By Noreen O’Leary www.adweek.com
The 500-acre development is anchored by Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building
Independent StrawberryFrog has won creative duties for Downtown Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. The mixed-use development is the $20-billion flagship project of Emaar Properties. The agency beat out Publicis Groupe’s Saatchi & Saatchi and WPP Group’s Young & Rubicam for the business.
Spending behind the global marketing effort was not disclosed. StrawberryFrog, which pitched Downtown Dubai from its Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and New York offices, had won Dubai-based carrier Emirates in July. (There is no connection between Emaar and the airline.)
The 500-acre urban development is anchored by Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building, and also features the Dubai Mall, the world’s largest shopping and entertainment destination. It includes business, residential, hospitality and leisure properties.
Creative work will appear in high-end culture and lifestyle magazines. Outdoor work, digital marketing and a “multiplatform cultural program” are also in the mix.
“StrawberryFrog demonstrated an incredible understanding of the exciting new world that is taking shape today, the ways in which consumers think in this new global environment and the role that Downtown Dubai plays in this culture,” Robert Booth, chief executive, Emaar North America, said in a statement.
Scott Goodson, agency chairman, added: “We are thrilled to be establishing [Downtown Dubai] alongside the world’s greatest must-see destinations, such as 5th Avenue and Rockefeller Center in New York, the Ginza in Tokyo and the Champs Elysees in Paris.”
