Introduction

In order to deliver on the vision of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE and Ruler of Abu Dhabi, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Chairman of the Executive Council, mandated the Executive Affairs Authority and the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority to undertake an initiative that would capture and define the brand identity of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.

The key elements of this initiative included international research on perceptions of the Emirate, local research on how the people of Abu Dhabi understand their own identity, and the development of a comprehensive brand strategy guided by the insights of these local and international studies.

The ultimate outcome of this initiative is a clear and defined brand for the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and a comprehensive strategy to ensure that this brand is applied consistently and appropriately by the public and private sectors when they represent the Emirate.

To oversee the development of the brand, and to drive its implementation, a new Government entity – the Office of the Brand of Abu Dhabi – was established by the Executive Council Resolution number 48 of 2007.

This newly formed government organisation has been formally mandated with two tasks:

  1. The creation of a brand that captures the essence of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi in an identity that is visual, literal and behavioural, and;
  2. To act as the guardian and patron of this brand identity.

As the patron of this brand identity, the Office of the Brand of Abu Dhabi will assist the public and private sectors to understand the brand and its purpose, and to provide guidance on its application in all activities that may have an impact on the reputation of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.

The first public roll-out of the brand will involve a destination-marketing campaign, led by the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority, exploring the rare cultural heritage of the Emirate. Subsequently, other public sector entities will incorporate elements of the brand in their own relevant contexts in 2008 and beyond, including the creation of a dedicated brand for the promotion of Foreign Direct Investment.

This extranet contains the resulting initial brand architecture, prepared by the Office of the Brand of Abu Dhabi and approved by the Abu Dhabi Executive Council.