Abu Dhabi is making its mark in the world of marketing with the introduction of new heavyweight brands and impressive branding campaigns such as Mubadala Development Company, the investment branch of the Government of Abu Dhabi.  The Government has taken great initiative, introducing many other appealing and well defined brands such as Sheikh Zayed Energy Awards, Tourism Development & Investment Company (TDIC), Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (ADACH), Twofour54, the central market project from Aldar Properties.

The introduction of these government brands developed by global branding agencies are pushing the branding envelope in Abu Dhabi, driving the marketing competition in the region by introducing global standards to the local market.  It is now critical for regional branding agencies to follow the lead of these government brands and take their branding standards to the next level. 

Abu Dhabi is set to win the branding race at high speed with the opening of the Formula 1 track which will open in late 2009.  This event will attract widespread advertising from across the globe, and will thus invite global branding opportunities.  

At O2, we are very excited to see what 2009 will bring after already having being exposed to such cutting edge branding.  We have established a fresh branding methodology called “Living Brands” that create a strong sense of brand identity and live by the values and culture of the brand, staying true to the brand’s essence.  We invite all local and regional agencies to follow our lead, and contribute new and innovative branding strategies in order to compete with the global standards with which the region must now compete to enrich the world of branding.

We have applied our new branding methodology to our new client Abu Dhabi Waste Management, marking our first major challenge in Abu Dhabi, creating a living, breathing brand. 

The question for O2 remains: Will we be able to stand out against the stiff competition in the Abu Dhabi market?  Will we be able to make our mark on Abu Dhabi’s branding scene? 

Formula 1 is certain to drive us to hone in on our branding methodologies, encouraging us to evolve our branding services and come up with new and exciting branding techniques.  We are confident that we will be ready to compete with the multitude of global branding agencies that will be introduced to Abu Dhabi with the launch of Formula 1!  This will create an excellent opportunity for O2 to get exposed to innovative branding methodologies and to gain global branding exposure!