Dubai’s PR WILL blow yours out of the water

The more you follow the blog posts and news we share, particularly under the “Travel” category, you’ll soon realise that Dubai is a topic and destination that I write about. A lot. Dubai fascinates me. Actually, “fascinates” is a bit of an understatement. It’s more accurate if I say Dubai blows my mind. I’ve been there three times in the past two years, and each time I’m there, there is something new that just blows me away. The last time I visited in May 2014, I was told how they’re building a Jurassic Park inspired theme park, and that they have plans in place to build the world’s tallest building and biggest mall (a record which they, Dubai, already hold, but want to break their own record.) Ridiculous. I know.

Being in PR, my mind is always along the “PR train of thought” and when I look at Dubai and their exponential growth in the past ten years, and how they’ve tied such solid PR tactics to all that they do, in my opinion, I don’t know if any other destination can touch the kind of PR that Dubai creates and spreads for itself. It’s incredible.

The latest press release I received from Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) starts off with:

“Khloe Kardashian, Victoria’s Secret models Alessandra Ambrosio and Irina Shayk, American R&B and hip-hop artist Akon as well as Paris and Nicky Hilton, party the night away at the opening of Cle Dubai.”

That intro in itself shows just how over the top Dubai are able to, and can afford to, take their PR. On to a whole other level. Oh, you thought you had a cool restaurant opening for your brand? Did you have Khloe Kardashian there? Was Alessandra Ambrosio casually strutting her stuff as she walked over to the bar? Akon wasn’t there either? SIT DOWN. Your launch does not touch this. I’m not saying a launch needs celebrities to make an impact, I’m pointing out the fact that any and every way Dubai can make a statement and generate some PR spin from it, they will. Money is no object. Look how they created the world’s first man-made island – in the shape of a palm. These guys mean business.

The release goes on to say:

“Clé Dubai, a home-grown restaurant that features Chef Greg Malouf’s award-winning, contemporary Middle Eastern cuisine, promises to be one of the hottest new destinations in town. The prestigious restaurant opened its doors with a glamorous event on Saturday October 11. The grand opening saw some of the most famous international celebrities flying to Dubai especially for the event. In attendance was American television personality Khloe Kardashian along with, Victoria’s Secret models Alessandra Ambrosio and Irina Shayk, American R&B and hip-hop artist Akon and the Hilton sisters, Nicky and Paris Hilton, who was a guest DJ for the night. The launch night also saw Bollywood celebrities including Hrithik Roshan, Dino Morea, Nargis Fakhri, Esha Gupta, and Fardeen Khan and a number of Dubai’s personalities.”

Next time you read anything about Dubai or visit the destination, let this be food for thought and sit in the back of your mind. I have no doubt that since you’ve read this, whenever you see anything mentioned about “Dubai” in the media, you’ll sit up and take notice of how what I’ve pointed out, is true. Their PR for their destination is on point.

  

Gabbi Brondani

Director, urban espresso