DriveArabia · UAE · Saudi Arabia · Qatar · Google Ads · TikTok · Snapchat · Instagram
DriveArabia is one of the GCC's longest-running car portals, and now sells cars too, from used cars to luxury SUVs. The opportunity came through Jarvis, as one of our partners is also DriveArabia's founder. I developed the media strategy and managed the brand's presence across the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, targeting buyers by what they need and reaching them in context with first-party data. In seven months the site drew 10 million visits and 3.5 million new users, and the data behind it opened a new line of business.
Totals across the seven-month engagement · channel changes against the previous period
The brand
DriveArabia launched in November 2004 with original car reviews written for GCC buyers. Over two decades it grew into a full car-buying companion: prices and specs, side-by-side comparisons, an instant valuation tool, news and reviews, in English and Arabic across six GCC markets. Today it also sells cars, from used cars to luxury SUVs.
That history is the advantage. People come to DriveArabia while they are still deciding what to buy, so the site sees what they need long before any ad platform does.
Vehicle imagery · DriveArabia
The whole buying journey already happens on DriveArabia, and every step says something about what a buyer needs:
The challenge
Selling used cars and luxury SUVs online across the GCC is not one audience. It is many buyers, with different budgets and reasons to buy, spread over three markets.
The approach
Instead of buying broad audiences, the strategy started from what people actually did on DriveArabia. Those signals defined the need, and the need decided the message, the platform and the moment.
| What the visitor did | The need | How we met it |
|---|---|---|
| Priced a Land Cruiser, then compared it with a Patrol | In the market for a large luxury SUV | Luxury SUV listings with price and specs, on Search and short-form video |
| Browsed used cars within a set budget | A value-focused used-car buyer | Pre-owned listings led by price, mileage and seller trust |
| Ran a car valuation | Planning to sell or trade in | Upgrade options matched to their budget |
| Read reviews of a new launch | Early research, not yet comparing | Discovery content on Demand Gen and TikTok to build consideration |
The execution
Each platform was given a role in the buyer's journey and optimised for it, all running on the same need-based segments.
Search captured buyers already looking for a model, a price or a car for sale. Performance Max carried first-party audience signals across Google's inventory, and Demand Gen reached in-market buyers on YouTube and Discover before they searched.
Short-form creative built around a buyer's need, not just the car, put the right vehicles in front of the right people. Optimisation moved budget toward the audiences and ads producing leads, so results grew while cost came down.
Audiences, placements and creative were optimised for lead generation, with contextual messages for each need segment. Every lead cost less, and more of the audience came through to the site.
I managed DriveArabia's presence in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar as one brand, keeping it consistent everywhere while tuning messages and budgets to each market.
The results
Every channel improved on the previous period: more people reached the site, more of them became leads, and each lead cost less.
| Channel | What we did | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Google Ads | Performance Max, Search and Demand Gen, guided by first-party audience signals | +30% visitors+12% CTR |
| TikTok Ads | Need-led short-form creative, optimised toward lead-producing audiences | +15% traffic+12% leads−10% cost |
| Snapchat & Instagram | Audience, placement and creative optimisation for lead generation | −17% CPL+20% traffic |
| All channels | One need-based strategy and brand presence across the UAE, KSA and Qatar | 10M traffic3.5M new users |
People don't buy a car because of their age. They buy it because of a need. My job was to find that need in DriveArabia's own data and meet it in context.
Mahdi Hasan · Media Strategist
What it unlocked
The need-based model did more than make the ads work harder. Organising DriveArabia's first-party data around what people in each market need, and when, produced exactly the kind of information that matters to anyone selling cars and vehicles.
That opened a new line of business for DriveArabia: first-party data, built around buyer needs, as a product of its own.
Prices, comparisons, valuations and listings show what each visitor is looking for.
The same signals drive targeting and contextual ads on Google, TikTok, Snapchat and Instagram.
Buyer-need data for selling cars and vehicles, opened as a new business line.
Execution snapshot
| Focus | Implementation |
|---|---|
| Markets | UAE · Saudi Arabia · Qatar |
| Inventory | Used cars and luxury SUVs |
| Google Ads | Performance Max · Search · Demand Gen |
| Social | TikTok · Snapchat · Instagram |
| Targeting | Need-based segments built on DriveArabia's first-party data |
| Messaging | Contextual creative matched to each need and platform |
| Measured on | Visitors, CTR, leads, cost per lead, new users, total traffic |
My role
What I took from it
What someone priced, compared or valued says more about their next car than their age or city.
The same car needs a different message for someone comparing SUVs and someone selling their old one.
Search captures intent, video sparks it, and social turns it into leads. Judging each on its own job made optimisation clear.
Data organised for media turned out to be valuable enough to become a business of its own.
Why this case matters
DriveArabia already knew more about car buyers than any ad platform could. Turning that first-party knowledge into need-based, contextual media lifted traffic, leads and efficiency on every channel, brought 3.5 million new users in seven months, and opened a new business built on the same data.
Brand website