The region is not one market. We help you lead in each of them.
SASO advises brands, technology companies and government entities on communication, marketing, production and technology go-to-market, bringing deep regional knowledge, cultural fluency country by country, and a clear view of how AI is reshaping the way content is made.
Two shifts are reshaping the region at once. Few advisors are placed to address both.
Every market moves on its own terms
Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Oman and the Levant each carry their own culture, codes, ambitions and audiences. What resonates in one can miss in the next.
AI is changing how content is made
Volume, speed and cost are shifting quickly. Most marketing functions and agency models were not built for it, and the risk is content that is faster but generic.
Advice tends to cover one, not both
Global firms bring scale but often read the region from outside. Local partners know the culture but not the new economics of production.
SASO sits where these meet: regional market knowledge and cultural understanding, paired with a practical strategic view of how AI can make communication and content more efficient, without losing what makes a brand authentic.
Where we advise.
Market & cultural intelligence
Country-by-country insight into audiences, codes and sensitivities, so every message has permission to land.
- Audience and cultural assessments by market
- Market entry and expansion advisory
- Brand and campaign cultural review
Brand & communication strategy
Positioning, narrative and go-to-market for organisations launching, growing or repositioning in the region.
- Brand positioning and architecture
- Launch and go-to-market planning
- Corporate and executive communication
Marketing transformation & AI strategy
A practical view of where AI makes marketing and content more efficient, and where it should not be used.
- AI content strategy and roadmaps
- Marketing operating models and capabilities
- Content pipelines designed for scale
Production advisory
Creative and production governance that protects quality as output grows.
- Creative direction and production planning
- Partner, studio and agency selection
- Brand, quality and cultural guardrails
National & giga-project advisory
Brand and communication counsel for nation-scale programmes, destinations and institutions.
- Destination and national brand strategy
- Launch communication for major programmes
- Stakeholder and public engagement
Technology & infrastructure go-to-market
Market entry, positioning and channel strategy for technology hardware, AI infrastructure and data centre companies.
- Go-to-market for hardware and AI infrastructure
- Distributor, channel and partner strategy
- Enterprise and government positioning
The region is building its AI future. The hardware has to reach the market.
Governments and enterprises across the Gulf are investing at scale in AI, data centres and digital infrastructure. Questions of sovereignty, security and resilience now sit alongside performance and cost. Technology companies entering the region need more than a distributor: they need the right positioning, the right partners and the right conversations.
SASO advises technology hardware, AI infrastructure and data centre companies on how to enter and grow across the Middle East and Africa, from market entry and channel strategy to the story that wins enterprise and government buyers.
- Market entry and go-to-marketFor hardware, edge AI and data centre solutions
- Channel and distributionSelecting, structuring and preparing regional partners
- Sovereign and edge AI positioningSecurity, resilience and on-site AI for enterprise and government
- Technical to commercial storytellingTurning specifications into a case buyers act on
Middle East and Africa representative and go-to-market advisor for ODINN, an edge AI infrastructure company.
From understanding, to strategy, to execution.
Understand
We begin with the market and its culture: who the audience is, what they value, and what the brand has permission to say, country by country.
Advise
We turn insight into strategy: positioning, narrative, channel and content plans, and a clear view of where AI should and should not play a role.
Guide
We stay through execution, advising on creative direction, production partners and the standards that keep quality high as output scales.
Karim Diab
A marketing and digital transformation executive with more than 25 years in the Middle East, across corporate, agency and founder roles.
Karim has led brand, communication and go-to-market for global technology hardware and AI infrastructure companies, national institutions and some of the region's most ambitious new ventures. SASO brings that experience to organisations that need counsel from someone who has done the work from the inside.
- Middle East & Africa Representative and Go-to-Market Advisor, ODINNEdge AI infrastructure
- Chief Marketing Officer, Lenovo Middle East & AfricaTechnology hardware
- Managing Director, Wunderman Thompson (WPP)Agency
- Managing Director, MirumAgency
- Executive Director, ALAT, a PIF companyCorporate
- Chief Marketing Officer, launch of one of the region's largest new venturesLaunch & go-to-market
Lenovo·PIF·ALAT·WPP·KAFD·Diriyah Gate·SDAIA
Let us discuss what you are building in the region.
Whether you are entering a new market, launching a brand, or rethinking how your content is made, we would welcome a conversation.