Dubai Metro is launching the second phase of its marketing campaign soon.
This phase of the campaign, themed “My Metro My City”, will promote 17 messages that focus on positioning Dubai Metro on top of the emirate’s iconi developments. It adopts a 360 degree approach and utilitses new media, including Facebook – where the Roads & Transport Authority (RTA) has been active for the past year – and Twitter.
This follows the first phase that was launched in April, with advertising promoting the main theme and building a character for the Dubai Metro, according to Peyman Younes Parham, Director of Marketing and Corporate Communications Department, RTA.
Younes met the media yesterday to share the main features and characteristics of the campaign to be gradually rolled out in the course of the next month.
The campaign, he explained, aimed at promoting the Dubai Metro not only as a major accomplishment in the emirate, but also as a link among the Dubai’s iconic landmarks, on both local and global levels. “The Dubai Metro campaign is aligned with the global Dubai branding efforts as a major attraction,” he said.
He explained that the campaign is a first of its kind to be adopted by a government department, considering the investment allocated for the initial market research conducted by Nielsen from June to November 2008.
“We wanted to understand the usage, awareness and habits of commuters in the UAE,” Younes told Emirates Business.
“The aim was basically to collect information and insights that would feed into our campaign.”
There would be a third phase of promotion at a later stage which, once knowledge and awareness about Dubai Metro is established, aspires to infuse national pride as an accomplishment that will change the way people live in Dubai and present it abroad, noted Younes.
Saatchi and Saatchi in Dubai, the United Kingdom, Spain and the United States have been handling the ambitious 360 marketing campaign of Dubai Metro. Younes said the CEO of Saatchi and Saatchi worldwide, Kevin Roberts, was involved in the campaign.
He added that the campaign would make use of the new media, including Facebook and Twitter.
In August 2008, RTA had launched special channels through YouTube and Facebook websites as a further tool of interaction with the public and customers and to reach out to wider segments of the community targeted by services, educational campaigns and several other issues. This was aimed at targeting the age group of 20-35 years who account for nearly 50 per cent of the UAE population and are mainly available online and on social networks.
On a separate note, Younes said the tender for the remaining eight per cent of vacant Metro retail outlets was still in the process of being finalised.
He refused to comment on whether the announcements would be delayed till after Ramadan. The bid took place last month.
By Dima Hamadeh www.business24-7.ae
