Summer in Dubai has always come with an unspoken understanding: June hits, the Emirate heats up, and everything, from events to brand collaborations, cools right down. It was the perfect excuse to take a creative breather, maybe travel a bit and wait until September before things picked up again.
But this year, that lull never arrived.
As a content creator, comedian and actor who was born and raised in the UAE, I’ve seen firsthand that the supposed “quiet months” are no longer a thing, especially in our industry. Brands are staying active, campaigns are running through the summer and most crucially, conversations about Q4 are already in full swing.
The days of logging off between June and September are over. If you want to be in the room for those big end-of-year projects, you need to be visible and engaged. If you can’t do it yourself, ensuring you have strong representation who will remain consistently responsive, like my incredible agency, Reach, is vital too.
This shift isn’t just about social media staying busy, it’s a reflection of how much Dubai itself has changed. The city doesn’t hibernate for the summer anymore, it’s alive, attracting audiences both locally and globally and that means the content can’t stop. Our followers don’t go quiet, so neither can we.
In 2023, a YouGov report revealed that 71 percent of residents in the UAE and KSA planned to stay in their home countries over the summer, a notable shift driven by the growing variety of leisure and entertainment options now available. This marks a clear sign that the region is becoming increasingly “summer-proof,” with more reasons than ever to stay local during the hotter months.
For brands, this shift brings opportunity. There’s a growing demand for regional content that reflects life as it’s lived here, even in the summer. Creating content abroad no longer resonates the same way. The backdrop needs to be familiar and the context relevant. Homegrown content is no longer seasonal, it’s essential.
We all know the first secret to growing an online platform is consistency and if you’re not showing up, someone else will. For me, I’m happy to keep the creativity flowing: jokes, campaigns, educational posts… even if it means sweating through a few extra takes.
