Trust is built differently across cultures, and that’s where most global campaigns break

Rihab explains why campaigns that look polished on paper often fail when they cross borders. A message that feels aspirational in the Gulf may feel unfamiliar, overly formal, or unclear to a Western audience, while messaging that feels direct and persuasive in the US may miss the emotional, social, or cultural codes that matter in the GCC. Drawing from her work across the Middle East and the US, Rihab shows how brands, leaders, and destinations can build trust by translating more than language; they must translate context, expectations, and emotional cues.

About Rihab Abouzaki

Rihab Abouzaki, podcast guest

Expert in GCC–US Advertising for Tourism, Luxury Travel & Real Estate Brands

20+ years Branding & cross-border business experience3 GCC markets served: UAE, Oman & Saudi Arabia2 Languages used in media campaigns: Arabic & EnglishMarket launch Helped introduce Dettol consumer antibacterial wipes

Rihab Abouzaki grew up surrounded by journalists, broadcasters, and professionals whose work shaped public conversation across the Middle East. That environment exposed her early to media, strategy, and how ideas move through a culture, but she chose a different route. When she left for Dubai, she was intent on building her own career, starting in an entry-level data-entry role and working her way into design, branding, and cross-border business.

Over the next two decades, she moved through FMCG, manufacturing, and luxury goods across the Gulf. In the UAE, she helped introduce Dettol’s first consumer antibacterial wipes, taking them from medical settings into everyday households. At Marico, she managed regional brand strategy for Parachute, strengthening its presence with Arabic consumers. She later led a full-scale China–Dubai manufacturing operation producing metal gifts, special-edition products, and B2B jewelry and accessory lines for Middle Eastern clients.

Now based in Portland, Oregon, Rihab is the Advertising Manager and Creative Director at This N That Communications, a media and advertising company producing campaigns for clients across the GCC. Her work focuses on helping tourism boards, luxury travel brands, and real estate developers in the UAE, Oman, and Saudi Arabia reach US and other Western audiences, a task that, in practice, is far more complex than placing English-language ads from abroad.

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