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BBC World TV campaign puts Dubai in limelight
MUMBAI: The Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) recently conducted a three-week-long advertising campaign on the BBC World TV that gave millions of viewers across the world a visual feel of the trading hub of the Middle East during peak-time programmes.
DTCM manager media and advertising Ahmed Al Tunaiji said, “The campaign forms part of the aggressive marketing agenda the department has set for itself to promote Dubai in overseas markets. The campaign added punch to the ongoing initiatives in established and emerging source markets.”
Tunaiji added that the commercials were broadcast before and after the programmes. BBC World TV has a gigantic reach in over 260 million households in over 200 countries and territories worldwide, including 945,000 hotel rooms, 18 airlines and 14 cruise ships, informed an official release.
The department added four new exhibitions to its list of overseas promotions this year to enlarge the scope of its marketing agenda. The BBC World TV campaign comes in the wake of enormous interest in Dubai coming from different parts of the world, the release says.
The department had conducted an extensive television campaign early this year – in time with the beginning of the holiday season in many parts of the world.
DTCM has had an office in India for the last seven years which has been functioning as an initial contact point and query-processing centre for the Indian travel trade interested in doing business in Dubai.
The release informs that the Indian office aims at promoting commerce and tourism, through the organisation of marketing activities such as presentations, roadshows, advertising, brochure distribution, direct sales meetings and media education programmes, which include familiarisation visits for business and travel journalists to Dubai.
Owing to its excellence at marketing ‘Discover Dubai’, DTCM India was recently adjudged the ‘Best International Tourism Board in India’ by the Indian travel industry at the Galileo Express Travel and Tourism Awards in New Delhi, says the release.
DTCM aims to play an important role in boosting bilateral ties by promoting a widespread awareness of the opportunities Dubai has to offer in both business and tourism.
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Lego brings Messi, Ronaldo, Mbappé, Vinicius together
Campaign clocks 314 million views ahead of FIFA World Cup 2026 buzz.
MUMBAI: Four legends, one frame and not a single tackle in sight. Lego has pulled off a crossover few thought possible, uniting Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Kylian Mbappé and Vinícius Júnior in a single campaign ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2026 only this time, they’re building dreams brick by brick.
Titled “Everyone wants a piece”, the campaign features the quartet assembling a Lego version of the World Cup trophy, before placing miniature versions of themselves atop it, a playful nod to football’s ultimate prize. Shared widely across social media, the ad carries a pointed disclaimer: it is not AI-generated, a subtle but telling signal in an era where even reality is often questioned.
The numbers tell their own story. The campaign has already crossed 314 million views on Instagram across the players’ accounts, with fans hailing it as a rare, almost nostalgic moment particularly for the reunion of Messi and Ronaldo, whose last shared campaign ahead of the 2022 World Cup became one of the platform’s most-liked posts.
Beyond the film, Lego is extending the play with exclusive, player-themed sets tied to each of the four stars, part of a broader football-led programme designed to ride the global momentum building towards 2026. The idea, as echoed by the players themselves, leans into the parallels between football and play experimentation, creativity, failure, and triumph.
Messi described the sets as a way to bring on-pitch moments into an imaginative, hands-on world, while Ronaldo called the transformation into a Lego figure a rare honour, blending sport with storytelling. Vinícius, meanwhile, struck a more personal note, recalling childhood moments of building with Lego and framing creativity as a universal language that transcends borders.
The timing is no accident. With the 2026 World Cup set to run from June 11 to July 19 across the United States, Canada and Mexico, and featuring an expanded 48-team format, global anticipation is already building. Argentina, led by Messi, will enter as defending champions, adding another layer of intrigue.
For Lego, the campaign does more than celebrate football, it taps into its mythology. Because when icons become figurines and rivalries turn into play, the beautiful game finds a new kind of pitch. one built, quite literally, by hand.
