Mohamed Alabbar Emphasises Product Quality and Authenticity as Key Business Drivers
Dubai: Mohamed Alabbar, CEO and Managing Director of Emaar Properties, has challenged conventional marketing strategies by advocating for the superiority of genuine products, honesty, and credibility over traditional marketing approaches. During a session titled “Why I Let Go of My Marketing Team” at the 1 Billion Followers Summit 2025, Alabbar shared his unconventional approach to building one of the world’s most recognized real estate and hospitality brands.
According to Emirates News Agency, the summit, organized by the UAE Government Media Office, is the world’s largest gathering dedicated to the content creator economy. Held from 11th to 13th January across iconic venues such as Emirates Towers, Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), and the Museum of the Future, the event welcomed over 15,000 content creators and influencers, more than 420 speakers, and 125 CEOs and global experts under the theme ‘Content for Good.’
Alabbar highlighted the importance of product quality, explaining that Emaar’s unique business model requires a different approach than massive advertising campaigns. He noted, ‘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.’
Despite his departure from traditional marketing, Alabbar occasionally collaborates with content creators, emphasizing the need to match the right product with the right audience and location. He strategically leverages content creators for specific products and targeted audiences instead of relying on broad, untargeted marketing campaigns.
Alabbar shared that Emaar initially outsourced marketing services before ceasing all traditional marketing activities. He showcased a video featuring himself and his grandchildren, which, despite its US$70,000 production cost, resulted in US$3.5 billion in real estate sales. He stated, ‘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.’
His message to social media influencers and content creators centered around the importance of genuine content, authenticity, and quality products. Alabbar underscored Emaar’s success elements: ‘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 and his decision to let go of his marketing team, Alabbar issued two challenges to the audience. He invited them to submit creative content ideas for a chance to win a significant financial reward and potentially secure a contract with his company.