Off to the Races

Greetings from Abu Dhabi & welcome to Hoke’s Notes. A quick intro on me.  

Being from Kentucky I always enjoyed a good race and the excitement that surrounds it. I’ve been fortunate to attend The Kentucky Derby a number of times, The Dubai World Cup & see a day of camel racing at a track near Al Ain (see below). I also enjoy business challenges and trying something different.  For over 30 years I have been a senior executive who worked throughout America from Connecticut to Alaska in the fields of broadcasting, higher education and e-learning. I learned a great deal in each place I’ve served and hopefully I made each organization a little better.

Nancy and I came to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in 2009 to have one more “great adventure” by living & working in a part of the world we never experienced. My first year, I served as Head of Marketing with a local higher education institution and in April of 2010 joined a marketing/communications firm in Abu Dhabi called BrandMoxie. During the first 18 months I have become very involved in marketing research, media, community relations, and multimedia marketing to diverse audiences.  

The reason for Hoke’s Notes is to share my observations & knowledge in the ever-changing field of marketing and communications in this region. The UAE has a population of 6 million of which 1 million are Emirati and the rest are from every country on earth. The language of business is English but Arabic is the native tongue plus a number of other languages are spoken. The UAE is young, has wealth due to oil, and built two major international cities in a massive desert.  

In less than 40 years the UAE has done remarkably well but struggles with its identity and diversifying its economy. It is a world that embraces technology and loves to show off. There are two mobile phones for every person who lives in the UAE & one million using “smart phones”.  There are numerous traditional & untraditional ways to get out your message.  

Hopefully I will shed some light on the subject of marketing and communications in the Gulf Coast Countries (GCC).