Anna Pola,develops effective communications strategies using a comprehensive brand-marketing approach to problem solving, offering optimal budget allocation and developing brand communication channels.
The 24 is an international brand-studio with lifestyle & wellness and hospitality projects in UAE, Moscow and USA.
Every summer, the same question comes up across Dubai’s hospitality, fashion, beauty, and wellness clients: how can brands keep their communities engaged when the city enters its seasonal slowdown? Many brands assume that summer is the time to slow down marketing efforts and wait for demand to return in September. However, after working with lifestyle, hospitality, beauty, wellness, and fashion brands across the UAE, I have noticed the opposite – brands that active best during the summer are not necessarily the ones spending more on being active – they are the ones that stay closest to their communities.
Consumer behavior changes during the hotter months, but attention does not disappear. Residents spend more time indoors, working from cafés, coworking spaces, wellness studios, key malls, and other air-conditioned venues. Businesses that adapt to these shifts can use summer as an opportunity to increate customer loyalty, test new ideas, and build awareness before the high season begins.
Build Community through offline niche events
Summer is the perfect time to invest in community activities. Instead of large-scale event, focus on niche events for 10–15 people built around shared interests such as wellness, art, entrepreneurship, food, or sport. These gatherings create stronger contact between customers and the brand while generating valuable word-of-mouth and UGC-content. Whether it is a founder meet-up, creative workshop, networking breakfast or neighborhood event, community-led experiences help brands stay relevant and create emotional connections.
Launch limited ‘summer experiences’.
Exclusivity drives attention, especially during quieter periods. Rather than discounts, create limited-time products, services, or experiences designed specifically for summer. For hospitality brands, this could include seasonal menus, sunset experiences, resident-focused offers or special collaborations. Fashion and beauty brands can introduce curated summer edits, limited-edition collections. The goal is to give community a compelling reason to engage with the brand now instead of postponing their purchase until the high season returns.
Create strategic partnerships
Partnerships remain one of the most effective ways to increase visibility without significantly increasing big budgets – the best collaborations happen when brands share a similar audience and offer complementary services. Hospitality projects can partner with beauty, fashion with hotels, wellness studios with jewelry brands or specialty cafés menu’s. Successful partnerships should go beyond a single social media post. Combine collaborative content, cross-promotion, email send-outs, special offers, and community events to create value for both audiences and increase reach.
Turn offline store into an ‘experience hub’
Offline locations should become more than spaces for sales during the summer months – invite stylists, creators, wellness experts, nutritionists, or industry professionals to host workshops, consultations or educational sessions to keep community involved. These experiences provide value while positioning the brand as an authority within its niche. At the same time, every activation should support a measurable business objective, whether that is growing your CRM database, increasing social media engagement, collecting customer insights to improve your approach.
The event featured a special yoga session led by Mari Al Dib, Kundalini Yoga and Meditation Teacher, Sound Healing Practitioner, and Beauty Director at HIA Magazine.As part of the collaboration, guests were invited to discover and try on Shaleni’s key must-have pieces, available for fitting and purchase at the EKA MAI studio until the end of June.
The collaboration was inspired by Gur Arti, founder of EKA MAI and muse of the brand, who also took part in the campaign shoot wearing Shaleni’s feminine white mesh dresses. Her presence beautifully reflected the shared aesthetic, elegance, and spirit behind the collaboration.
Anna Pola @annapolaa
The 24 @the.24.studio
