The UAE’s allure as a leading international destination for retail shopping continues to grow exponentially. As a result, mall advertising in the UAE has emerged as an influential medium for brands to reach their target audience. Here at BackLite, we appreciate the importance of mall advertising in this thriving market. We offer innovative and impactful advertising solutions that help brands to stand out and reach their target audience effectively.

We recognise that the country’s retail sector has become a powerful player globally thanks to its non-oil diversification strategy, booming tourism industry, and commitment to innovation. Malls are now seen as a destination in itself, with multiple shopping, entertainment, and dining avenues all under one roof due to the UAE’s strong focus on retail expansion and interactive experiences. This has made the UAE a renowned shopping destination for visitors from around the world.

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Diversification: A Key to Success

The UAE’s diversification strategy has been instrumental in developing its flourishing retail market. The country has fostered a supportive environment for these sectors to grow exponentially by heavily investing in tourism, real estate, and retail industries. Cities like Dubai and Abu Dhabi are now renowned shopping destinations, drawing flagship stores of prestigious global brands and enhancing the local retail landscape.

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Tourism: Fuel for Retail Growth

Tourism is also a significant factor fuelling the UAE’s retail sector. With Dubai being recognised as TripAdvisor’s most popular destination 2023 for the second consecutive year in a row, millions of visitors are drawn to iconic attractions like City Walk, JBR, the Burj Khalifa and Palm Jumeirah, resulting in a constant influx of foreign revenue that supports the retail industry. High-end malls with luxury boutiques offer unique shopping experiences that attract visitors, creating a cycle of growth that drives the UAE’s retail economy.

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Innovation: Staying Ahead of Global Trends

The UAE’s commitment to innovation sets it apart from other global retail economies. The country consistently stays ahead of global trends by adopting cutting-edge technology, offering exceptional shopping experiences, and developing state-of-the-art retail infrastructure to cater to ever-evolving consumer preferences. The UAE has established itself as a pioneer in retail innovation. It has a diverse and affluent population that welcomes strategic partnerships with international brands to enhance customer satisfaction. Events like the Dubai Shopping Festival and GITEX Shopper have transformed the UAE into a world-class shopping destination, offering a range of luxury experiences that attract global consumers.

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The UAE’s remarkable standing as a global retail powerhouse renders mall advertising increasingly advantageous in the region. With its thriving consumer culture and world-class shopping destinations, the prominence of this marketing approach promises to remain high. As such, leveraging mall advertising in Dubai and Abu Dhabi can amplify brand visibility, boost consumer engagement and influence consumers to make their next purchase at point of sales. Brands need to capitalise on dynamic opportunities to capture the attention of their target audience and thrive in this ever-evolving competitive retail landscape. At BackLite, we are dedicated to providing leading mall advertising solutions, ensuring maximum reach and impact for your brand in the region.

Even as the oldest medium, outdoor advertising will never be outdated. It remains one of the most powerful forms of advertising used by companies worldwide – both large and small – to promote their brand and generate media coverage. Successful outdoor campaigns not only accomplish what regular signage does but will also make your brand the topic of discussion. It’s a power worth investing in.

Gaining the attention of the majority of the population is a difficult task for many out-of-home (OOH) ads and the brands behind them. To succeed in today’s oversaturated markets, brands must create innovative and impactful ad campaigns. Branded by BackLite promises to take brand visibility to the next level by offering brands the opportunity to showcase their creative concepts on Dubai’s most iconic and busiest road, Sheikh Zayed Road. Using unique avenues, brands can create bespoke billboards that stand out.

One of the critical advantages of out-of-home media is the limitless creative options it offers. Brands can choose from various options, including dynamic cut-outs, special builds, and neon lighting effects, to make their outdoor campaign stand out. With the help of BackLite’s team of experts, brands can bring their ideas to life and create eye-catching billboards that capture the attention of their target audience.

Branded by BackLite has already garnered interest from leading brands across various industries over the years, including luxury perfumes, restaurants, FMCG, and automotive, to name a few. With the ability to create bespoke billboards and outdoor campaigns that capture the attention of their audience and the benefits of OOH advertising, Branded by BackLite is poised to be a game-changer in the outdoor advertising industry in Dubai.

Say hello to a whole new level of creativity and impact!

McDonald’s is among the initial clients of the recently launched “Branded by BackLite” initiative, which enables the brand to dominate the media landscape along the famous Sheikh Zayed Road with a captivating Ramadan campaign. The fast-food chain took over a BackLite unipole to showcase its messaging with a unique illuminating effect on the McDonald’s logo during nighttime.

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At BackLite, we have recently partnered with Al Qana to secure exclusive advertising rights to this unique and iconic waterfront destination in the heart of Abu Dhabi. To celebrate this strategic collaboration, together with Al Qana’s management, we launched “The Curve,” one of the largest and most impactful digital screens in Abu Dhabi. The screen was inaugurated by Fouad Mashal, Founder & Vice President of Al Qana, and BackLite’s Chairman, Mr Bengt Bendeus.

This latest addition to our growing portfolio of digital destinations is a testament to the company’s expanding presence in the UAE, with a commitment to delivering premium advertising platforms to clients targeting large audiences. Al Qana spans over 2.4km of scenic waterfront walkways, offering seven anchor destinations, including waterside eateries, a cinema, an aquarium, a VR park, a kids’ zone, and wellness facilities, attracting a large number of tourists and affluent UAE Nationals. This first-of-its-kind lifestyle hub in Abu Dhabi offers brands a premium platform to reach an affluent audience in a unique environment.

Since its launch, “The Curve” has welcomed esteemed brands like FAB, Health Plus, Jeep, and Mercedes Benz, who have leveraged the capabilities of this cutting-edge screen by showcasing engaging FP3D campaigns backed by exceptional concepts.

As part of this ongoing collaboration, we will roll out a unique digital network and experiential opportunities offering an immersive experience to visitors. This shift to digital out-of-home (DOOH), supported by BackLite Intelligence, an ambitious data strategy, will allow brands to identify and target specific audiences, facilitate engaging, rich-media campaigns, and reach sophisticated visitors and affluent residents around the destination. This will contribute to an enhanced experience by offering relevant and contextualised content to audiences on the move.

James Bicknell, CEO BackLite Media, comments, “We are deeply honored that Al Qana has partnered with us to showcase just how special their new development is. We have worked together to develop a first-class digital advertising product to enhance the unique Al Qana destination. We look forward to welcoming our first clients soon.”

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BackLite Media is proud to announce that we are expanding further into the out-of-home media market in Abu Dhabi. In 2023, we will launch a range of new digital billboards at Al Qana, the city’s latest waterfront destination. Our new range includes a curved screen, which will be the first Forced Perspective 3D billboard in Abu Dhabi. Our FP3D billboard will offer viewers a unique and immersive experience.

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Spanning over 146,000 sqm, Al Qana offers a unique collection of attractions. These attractions include waterfront restaurants, cinema experiences, the Middle East’s largest aquarium, a marina, a unique fitness and wellness facility, retail boutiques, a virtual reality and e-sports arena, as well as landscaped communal areas to encourage social interaction.

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The project primarily targets an affluent audience of locals and high-net-worth individuals from Abu Dhabi City, with 90% of visitors currently consisting of local Emirati citizens. Our 3D screen, The Curve @ Al Qana, will feature as part of the project. The screen will be the first 3D billboard in Abu Dhabi, with visuals on a 15-second loop every 120 seconds. The Curve @ Al Qana will be fully operational starting March 21st, visible on Khaleej Al Arabi, a major highway in Abu Dhabi that is also the main road used when leaving the airport.

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As well as The Curve @Al Qana, we will launch a range of advertising boards at this venue. Launching our digital billboards at Al Qana is an exciting step for BackLite Media. We are proud to be the first company to offer this technology in Abu Dhabi.

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We look forward to providing our clients with the best out-of-home advertising solutions. Our team is committed to providing our clients with the highest quality of service, and we are confident that our new destination will be a great success.

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At BackLite, reducing our carbon footprint is of great importance to us. We understand the value of community and the impact that businesses can have on the environment and society. We strive to create sustainable and responsible advertising solutions that not only benefit our clients but also positively contribute to the communities in which our sites are located. We prioritise environmentally friendly practices and actively work to reduce our carbon footprint. We also actively support and partner with local organisations and initiatives that align with our values of sustainability in the OOH industry.
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While we can’t address and fix every issue overnight, we have made it our mission to be completely carbon-neutral by 2026, our 30th anniversary. We have begun taking small but significant steps towards this goal, offsetting our carbon emissions for 2021 & 2022 (securing our Carbon Neutrality certificate and Verra-issued certificate), removing all single-use plastic from the office, and continuing the recycling of our vinyl posters. To assist in the process, in 2022, we began working with Olive Gaea to recognise further decarbonisation opportunities.

Olive Gaea is a company pioneering carbon neutrality in the MENA region. With over two decades of experience across multiple industries and the social sector, their founders have shaped their passion for scalable impacts that align with their values and contribute to a sustainable future.

At BackLite, we recognise that companies must take responsibility and work towards sustainability in the OOH industry. We continue to take the initiative to make small but influential changes to reduce our carbon footprint and strive towards a greener future. Through partnerships and conscious decision-making, we are making progress towards our 2026 goal. Our responsibility is to continue prioritising sustainability, and we hope to inspire others in the industry to do the same. Together, we can create a more sustainable future for all.

Contact us for more information on our initiatives.

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Award-winning Havas Middle East creative director, writer and film director Serena Abi Aad will lead a discussion on creativity’s key role in driving Out of Home success at the World Out of Home Organization MENA Forum in Dubai from February 15-17. Havas won a stream of international creative awards for its Adidas ‘liquid billboard’ on the beach at Dubai that invited Arab women to dive “beyond the surface, part of its ‘I’m Possible’ campaign.
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Data is playing a growing role in creative development in all media and she will be joined in Dubai by BackLite Media chief operating officer James Harrison who will outline the context for creativity in OOH and the data-rich world it has to navigate. BackLite is the biggest OOH media owner in Dubai.
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The pair will look at:

- A creative’s viewpoint on harnessing creativity in an evolving OOH mediumWhat new options does OOH offer a creative?What are OOH’s strengths compared to other media
- Does OOH pose any particular creative challenges compared to other media?
- The growing importance of data in creative development
- How to harness ever-mushrooming technological wizardry for game-changing creativity

WOO chief marketing officer Richard Saturley says: “We’re very fortunate to have secured an outstanding all-round creative partitioner and executive in Serena Abi Aad to speak at the MENA Forum. She is a world class talent and there is no-one better to explore the role and possibilities of OOH in MENA and the wider media world.

“James Harrison is a business driver who completely understands the vital role that creativity needs to play in the development and growth of OOH and also the questions it needs to answer in a data-conscious world. I’m certain the two of them will deliver a session that is not just informative but truly inspiring.”

Click here for a Forum overview including the provisional speaker programme.

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Dubai is known for its bustling streets, and 2022 was no exception. Traffic in the city has increased recently, but this is good news for out-of-home advertisers. In 2022, our billboards in Dubai saw record-high impressions, with millions of people seeing our billboards each month.

Last year, motorists in UAE cities lost an average of 22 hours as a result of traffic, according to the 2022 Global Traffic Scorecard published by mobility analytics firm Inrix Inc. The research focuses on metropolitan areas in order to evaluate traffic congestion. According to the data, the 22 hours drivers spent waiting in traffic was a 54% increase from 2021. The increase in traffic has been attributed to several factors, including the city’s growing population and the influx of tourists.

While traffic congestion can be frustrating for some, it has excellent advantages for out-of-home advertisers, as more people are exposed to their ads. By understanding consumer behaviour in traffic, brands can target their advertising efforts to reach a broad audience and maximize their return on investment.

After seeing the traffic volume increase report, we decided to look at our own data on BackLite Intelligence. Unsurprisingly, our billboards in Dubai saw a considerable surge in impressions in 2022 during Dubai’s peak tourist season. Our static billboards on Sheikh Zayed Road saw over 150 million impressions and over 30 million pass-bys during October alone.

The significant increase in impressions is a testament to the effectiveness of out-of-home advertising. This is especially true in a city like Dubai, where people are constantly on the move. We are proud to have seen such success in 2022, and we look forward to continuing to reach more people in the future.

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Dubai is known for its bustling streets, and 2022 was no exception. Traffic in the city has increased recently, but this is good news for out-of-home advertisers. In 2022, our billboards in Dubai saw record-high impressions, with millions of people seeing our billboards each month.

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Last year, motorists in UAE cities lost an average of 22 hours as a result of traffic, according to the 2022 Global Traffic Scorecard published by mobility analytics firm Inrix Inc. The research focuses on metropolitan areas in order to evaluate traffic congestion. According to the data, the 22 hours drivers spent waiting in traffic was a 54% increase from 2021. The increase in traffic has been attributed to several factors, including the city’s growing population and the influx of tourists.

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While traffic congestion can be frustrating for some, it has excellent advantages for out-of-home advertisers, as more people are exposed to their ads. By understanding consumer behaviour in traffic, brands can target their advertising efforts to reach a broad audience and maximize their return on investment.

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After seeing the traffic volume increase report, we decided to look at our own data on BackLite Intelligence. Unsurprisingly, our billboards in Dubai saw a considerable surge in impressions in 2022 during Dubai’s peak tourist season. Our static billboards on Sheikh Zayed Road saw over 150 million impressions and over 30 million pass-bys during October alone.

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The significant increase in impressions is a testament to the effectiveness of out-of-home advertising. This is especially true in a city like Dubai, where people are constantly on the move. We are proud to have seen such success in 2022, and we look forward to continuing to reach more people in the future.

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Earlier this year, Backlite attended the World Out of Home Organization’s Toronto Global Congress. The Congress, which was their first in-person event since Dubai 2019, brought together 400 attendees from across the world. Among the topics discussed in depth were programmatic, what clients want from OOH, the changing macro-media landscape where e-commerce increasingly rules, sustainability, diversity, and the way digital OOH amplifies social media in real-time to significant effect.

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In 2023, the World Out of Home Organization will once again host its MENA Forum. The in-person MENA forum will be their first in the region since 2019 and will take place here in Dubai from 15-17 February 2023. This forum follows the WOO’s first post-pandemic in-person Global Congress in Toronto and their first in-person APAC Forum in Kuala Lumpur in October.

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We look forward to attending and experiencing the complete programme of presentations and speakers from the region and the wider global Out of Home industry. Topics to be covered include Maintaining OOH’s Advantage in a Digital World, Driving Growth in OOH through Audience Measurement and making the most of OOH’s Programmatic Opportunity.

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Find out more and register for the event here.

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