected to drive an average sales increase of 110% proving that many brands have yet to tap into the full power of Snapchat’s advertising ecosystem.

A well-balanced budget strategy can make all the difference. According to Snapchat’s Performance Pillars Analysis,³ brands should allocate up to 60% of their budget to Snap Ads, ensuring cost efficiency while maximizing reach. Story Ads, which enhance visibility and engagement, should receive around 40% of the budget. Interactive AR Lenses and Filters, known for their high engagement potential, should be allocated 10-20%, with flexibility to increase if costs remain favorable. Takeover products can be used strategically, but should not exceed 30% of the budget unless proven to drive long-term ROI. Similarly, premium ad placements should be balanced with cost-efficient buys, ensuring that CPM rates remain within 40-50% of standard Snap Ads pricing.

Additionally, a full-funnel approach—where 40-70% of the budget is directed toward upper-funnel initiatives while maintaining consistent investment in mid- and lower-funnel activities—has been found to increase ROI by 1.5 times compared to single-objective campaigns.

Story ads, which enhance visibility and engagement, should receive around 40% of the budget.

Snapchat’s Success Stories Across Industries

The impact of Snapchat’s advertising solutions is evident across multiple sectors. In the Over-the-Top (OTT) streaming industry, companies such as TOD and OSN+ have seen remarkable results. In Kuwait, TOD achieved 1.64 times higher efficiency compared to the lowest ROI channel, while OSN+ in Saudi Arabia demonstrated a 1.27 times increase in efficiency, reinforcing Snapchat’s effectiveness in driving consideration and conversions.

The telecommunications sector also benefited significantly. Yaqoot, a Saudi-based telecom brand, leveraged Snapchat to drive 18% of all social media-driven SIM activations. Furthermore, the platform demonstrated 35% higher efficiency than the overall media benchmark, showcasing its ability to generate tangible results in competitive markets.

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Snapchat has delivered great results for our campaigns in KSA, driving high engagement and efficient conversions. The platform's strong reach among our target audience has made it a key driver of growth in this market.

Yaqoot representative

In financial services, Tamam, a Saudi loan provider, saw 31% of its social media-driven loan applications come from Snapchat campaigns. Notably, its conversion-focused ads outperformed average media category benchmarks by four times, further solidifying Snapchat’s position as a high-performing channel for financial brands.

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Snapchat proved to be a powerful channel for driving quality loan applications in KSA, helping us connect with the right audience at scale. The platform's performance has delivered both volume and cost-efficiency.

Musaid Yousef Bin Khamees, Acting Chief Growth Officer, Tamam

A Strategic Approach to Measuring Success

To ensure sustained success on Snapchat, brands need a well-defined measurement framework. This involves a three-tier approach:

Daily Execution: Continuous optimization of campaigns through bid adjustments, audience targeting, and attribution analysis.
Monthly Experimentation: Implementing A/B testing and incrementality analysis to refine strategies and improve effectiveness.
Quarterly Evaluation: Leveraging advanced methodologies like Marketing Mix Modeling (MMM) and Multi-Touch Attribution (MTA) to assess long-term performance and guide future investments.

By adopting this structured approach, brands can fine-tune their advertising efforts and ensure that their campaigns are consistently driving strong returns.

About Snap Inc., a leading technology company dedicated to enhancing communication through AR and digital media solutions.

About Omnicom Media Group MENA (OMG) is the media services division of Omnicom Group Inc. (NYSE: OMC), the leading global advertising, marketing and corporate communications company, comprised of global, award-winning agencies OMD, PHD and Hearts & Science, as well as consultancies specializing in data, technology, eCommerce, research, social, search and programmatic.

About Annalect MENA: The creative-thinking, data and technology core of Omnicom Group. Experts across a multitude of disciplines such as data science, engineering, and Marketing combine efforts to provide best in class solutions to optimize media performance and assist in all marketing activities. Annalect infuses data & technology insights into every aspect of a marketing framework — empowering the best possible creative, media, and communications strategies and execution for brands.

Annalect provides brands with an environment and teams that democratize data insights and make it easy to apply them to media and creative executions. Annalect’s data experts and proprietary products provide end-to-end solutions for Future-proofing your global marketing investment— delivering the results you need and the flexibility you never thought possible.

Snapchat can help your business grow.

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Snapchat’s Success Stories Across Industries

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Yaqoot representative

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Musaid Yousef Bin Khamees, Acting Chief Growth Officer, Tamam

Uncovering Snapchat’s ROI in the GCC

Snapchat’s Role in the GCC Market

MMM Analyses For The Measured Brands Demonstrates That Snapchat Has The Highest ROI Compared To All Other Media Categories

Optimizing Ad Spend for Maximum Growth

Snapchat’s Success Stories Across Industries

A Strategic Approach to Measuring Success

Snapchat can help your business grow.

Snapchat’s Role in the GCC Market

MMM Analyses For The Measured Brands Demonstrates That Snapchat Has The Highest ROI Compared To All Other Media Categories

Optimizing Ad Spend for Maximum Growth

Snapchat’s Success Stories Across Industries

A Strategic Approach to Measuring Success

Snapchat can help your business grow.

Conclusion: Unlocking Snapchat’s Full Potential

Uncovering
Snapchat’s
ROI in the GCC