What Abu Dhabi can learn from Dubai about marketing real estate

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Marketing plans always look more complete in retrospect than they did when being drawn up. That is because decisions are made day-to-day and marketing plans usually change out of all recognition over a period, even the successful ones.

However, it is still possible to take a successful strategy, analyze it and decide to implement it elsewhere. So what has worked for Dubai real estate which Abu Dhabi could use as a model?

First, there has been an integrated destination promotion campaign, based around tourism and business and led by the Dubai airline Emirates and the Dubai International Airport. Establishing one of the world's top airlines has done wonders for the good standing of Dubai around the globe, and the airport with its world-class duty free is the first place visitors see.

Tourism promotion

This has been allied to the development of excellent hotels and the promotion of a service culture by groups like Jumeirah. Tourism numbers have boomed and many visitors are also possible buyers of vacation homes or future Dubai residents who may buy.

Secondly, iconic real estate has created its own marketing boom. For example, everybody in Europe knows the Burj Al Arab Hotel from countless TV documentaries and the Palm Island is equally well known. The image of imagination and quality is implanted.

Thirdly, there was a deliberate policy of under pricing property in the early days of the Dubai real estate boom. This encouraged the flipping of off-plan property for a premium but such speculative gains also created excitement among investors who saw prices rising, often spectacularly.

Finally, Dubai has used its local media to effect. The local newspapers are weighed heavy with advertisements for real estate projects. The Internet was a late addition, and real estate was perhaps slow in tapping the power of this global media to effect.

This is the Dubai combination of marketing forces that have produced arguably the most sensational global property boom of the early 21st century.

Traffic concern

Now it is not clear whether Abu Dhabi wants to experience the same kind of boom as Dubai. Voices have already suggested that the UAE capital intends to avoid the traffic problems associated with the Dubai construction boom. That means better planning and scheduling of projects.

But in order to sell large numbers of villas and apartments then Abu Dhabi is going to have to learn from Dubai. The early signs are good.

Etihad Airways is powering up as a national champion alongside the new tourism authority, and the airport is being comprehensively redeveloped. The appointment of former Gulf Air CEO James Hogan to Etihad bodes well as does the announcement of successful UK realtor Ronald Barrott as CEO of Aldar Properties.

Iconic projects are also in the pipeline which will draw attention. Now Abu Dhabi needs to enlist the full support of the Dubai media sector to promote its marketing effort further, perhaps making better use of the Internet than Dubai has to date.

On discounting the jury is still out, and it will be interesting to see how far Abu Dhabi ventures down this marketing route. But Abu Dhabi is clearly learning from Dubai's experience.