Client

Rising Sharjah is poised to transform Sharjah’s business landscape by offering a dynamic platform that generates excitement about the Emirate’s burgeoning professional and business ecosystem. In the first quarter of 2024, Sharjah’s economy witnessed a significant boost in FDI, with projects increasing by 44% year-on-year and capital investments reaching USD 140.6 million. As Sharjah garners recognition for its business-friendly environment, the launch of Rising Sharjah leverages this opportunity to promote business and lifestyle developments. This initiative aims to foster a vibrant community of entrepreneurs and professionals, creating a hub for innovation and growth.

Recognizing the necessity for a high-quality and engaging platform, the objective was to establish a robust brand foundation. Although initiatives such as the podcast had already begun, it was imperative to create a cohesive brand identity and communication structure to ensure all activations were seamlessly recognized under the Rising Sharjah banner.

Establishing a Strong Brand Identity

To establish a compelling brand identity for Rising Sharjah, it was essential to craft a distinctive logo, with bold colors, and other key design elements. Consistently delivering high-quality content and captivating visuals that will effectively showcase business excellence and dynamic lifestyle, attracting a diverse range of entrepreneurs and investors.

Formulating a Comprehensive Communication Strategy

To elevate Rising Sharjah’s presence in the UAE, it’s essential to implement a robust communication strategy. Focus on consistently sharing valuable content across key online platforms. This approach will position Sharjah as a top destination for entrepreneurs and investors, solidifying Rising Sharjah’s role in driving business growth and innovation.

Rising Sharjah was born from the vision of spotlighting Sharjah as a hub for business and lifestyle. While Sharjah is known for its business-friendly environment, there was a gap in creating buzz and awareness in the professional sector. Rising Sharjah fills this void, aiming to make the Emirate the new center of business innovation and community engagement.

The team saw the need for a platform that goes beyond traditional success metrics. Rising Sharjah emphasizes building brand awareness and fostering a community spirit. Inspiring businesses to explore new ideas and share success stories, nurturing growth. Rising Sharjah embodies Sharjah’s commitment to quality and creativity, showing the Emirate from a new perspective and providing a space for businesses to thrive, connect, and grow, enhancing the dynamic business ecosystem in Sharjah.

Based on our research, we formulated a strategy for Rising Sharjah aimed at establishing a strong brand identity and creating a significant presence in the market, both online and offline. This strategy was developed through a detailed brand exercise focusing on the following top priorities:

Creating a Distinctive Logo:

Our first step was to design a logo that clearly reflects the essence of Rising Sharjah. The logo needed to embody both the dynamic business environment and the vibrant lifestyle that Sharjah offers. It was essential for the logo to be visually appealing and instantly recognizable, symbolizing the innovative spirit of the Emirate.

Developing Brand Guidelines:

We created a brand guideline book to give Rising Sharjah its own distinct identity. This book included detailed specifications on the brand’s tone of voice, key messages, and core pillars. The guidelines ensure all communication and visual elements are consistent, reinforcing the brand’s image and making it easily identifiable across various platforms.

Enhancing Podcast Branding

This strategy will also significantly enhance the branding of the existing podcasts under the Rising Sharjah banner. By ensuring all podcast content adheres to the newly established brand guidelines, we will create a cohesive and recognizable identity. This consistency will not only improve audience engagement but also attract a broader listener base, thereby amplifying the reach and impact of the podcasts. 

Building Blocks for Future Growth

Our strategy is designed to lay the foundation for Rising Sharjah to evolve beyond just one platform. By establishing a strong brand identity and a vibrant online presence, we are setting the stage for Rising Sharjah to become a marketplace where businesses can thrive. 

Soon, this initiative aims to:

• Create a Hub for Business: Transform Rising Sharjah into a bustling marketplace where entrepreneurs and businesses can connect, trade, and grow.
• Innovation and Collaboration: Encourage collaboration among businesses, fostering innovation and driving economic growth in Sharjah.
• Support Business Development: Provide resources, support, and opportunities for businesses to expand and succeed within Sharjah’s dynamic business ecosystem.

To establish Rising Sharjah as a business ecosystem and marketplace, we focused on the following:

Brand Logo

Creating a logo for Rising Sharjah involved extensive barnstorming and research. We aimed to:

• Show Sharjah as a city from a new perspective.
• Highlight it as a full ecosystem and platform for building and offering services for entrepreneurs.
• Present it as a marketplace.
• Prefer a horizontal format.

We explored what makes Sharjah unique, viewing it from a bird’s eye perspective to capture the colors, architectural styles, and famous landmarks. Realizing that true inspiration starts from within, we designed different logos but for us and the client, only one stood out the most. The one that resonated most with the Rising Sharjah story featured a topographical style, representing Sharjah’s dynamic landscape and entrepreneurial spirit.

Brand Book

Once the logo was approved, we designed the brand book to resonate with the logo’s story. This guide was carefully crafted to touch on various key elements, including tone of voice, fonts, colors, and brand messaging, communication style across different mediums. Each element was selected to align with the brand’s identity, ensuring a consistent and cohesive presentation across all platforms.

Branding Elements for the Podcast

For the podcast, we implemented strategic brand placements including branded microphones, watermarks on the screen, and an ambiance that incorporated the approved brand colors. These elements ensured that the podcast not only conveyed the right message but also maintained strong brand recognition and visual consistency throughout.

Future Developments

We are also developing the next phase of Rising Sharjah, with great emphasis on transforming the brand into a one-of-a-kind business ecosystem and marketplace in Sharjah. This next phase will focus on enhancing the platform’s capabilities, offering more services, and further solidifying Rising Sharjah’s position as a premium destination for entrepreneurs and businesses.

These results demonstrate how branding efforts have successfully positioned Rising Sharjah as a multifaceted platform.

By connecting with the audience on multiple levels—business, culture, heritage, and community—the branding strategy has effectively set up Rising Sharjah as a vibrant and dynamic ecosystem.

This extensive impact highlights the effectiveness of the strategic decisions made during the branding process, proving their importance in achieving the overarching goals.