OUR SUCCESS IS YOURS

KFC wanted to get closer to its customers by conducting an out-of-the-box activity that would be exciting and reinforce KFC’s status as a market leader in delicious fast food.

The campaign took 2 months to finalise and involved brainstorming sessions and pre-production meetings to come up with a final creative concept that was perfectly expressing the anticipated message: ‘KFC comes to you anywhere’.

The digital PR campaign saw 14 million impressions on Twitter, an increase of 100,000 organic users on KFC’S Facebook and Twitter accounts, 40,000 interactions including likes, shares, retweets, replies and comments, and 60 news articles reaching an approximate total PR value of USD 208,588.

Al Wasl Football Club wanted to generate as much possible positive exposure for the club.

We carried out the announcement of this sporting coup. The official press conference unveiling Diego Maradona as Head Coach of Al Wasl Football Club attracted around 150 local, regional and international media attendees, including some of the foremost global media outlets. This resulted in huge and wide-reaching exposure across all forms of media, leading to global exposure for Al Wasl.

And raising the profile of the club all over the world. Till date, when Diego Maradona is mentioned in the news he is referred to as the Previous Coach of Al Wasl Football Club. We helped associate the Emirate of Dubai with Al Wasl Football Club and vice versa, contributing to wide and positive exposure of the city around the world. At the same time, we maintained positive exposure for a year with zero negative publicity.

Arabian Automobiles Company, the flagship company of the AW Rostamani Group and the exclusive dealer for INFINITI in Dubai, Sharjah and the Northern Emirates, asked C&B to devise a grand unveiling for INFINITI’s all-new, performance-oriented Q50s Red Sport 400, that would celebrate the car’s state-of-the-art technology and capture INFINITI’s ‘Unleash Your Potential’ campaign

Using a combination of three-dimensional technology and localised video mapping, C&B’s new-age public relations strategy hinged on content creation and brand journalism. We helped Arabian Automobiles Company to unveil the largest video billboard in the region, displaying inspirational stories shared by individuals who have reached their potential to the fullest. In an innovative communication strategy, elements of the stories were used to shed light on the car’s exciting features, comparing the power and strength of a weightlifter with the power of the car’s 3.0L Twin-Turbo 400HP throttle, the precision and discipline of aerial silk acrobat Amani Stevens with the car’s 3600 Around View Monitor, and the finesse of GCC B-Boy Champion Christopher Frostyle with its adaptive steering control.

Members of the public were inspired by INFINITI’s ambitious initiative and took to social media, allowing the ‘Unleash Your Potential’ campaign to grow online. Participants added to the vibrant campaign by uploading fun and engaging videos that expressed their individuality and potential, and created significant buzz for the launch of Arabian Automobiles Company’s Q50s Red Sport 400. Truly a first of its kind public relations campaign in the UAE.

wasl Asset Management Group is one of the largest real estate companies in Dubai and is a significant employer in the Emirate. The company’s core values include building a strong relationship with all of the company’s stakeholders. wasl asked C&B to carry out this principle for its employees by improving its employee engagement programme.

With over 400 employees, wasl needed news expertise in order to adapt its newsletter to engage people from a variety of backgrounds and a number of different positions. C&B applied its journalistic proficiency to create a new strategy for the corporate newsletter, with the team writing an informative and entertaining newsletter that inspires and engages employees. All elements of the newsletter were created from scratch, including the stories, the design and the graphics. C&B has transformed the newsletter from a bilingual monthly print publication unto to a fully-digitised collection of motivating and stimulating stories, with every stage of newsletter development completed by C&B.

The newsletter has been fully developed by C&B for the past three years and has made core contributions towards building a robust company culture at wasl. The newsletter has joined other employee engagement activities such as wasl Founding Day, UAE National Day, and a number of year-round activities for successful teambuilding at the company.

Palma Development wanted to deliver world-class luxury at a time when investors were hesitant and while the market was being led by an influx of projects that finally offered affordable living in Dubai.

Serenia Residences was an AED 1.5 billion project introduced to offer the best in resort-style beachfront living. It would be home to Dubai’s most exclusive beachfront residences, and rather than a blanket PR approach, the team at C&B worked closely with sister company and creative consultancy Spark* to develop a cutting-edge Dubai PR campaign that would attract a niche audience at an exclusive launch, thereby introducing members of the media and a select audience of VIP guests to Serenia Residences. We appealed to their taste for the exceptional, and positioned the development as the ultimate in luxury living for The Palm and indeed for anywhere in Dubai.

The launch announcement enjoyed overwhelming coverage in daily newspapers, TV and industry-relevant magazines. In the space of just one month, Palma Development approached the three quarter sell-out figure for north and west wing units at Serenia Residences. And over the following months, Palma Development announced AED 500 million in sales from Phase 1 alone.

Hamdan bin Mohammed Heritage Center (HHC) hosts a series of annual championships and activities that take place over a very short period of time and often overlap with each other. Our task was to communicate all of the sports and heritage championships to media targeted towards expatriates. We not only had to draft niche media materials, but also invite editors (some from outside the UAE) to the middle of the UAE desert where the championships were held.

We had a C&B team on-ground, which was specially trained on the intricacies of the championships, to develop content, secure interviews and provide exclusive behind-the-scenes media access. Using a strong combination of media relations and detailed information, we educated the GCC and global media about the HHC events, differentiated HHC competitions and championships from other such events in the UAE, and hosted a strong media contingent at the championships venue.

The C&B team secured more than 200 media attendees throughout the HHC events, activities, competitions and championships. More than 100 interviews were conducted with HHC and El Beit spokespeople. For HHC we secured a total of 1,808 clippings of coverage in print and online, achieving a PR value of USD 15,829,453 in just six months. For the El Beit poetry show, we secured a total of 322 clippings of coverage in print and online, achieving a PR value of USD 8,925,774 in just four months. The C&B team managed to secure media attendees for El Beit poetry show from a number of different GCC countries over four months.

Unlike any other industry in the UAE, healthcare sector PR activities are highly controlled and monitored by the Ministry of Health (MOH). This means that any press release that is drafted cannot be shared with the media unless approved by the MOH. When we took on the account in December 2015, Bareen International Hospital and Fakih IVF Center had almost no media coverage due to unapproved press releases.

To start with, we focused on the public via media interviews by leveraging doctors – a highly regarded source of information in the eyes of the UAE media. We combined their expertise with our specialised UAE public relations to not only pre-arrange doctor interviews in yearly editorial calendars for print and broadcast media, but also to pitch interviews wherever we felt our client’s expertise could create a newsworthy story. Gradually we expanded our reach to feature stories and events. In fact, we even had press releases approved by the MOH.

From January to October 2016, we generated a PR value of USD 2,647,998.

Rotana is one of the leading hotel management companies in the Middle East, Africa, South Asia and Eastern Europe, with a significant presence in the UAE. The hotelier sought to provide a launch for Capital Centre Arjaan by Rotana, which would be its second hotel in the business district of Abu Dhabi – the UAE capital.

The new facility had been developed to provide a wealth of features not provided by other competitors in the area, with its extended stay option expected to prove particularly popular with business travellers. In order to outline these essential features to the hotel’s audience, C&B organised an opening event and invited the regional media. The event was attended by Ali Bin Hammoodah, Chairman of Bin Hammoodah properties; Nasser Al Nowais, Chairman of Rotana; and Enad Tannous, the GM of Capital Centre Arjaan by Rotana.

The event was a huge success, with the attendance of representatives from 30 media outlets from across the UAE. All had positive feedback, both about the running of the event and the hotel facilities. C&B developed the press kit, press releases, feature articles, interviews, management bios, speeches, and media and blogger reviews. To date, the story has been featured in all local newspapers, as well as lifestyle, hotel news, blogs and online media.

Beam represents a synthesis of Bukhatir Group’s decade-long experience in developing successful educational institutions and implementing advanced educational management systems in the UAE.

The company called on C&B to raise awareness of Beam being awarded a prestigious Promethean Award, which recognises pioneering teaching practices that enhance experiences for both tutors and pupils. Beam represents the only educational organisation in the Middle East to have attained the prominent accolade. C&B invited teachers, members of Dubai’s Knowledge and Human Development Authority, and school managers to a small ceremony, joined by a select group of media.

Coverage worth approximately USD 120,000 was generated from media buzz around the award, increasing awareness of Beam as one of the leading educational institutes in the region.

Publinet is a growing network of MENA PR experts across many companies, and as it expands, creating and maintaining relationships in a positive workplace environment becomes increasingly important.

The social recreation programme – ‘Happy’ – was introduced to allow all Publinet staff to get to know each other better by sharing social activities away from the workplace. The programme has an internal committee comprising of a rotating roster of employees from the various Publinet divisions, all of whom contribute to ensuring exciting new programmes for each month, along with introducing initiatives that boost ‘Happy-ness’ in the workplace.

The programme has been a big hit with employees. On the first year anniversary of ‘Happy’, an employee survey revealed that happiness was up by 74%. The initiative was also recognised at the MEPRA Awards 2016, winning Gold for ‘Employee Engagement’.

Cinnabon is the internationally renowned brand that is recognised for producing the world's best cinnamon rolls.

With a new motto: “Cupcakes…anything else is a cupfake.” The cupcakes were introduced at a launch event in the world’s biggest mall, to generate local and regional media interest and maximise print, broadcast and online coverage. Before the event, the venue was draped with a curtain that displayed teaser messages for the 2-hour countdown. When the drape was dropped, the Cinnabon team appeared with balloons and cupcake samples. A Virgin radio presenter interviewed customers, who could also step into a photo booth.

The event was attended by over 25 media representatives from UAE dailies and lifestyle publications, alongside a number of bloggers, and generated exceptional PR value. The event saw high attendance and extensive coverage in daily newspapers, print magazines and online.

TGI Friday’s has a loyal fan base across the world and in Dubai. The brand wanted to strengthen its existing concept by revamping its outlets and adding 30 new menu items to enhance the customer experience.

Although the brand is a familiar one, it faced the risk of uncontrolled coverage as this would be a media review event. A pre-event press release was followed with an invitation to bloggers, Instagram influencers and lifestyle magazine editors to create more buzz. C&B also arranged an online contest that was featured on the Ahlan! Magazine website that asked readers to answer 5 questions for a chance to win AED 500.

The event saw high attendance and great coverage in daily newspapers, print magazines and online.

That’s what Juma Al Majid Est. in partnership with The Federal Authority for Government Human Resources deliberated when launching 'Emtiaz', one of the largest community-based initiatives at the state level, giving special privileges to federal employees.

The initiative saw a series of awards and promotions given to federal employees, with special discounts on the extensive range of Hyundai vehicles, all with exceptional after-sale service in all centres affiliated with Hyundai for the best all-round ownership experience.

These government public relations initiatives are important for strengthening ties in the community, as they build an alliance between the private and public sectors in the UAE.

That was the challenge faced when C&B was appointed by the Dubai Sports Council with only 3 months to go until the commencement of SportAccord International Conference in Dubai.

We managed the media centre (200 seat capacity) for 5 days, 12 hours a day. We adapted and customised the news, and distributed it to all media outlets around the world.

And use the facilities of the media centre on a daily basis. The representatives of the PR agency handling the SportAccord conference in London the following year were sent to Dubai to meet with us so that we could share our strategies, tactics and on-ground activities. All C&B team members working on the event received letters of appreciation from HRH Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein, who was the President of the Dubai Organising Committee for the SportAccord International Convention 2010.

Of wasl Asset Management Group, which is now one of the largest real estate management companies in Dubai. We continue to carry out extensive UAE public relations for the group through a fully integrated strategic communication programme that aims at positioning wasl as a contributor to the economic growth of Dubai, with the overall objective of making Dubai the best city to work, visit and live in.

His Excellency Hesham Abdalla Al Qassim, CEO of wasl Asset Management Group, has become a leading authority on real estate, hospitality, and the overall business environment and economic growth in Dubai and the UAE. He has won a number of awards over the course of the past few years – the last being the Outstanding Contribution to Business Award at the 2016 Arabian Business Achievements Awards. Zainab Mohammed, Chief Property Management and Marketing Officer, has become widely recognised within the industry as a driving force behind Dubai’s growing property sector and a hugely influential figure who consistently creates growth and profit opportunities across all of her portfolios. She was recently named one of the Top 10 World's Most Powerful Arab Women by CEO Middle East.

Our work with wasl Asset Management Group was recognised at the MEPRA Awards 2016 with a Gold for ‘Government Communication’ and a Silver for ‘Corporate Reputation’.

Before being listed on the Dubai Financial Market in September 2014, Marka Holding was unknown to business, retail and investor audiences in the UAE. Marka required strategic reputation building to differentiate its business strategy from other similar entities in the region, as well as to secure long-term understanding and support from its stakeholders.

C&B carried out a UAE public relations programme and investor relations strategy and embarked on building the corporate identity, raising awareness of the business plan, and showcasing the progress made by the company on its IPO promises. This included acquisition announcements, interviews, profiling pieces for Marka’s CEO, and tier 1 media coverage.

From a media audit that indicated limited exposure in January 2015, C&B was able to generate 300 pieces of individual coverage over 6 months – including front page of CPI’s Financials Finance ME for Marka CEO that positioned the company as one of the UAE’s leading retail operator’s implementing a series of strategic acquisitions within the sports, fashion and retail segments.

The first UAE Ladies Polo Tournament was commissioned and launched by HH Sheikha Maitha bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. Not only was there a lack of knowledge surrounding polo in the sports media industry, but there was also concern that the female niche event might not garner the attention it deserved.

We hosted the official launch of the tournament at Ralph Lauren Dubai Mall, where limited edition polos could be sold with 10% of the proceeds donated to Dubai Cares. C&B also offered onsite support during the tournament, while also handling the announcements and interviews, acting as media liaison, and providing detailed reports of the matches.

C&B was asked to handle the event two years in a row, and with each consecutive year, attendance grew. The event was covered by all the dailies and a wide range of media across various industries including lifestyle, fashion and sports.

Drake & Scull International PJSC is a global industry leader in general contracting, engineering, rail, oil and gas, infrastructure development, water and wastewater treatment. In 2008, Drake & Scull listed on the Dubai financial market. As this listing occurred during the recent economic downturn, the company faced uncertain investor trust and support, as well as a lack of awareness among real estate and financial audiences of its credibility and strong industry track-record.

C&B created a program of strategic corporate communications designed to build trust in the company and highlight its financial strength, unique diversification and global reach by leveraging the credibility and leadership of the company CEO and senior management, as well as a targeted media relations approach to reach real estate and financial audiences.

The programme resulted in extensive positive media coverage for Drake & Scull, largely focusing on messages that reassured financial and industry audiences despite the economic downturn, and securing long-term support from the real estate and investment markets. Additionally, the profile of the CEO was built and he remains a respected and trusted leader.

As the official media organisation of Dubai, and with a large employee base operating across various locations, DMI needs to be armed with a Dubai public relations strategy that prepares it for both company-wide and Emirate-wide crises.

That unites and sets a clear plan of action in the event of a crisis, consisting of anticipating potential crises, identifying crisis communication teams, identifying and training spokespeople, establishing notification and monitoring systems, identifying stakeholders, and developing a crisis communication handbook and holding statements. We also developed social media policies and procedures that DMI could share with employees, taking into account the changing way that we communicate. Because bad publicity can come in many forms and cause severe harm to a company’s reputation – but it’s even worse when not prepared. A crisis communications plan is not about one-time results; rather it is an ongoing initiative to uphold the integrity of an organisation and to be prepared for potential challenges.

But it’s even worse when there is no advance preparation. A crisis communication plan is not about one-time results; rather it is an ongoing initiative to uphold the reputation of an organisation and ensure it is prepared for potential challenges.

That was the question we asked ourselves when the Dubai Land Department approached us to create and implement a CSR activity to raise awareness on autism. As a condition that affects people in the UAE,it is familiar to people, but they don’t want to talk about it.

And bring awareness and support to autism. The hard work would highlight the name of Dubai, and show the world the compassion and care for all segments of society.

a mosaic portrayed the autism awareness ribbon and the message ‘Together for a Better Future’, breaking the previous record set in Belgium in 2012.

New York-based Just Salad wanted to bring its highly successful concept to Dubai. Not just another healthy restaurant in the Emirate, Just Salad wanted to show off its unique Dubai offerings in a distinct way with a tailored Dubai public relations strategy.

For the pre-event, we sent press releases to the media to share with potential customers the Just Salad experience that allows them to choose straight from the menu or create their own options with a line-up of over 75 toppings of fresh vegetables, fruits, grains and nuts, proteins, and cheeses. To top it off, there are 30 types of dressings before being tossed or served in a wrap. Follow up calls were made to confirm the list of attendees and interviews were arranged for Namir Hourani, the franchisee who spoke passionately about the concept.

The event saw high coverage online, and in print magazines and daily newspapers. Attendees were given bowls to take home, which they could bring back for their next visit.