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.
Technological Issues
Communication Platform:
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Issue Being Addressed: Etisalat presented a gaming 5G theme experience. The brand-new cloud-based gaming service ‘eLife’ could be either a gaming or entertainment subscription.
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Communication Objective: Raising awareness on the gaming experience; where people can enjoy and have unlimited access to many games with HD quality.
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Target Audience: This is targeted for everyone, males and females, between the age of 13 and onwards who enjoy watching and playing games.
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Compelling Benefit: It is an online a subscription that enables users to access their TV from anywhere and also offers many movies across different genres.
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Creative Strategy: This subscription enables gamers to play the most popular games without the need of having a separate gaming console. Etisalat’s vision is to make sure that the latest technology is being available for the citizens who live within the UAE, and at the same time to enhance the digital transformation within the country.
Figure 22: Etisalat 5G Experience print advert
There were a few major technological changes throughout 2011 to 2021. Such as:
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The major reason for choosing AI and 5G as technological issues is because those two technological developments are offering many innovative solutions to the industries that are currently being developed.
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Artificial Intelligence (AI)
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In today’s world, there have been many new technological developments offering many new solutions to the industries. Artificial Intelligence (AI) has started to impact the future and is acting as one of the main drivers of emerging technologies such as big data, robotics, Internet of Things (IoT) and it will continuously act as a technological innovator for the future (Thomas. M, 2021). AI is vital to our future as it forms the basics of computer learning. Based on AI, computers will have the ability to tackle a huge amount of data using AI to make an ideal decision in a fraction of the time compared to humans. Even though AI can be life changing in many positive ways, it also can have a major negative impact on it too. “While murderous machines may well remain fodder for fiction, many believe they’ll supplant humans in various ways…such as self-driving cars, AI will outperform humans in the retail sector, machines will be capable of writing school essays and many more…” (Thomas. M, 2021).
5G
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Furthermore, in the article “what is 5G? How will it transform our world?” They stated that 5G is the fifth generation of cellular networks. Which is up to a hundred times faster than the other cellular networks. With this type of technology, it would help create a smarter, safer and more of a sustainable future. 5G will be an opening door for many businesses in a way to improve their safety measurements and sustainability. Not only will it act as a society that is transforming and advancing with their industries, but it will also act as a way to elevate new experiences. Such as setting the stage for having more of an immersive type of entertainment and to be more engaging with education (Inc, 2020).
In other words, 5G technology will improve the speed and integration of other developing technologies and AI will allow machines to function with levels of the intelligence of a human being. Basically, 5G will accelerate the cloud services on the cloud, whereas AI will analyze and learn from that data faster than the traditional analytical algorithm.
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How Etisalat leveraged the technological issue of AI and 5G in their AIMC:
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Etisalat has a separate business unit called Etisalat Digital. This unit allows them to drive the digital transformation by enabling enterprises and governmental departments to become smarter through the use of AI, Big Data, IoT and many more (Etisalat Digital, 2021). The key to success in any business would be about making informed decisions based on real-time information. At the end of 2019, Etisalat presented a gaming 5G theme experience. The brand-new cloud-based gaming service ‘eLife’.
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The presence of Etisalat during GITEX that year was quite special, as they brought the 5G revolution as a next wave of digital transformation and innovation to the market. The public, businesses, and shareholders will now be able to experience this next level network launching as it will open up many different types of opportunities and this would help create innovative digital services. To add on, in the early months of 2020, Etisalat announced their 5G and AI multi-year partnership with Microsoft. This type of deal will permit Etisalat to continue developing their digital network platforms using AI and other automation initiatives.
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Overview of Etisalat’s Virtual Mall Video Commercial
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In this video commercial, it is introducing the personalized shopping consumer experience with Etisalat Virtual Mall. Their virtual mall turned into reality. Etisalat was working with operators, SIM vendors and other digital services to develop Mobile Connect (Held, G, 2016). This was made convenient especially to those who don’t have easy access to cars.
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Communication Platform:
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Issue Being Addressed: Traditional market has been around for so long, with the entrance of AI, Etisalat managed to take us on a journey to experience the first 3D virtual grocery shopping in the middle east.
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Communication Objective: Raising awareness and showing preference to use the 3D virtual shopping and motivating and encouraging people to take part of the Virtual Mall which will benefit Etisalat in return.
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Target Audience: Male and Female transporting from work into the metro stations.
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Compelling Benefit: This type of virtual mall contains various amounts of goods and services; from groceries to clothing, to pharmaceuticals. This was made convenient especially to those who don’t have easy access to cars.
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Creative Strategy: With the smart mode, it made shopping easier, as it is quick and convenient. It would make shopping a lot easier for the citizens. With the use of the virtual malls, passengers could choose their groceries and other basic needs on a huge screen that allows them to select the items that they need. Once done, it will be delivered to the address at the preferred timing. They can simply hop onto the train, and enjoy the journey, knowing that they have done their basic grocery shopping, and that Etisalat have taken care of it.
Figure 23: Etisalat Virtual Grocery Shopping video advert
Video Commercial - Etisalat Partnering with Expo 2020
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Also, there have been many videos about Etisalat partnering up with Expo 2020. Etisalat is very proud of the partnership with the expo, as it became the first major 5G commercial customer within the Middle East South Asia (MEASA) region (Expo2020, 2021). Etisalat’s network has been working to provide the topmost advanced digital and telecom services to the exposition with the millions of visitors who will be here in the next six months. In both of those video commercials their main message was to spread awareness about how they can connect the hearts and the minds of people within seconds. Etisalat enabled Expo 2020 to become one of the fastest, smartest places on earth to have a better collaboration.
Figure 24: Etisalat partnering with Expo - 5G video commerical
Video Commercial - Be there with Etisalat
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“Be there with Etisalat” in this video advert had a combination showing both 5G and AI experiences. Etisalat created this video commercial asking rhetorical questions to the audience, in a way to keep the public excited on what is going to be happening at the world’s greatest show, where they would prevail their newest technological enhancements to the world with what the future is going to look like as well as how those technological advancements will shape us in the near future. Some of the questions that were asked in the video: “Will telecom continue to transform our lives? Will your fridge order food by itself? Will students travel to space without leaving their classroom? Will our cities become smarter with 5G?...” All those questions were rhetorically asked, which will allow the audience to engage and this will also help them to come to a conclusion on their own, which has a much greater effect than telling the audience (Printwand, 2018).
Figure 25: Be There with Etisalat- video commerical
How Du leveraged the technological issue of AI and 5G in their AIMC:
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Similarly, to Etisalat, du has been also trying to step up with their competitor. As they were finding ways to introduce a new single solution for the telecommunication customers using AI. They published a press release. Du have collaborated with Unified Inbox (UIB) to bring a new strategic, convenient and a secure market for the consumers to communicate with their daily lives without having to download any other applications or a web service. During the Gitex event that happened in 2017, they announced the collaboration of those two companies bringing together two powerful technological leaders.
Samer Geissah, Vice President, Innovation at du said: “Our association with the Dubai Future Accelerators gives us the agility to bring innovative solutions to our customers today. In line with the recent UAE Artificial Intelligence strategy made by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, we are already able to support our government in its Vision for 2021 and beyond” (Du, 2021).
In this press release that was issued back in November 2017, it was mainly talking about the benefits of working with Dubai Future Accelerators and how they are trying to foster new innovative collaborations. Du and UIB will integrate their AI messaging capabilities throughout du’s networks, which will allow their customers to benefit from this technology, which is based upon the IoT messaging platform. This platform will allow the users to have access and are able to communicate with du’s customer care and their services but can also control their smart home or office devices with a simple text or voice message of specific platforms such as WhatsApp, Facebook, and many more (Du, 2017). Using AI alongside Machine Learning, UIB have developed a bot for du’s customers that will enable them to cater to their needs. With that being said, their main focus is to also enable du’s customers to be able to chat with du as easily as possible, just like how you would communicate with your friends throughout different social media platforms.
Du have also upgraded with their 5G cellular network, where they are bringing a higher capacity, which they are promising a faster mobile future. This means that they have opened a whole new way to bring new experiences that will change how the customers will work, live and enjoy life. The most obvious changes that have happened with 5G is the downloading apps or streaming online videos have been incredibly faster than previous years. Also, businesses have been able to increase with their efficiency and to drive innovation throughout all of their industries.
They have been trying their best to set out the 5G cellular network more into the Northern Emirates as they are trying to grow into more locations across the UAE. As seen in those figures below, the areas that are highlighted in purple are where 5G is currently working well, and as seen it is mainly based in Dubai, Sharjah and Ajman, other few parts in Abu Dhabi and the Northern Emirates.
Figure 26: Du's 5G expansion throughout the UAE
Video Commercial - Du AI - GITEX 2020
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In this video advert, it was about du’s artificial intelligence that was showcased in GITEX 2020, the Machine Learning platform as a Service (MLaaS). In which it stated that AI will basically reshape the way we do business and that AI solutions are already enhancing the public services. However, AI is quite dynamic yet complex, so it is making it hard for organizations to adopt along with the newest technology. Du will be collaborating with both the public and the private sectors in a way to enable AI aspiration with their 5G cellular networks.
Figure 27: Du's AI video commercial
