The takeaway: Before asking "How much does an ad cost?", ask "What is its objective, and where will it run?". A TV ad is not a TikTok ad, and a company film is not an everyday performance ad. Once the objective is clear, so is the production approach: live-action filming, AI or both.

The most requested ad types in the UAE

  • Social media ads: Short, vertical videos that need regular refreshing.
  • Product films: Showcase the product, its details and how to use it.
  • Company films: Tell the story of a company or project.
  • TV and display-screen ads: Longer productions with higher budgets.
  • Seasonal campaigns: Ramadan, Eid, National Day and Dubai Shopping Festival.

Two common UAE sectors have their own guides: off-plan real estate ads in Dubai and restaurant and food ads.

The four stages from concept to screen

  1. Planning session: Objective, audience, platforms and budget.
  2. Concept and script: Selling angle, script and shot list.
  3. Production: A shoot day, AI-generated scenes or both.
  4. Editing and delivery: Audio, on-screen text, aspect ratios and versions.
Sequential icons of shopping bag phone in chat boxes with list and calendar viewed by a person from idea to screen
Ad production stages start with the idea and end with scheduling the screening for the audience · AI illustration

Live-action filming or AI?

A major brand ad that will run for a long time
Best fit
Live-action filming
A recognisable face or a location is the product
Best fit
Live-action or hybrid production
Performance ads that need dozens of versions
Best fit
AI
A project that has not been built yet
Best fit
AI using design assets
A seasonal campaign on a tight timeline
Best fit
AI or hybrid production

Questions to ask any production partner

  • How many versions will I receive, and in which aspect ratios?
  • Who writes the script, and do they write it in Arabic or translate it?
  • How many rounds of revisions are included?
  • Who owns the ad after delivery?

Also read what an AI ad is and hybrid production.

How long does ad production take in Dubai?

It depends on the method. Traditional production needs planning, filming and editing, and some locations need filming permits. With AI production, the first batch arrives within 48 to 72 hours of script approval, because scenes are built from product photos or project designs without a shoot day.

Woman holding checklist planning between wall calendar and smartphone showing products for store advertising production
Advance planning with checklist and calendar prepares your store to launch the ad quickly · AI illustration

If the ad is for a season such as UAE National Day or the Dubai Shopping Festival, count the production time back from the launch date, as in our UAE National Day and DSF timing guide.

What should you prepare before the first meeting with a production partner?

The clearer the brief, the faster the production and the fewer the revisions. Prepare one page covering the goal, audience, platforms and message, with product photos or project renders. That page is enough to start the script, and it makes comparing quotes from different partners easier and fairer.

  • Goal: sales, sign-ups or brand awareness.
  • Audience: city, age and language or dialect.
  • Platforms: where the ad will run and in which sizes.
  • Assets: product photos or approved renders, logo and colours.
  • Timing: launch date and any occasion tied to it.

How do you compare production quotes?

Do not compare price alone. Two quotes at the same price can differ in the number of versions, sizes, revision rounds and usage rights. Put the quotes in one table with the same line items, then work out what you actually receive for each.

Number of versions
Why it matters
Testing needs several versions of the same message
Sizes
Why it matters
Every platform needs its own correct size
Revision rounds
Why it matters
How many times you can correct things at no extra cost
Delivery time
Why it matters
Critical for seasonal campaigns
Usage rights
Why it matters
Where you can run the ad and for how long

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a filming permit in Dubai? Filming in some public locations needs a permit from the relevant authorities; AI production from product photos involves no location filming.

Can the ad be in Arabic and English? Yes, and it is better to write each version separately rather than translate literally.

How do I choose between filming and AI? Choose filming when a real face or place is the message, and AI when you need many versions to test quickly.

Can one campaign combine filming and AI? Yes. The real location or person is filmed once, then extra AI versions are built around that footage for testing and different sizes.

Who writes the Arabic script? It is best written in Arabic from the start, in the audience's dialect, rather than translated from English, because literal translation shows quickly.

What do I receive at the end? Files ready to publish in the agreed sizes, with on-screen text and sound, and the number of versions set in the agreement.

To see how we work in the UAE, visit AI video ad production in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

Part of our approach to AI Advertising in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and the UAE.