Andrea Assi
Nour Haddad
Sahar Nifnaks
Andrea Assi
Nour Haddad
Sahar Nifnaks
​​In order to establish and promote the identity brand of Emirates Airlines and Etihad Airways in two periods across the future era, we have to implement cultural branding strategies explored and discussed by Douglas Holt in “How Brands Become Icons: The Principles of Cultural Branding” (2004). Holt suggests that too often advertisers rely on the use of traditional mind-share principles and brand attributes when it comes to selling to a customer. However, he reveals an alternative; a cultural branding strategy that focuses on building relevant “identity myths” that are formed through the deep analysis and understanding of ideologies, populist worlds, and consumer anxieties. Holt defines cultural branding as the “set of axioms and strategic principles that guide the building of brands into cultural icons”. This formula of cultural branding principles has led to the mass success of iconic brands.
We will be creating an identity myth chart for the two potential periods in the future era of Etisalat and Du branding. The first step is to identify the appropriate ideologies along with their contradictions for each period. By analyzing the potential social, political, and economical issues that could arise in the future while keeping in mind the understanding from previous research conducted in the past and present era we have developed, we were able to create four myth markets (two myths per period) in order to address the anxieties, desires, and needs.
​​In order to establish and promote the identity brand of Emirates Airlines and Etihad Airways in two periods across the future era, we have to implement cultural branding strategies explored and discussed by Douglas Holt in “How Brands Become Icons: The Principles of Cultural Branding” (2004). Holt suggests that too often advertisers rely on the use of traditional mind-share principles and brand attributes when it comes to selling to a customer. However, he reveals an alternative; a cultural branding strategy that focuses on building relevant “identity myths” that are formed through the deep analysis and understanding of ideologies, populist worlds, and consumer anxieties. Holt defines cultural branding as the “set of axioms and strategic principles that guide the building of brands into cultural icons”. This formula of cultural branding principles has led to the mass success of iconic brands.
We will be creating an identity myth chart for the two potential periods in the future era of Etisalat and Du branding. The first step is to identify the appropriate ideologies along with their contradictions for each period. By analyzing the potential social, political, and economical issues that could arise in the future while keeping in mind the understanding from previous research conducted in the past and present era we have developed, we were able to create four myth markets (two myths per period) in order to address the anxieties, desires, and needs.
Vintage Era (1980 -2010)
Advertising has always been part of the early economies of trade. It always gave merchants an advantage because the advertisements used commercial communication networks that attracted people towards purchasing certain products (Wolff & Biernatzki, 1994). Throughout the years, there have been various issues that affected advertising campaigns. Etisalat and Du are Emirates Integrated Telecommunication Company that was rebranded as Du as of early February 2007. UAE’s telecom operator Du signed an Interconnected Agreement with Etisalat as the networks have been intertwined to provide citizens with their needs, and ensure that a proper, healthy and dynamic competitive environment for their end-users is considered (Du, 2021). They have always aimed to take connectivity to the next level that is fit for a dynamic future and that provides carrier services through internet exchange and through satellite services. Their vision is to enhance life and delight their consumers. Throughout the inception and operation of both telecommunication companies, there have been a number of issues that affected the vintage era of advertisements that ranged between the years of 1980 to 2010. It included social issues such as the Arabic language dying. The World Cup and its impact on Etisalat and Du's approaches were among the cultural concerns discussed. Other issues like the camera phone became popular during this era, as well as political issues (Iraq invading Iran)​​. Finally, electronic waste was a major concern during this time period, and many countries were dealing with it. However, Du and Etisalat handled the situation gracefully.