Sher Value: Has Dubai's PR Budget Paid off

Traveling around the United States is an experience, especially for those who will engage and listen; a vast country of diversity in every aspect. Living in Dubai means that in most conversations with the educated elite in the US one gets an interesting perspective of how the average well educated US citizen sees Dubai. My discussions have been with a diverse people from a PhD in Physics to eminent doctors and leading business and even Public Relations gurus. Here is the bottom line of how I see Dubai's PR exercise in the US has panned out.

In terms of the Brand Dubai is concerned there is instant recognition through an number of interesting channels of instant correlation; the Burj al Arab, Emirates Airlines, the horse racing especially the Dubai World Cup. The much publicized DP World episode while in the minds of people does not really provide clarity to audience and more often I was asked by people 'explain Dubai to us' almost in the same breath in which they talked of DP World and the ports deal.

Yes Dubai's spend in Branding has begun to pay off, but in terms of 'explain Dubai' or the real substance of the public relations side of things is concerned it would seem there is much more to be achieved. I have engaged in discussions with some of the best PR minds in the business and it is obvious that for Dubai they must consider a US perspective on getting their PR message into the general public and not only concentrate on select groups. This boils down to strategy, and it would seem here in lies the need for some strategic thinking. Someone has to address the issues not from what Dubai needs, but more importantly what PR strategy is best for Dubai and brings about an acceptance in the minds of the people about the positives of Dubai.

I am of the firm belief that the general public would be in awe and acceptance of the strategy that Dubai is following in its business and social agenda, but that message is not getting into the realm of the general public in the States and perhaps also in Europe. There is that mysterious void in the minds of these well traveled and very smart people here when it comes to Dubai; they know a good about its brands and the general hype and then nothing more. Sure National Geographic writes an article and here and there something crops up but then what happens? There has to be a consistent policy of educating the US about what Dubai is about, bringing out the stories that matter, bringing out the human interest angle and engage in a dialogue with the people.

In a sense the first part of brand Dubai being recognized is well underway, its time some depth was brought into the process. This is where a deeper and well thought out strategy is needed. This is and must be an integral part of the strategy ahead.

Sher Value: Learning from Vegas

One of the big challenges of any leisure and tourism model is to create the pull that not only brings in tourists but also keeps them entertained. UAE in general and Dubai in particular have taken a solid positioning into the arena of leisure and tourism and the mushrooming of hotels and theme parks are slowly taking their tentative steps from the drawing board to the building sites. However, we ought to look around and see what is out there, and if someone got it right in terms of pure entertainment value look at Las Vegas.

Indeed the perception in the minds of most is that Vegas would not work without the gambling, but then that is for Vegas. For the UAE the lesson to learn from Vegas is really about the entertainment value, which quite frankly, is the best in the world here in Vegas. I would agree that for Vegas the pull has been the gambling and perhaps 8 in 10 people go there for that, but this has begun to change as some people will come for the entertainment or the business conventions that are becoming a feature of this place.

Where Dubai would have an edge on Vegas is the quality of the hotels and the service they provide. However a beach and a great hotel is not going to be enough to sustain the business model and this is where it is essential to consider the value of the entertainment content that needs to come to Dubai. To be sustainable and competitive it is vital that the theme parks and entertainment has to be better than what is out there today.

I have seen some of the emerging entertainment and shows that have either been planned or have been shown so far and quite frankly none of them seriously cut the mustard for me. Yes there are some great content offerings under preparation in a handful of projects, but the vast majority of new hotels on the design board are more concerned with the architecture rather than the content within the hotels. This is where developers do not quite see the picture.

However, for superior content to come to Dubai and Abu Dhabi the most important thing to consider is whether this will be fresh content developed for the market or will it be supplanted content like shows and attractions bought and planted here? Development is hard work but indeed the most rewarding in terms of customer appreciation and repeat or recommended visitation. Purchased content has issues of adaptation and in some cases may test the sensitivities of people in the region. Either way we have to get real and understand the challenge ahead is not only about bringing in great architects to built great hotels, but to look inside the envelope and think of some really cool ideas, failing in this simple but crucial aspect would cost millions to developers.