Dubai Presents: How Dubai Sold Itself Like a Hollywood Blockbuster

In 2021, as travel restarted, Dubai did not make a tourism ad. It made movie trailers: a spy thriller, then a buddy comedy, starring Jessica Alba and Zac Efron and directed by the man behind Cruella. The city became the set, and the audience got a reason to watch.

The situation

Global travel was recovering from the pandemic. Dubai had reopened to domestic tourism in May 2020 and to international visitors in July 2020, and wanted to show the world it was open, safe and full of experiences ahead of Expo 2020 Dubai and the UAE's 50th anniversary. Its previous big campaign, "A Story Takes Flight" in 2019, had used Hollywood talent too, so the bar was set.

The idea

Treat the city like a film studio. Dubai Presents was a series of stylised movie trailers in different genres, each showing a different side of Dubai. Releasing them one after another built anticipation, the way a film studio builds up to an opening weekend. Genre also did the targeting: an action trailer for thrill-seekers, a buddy comedy for groups of friends.

The execution

Dubai Tourism launched the campaign on 5 August 2021 with Jessica Alba and Zac Efron, directed by Craig Gillespie. The first trailer was a spy-action story featuring the spice souk, Burj Al Arab and the desert. The third, "Buddy Comedy", followed Efron on an itinerary planned by his future self, through Al Seef, desert ATV rides and skydiving over Palm Jumeirah. The campaign released more than 2,000 assets across 27 countries in 16 languages, through cinema, print, broadcast, outdoor, digital and social. It was filmed over five days with a cast and crew of more than 180 people from 27 nationalities.

The results

Campaign Middle East reported the campaign generated over 200 million views in just over a month. Dubai received 2.85 million international overnight visitors from January to July 2021, and STR data ranked it second in the world for hotel occupancy over the same period. Views and visitors are not the same as proof the campaign caused travel, but the reach was enormous for a destination campaign.

Lessons for brands in Dubai and the GCC

1. Borrow a format people already love. Trailers, episodes and challenges earn attention
2. Let the genre do the targeting. Different stories reach different audiences
3. Serialise big campaigns so each release builds anticipation for the next
4. Localise at scale: one idea, many languages and assets
5. You don't need Hollywood stars. A local brand can use the same thinking with a founder, a creator and a phone

Sources

• Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism: Dubai Presents press release (August 2021)
• Dubai Media Office: Dubai launches new global marketing campaign starring Jessica Alba and Zac Efron (August 2021)
• Campaign Middle East: Dubai Tourism unveils buddy comedy (September 2021)

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