Dubai Tourism - Who’s Ready Campaign
Aliya A
Brand Strategist
Influencer
Creative Director
Brandwatch
Google Analytics
YouTube
Project Overview
The "Dubai Who's Ready" campaign by Dubai Economic and Tourism aims to transform the perceptions and experiences of APAC travelers, particularly Indonesians, during their stopovers in Dubai. Leveraging Dubai's unique offerings and accessible nature of the city, the campaign seeks to position Dubai not just as a transit point but as a captivating destination in its own right.
By highlighting personal stories and seamless travel experiences, the campaign endeavors to showcase Dubai as a place where travelers can discover a "new self" in just one day, turning a simple stopover into an unforgettable mini-vacation.
Problem Statement
For many APAC travelers, especially Indonesians, their first visit to the MENA region can be both thrilling and daunting. They tend to prepare a trip 2-6 months in advance, whether managing it themselves or through a travel agent. This habit makes them hesitant to do spontaneous things during the trip.
Despite frequent stopovers in Dubai during their travels to Europe or the USA, most Indonesian travelers do not venture out to experience the city. This hesitation stems from a lack of awareness about the city's offerings and apprehensions about deviating from their meticulously planned itineraries.
Challenges
The primary challenge lies in addressing the travel anxieties and preconceived notions held by Indonesian travelers. These include:
🌍 Language Barriers: Fear of communication difficulties in a predominantly Arabic-speaking region.
🍽️Culinary Preferences: Concerns about finding familiar or palatable food options.
🚃Transportation: Uncertainty about navigating the city's transportation system from the hotel to various destinations.
🧠Knowledge Gap: Limited awareness of activities and attractions available during a short stopover.
📆Itinerary Rigidness: Reluctance to deviate from pre-planned travel schedules due to fear of the unknown.
❓Then we ask ourself: How do we ease their insecurity during traveling? We aimed to address this challenge and find insights to build a connection between Dubai and Indonesian culture.
Understanding these challenges is crucial to crafting a campaign that reassures travelers and highlights the ease and enjoyment of exploring Dubai.
We tried to find out several insight about Indonesian tourism pattern in 2022-2023. We found out that:
Traveler Categories: Indonesian tourists primarily fall into three categories: budget travelers (48%), adventure seekers (13%), and environmentally and culturally conscious travelers (11%).
Vacation Considerations: Key factors for Indonesian tourists include scenic beauty, affordability (accommodations and airfare), and convenient access to tourist attractions.
Media Interest: Indonesian media highly covers local celebrities traveling abroad, especially to Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Japan driven by influencers' large fanbases which attract significant media attention.
So from here, we redefine our approach in Indonesian market to focus on unique experiences with range of budget, highlighted by an influencers with large fanbases as an inspirational profile.
Objective
🧠 Change Perception of Dubai as a multidimensional destination that blends the local heritage with world class experiences
Strategy
Best of Both Worlds: Let’s meet in the Middle, Let’s meet in Dubai!
Position Dubai as a unique ‘middle ground’ destination where local heritage meets world class experiences. You can always find adventure right around the corner
To resonate with the target audience, we identified influencers who embody the spirit of adventure and spontaneity. After careful consideration, we partnered with Nikita Willy and Indra Priawan.
👩🏽 Nikita Willy, a renowned Indonesian actress and social media influencer, is celebrated for her love of leisure, food, and shopping. Her travel content is a mix of luxurious getaways and culinary explorations, making her relatable for those seeking comfort and indulgence.
👨🏽 Indra Priawan, a prominent Indonesian entrepreneur and travel enthusiast, is known for his appreciation of culture, education, and adventure. His travel narratives delve into the historical and cultural significance of destinations, offering a rich, immersive experience to his audience.
Implementation
Together, Nikita and Indra exemplify the perfect blend of leisure and adventure, making them ideal ambassadors for "Dubai Who's Ready." The campaign concept highlights Dubai as a stopover and short holiday destination where travelers can experience the best of both worlds – modern and cultural, leisure and adventure. The core message is clear: in Dubai, there’s no need for a detailed itinerary; every corner of the city offers a new adventure.
Nikita and Indra will document their spontaneous adventures in Dubai, showcasing the city's diverse experiences through their authentic lens. This includes cultural explorations, culinary delights, shopping sprees, and thrilling adventures. Engaging content will be shared across social media platforms, encouraging travelers to explore Dubai's unexpected gems. Additionally, interactive campaigns, including contests and live streams, will further engage the audience, fostering a sense of adventure and curiosity about Dubai.
By highlighting the city's dynamic offerings through credible and relatable influencers, the campaign reassures travelers that Dubai is not only accessible but also an exciting and effortless destination to explore, even on a short stopover.
In April 2024, Dubai's Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DET) unveiled its latest marketing campaign, “Dubai, Who’s Ready?” globally. Understanding the massive influence of Nikita and Indra, we maximize our campaign by integrating a cohesive message across all activities, ensuring that every piece of content and media interaction reinforced the campaign's narrative.
We began the story with two films featuring Nikita and Indra setting out for specific destinations but ending up in different, unexpected locations. This highlighted the adventurous and unpredictable nature of traveling in Dubai.
To effectively convey the campaign's message, we focused on three different cut-downs:
Awareness: Introducing the possibility of a stopover and quick vacation in Dubai.
Consideration: Showcasing detailed itineraries of cultural and adventurous spots.
Conversion: Encouraging bookings through repetitive storytelling that reassures safety and accessibility.
To maximize the campaign's reach and engagement, we implemented a comprehensive media buying strategy focused on targeted ads and keyword bidding aligned with the interests of Indonesian travelers. Key components included:
Targeted Ads: We created targeted ads using keywords such as "Dubai," "culture," "affordable," "family," and "adventure," along with prominent keywords typically associated with the city. This ensured our ads reached travelers looking for specific experiences that Dubai offers.
YouTube Ads: We leveraged YouTube ads extensively, utilizing pre-roll ads and banner ads . This strategy helped capture the attention of viewers at various touchpoints during their video consumption.
Strategic App Placements: We placed ads on popular apps used by Indonesian travelers, such as Grab (a ride-hailing service), ensuring high visibility and engagement from users planning their trips.
We further reinforce the campaign message, we integrated the storyline into all media interactions. This included media briefings, exclusive interviews, and strategically planning Nikita and Indra’s social media content to align with their authentic personas. Their journey and experiences in Dubai were also featured in an exclusive interview with Okezone and written interviews with five other media outlets, amplifying the campaign’s reach and ensuring consistency in the narrative.
Measurement
The campaign generated a total of 28 articles with 100% positive tonality, primarily documenting Nikita Willy’s activities in Dubai. The estimated reach was 16,882,906 readers, indicating widespread media interest and coverage.
Total Posts: 419 posts across Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube. With 92% being earned
Engagement: 4,280,067 total engagements with 100% positive sentiment.
Estimated Reach: 129,196,557 users.
Nikita Willy's posts sparked significant interest in visiting Dubai, with numerous comments highlighting Dubai as a family-friendly destination. The YouTube videos gained substantial views and engagement, primarily from young adult women in Indonesia, demonstrating strong local appeal.
The collaboration exceeded the agreed Scope of Work, generating 387 earned posts from Nikita, Indra, and their entourage, significantly amplifying the campaign's reach. The inclusion of the entourage, such as makeup artists and stylists, further boosted engagement and buzz, showcasing the effectiveness of a well-briefed team.
💡 Takeaways: The campaign demonstrated the importance of selecting authentic influencers, maintaining a cohesive storyline, and leveraging entourages for broader engagement. By addressing travel anxieties and showcasing diverse experiences, the campaign deeply resonated with Indonesian travelers. The influencers portrayed an organic image of themselves, making the campaign feel genuine and relatable.
This is an integrated project between: VML Mena, Phoenix Film, DET, and Maverick Indonesia.
Team member includes: Syafira Maharani, Inezka Ramadhani, Shiva Shavira
