Hello out there. Can anyone help me understand a bit more about Dubai? If anyone has any data on:

  • How much flesh you can bare in advertising
  • Rules on religious reference in advertising
  • Any stuff on women’s relationship with hair, salons and who the style opinion formers might be..

…….I would be so grateful that I’ll give you a free copy of John Steel’s Truth Lies and Advertising, or Edward De Bono’s Six Thinking hats.

First useful response gets the goods, posted free of charge.

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6 responses to “International help – what do you know of Dubai”

  1. lauren Avatar

    NP i didn’t click through the above link before writing this dissertation, so apologies if it doubles up. and all is just from my personal experience on few visits and insight from my friend who lives there.
    dubai may be relatively moderate, but it still frowns on the flashing of gratuitous flesh – however, the eyes have it. if you can capture joy, love, attraction in a woman’s eyes through her niqh’ab, you’re onto a winner.
    re: religious reference, obviously don’t try to reference mohammed – that’s just asking for trouble – ask any dane. but allusion to goodness, honesty, family, virtue and honour will be well-received. the royal family are a big fucking deal over there and there are billboards featuring them – including ones of flowing locks from the sheikhs’ son.
    life at the salon is a big fucking deal, and usually comes with hair, make up, nails and henna. it’s an opportunity for women of all ages to sit and chat and gossip outside of the home, but still within the bounds of an all-female environment. and especially because weddings are often and an excuse to get frocked up in this way.
    there’s a great animated series from dubai (which of course i can’t remember the name of) where the four main characters are women in trad dress.
    having said all that, a huge number of the population in dubai are from india and the phillipines (where hair is also a huge fucking deal). and don’t forget the huge US, UK and Aussie ex-pat community.

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  2. Rob @ Cynic Avatar

    I have a couple of planner friends in Dubai I can contact if you haven’t got the info you need already. Let me know …

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  3. Rob @ Cynic Avatar

    Oh and if it’s any help, consider almost everything ‘advertisingy’ [that references sensual/sexual behaviour] as needing to be expressed as a metaphor. It is VERY strict.

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  4. niko Avatar

    you should also see the movie caramel, by the Lebanese director Nadine Labaki. It revolves around a beautysalon in beirut, and the meaning it has for arab women.
    should give you some insight…

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  5. Northern Avatar

    Thanks everyone. Fortunately the first comment was anonymous, so I don’t have to give a book away either.
    Not too shabby for Northern

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