Case Study
Dubai Shopping Festival & Dubai Summer Surprises
AgencyBPG
DesignationSenior Copywriter & Creative Conceptualiser
RoleBrand Strategist
Year1996–98
SituationIn the wake of regional disturbances, Dubai needed to project an authentic, family-friendly image to draw the world back to its shores.
ChallengeBuilding a distinct identity around a shopping-festival concept already established elsewhere in Asia.
BriefCreate a shopping festival to rival Singapore’s Great Sale.
StrategyLean into the Arab authenticity of the festival and claim that ground before other regional players could.
Scope of WorkCorporate identity and 360° advertising campaigns.
ResultWhat began as a whisper grew into a landmark brand within three years, shaping the investor-friendly image the Emirate needed.
NoteFirst-hand experience building a forty-day mega event from the ground up.
Dubai Shopping Festival and Dubai Summer Surprises started as an attempt to give the city its own answer to Singapore’s Great Sale, and grew into something far bigger. Leaning into Arab authenticity rather than copying the region’s competitors gave the festival a distinct identity that no rival could claim first. Within three years it had become a genuine institution, and one of the clearest early proofs that Dubai’s commercial ambitions could be sold to the world on its own terms.