As Dubai gained recognition as a tourist destination and shopping haven, Dubai Duty Free's reputation grew alongside it. Further accolades followed, with marketing investment extended to new sporting events.

Colm McLoughlin collects the Frontier Award for Best Marketing Campaign for a Retailer for the Finest Surprise promotion from Frontier Publisher Dante Mencacci. The promotion was initially a one-off opportunity to win a luxury car, but it has since become the longest-running duty free promotion of all time and has been extended to motorcyles and the hugely popular Millennium Millionaire, offering the chance to win US$1 million.

Dubai Duty Free introduced the 'Fly Buy Dubai' campaign in the mid-1980s, and since then it has appeared regularly in trade and consumer press advertisements around the world, accompanied by imaginative artwork to reinforce the company’s and emirate's image.

Cueing up in the desert: The Dubai Duty Free Snooker Classic attracted the biggest names in the game and the retailer capitalised on the event in stunning fashion. World champions Steve Davis and Stephen Hendry posed for a publicity shot in the heart of the desert, with this now famous image widely published around the world.

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Snooker star Steve Davis and Dubai Duty Free Manager, Advertising Bharat Godkhindi at the Dubai Duty Free Snooker Classic.

His Highness Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed AI Maktoum, President of Dubai Civil Aviation, conducts the Finest Surprise draw with Colm McLoughlin in the presence of Dubai Civil Aviation officials.

The Moodie Davitt e-Zine | Spotlight Series – Special Report | 20 December 2018