Dragoman breakthrough brands

Industry: Holding company

  • Majid Al Futtaim

    Majid Al Futtaim

    Majid Al Futtaim

    From brand management to brand value

    “Dragoman helped us to successfully take our new brand to market in a very tight time frame. Over the next few years Dragoman was contracted to offer us strategic brand and design support.

    Dragoman have helped us to evolve the brand inline with the business strategy, whilst at the same time creating design templates and guidelines to ensure that we can consistently take the brand to market and ensure our roll out is consistent.

    The brand audits that Dragoman perform on a yearly basis help us to track the success of brand adoption across the organisation which is a critical business metric.”

    AbdulMouhsen Almadani – Brand Strategy and Planning Senior Manager

    THE CHALLENGE

    Majid Al Futtaim (MAF), a leader in shopping malls, hotels, retail, and leisure across the Middle East, Africa, and Asia, needed a cohesive brand architecture to consolidate its vast portfolio under a single master brand while ensuring brand governance and consistency.

    HOW WE WORKED

    Dragoman collaborated closely with MAF’s brand team over five years, implementing a brand strategy, audit process, and brand management system. This included brand architecture, guidelines, environmental design, and an online brand management portal.

    THE SOLUTION

    Dragoman developed a structured brand framework, ensuring that all business units, sub-brands, and franchise operations aligned with MAF’s corporate identity. Additionally, an employee brand ambassador program was introduced to maintain internal engagement.

    OUR DELIVERABLES

    Brand architecture and governance

    Brand audit and management system

    Design systems and environmental branding

    Online brand management portal

    Employee brand ambassador program

    THE RESULTS

    The structured brand approach led to a strong, unified corporate identity across markets, ensuring brand equity retention and consistent brand messaging. The brand portal streamlined brand management, and the ambassador program strengthened internal adoption.

  • Carrefour

    Carrefour

    Carrefour

    From “low prices” to “more for you”

    THE CHALLENGE

    Consumer behaviour was shifting across the Middle East and globally. Carrefour needed to reassess the relevance of its proposition against these changes—moving beyond a price-only stance to a broader, customer-value promise that could sustain leadership and growth.

    HOW WE WORKED

    We partnered with a research firm to map core behavioural shifts and motivations, identifying key shopper segments and their future trajectory. Using these insights, we developed brand propositions, tested them with Carrefour leadership and in market, refining based on evidence. With a direction set, we created design systems for store, communication and livery, piloted them in select locations, gathered feedback, and iterated. Final rollout was supported by comprehensive brand guidelines that captured the narrative for change and specified the system for consistent execution.

    THE SOLUTION

    A refreshed value proposition anchored in everyday value, not just price. We simplified the in-store experience so offers are easier to find and benefits are explicit, and introduced a direct, customer-first messaging framework applied across channels, stores and fleet, unifying visual language, signage and livery into one coherent system.

    OUR DELIVERABLES

    Market research & consumer insights
    Brand proposition development
    Messaging framework & visual language
    In-store & signage system
    Brand livery & rollout guidelines

    THE RESULT

    Carrefour shifted from a price-driven offer to a “more for you” promise, boosting customer engagement and reinforcing long-term market leadership.

  • Sharrai

    Sharrai

    Sharrai

    Designing an intuitive online experience

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    PROJECT OVERVIEW  

    Sharrai was established to support the growing Sharjah automotive industry. Its goal is to transform the local used car industry and create a competitive environment for both buyers and sellers. The Sharrai online platform offers a digital used car showroom and to deliver a complete auto experience.

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    WHAT WE DID  

    Dragoman was initially asked to create a revised brand identity and visual language for their digital platform and its communications.

    However, after workshops with key stakeholders, the creative team was asked to redesign the user interface and components of the user experience across their website and app. Their current customer journey didn’t fulfil the business’s vision or address customer needs.

    Dragoman’s recommended UX was intuitive and user-friendly, offering a seamless browsing and shopping experience. Tailored customer journeys were designed for both desktop and the app, to better suit user habits on each device.

    The final brand assets were rolled out across communication campaigns, outdoor advertising and all digital assets.

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    PROJECT DELIVERABLES

    Market insights
    Brand identity
    Brand assets
    UX
    Digital assets
    Website

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  • DIFC — No.1 campaign

    DIFC — No.1 campaign

    Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC)

    No.1 campaign — generating new business leads

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    Project overview

    DIFC has achieved strong growth and occupancy figures over their 15 year lifespan. Dragoman was asked to communicate these statistical achievements and give them market context, in an engaging and visual way.

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    What we did

    The ‘No.1 campaign’ was DIFC’s first integrated marketing campaign. It aimed to raise brand awareness in key markets and generate new business leads. The campaign also spoke to existing DIFC tenants, confirming they were located within Dubai’s most prestigious financial community and amongst global industry leaders.

    Dragoman implemented a ‘seeded’ campaign approach, communicating one key achievement message each week, across a 12 week period. The bold typographic style presented key statistics in a bold and engaging way, celebrating their achievements through a playful numerical infographic.

    The campaign generated 23 million impressions, 85,000 clicks and 115 quality new business leads, with a never-seen-before conversion rate by the Business Development team.

    If you were interested in this case study, please click on the links below to see and read about:

    DIFC rebrand
    DIFC FinTech Hive branding
    DIFC Academy
    Harnessing Local Talent Campaign

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    PROJECT DELIVERABLES

    Communications strategy
    Design
    Animation
    Campaign management

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  • Majid Al Futtaim — Brand Audits

    Majid Al Futtaim — Brand Audits

    Majid Al Futtaim — Brand Audits

    Quantifying brand compliance across the organisation

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    Project overview

    Post the launch of the brand there was continued investment in the brand to ensure its effective rollout across all business units. With an ever increasing drive for brand consistency across the organisation, it was time to see how effectively the new corporate brand was being implemented.

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    What we did

    The brand audit forms one part of the broader brand management services that Dragoman provide Majid Al Futtaim. The brand audit provide senior management with quantifiable year-on-year statistics of the organisation corporate brand compliance.

    Dragoman worked with the brand and marketing department to design a brand audit and reporting process. The brand audit process sets out the mechanism, the scoring criteria and the reporting format. The collation of branding samples is done by Dragoman and the internal audit team. A report is then generated for each site or department that provides the brand and marketing team with quantifiable. The final audit report defines brand compliance across the organisations, helping management to assess key criteria such as the success of strategic brand initiates, employee and department capabilities and brand guidelines relevance and usability. Any practical implementation issues with the brand roll-out were identified, along with anything affected by changes in the business strategy, and the results are updated in the evolving brand guidelines. The brand guidelines are accessible to all employees and partners through the brand portal.

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    PROJECT DELIVERABLES

    Design systems
    Brand guidelines
    Brand engagement
    Brand portal
    Brand audit

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  • Abdul Latif Jameel Land — J One

    Abdul Latif Jameel Land — J One

    Abdul Latif Jameel Land

    J One: Uncomplicated urban chic

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    PROJECT OVERVIEW

    Abdul Latif Jameel Land were in the process of planning their first residential development in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Abdul Latif Jameel Land approached Dragoman to develop the name, branding and endorsement system to the corporate brand.  

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    What we did

    This was the first time that Abdul Latif Jameel Land had developed a project outside of their corporate portfolio and as such the link between the corporate brand and the project brand needed to be carefully considered. This was also not to be the last residential project and as such consideration needed to be given to this project being the first in a portfolio of developments. We reviewed the evolving business strategy and assessed the market to identify the brand opportunity. We developed a naming system that signalled this historic first step for the organisation, but also supported a future expanding portfolio.

    The development was looking to appeal to a range of audiences, from locals to Western expats and as such the brand needed to have a universal appeal whilst conveying the affluence and consideration to design and planning. The name J One was selected and a brand mark and visual language was developed that set the tone for the aspirations of the development and its future tenants. We also developed an endorsement system that clearly identified Abdul Latif Jameel Land as the developer through visual association and also through and endorsement line ‘The premier residential development by Abdul Latif Jameel Land’. A set of key messaging provided a communication platform to take the brand to market.

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    PROJECT DELIVERABLES

    Insights and research
    Brand strategy
    Naming
    Brand architecture
    Brand assets
    Design systems
    Brand guidelines

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  • Kizad Launch campaign

    Kizad Launch campaign

    Khalifa Industrial Zone Abu Dhabi – Brand Campaign

    Tailoring key sales messages to unique global markets

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    PROJECT OVERVIEW  

    Khalifa Industrial Zone Abu Dhabi (KIZAD) plays an integral role in the economic diversification of the Emirate as outlined by the Abu Dhabi 2030 Vision.

    KIZAD needed a global brand campaign to take its business offer to 8 international markets. Dragoman was appointed to assist in communicating KIZAD’s bold business vision; ‘bringing global industrial business to the Abu Dhabi market’.

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    WHAT WE DID  

    Dragoman developed an overall sales messaging matrix. This involved working with the business development, marketing and management teams to assess the different industrial sectors that they wanted to focus on in each global market i.e. promoting KIZAD to the steel industry in Germany and it’s 0% tax value proposition.

    Each global market had tailored campaign creative, with its own unique key message and copy in the native language. The campaign ran across all digital channels and print, with Dragoman working alongside KIZAD’s media buying agency to execute the material roll out.

    The campaign messages were a balance between informative and engaging. This allowed KIZAD’s key selling points to clearly be communicated across intelligently designed layouts and executions.

    The impact of the campaign was considerable, generating quality leads for the business development team. The cost-per-acquisition for new tenants was the lowest on record, providing a new benchmark for marketing ROI at KIZAD.

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    PROJECT DELIVERABLES

    Advertising campaign
    Campaign management
    Key messaging

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  • Majid Al Futtaim

    Majid Al Futtaim

    Majid Al Futtaim

    From brand management to brand value

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    Project overview

    Majid Al Futtaim is the leading shopping mall, hotel, retail and leisure pioneer across the Middle East, Africa and Asia. It is one of the United Arab Emirates’ most respected and successful businesses, spanning 15 international markets and employing more than 43,000 people.

    Dragoman has worked with Majid Al Futtaim’s brand team for nearly 5 years and is involved in the full spectrum of brand activity, from launch of the new brand through to the ongoing management of the brand. At the end of 2014, a new Majid Al Futtaim brand strategy provided a branding solution for the entire brand portfolio, consolidating it under one master brand.

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    What we did

    Brand Launch & Guidelines

    Dragoman was appointed to define the brand architecture, design system and brand guidelines for the launch of the brand at the end of 2014. We worked with the management team and the launch team as the lead agency on a brand council, liaising with several communication, PR and digital agencies, production companies and printers. The brand was launched to much fan fair, signalling the new intent of the organisation and starting a remarkable branding journey which we are proud to still be part of today.

    Brand Architecture

    Dragoman created the structures and endorsement systems for the business portfolio, breaking it down into relevant categories that could be referenced for future brand development or acquisition. Defining the relationship between each category allowed us to ensure that brand equity was always transferred towards the masterbrand. Ernst & Young was then appointed to test the equity link between each brand in market. Dragoman went on to complete the products & services brand architecture, outlining what elements required a separate brand and subsequently assist in defining the level of investment required todevelop it. A self-guided decision tree allowed Majid Al Futtaimstaff members to take themselves through the questionnaire to determine the correct outcome.

    The brand architecture continues to evolve as the business grows and Dragoman reflects these changes in ongoing iterations.

    Brand Management

    Post the launch of the brand, Dragoman was appointed as the lead agency for Majid Al Futtaim’s ongoing corporate brand management. We designed all touch points from stationery items to environmental branding. We ensured the brand guidelines remained updated as the organisation grew and the brand needed to extend across new business’s or new activations. We also deployed several strategic initiatives across the organisation to support the management and rollout of the brand. These included a brand management portal where all employs and partners could access information and digital assets related to the brand and the creation of a brand ambassador program.

    Brand Audit

    The brand audit forms one part of the broader brand management services that Dragoman provide Majid Al Futtaim. The brand audit provide senior management with quantifiable year-on-year statistics of the organisation corporate brand compliance. (click here to read more)

    Brand Portal

    Dragoman designed and built an online brand management portal to house all corporate brand guidelines and assets essential to the rollout and management of the Majid Al Futtaim brand.

    Brand Ambassador Program

    It was critical to Majid Al Futtaim that the brand was effectively delivered in the market by their staff, as they are the primary interaction point with customers and partners. Dragoman designed a brand ambassador program that identified key employees to act as champions of the brand across the organisation. The program reduces the stress on the corporate branding team and introduces the importance of brand across the organisation with the ultimate goal of achieving brand consistency across the organisation and empowering departments and business units to make the right brand decisions.

    We provided the ambassadors with toolkits to use in their departments or business and set out a schedule of reviews with the ambassadors to feed information back into the Majid Al Futtaim brand team that helped to assess the current mechanisms for brand rollout, identify best practice and any required updates to the guidelines.

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    PROJECT DELIVERABLES

    Insights and research
    Brand strategy
    Brand architecture
    Brand assets
    Design systems
    Environment design
    Brand guidelines
    Brand engagement
    Brand portal
    Brand audit

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