Omnicom Media Group’s PHD has won the media planning and buying account for Dubai Parks and Resorts, the multithemed entertainment park set to become the largest of its kind in the world.
The win will see the agency covering domestic and international offline media activities ahead of the Floridastyle theme park’s grand opening in October 2016.
The Bollywood, Legoland and Motiongate parks are targeted to attract 6.7 million visitors in their first year from within the United Arab Emirates, the Middle East and North Africa region alongside the United Kingdom, Germany, Russia, India and China.
PHD will also work on the Legoland water park, the Lapita Hotel and Riverland Dubai – a centrally located 220,000-square-foot district that will host various retail, dining and entertainment outlets.
Elda Choucair, managing director of PHD UAE, said: “The sheer scale of this impressive project as well as the diversity of markets in which we will be working makes this an incredibly exciting brief for us.
“We’re literally contributing to building the future of Dubai as it is a landmark development that will further strengthen the city’s position on the world map. We can’t underestimate its significance for both international visitors and residents. They have huge ambitions and we’re ready with boundless energy in order to make sure Dubai Parks and Resorts grows to reach its full potential.”
The win is another big boost for PHD in the region, which has seen unprecedented 87 per cent growth this year.
This year alone, the agency has bagged accounts for Ferrero, Pizza Hut and the Abu Dhabi-based National Food Products Company. The Pizza Hut account alone covers all digital duties for the brand. The agency is tasked with helping the restaurant chain capitalise on digital technologies.
“We were particularly impressed with PHD’s approach for our brands as well as the tools and systems they have to set their strategies,” said Vinit Dinesh Shah, Chief Destination Management Officer at Dubai Parks and Resorts. “We also found there was a great chemistry between us and the PHD team. We truly got the sense that they are people who understand our business as well as we do and we felt comfortable entrusting our brands to them. We’re really excited about the great work we’ll accomplish together.”
The multi-billion-dirham theme park will be located off Sheikh Zayed Road in Jebel Ali and its construction is reportedly 73 per cent complete.
This month Dubai Parks and Resorts posted a Dhs 29.6 million third-quarter loss.
