How Much Does a Full Brand Strategy Cost in Dubai? (2025 Price Guide)
If you are trying to understand the investment required for a full brand strategy in the highly competitive Dubai market, you will quickly find that prices vary wildly. The cost is not a fixed price tag, but a reflection of the depth, expertise, and scope of work required to successfully position a brand in the UAE’s dynamic and multicultural landscape.
The Full Brand Strategy Cost Spectrum in Dubai (2025 Estimates)
The cost of a full brand strategy in Dubai can be broadly categorized into three tiers, with the price directly correlating to the depth of research, the experience of the agency, and the comprehensiveness of the final deliverables. You can also find comprehensive branding service list in this page.
| Tier of Service | Estimated Price Range (AED) | Best For |
| Tier 1: Foundational Strategy (Freelancer/Small Studio) | AED 5,000 – AED 25,000 | Startups, sole-proprietors, and small businesses needing a basic, research-lite brand identity. |
| Tier 2: Comprehensive Strategy (Boutique Agency) | AED 25,000 – AED 100,000 | Growing SMEs, scale-ups, and established local businesses requiring in-depth positioning and a clear brand book. |
| Tier 3: Enterprise Strategy (Premium/Global Agency) | AED 100,000 – AED 400,000+ | Large regional or international corporations, companies targeting luxury/premium segments, and those needing multi-market, cross-cultural strategies. |
Key Takeaway: A “full brand strategy” is more than a logo. It involves research, positioning, messaging, and a strategic roadmap. Pricing reflects the time and seniority of the strategists, not just the designers.
Decoding the Deliverables: What You Pay For
To understand the price, you must first understand the deliverables. A proper brand strategy process consists of three core phases, each with its own cost implications:
1. The Strategy & Discovery Phase (The Foundation)
This is the most critical and time-consuming part, typically accounting for 40% to 60% of the total budget. Higher costs here signify deeper, more reliable insights.
| Deliverable | Description | Cost Impact |
| Market & Competitor Analysis | In-depth analysis of the Dubai/UAE market, identifying gaps and opportunities; detailed review of 5-10 direct competitors. | High: Requires senior strategist time and specialized data tools. |
| Brand Positioning | Defining the unique space the brand occupies in the customer’s mind. Includes Brand Purpose, Vision, and Mission. | Crucial: Forms the backbone of all future marketing. |
| Audience Personas (Local Focus) | Detailed profiles of target customers, often segmented by demographics, nationality, and buying behavior specific to the UAE. | Necessary: Essential for cultural alignment and localized messaging. |
| Brand Architecture | Strategy for multiple products/services (e.g., endorsed, monolithic, or distinct brands). | Varies: Only needed for businesses with complex offerings. |
| Strategic plan to deliver brand values | Strategy for Delivering | High: Requires senior strategist. |
2. The Identity & Messaging Phase (The Playbook)
Once the strategy is set, the identity—both verbal and visual—is created to reflect it. This phase typically accounts for 30% to 50% of the total budget.
| Deliverable | Description | Cost Impact |
| Visual Identity System | Custom logo, color palette, typography, image style, and iconography. (A high-end agency will create multiple logo applications.) | High: Dependent on design quality and complexity. |
| Verbal Identity & Messaging | Defining the brand’s unique voice, tone, tagline, elevator pitch, and core marketing statements. Includes Arabic/Bilingual considerations. | Medium-High: Requires specialist brand copywriters familiar with UAE culture. |
| The Brand Guidelines/Book | A comprehensive document detailing how to use the brand visually and verbally across all touchpoints. | Crucial: Essential for ensuring consistency as the brand grows. |
3. The Key Point of Branding Strategy that many agencies do not cover
If you cannot deliver appropriate experience, you cannot build a brand.
Areesto’s Brand Strategy focuses on providing experiences and values and consists of these sections:
Mapping the existing and ideal Customer Journey across touchpoints. Identifying current pain points and opportunities where the brand promise is failing/succeeding.
A- Actionable frameworks both internally and in touchpoints
A proprietary model that translates abstract Core Values into specific employee behaviors and operational checklists.
B- Setting strategic project to deliver specified values
This pillar acts as the implementation plan for your entire brand strategy. It translates the abstract Brand Values (e.g., “Sustainability,” “Efficiency,” “Personalized Care”) into finite, time-bound, cross-functional projects that visibly and measurably deliver those values to the customer.
C- Setting Internal Processes and Systems
A document outlining where the new brand values should be embedded into existing operational systems (e.g., linking the brand promise to the CRM system, post-sale follow-ups, or issue resolution protocols).
D- Hiring specialists to deliver values
The goal of this phase is to move your core brand values (e.g., “Personalized Service,” “Innovation,” “Integrity”) from a plaque on the wall into the DNA of your talent acquisition and development processes.
How much Our Brand Strategy Cost:
Small Businesses and new brands (brands): 10,000 -25.000 AED
Medium Businesses (brands): 25,000 -50.000 AED
4. Several key factors specific to the UAE market cause prices to fluctuate:
A- The Necessity of Bilingual (Arabic/English) Services
The UAE is a multicultural hub. A competent Dubai brand strategy must account for both English and Arabic audiences.
- Bilingual Brand Messaging: Developing a message that translates accurately and resonates culturally in both languages is not a simple translation job. It requires a specialist, increasing the verbal identity cost.
- Design Considerations: Arabic typography and visual hierarchy read right-to-left, which impacts layout, website design, and print collateral.
B- Industry Competition and Complexity
- Highly Competitive Industries (Real Estate, Luxury, Hospitality): These sectors demand an exceptionally sharp, high-end strategy and visual identity to stand out from global brands already operating in the Emirate. This necessitates deeper research and commands premium pricing.
- B2B vs. B2C: B2B branding often requires more complex buyer persona development, white papers, and long-term content strategies, while B2C may focus more on high-impact visual identity and social presence.
C- The Client’s Internal Team Readiness
If the client’s internal team is disorganized, lacks clarity on their offering, or requires extensive training and handholding during the discovery phase, the agency’s time—and therefore the cost—will increase significantly. A prepared client saves money.
The ROI: Why Brand Strategy is an investment, not a Cost
While AED 45,000 or AED 150,000 may seem like a large sum, viewing a brand strategy as a cost-center is a mistake in a place like Dubai. The true value lies in the long-term ROI:
- Premium Pricing Power: A clear, strong brand allows you to justify higher prices, moving you out of the price-competition bracket common in the UAE market.
- Marketing Efficiency: A strong strategy acts as a clear compass, ensuring every marketing dirham spent on digital, social, or PPC is targeted and effective, avoiding wasted spend.
- Talent Attraction: A powerful, respected brand is crucial for attracting top-tier talent in Dubai, a market where skilled labor is highly mobile and competitive.
The most expensive brand strategy is the one you have to do twice. Investing correctly upfront saves you from costly rebrands, confusing marketing, and poor sales conversions later.