Marketing strategy and performance in Dubai
We research the market, define the positioning and run the campaigns that follow: paid media, social content and event promotion, judged on lead cost and quality. We test Arabic against English and one audience against another, then scale what works.
- −40% Cost per qualified lead versus the Dubai real estate market average QUBE
- 3× Sales increase after the new in-house marketing system went live KRONUNG
- 6,000+ Event registrations, against an initial target of 4,000 visitors ARTDOM Riyadh
- +560% Reach increase following the visual and targeting overhaul Niobim
Our marketing work in Dubai, the UAE and Saudi Arabia
On the map the UAE is one small market. In practice it splits by language, by expectations of trust and relevance, and by channel, and an audience that is almost entirely online ignores generic messages quickly. When QUBE entered Dubai real estate, competitors were testing 50 to 100 hypotheses a week and lead prices moved fast. We work as an external marketing partner for international and regional brands entering or scaling across the UAE, Saudi Arabia and the wider GCC. We do the research and positioning first, then run the paid media, the social content and, when a launch needs one, the event.
We start with research rather than a media plan. Market, competitor and audience analysis gives us the positioning and the key messages. The messages decide the channels, and each channel gets a budget and a metric, usually cost per lead and lead quality rather than reach alone. Then we test audiences, creatives and language. Arabic and English run side by side, and they do not always point the same way. On INNOPROM in Saudi Arabia, Arabic brought cheaper leads. On Glitch World in Dubai, English did. We follow what the numbers show.
It works when one team holds the whole funnel. KRONUNG, a Dubai real estate agency, had its marketing split between up to five contractors, which meant inconsistent messaging and duplicated spend. We audited every asset, built one marketing blueprint, set up CRM and analytics, and hired and trained an in-house team of five. Sales tripled. Events follow the same rule. When paid traffic, organic content, partnerships and the experience on the ground run under one strategy, campaigns scale faster and sell more consistently. HiFi Hi-End Show, promoted across the GCC, exceeded both its registration and attendance targets on a budget 10% below the original plan.
What it covers
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Strategy & research
Before any budget goes into media, we research the market, the competitors and the audience, then define the positioning and a messaging framework the rest of the marketing follows. For a brand entering the UAE or Saudi Arabia, this becomes a market entry plan: channels, partnership opportunities, priorities and the order of actions.
- Local market, audience and competitor analysis
- Brand positioning adjusted for a new market
- Messaging framework, key messages and tone of voice
- Go-to-market recommendations and a strategic roadmap
- Ongoing strategic support for launches and new campaigns
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Performance & media buying
We plan, set up and optimise paid campaigns against cost per lead and lead quality, with budgets and results visible to you. For QUBE's Dubai launch we built separate funnels for brokers and buyers, ran the buyer side on Meta and Google Ads and tested over 100 ad hypotheses. Cost per qualified lead came in 40% below the market average.
- Campaign strategy, platform selection and account setup
- Audience, language, creative and landing page testing
- Scaling of the strongest audience and message combinations
- Retargeting and pre-event reminders to registered attendees
- Regular performance reports and audits of existing campaigns
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Social media & content
We set the content direction, visual tone and voice for each platform, then plan, produce and publish, or hand your team the guidelines to do it in-house. For Niobim, a Dubai jewellery atelier, we rebuilt the Instagram profile, defined content pillars and tested more than 10 ad hypotheses. Click-through rate reached 3.6% against a regional benchmark of about 2.4%.
- Content plan with themes, tone of voice and visual guidelines
- Publishing and day-to-day account management
- Photo and short-form video for social and ads
- Campaign content for launches and events
- Regular review of engagement to shape the next plan
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Event marketing
An event is one more channel in the plan. We define the concept and the audience, promote it, run invitations, RSVPs and guest communication, coordinate arrivals on the day and follow up afterwards. For ARTDOM Riyadh, the pre-event campaign across Meta Ads, influencers and partnerships reached more than 2 million unique users.
- Event concept, audience and positioning
- Promotion strategy, messaging and materials
- Guest lists, invitations and RSVP tracking
- On-site coordination of guest arrivals and registration
- Post-event communication and analysis
How it runs
- Step 01
Research
Your goals first, then market, competitors and audience, so each decision rests on evidence.
- Step 02
Strategy
Positioning and messages, then channels, the metric each answers to and a roadmap.
- Step 03
Launch and test
Campaigns go live; we test audiences, languages and creatives, then fund what brings leads.
- Step 04
Optimise
Targeting, messages and budget tuned on the data, with regular reports on the key metrics.
Where it has run
Real estate & development
QUBE
Dubai market entry with 40% lower qualified lead cost
Real estate & development
KRONUNG
From five contractors to an in-house team, 3× sales
Exhibitions & trade shows
ARTDOM Riyadh Art & Design Congress
Marketing campaign for a design fair in Riyadh
When to call
You are entering Dubai and nobody knows your name yet
The market is saturated and trust is harder to win for a newcomer, even with a strong record abroad. We build the positioning, the funnels and the tests before the budget scales.
Your marketing is split between several contractors
Messaging drifts, spend is duplicated and nobody owns the funnel. We audit what each contractor delivers, build one plan across every channel, then run it ourselves or hire and train an in-house team to run it.
Your ads bring leads, but they cost too much
Spend rises while lead quality falls. We audit the campaigns, the targeting and the budget allocation, find what is wasted and restructure the account around the cost and quality of each lead.
You have an event date and a room to fill
Free-event campaigns often attract low-quality audiences and poor attendance. We plan promotion, registration, reminders and guest management as one funnel, from the first ad to arrival at the door.
What you get
- Brand positioning and a messaging framework used across every channel
- Go-to-market plan with recommended channels and the sequence of actions
- Funnel design from first ad to lead, registration or sale
- Landing pages designed and tested for each audience and offer
- Paid campaign setup, targeting and account structure
- Audience and creative tests, with Arabic and English campaigns run side by side
- Remarketing to people who engaged but have not yet registered
- CRM and analytics setup that traces each lead back to its campaign
- Content plan, visual direction and social account management
- Event concept, promotion strategy and messaging
- Regular performance reports on cost per lead and other key metrics
- Hiring and training of an in-house team, when you want to own the function
Questions about Marketing
If the answer you need is not here, it is a two-line email away: info@encore-mena.com.
Can you build a market entry strategy for Dubai or Saudi Arabia?
Yes, we build market entry strategies for both: local market and audience analysis, the competitive landscape, positioning adjusted for the region, a messaging framework and go-to-market recommendations on channels, partnerships and sequence. For QUBE, an international developer launching in Dubai for the first time, we built the launch strategy and separate B2B and B2C funnels. In Saudi Arabia we ran campaigns for ARTDOM and INNOPROM, both in Riyadh. On ARTDOM the average cost per lead was below $4, and Saudi Arabia was the most cost-efficient market.
Do you run ads in Arabic as well as English?
Yes, and we test the two languages against each other, because the cheaper one is not the same everywhere. On INNOPROM in Saudi Arabia, Arabic-language ads brought leads at 15 to 20 AED against 30 to 40 AED in English. On Glitch World in Dubai, Arabic tests proved substantially more expensive, so the main lead generation moved to English. For ARTDOM we created and tested more than 45 advertising groups with English and Arabic creatives.
How do you measure whether our marketing is working?
By cost per qualified lead and what happens after the lead, not by impressions alone. We look at conversion by audience segment, results by language and sales feedback by campaign source, and report on results and key metrics regularly. If a campaign gets cheaper while lead quality falls, it is not improving. On INNOPROM, 1,008 leads came in at an average of 37.22 AED against a planned 40 AED.
Can you promote an event and manage the guest list as well?
Yes, event marketing sits inside our marketing work: concept, audience, promotion, invitations, RSVP tracking, guest communication, on-site arrivals and post-event follow-up. For the TUD TOY gallery opening in Dubai we curated a guest list of lifestyle and luxury influencers, art community representatives, media and VIP collectors. For Glitch World, a digital art exhibition by Aniline Studio, our campaigns produced 2,918 leads, of which 1,597 confirmed registration, and average attendance conversion by day was 16.8%.
Can you audit the ad campaigns we already run?
Yes, we can start with a campaign audit: current results, targeting, budget allocation and account structure, ending with clear recommendations. With KRONUNG we started by auditing every asset, from ads and creatives to CRM, landing pages and sales scripts, before rebuilding the system. If you need a quick outside view first, Marketing First Aid is a one-time review with a fixed scope, delivered in 3 to 5 days from the moment we receive the information we need.
Often run alongside
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PR & Media
Key messages, press materials, media outreach and social channels on one plan.
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Influence Marketing
Creators chosen for trust and audience fit, then briefed, seeded and tracked to views, clicks and cost across the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
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Marketing First Aid
A 3–5 day review of your current marketing, with a fixed scope and a fixed fee. You get the key gaps, clear recommendations and a short-term action plan.
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