Brand Dubai has always been intangible, and continues to be, as the city evolves at a pace unprecedented in recent history. Danish shares insights, challenges and learnings from ten years of telling the Dubai story of dichotomy from many vantage points;-touristic (Dubai Tourism & Definitely Dubai, Vida Hotels), cultural (Dubai Culture & Arts Authority), commercial (DIFC, Dubai Economic Department) and entertainment (the film City of Life). Yahoo! Digital Tourism Campus Dubai http://thinkdigital.travel/events/digital-tourism-campus-dubai-2013/

1. CONFESSIONS OF
A BRAND DUBAI
STORYTELLER
danishfarhan / xische
YAHOO! DIGITAL TOURISM
THINK TANK #YAHOOCTD

2. I’m Danish Farhan.

3. I like telling stories.
(Real stories, sadly. Not fiction)

4. How did we I up here?

5. CITYOFLIFE

6. CITYOFLIFE

7. I like telling stories.
(Real stories, sadly. Not fiction)

8. I’m Danish Farhan.

9. Born in Tripoli, Libya.

10. Born in Tripoli, Libya.
Raised in Abu Dhabi.
Moved to Dubai half-way .(phew)

11. Computer science.
Film school.
Business school.

12. Anti-labelism.

13. 2001

14. Xisché
& Co.

15. Dubai HQ

16. Ad agency
Web studio
NOT AN

17. Hybrid
consulting

18. Glocal

19. I (still) like telling stories.

20. Successful brands
have purpose.
They share it through stories.
brands

21. BARCELONA

22. BANGKOK

23. LONDON

24. Cities without context
are geography.

25. Cities are strangely
reluctant brands.
They are complex, evolving
and almost entirely intangible.

26. Daniel Cheong
Dubai is a storyteller’s
ultimate dream.

27. Daniel Cheong
Dubai is a storyteller’s
ultimate dream.
(and worst nightmare)

28. Dubai from several
vantage points.
We never planned it.
It kind of just happened.

29. Discovering Dubai’s
unique dichotomy
12 years and hundreds
of projects later.

30. FUTUREPAST

31. Trading
Business
Architecture
Tourism
(same)
Art
Culture
Heritage
FUTUREPAST

32. SilenceDubai’s obsession with it.
Old World vs New World

33. SiblingsEach Emirate for its own.
What about UAE?

34. DUBAI AS TOURISM

35. DTCM
BRAND
DUBAI
DEFINITELY DUBAI CASE STUDY

36. DEFINITELY DUBAI CASE STUDY

37. DEFINITELY DUBAI CASE STUDY

38. DEFINITELY DUBAI CASE STUDY

39. DEFINITELY DUBAI CASE STUDY

40. DEFINITELY DUBAI CASE STUDY

41. DEFINITELY DUBAI CASE STUDY

42. DEFINITELY DUBAI CASE STUDY

43. DEFINITELY DUBAI CASE STUDY

44. DEFINITELY DUBAI CASE STUDY

45. DEFINITELY DUBAI CASE STUDY

46. DEFINITELY DUBAI CASE STUDY

47. DEFINITELY DUBAI CASE STUDY

48. DEFINITELY DUBAI CASE STUDY

49. DEFINITELY DUBAI CASE STUDY

50. DEFINITELY DUBAI CASE STUDY

51. DEFINITELY DUBAI CASE STUDY

52. DEFINITELY DUBAI CASE STUDY

53. DEFINITELY DUBAI CASE STUDY

54. DUBAI AS COMMERCE

57. DUBAI AS CULTURE

58. DUBAI CULTURE CASE STUDY

59. DUBAI CULTURE CASE STUDY

60. DUBAI CULTURE CASE STUDY

61. DUBAI CULTURE CASE STUDY

62. DUBAI AS ENTERTAINMENT

64. CITY OF LIFE CASE STUDY

65. CITY OF LIFE CASE STUDY

66. CITY OF LIFE CASE STUDY

67. CITY OF LIFE CASE STUDY

68. CITY OF LIFE CASE STUDY

69. 21K 1K
3K
5K
1K
5K
1K
1K
1K
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1K1K
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1K
5K
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CITY OF LIFE CASE STUDY

70. CITYOFLIFE

71. Death of
consultative
selling
How DIY culture is the biggest
opportunity for brands

72. Rise of deal
sensitivity
How Groupon-culture
kills city brands

73. Visible
tourism
Why people’s obsession with over-
sharing is another opportunity

74. Real & virtual are not
parallel universes.
Technologies are now
an integral part of life.

75. Sorry Nick*
‘digital tourism’
is a myth.
The experience cycle.
*Nick Hall, organizer of The Digital Tourism Think Tank

76. Social media is not
the destination but
the vehicle.

77. Still me. And mini-me.

78. danishfarhan / xische
Now I shut up.

79. Xisché & Co.
POBox 500601
Dubai Media City
T +9714 3678 184
F +9714 3678 058
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Xisché (pronounced zee-shay) is a hybrid
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