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Rarely does an editor worth his salt jump up and down on the arrival of a press release. True, there are times, close to deadline, when two pages of superlatives and poor syntax can serve the purpose of filling a niggling gap in the gutter; but on the whole, a press release doesn’t get the juices flowing. It is always solid actions, not gratuitous publicity, that make for a good story.
 
Likewise, the announcement of a major sponsorship deal will likely be a dud. It might be important in the realm of the sponsor and the sponsored, but the world at large can usually live without this information. File it under filler. Next…
 
But Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA) has hit on a fresh way to liven up the mundane: In the style of the movie Wag the Dog, it has created an ongoing news story to reinforce its message.
 
The message is that the emirate has sunk huge sums of money into the World Rally Championship’s BP Ford team. It’s a big deal for ADTA’s strategy of marketing itself as a major tourist destination through sport, but the headline “Abu Dhabi seals partnership with rally team” is never going to spur the masses into a tizzy.
 
Contrast this with “Racing sheikh takes on motor sport’s best.” Now that’s a story. It has everything: royalty, speed, prestige and a local angle, and people are going to read it – even develop an interest in it.
 
A STAR IS BORN. Out of a mundane sponsorship deal, the director of ADTA’s product development division, Ahmed Hussein, has created a soap opera, and the screenplay goes something like this:
 
Tall, handsome and exceedingly photogenic, Sheikh Khalid Al Qassimi, son of two ruling dynasties – the Al Nahyans of Abu Dhabi and the Al Qassimis of Sharjah – travels to Europe to compete against the big names of motor sport.
 
A local champion, and shouldering the weight of expectation of his people, he finds himself with a seat in rally’s hottest team. All the while, back in his homeland, the impassioned crowds follow his every move on the world stage. There’s no doubt he’s fast, but can he cut it alongside the best in the world?
 
As a means of developing people’s interest, there’s nothing like providing them with a leading protagonist and a script, and all this from sticking the words Abu and Dhabi on a rally car. Al Qassimi’s presence in the deal is pivotal to keeping it in the limelight: As his profile increases, so too does that of the emirate he represents. As a case of the tail wagging the dog, it goes against the grain; but it is undoubtedly a killer move.
 
“This is the dawn of something extremely special for Khalid, Abu Dhabi, and the UAE,” says Hussein. “A whole host of new challenges await him and the team, but with hard work and dedication I am sure Team Abu Dhabi will be up to the task.”
 
Al Qassimi, as befits a leading man, takes his duty on the chin. “Being an ambassador for the UAE capital and its people who are following my progress is something of a responsibility, but one I relish,” he says. “I’m indebted to His Excellency [Sheikh Sultan bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan, chairman of ADTA] for granting me this unbelievable opportunity.”
 
GREAT EXPECTATIONS. No story appeals to absolutely everyone, and ADTA’s approach has had its detractors. Some claim that Al Qassimi is a long way out of his league and that the whole idea is a cynical move by Abu Dhabi made purely to garner publicity. But this is only half-right.
 
It’s true that marketing motives lie behind the plan, and no right-minded PR would bother trying to spin it as something else; but with three races so far under his belt, Al Qassimi has shown he can compete with the best. While still challenging for the Middle East title, he has mixed his home schedule with WRC commitments and gained 16th, 14th and 15th places so far at the top table. Bearing in mind that these slots come from a field of close to 100, each driver far more experienced on World Rally surfaces, the Racing Sheikh has excelled in his first forays.
 
To ensure there would be no embarrassing slip-ups - especially if Al Qassimi didn’t immediately make the grade – ADTA struck a deal with the BP Ford team for a five-year development program from one of the best in the business. Malcolm Wilson, the team’s principal, and managing director of M-Sport, the British motorsport company which has overseen Ford’s WRC projects since 1997, has developed talent for years and is optimistic about the chances of his latest charge.
 
“I definitely see a bright future for Khalid in World Rally and I look forward to watching him challenge for a championship in his own right,” Wilson tells Communicate.
 
“No driver can reach the top of this sport straight away. To become a champion, it takes experience, skill and dedication, and Khalid has the last two. Our job is to broaden his knowledge of the sport and the conditions World Rally drivers face at each race,” he continues.
 
“It takes a minimum of five years to develop a driver to the highest level and we are determined that Khalid will become one of the top names in the sport by the end of his program.”
 
And it seems ADTA’s approach is working, judging by the response of local journalists at the Finland Rally to Abu Dhabi’s branding. And to its new driver.
 
“It is very exciting that Abu Dhabi is becoming involved in this sport,” said veteran Finnish rally journalist Erno Rautarinta after the race. “It is always good to have newcomers and Abu Dhabi has certainly made itself known in Finland.” Fellow hack Leena Lavonius echoes this sentiment. “For the first time I have considered Abu Dhabi as a tourist destination. I think, to rally fans, sponsors’ products are particularly enticing. I am glad to see Abu Dhabi’s arrival in the sport, and I was very impressed by Sheikh Khalid’s debut here.”
 
THE RIGHT STUFF. And there are more announcements to come, sources reveal. Abu Dhabi is on the verge of revealing even greater involvement in rally, following the success of its two-pronged attack – sponsorship and sheikh – on the sport.
 
“The reception the Abu Dhabi-branded cars have received has been incredible,” says ADTA’s Hussein. “This confirms that the relationship with BP Ford and the WRC was the right choice for Abu Dhabi, as part of our ongoing program to develop international awareness of the emirate as a world-class destination.”
 
Although nothing has been officially announced yet, it is an open secret in the rally pit-lanes that Abu Dhabi covets the opportunity to bring a World Rally to the emirate. There is no obvious reason why the FIA – motor sports’ governing body – would not react favorably to such a move, given the commitment the emirate, which is set to host a Formula 1 Grand Prix in 2009, has shown already.
 
Al Qassimi knows he’s a vital part of this grand scheme, and has already grown accustomed to his role as the public face of the emirate’s involvement in motorsport.
 
“I’m happy to be an ambassador for Abu Dhabi, but there is a responsibility on my shoulders for sure. I have to protect the image of Abu Dhabi and be an icon – I will be watching what I do, and checking whether I’m saying the right words. Because we are part of a big program, we have to work together to make sure it all goes smoothly.”
 
Ambassador, protagonist, pin-up and PR rep: all aspects of Al Qassimi’s presence in World Rally, and all developed as part of ADTA’s crafty plan to keep its partnership with BP Ford in the headlines. Abu Dhabi could have taken the easy route of the standard press release, but Hussein plumped for the big script to create a sporting blockbuster.

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