Market Research & Cultural Intelligence · Middle East & Africa

Market research with a real read on the region.Market research built for the region.

Real insights from real people, in their actual spaces. From coffee shops to majlis settings across the Middle East and Africa, and from the big cities to the corners no one else can reach.

Real insights from real people, in their actual spaces.
From coffee shops to Majlises across the Middle East & Africa.

  • i.Response to your brief within 1 hour and get a tailored proposal back in 2 business days.
  • ii.30 years combined regional experience · trusted by Visa, Nike, Google, Whoop, Talabat.
  • iii.Generational specialists · Unfiltered access to Gen Z and Millennial insights across MEA.
  • iv.Three formats · MIR (2-6 wks), Pulse (3-5 days), Expert Interviews (on-demand).
Send Your Brief

We'll reach out within the hour

Rob Campbell
“the authority in contemporary Middle Eastern culture.”
Rob CampbellChief Strategy Officer, BBDO Colenso · former CSO, Wieden+KennedyChief Strategy Officer, BBDO
Former CSO, Wieden+Kennedy
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five briefs we are built for.

If your brief fits one of the five then we are a perfect fit for it. If not, send it anyway. We have the regional know how to get it done.

REGIONAL ACCESS · ON THE GROUND
operating across the middle east and africa.
access demographics beyond the major cities.

sized to your window.

MIR · 2-6 WEEKS01.
01 / Strategy

market intelligence reports

READA's take on the traditional Market Intelligence Report. Built on our 12-step methodology, and our Majlis Insights qualitative sessions. Real insights provided back to you in a board-ready format.
Board-ready reports built on our 12-step methodology and Majlis Insights qualitative sessions.
  • 60-to-80 pages, board-ready.
  • 12-step methodology, founder-authored.
  • Three pillars: actionable, cultural, behavioural.
  • Named-respondent participant logs in every deliverable.
  • 60-to-80 pages, board-ready.
  • 12-step methodology, founder-authored.
  • Named-respondent participant logs in every deliverable.
Tailored proposal back in 2 business days. 50% deposit to start.
PULSE · 3-5 DAYS02.
02 / Validation

reada pulse

Localised WhatsApp surveys against a 2,000-respondent vetted community panel, mostly UAE-resident, growing by approximately 30 new respondents per week. For teams pressure-testing a creative direction, a positioning line, or a hypothesis before production locks.
WhatsApp surveys against our 2,000-respondent vetted UAE community panel. For teams pressure-testing before production locks.
  • 2,000-respondent vetted community panel.
  • WhatsApp-native survey delivery.
  • Real People. Real Insights. Real Time.
  • Named-respondent transparency.
  • 2,000-respondent vetted community panel.
  • WhatsApp-native survey delivery.
  • Named-respondent transparency.
3-to-5-day turnaround when accessing our existing demographics. Urgent requests also available.
LIVE · ON DEMAND03.
03 / Interview

reada live

On-demand interviews with vetted regional cultural specialists across culinary, travel, fashion, FinTech, and other domains. Many of the experts OT and Reem curate are not findable on LinkedIn.
On-demand interviews with vetted regional specialists. Many of the experts OT and Reem curate are not findable on LinkedIn.
  • Vetted regional cultural specialists.
  • Curated by OT and Reem personally.
  • Hidden Audiences, accessible by name.
  • Culinary, travel, fashion, FinTech, and more.
  • Vetted regional cultural specialists.
  • Curated by OT and Reem personally.
  • Hidden Audiences, accessible by name.
On-demand. Calls scheduled inside the same working week wherever the panel allows.

our past work.

Take a dive into how we've supported some of the biggest brands pivot markets and launch new products across the region.

01

uae gen z culture guide

7Emirates · multiple nationalities
Brief
Visa wanted to better understand our Gen Z in the UAE, and how to engage with that audience to drive higher brand preference.
Problem
Visa is losing relevance with younger consumers and Gen Z in particular, and need to understand them better to increase brand love and brand preference by tapping into their passion points and cultural communities.
Approach
Conducted multiple focus groups through our Majlis Insights with UAE Gen Z across the 7 Emirates and different nationalities.
Outcome
A Market Intelligence Report that provides insights into what is currently important to them, showcases their detailed culture and the various nuances of UAE Gen Z.

More of our work, by sector.

01FinTechVisaHow Visa engages UAE Gen Z through their passion points.Oct 2024
02Tech & AIGoogle + YouTubeA six-year cultural intelligence partnership.2019-2025
03F&BTalabatTalabat's 8-market shift from Millennials to Gen Z.Aug 2023
04Fashion & ClothingNikeCultural intelligence for Nike's Beacon flagship launch.2018-2019
05Tech & AIGoogle GeminiCultural strategy for Gemini's Middle East AI launch.Nov 2025
06Tech & AIWhoopBehavioural drivers behind UAE wearable-tech adoption.May 2025

ready to get
real regional insights?

Send the brief and we'll get back to you within the hour.

Send Your Brief 1-HR RESPONSE · 2-DAY PROPOSAL

how we work.

Focus Groups & Qualitative sessions built for the region

majlis insights.

No more traditional focus groups. READA conducts informal sessions in coffee shops, homes, and majlis settings across the Middle East. Real, raw, and unfiltered insights from your target demographic in the region, not people randomly filling in a clipboard. The only way we have found to get real market insights in the region.

No more traditional focus groups. Get real, raw, and unfiltered insights from your target demographic in the region. READA conducts casual sessions in coffee shops, homes, and majlis settings across the Middle East.

MAJLIS · IN-ROOM · 2024
The 12-step process · brief intake → final read-out
  1. Brief and clarification.
  2. Identifying target audience psychographics.
  3. Defining research parameters.
  4. Secondary research for landscape identification.
  5. Analysis of pre-existing studies.
  6. Developing research discussion guide.
  7. Engaging on-ground researchers.
  8. Identifying consumer group for interviews.
  9. Conduct focus study with consumers.
  10. Collect data and review.
  11. Develop learnings and insights.
  12. Produce Market Intelligence Report.
Three pillars · every report
IActionable insights.
Findings written so a CMO, a board, and an agency can move on them the same week the report lands.
IICultural depth.
What the data actually means in context, from analysts who live in the markets the data describes.
IIIBehavioural analysis.
What people do, not just what they say. Named-respondent participant logs inside every deliverable.

why work with reada.

ON STAGE · KEYNOTE
THE FOUNDERS

OT & Reem.

Omar Tom·Reem Hameed

We're not visiting this region. We are from it. Approximately 30 years of combined experience working with Middle Eastern consumer culture from the inside. We've got access to any demographic across the Middle East and Africa, not just the major cities.

“the authority in contemporary Middle Eastern culture.”
Rob Campbell
Rob Campbell
CSO at BBDO Colenso · former CSO at Wieden+Kennedy
“READA brings a perspective that is authentic, connected and rooted in deep insights.”
Mohamed Bodiat
Mohamed Bodiat
SVP Sports Brand at GMG · Nike, Vans, Converse, Timberland, Speedo
GENERATIONAL READS · IN-REGION
READA is the bridge between your brand
and the younger generations.

four reasons the brief
comes back to us.

Traditional options don't work in the region. This is why brands like Nike, Visa, and WIO choose to work with us.

01

global research agencies.

Using market research playbooks built for other markets. They deliver on time, but they're also slow, expensive, and culturally adjacent at best.

02

survey platforms.

Capture stated preference, not real behaviour. Miss the communities that don't live online or in the smaller cities.

03

ai research tools.

Trained on internet data. The internet doesn't reflect the Gulf. Quick output that's confidently wrong.

04

internal teams.

No independent access. Subject to the same assumptions they're trying to test. Don't have access to the spots and communities that we do.

05

the reada way.

We throw the traditional methods out the window and allow you to get real, raw and unfiltered insights in any location throughout the Middle East and Africa.

Visa, Nike, Google, Talabat, Whoop, Sephora, R/GA, Mastercard retain READA not because we're cheaper. Because we are right.

ready to get
real regional insights?

Send the brief and we'll get back to you within the hour.

between OT and I, we'll figure it out.
— Reem Hameed, Founder, READA

brief us today.

We'll be in touch within the hour to discuss your brief. If we seem like a good fit we'll have a proposal prepared and sent within 2 business days.