Where premium comes as standard

So where does this enhanced understanding and interplay of brand vs experience vs City and Country brand lead us? Why should countries and cities care about such brand-centric rankings given the shifts we have discussed? In short, perception.

Going back to the  rst line of this article it’s about crafting the right cover by which we know we will be judged. That doesn’t mean creating a brand but it does mean creating a perception and ensuring that perception or brand positioning is delivered upon. A carrier such as Emirates (or any other national, or in the case, city carrier) and the standards they set directly represent and benchmark perceptions of Dubai by all those that fly it. Equally the experience attained at DXB whilst subsequently alighting the aircraft will continue those perceptions and will affect and contribute to the world view of the city of Dubai and the wider UAE as a whole. The reason this is so important is because it directly contributes to the perceived status and reputation of a city leading to increased awareness globally, pushing visitor numbers up and increasing the likelihood of investment within the country. In short, a strong brand image globally gives you a competitive edge over your peers and competitors, strengthens your position on the world stage and can contribute signi cantly to the prosperity and GDP of the nation. Of the >83.6 million people landing in DXB in 2016 only 30% did so intending to actually visit the city. DXB is therefore in a unique position to assist Dubai’s visitor targets by persuading a portion of the surplus +58.2m not to simply pass through but to actually visit within the next three years. Emirates Airlines, Dubai Airports and Dubai Tourism are well aware that to achieve this they will need to collectively create an experience that successfully delivers upon the city’s brand image, one that can be recommended and shared first hand by people you trust. Things are certainly heading in the right direction as Dubai was offcially the 4th most visited city on the planet last year and the most #hashtagged globally. Leveraged correctly this presents a huge opportunity for Dubai towards achieving that >20m mandate by delivering an experience so compelling that it benchmarks Dubai as a whole and converts DXB from stopover to destination. Dubai Airports’ intent isn’t to be the busiest airport in the world (tick) but the “best”. With the best check-in process, most efficient passport control utilising the latest automated technologies, the safest and most efficient security equipment and protocols, the best retail, wayfinding, F&B offering, Duty Free, architecture, design, boarding experience, so on and so on. Clearly achieving this is a multi- faceted and extremely wide-reaching task comprised of many touchpoints, all of which add up to an overall experience attained that should be greater than the sum of its parts. This is not something that can be achieved over night, in fact it’s a process that never stands still, you’re innovating on a daily basis, constantly assessing, evaluating and evolving. We’re helping Dubai Airports across numerous areas, from the creation of an internal think-tank, come incubation-space that aids internal communication and prototyping by giving internal teams the space and tools to help realise this grand self-appointed mandate and keep DXB at the top of its game. More recently we redesigned and reimagined the boarding gate experience for DXB, creating designs for 10 revamped gates within numerous concourses, the intention of which was of course, “to better the boarding gate experience as a whole”. Our central idea which was based on a perceived world view of Dubai as a premium destination that exudes opulence, we named “FREEMIUM – Welcome to Dubai where premium comes as standard”. It wasn’t the spark behind the visual aesthetic but instead aimed to give business lounge type facilities to the masses. Here’s an extract from our creative intent that drove the visual language.