Arabic, right to left, from the first frame
A right-to-left market needs its own layouts, not a flipped export. Reading order, arrows, progress bars, carousel direction and timelines all reverse, while logos, product shots and anything with Latin text must not be mirrored. Arabic letters change shape with their position and must join; image models routinely produce disconnected or reversed letters, so add Arabic as live type with a proper shaping engine. Gulf markets use both Western digits and Eastern Arabic numerals, so choose per market and stay consistent. Modern Standard Arabic suits formal and pan-Arab content, Gulf and Saudi dialects suit social media and humour, and Egyptian Arabic is widely understood through film and television. Voice-overs need the same decision.
Modesty, religion and cultural lines
Norms vary across the region and within it: what runs in Dubai may not run in Riyadh or Kuwait City. Most Gulf campaigns keep shoulders and knees covered, avoid alcohol and pork in general-market content, and treat physical contact between men and women with care. Religious references need real respect: Quranic text is never decoration, and mosques and prayer are not backdrops. National symbols, rulers and flags are protected, and geography is sensitive, with GCC countries using the term Arabian Gulf. Generated imagery tends to default to Western dress and to clichés of deserts and camels that Gulf audiences find dated. Brief for the region as it is: modern cities, local families and local casting.
Ramadan, Eid and national days
The Hijri calendar is lunar, so Ramadan and the two Eids move about eleven days earlier each year, and exact dates depend on moon sighting. Ramadan changes media habits: viewing and social use peak after iftar and late into the night, and the tone shifts to generosity, family and reflection. Avoid showing people eating or drinking in daytime settings during the month. Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha are gifting and travel peaks. National days carry weight too: Saudi National Day on 23 September, Saudi Founding Day on 22 February and UAE National Day on 2 December. Build Ramadan assets well ahead, because approvals, translations and cultural review all take longer than the calendar suggests.
Permits, media law and data protection
In the UAE, creators who promote products, paid or not, need an Advertiser Permit, now issued by the National Media Authority, which replaced the Media Council. It sits under the media law, Federal Decree-Law No. 55 of 2023, whose content standards cover respect for religion and national symbols, and fines reach AED 1 million. Saudi Arabia requires a Mawthooq licence to publish advertising on social media. Saudi Arabia's Personal Data Protection Law has been in force since September 2023, and its data and AI authority has published deepfake guidelines that recommend consent before using a likeness and clear marking of synthetic content. The UAE has a federal data law, and the DIFC and ADGM free zones have their own.
Updated 25 September 2026 · General information, not legal advice. Rules change, so check the current text with your legal team before relying on it.