Mohamed Alabbar Advocates For Product Quality And Authenticity Over Traditional Marketing Strategies

Mohamed Alabbar, CEO and Managing Director of Emaar Properties, shared his unique perspective on marketing at the 1 Billion Followers Summit 2025. He argued that genuine products, honesty, and credibility are more important than traditional marketing strategies. His leadership has been instrumental in developing real estate projects worth over US$350 billion across 18 countries.

The summit, organised by the UAE Government Media Office from 11th to 13th January, took place at iconic venues like Dubai’s Emirates Towers and the Museum of the Future. It is the world’s largest gathering focused on the content creator economy. The event attracted over 15,000 content creators and influencers, more than 420 speakers, and 125 CEOs and global experts.

Alabbar highlighted the significance of product quality over extensive advertising campaigns. He compared Emaar's business model to companies like Emirates, which require different approaches. "When I started Noon, I learned that massive ad campaigns are not necessarily what we need. What we need is to monetise and measure how spending affects our sales. My marketing team couldn’t do that, so it had to go."

While he avoids traditional marketing methods, Alabbar sometimes collaborates with content creators. He stresses aligning products with the right audience and location. This strategic use of content creators targets specific products rather than broad campaigns.

Alabbar revealed that Emaar initially outsourced its marketing services but eventually stopped all traditional marketing activities. He shared a video featuring himself and his grandchildren that cost US$70,000 to produce but resulted in US$3.5 billion in real estate sales. "You can’t do this if you’re not genuine and if your product isn’t good. You also need to be supported by the best team and choose the right audience."

He advised social media influencers to focus on authenticity and quality products. Alabbar emphasised Emaar's success relies on quality, credibility, authenticity, and a strong team: "Success never lasts if you don’t have these key elements: quality, credibility and authenticity – as well as a good team. We are lucky because we have the best team and we live in the best city in the world, Dubai."

To illustrate his point about being unimpressed with conventional methods, Alabbar challenged the audience to submit creative content ideas for a chance to win a financial reward or a contract with his company.

The session was part of the third edition of the summit under the theme ‘Content for Good.’ It brought together diverse voices from around the globe to discuss innovative approaches in content creation while emphasising positive impact through authentic storytelling.

Alabbar's insights challenge conventional wisdom by prioritising genuine engagement over traditional marketing tactics. His approach underscores a shift towards authenticity in building successful brands within today's dynamic market landscape.

With inputs from WAM