Dubai Lynx ’23: Brands go all in for experiences and it sure is paying off

Dubai Lynx ’23: Brands go all in for experiences and it sure is paying off

Dubai: ‘Experience’ the brand – in full. And then make up your mind. This is becoming the new reality of advertising and marketing in the UAE and Gulf, with digital channels, the Metaverse and AI all having a hand in this. With one of the world’s highest concentrations of Millennials and Gen Zs, it cannot be any other way. While brand experiences have been around long enough, these days they come with layers of innovation, according to Christophe Castagnera, Head of Strategy EMEA - Middle East, Imagination. “Thirteen years ago, it started to change exponentially when (digitally) connected experiences came on,” he said. “But it is with the latest hybrid experiences that brands have gone the extra mile to have experiences overlapping with each other - physical and virtual.” The Deloitte 2023 Global Marketing Trends report highlights the importance of the Metaverse in brand strategies. In Saudi Arabia, 90 per cent of marketing chiefs believe the Metaverse will play a significant role in the next two years, while in the UAE, 82 per cent agree that it will be crucial to their brand strategies in the next couple of years. The Expo 2020 in Dubai was a prime example of