Evaluating Abu Dhabi’s Approach to Measuring and Tracking Brand Standing

Abu Dhabi Department of Culture & Tourism

Destination: Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Engagement: 2019


A Middle Eastern destination management organization (DMO) positioned among a myriad of competitive destinations needed a deeper understanding of consumer motivators, barriers, misconceptions, and competitive standing as the first step toward attracting and converting potential visitors. The DMO engaged Twenty31 to conduct a comprehensive assessment of their existing brand health and devise an enhanced approach grounded in global best practice.

Stakeholder assessment and buy-in


Our team conducted dozens of in-depth interviews with internal and external stakeholders to understand how brand research was currently being used and to identify areas for improvement.

Innovation labs and strategy formulation


Workshops with key stakeholders tested and assessed options for improving existing brand tracking methodology, analysis, and reporting of insights.

Situational and statistical analysis


Although existing DMO brand tracking research was underway, there was little confidence in the data and limited use of its insights. Twenty31 conducted an in-depth quantitative analysis of the research then recommended ways to improve methodology, aligning it with industry-leading practices.

This engagement set the DMO on a path to develop a world-leading business intelligence system based on a market insights survey, a destination visitor survey, and digital listening – all fed into a data aggregator and dashboard. Our efforts enabled internal stakeholders in marketing, trade, and events to effectively use the data and insights for strategy development and KPI measurement.