Slumdog Millioniare, Dubai Literature Festival and branding of countries

The 8 Oscars that Slumdog Millionaire won has made India proud. It is rare that an Indian film ( or one about India) receives so much attention as has Slumdog Millonaire. And rarer is the combination of artists who have come together to produce this award winning film. I believe the awards have brought more positive publicity than the so-called damage to it by portraying the slums in the film. The amount of positive word of mouth and publicity that the film has generated is unprecedented. It surely is a moment to celebrate.
This week in Dubai, something equally interesting is taking place. While the scale of the event is not so big, it definitely has grabbed global headlines. I am talking about the Dubai Literature Festival taking place at Festival city. While the literary festival is mired in controversy, ( Margaret Atwood’s withdrawl after an author was apparently banned from the festival) one cannot deny that it is an effort to help position Dubai as a hub of culture and art. Looking at this in perspective, one cannot deny that arts and culture have greater currency as branding elements than many other straightforward means. Culture seems to be the new weapon in the branding arsenal.
With the current global recession, most cities and countries are down playing the small successes they may have had or even toning down the ‘celebrations’ if any to keep in tune with the somber mood globally. This seems to have an impact on how branding is being seen. The loud, brash and arrogant tone is long gone. Companies, cities and countries which were ambitious, loud and domineering are seeing the logic in toning down their voice and are a bit subdued. The tone being adopted is a bit more mature, careful and measured. What impact has this had on the image of Dubai and other destinations ?
Abudhabi and Sharjah have also taken a stand of positioning the heritage, culture and arts – not only of the region; but are ambitious enough to get Guggenheim and Louvre to set up museums in Abudhabi.
Art is being imported in large measures. The objective ? Create an ambience and eco-system to encourage global talent to gather in an atmosphere where it can thrive. Also, encourage local talent to thrive. The end result would be the growth of a certain consciousness and atmosphere in which Art and culture can flourish .
Dubai in turn is being positioned as a destination which has more to offer than just world class business , conferencing and leisure facilities. It is being positioned as a mature place, something which has something for everyone. A destination which has an eco-system which encourages scholarship, thinking, living a quality life and much more than just a transit point that many people take it to be. Looking at the current events, discussions, one gets the impressions : It is a maturing city. There is more to Dubai than just glamour and show. In essence, there is more depth . The leadership of Dubai has realized that these positive attributes and ‘soft branding’ can be used to show the world that Dubai can be a ‘complete city’ , a mature city with its own distinct identity .