Saudia has reported double-digit global revenue growth in the first half of 2026, alongside improved return on ad spend and a double-digit reduction in cost of sale compared with the same period last year, following a marketing transformation led by Arved von zur Muehlen, Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer.
The transformation was
developed and operated by Incubeta MENA, connecting data, media, creative and
technology within a single growth system focused on commercial outcomes rather
than marketing activity.
The approach was
introduced as the airline navigated shifting traveller demand, pricing, booking
behaviour and load factors amid seasonal peaks and regional disruption.
Under the model,
Saudia defines its commercial priorities and what constitutes a valuable
booking, while Incubeta MENA operates the system linking these objectives
across marketing functions.
Live audience and
behavioural signals are integrated with search, dynamic creative and automated
workflows, enabling the airline to respond more quickly as traveller intent
changes.
von zur Muehlen said:
“The conversation around AI can very quickly become about the technology
itself, but from a commercial perspective, the more important question is what
you are asking that technology to achieve. For us, the starting point was
defining what a valuable outcome looks like for the business and then building
the system around it. That changes the role of marketing from delivering
activity to responding intelligently to demand and creating measurable
commercial value.”
The system currently
accounts for 50 booking behaviours and more than 200 micro-personas, supported
by more than 2,000 creative variations within a single dynamic creative
library.
Generative AI is used
to help develop relevant messaging for different audiences and travel moments,
with the aim of improving relevance, speed and scalability rather than simply
increasing creative output.
For Katerina Bazalova,
Managing Director, Incubeta MENA, the transformation reflects a wider shift
towards greater accountability for commercial results and more effective use of
marketing investment.
Bazalova said: “There
is a lot of focus on what AI allows marketers to produce, but volume alone is
not the opportunity. Our clients do not buy activity from us. They buy an
outcome: revenue, marketing maturity and growth they can measure. The real
value comes from connecting technology, data, media and creative around an
outcome the business actually cares about.And it has to deliver the long and
the short of it: capturing demand today while building the brand that wins
market share tomorrow. In this case, we have been able to build around Saudia’s
commercial priorities and measure the impact through revenue, return on ad
spend and cost of sale. That level of accountability is where we believe the
industry needs to go.”
The companies said the
longer-term opportunity will involve adapting the system as artificial
intelligence becomes increasingly influential in how consumers discover and
book travel.
AI agents are expected
to play a greater role in travel decision-making, increasing the importance of
data, commercial priorities and systems capable of responding rapidly to
changing customer intent.
Saudia’s next phase
will focus on agentic technology, with plans for performance marketing agents
covering signals, spending, creative and offers, coordinated through a central
intelligence layer.
The airline is also developing greater
ownership of its models and logic.
For Incubeta MENA, the development signals a broader evolution in the agency model, from delivering individual channels and outputs towards building, operating and taking accountability for integrated systems designed to support measurable business growth. -TradeArabia News Service