Fresh graduates across the United Arab Emirates are increasingly setting their sights on marketing, advertising, and public relations as dream career paths. Across university lecture halls and job boards alike, these fields dominate the conversation about what comes next after graduation. They’re perceived as dynamic, creative, and brimming with opportunity—a compelling lure for young professionals eager to make their mark early in their careers. A recent Bayt.com survey underscores this attraction, confirming that these industries remain among the most desired sectors for emerging talent in the region. It’s not hard to understand the appeal: the thrill of crafting compelling stories, shaping brand identities, and launching campaigns capable of capturing public imagination in an instant. Yet behind this excitement lies a more nuanced and challenging reality—one where getting your foot in the door requires more than passion and ambition.
The path into these vibrant fields is becoming increasingly crowded. With a growing cohort of graduates fixated on similar roles, differentiation is no longer a luxury but a necessity. Competition has intensified as more students vie for the same entry- and early-career positions, often within the same organizations or within closely related sectors. This heightened competition has prompted a broader reckoning about what it takes to stand out in a crowded market. And while enthusiasm remains a powerful driver, it is no longer sufficient on its own to secure a place in these competitive ecosystems. In parallel with this tightening race, there is evidence of a misalignment between what students learn in classrooms and what industry insiders actually demand when they hire and onboard new talent. The 2025 LinkedIn Workplace Learning Report highlights a noticeable gap: nearly half, or 49 percent, of talent and learning professionals perceive a widening disconnect between academic knowledge and real-world readiness. This statistic casts a spotlight on the practical gaps that often separate the theoretical world of higher education from the applied, fast-paced realities of modern marketing campaigns.
Adding to the complexity is a recognized deficit in essential soft skills among many entry-level candidates. The US-based Society for Human Resource Management emphasizes a notable lack of critical competencies such as communication, teamwork, leadership, and project management within the early stages of careers. In other words, even as students eagerly anticipate entering the workforce, a portion finds themselves underprepared for the multifaceted challenges that accompany real-world marketing work. This gap manifests in the day-to-day rigors of campaign development, cross-functional collaboration, and the iterative testing and learning that define successful modern marketing. It is precisely here that forward-thinking initiatives emerge as potential game-changers. By emphasizing experiential learning, real-world exposure, and direct engagement with industry professionals, these initiatives aim to bridge the distance between classroom concepts and industry practice. The central idea is straightforward: learning by doing, not merely observing, can accelerate readiness and cultivate the practical habits that contemporary brands demand.
In this broader context of opportunity and challenge, Arabian Automobiles Company—AAC—has pioneered a distinctive approach that places students in the center of a live, real-world marketing experience. The Nissan KICKS Starters competition reimagines the student journey by flipping traditional models on their head and presenting learners with a live brief that is intrinsically tied to an actual brand, complete with real expectations and public exposure. This was not a mere classroom exercise or a theoretical case study; it was a full creative process that unfolded in public, extending from concept development and production to pitching and final delivery. The program unfolded over several high-pressure weeks and was characterized by close collaboration with seasoned industry professionals who guided participants along every stage of the journey. In this immersive setting, students worked alongside content creators, strategy teams, and technology providers, gaining hands-on experience that is typically reserved for established professionals in the field.
Throughout the competition, participants had access to the expertise of industry veterans and creative leaders who provided mentorship and feedback, ensuring the process remained rigorous and grounded in real-world standards. Notable contributors included Amir De Leon, a recognized content creator whose work has resonated across digital platforms, and the strategic minds from TBWA/RAAD, a prominent agency known for its deep understanding of consumer behavior and brand storytelling. The program also leveraged Nikon’s professional-grade gear, a crucial resource for producing high-quality, authentic visual content that resonates with today’s visually sophisticated audiences. Workshops were conducted at Radisson RED, a venue that offered the right blend of creative energy and practical facilities to support hands-on learning. This was not a staged simulation; it was an active, end-to-end creative process that demanded original thinking, rapid decision-making, and disciplined execution.
For Omar Alaqubawy, a student at the American University in Dubai, the challenge of translating a vision into tangible results was a formative experience. He recalls that the journey required not just creative inspiration but the discipline to execute it effectively in a high-stakes context. “It’s one thing to have a vision. It’s another to actually make it happen,” Omar reflected. The reality of turning ideas into a workable, public-facing campaign proved more demanding than he anticipated, underscoring the difference between theoretical planning and practical execution. The process demanded that teams take everything they knew and convert it into something real, a transformation that Omar described as “way harder than it sounds.” The experience made clear how crucial it is to move beyond mere ideation toward a concrete, scalable deliverable that can withstand scrutiny from real brand partners and audiences.
Omar’s personal source of inspiration for his team’s project offers another window into the authenticity-centered approach of the competition. He drew on a nostalgic Egyptian soda commercial, a reference point that sparked a campaign anchored in authenticity and humor. “Inspiration isn’t about copying,” he emphasized. “It’s about taking a spark and making it your own.” This sentiment captured a broader truth about Gen Z audiences and today’s marketing landscape: originality rooted in genuine experiences resonates more deeply than polished nostalgia or hollow imitations of the past. For Omar, the project’s personal dimension—given his own status as a Nissan driver—added an extra layer of relevance and connection, making the experience feel more intimate and meaningful. The team even wove inside jokes into their final cut, subtle details that would likely be appreciated by Gen Z viewers who recognize the Nissan-brand context. This kind of bold, unpolished creativity aligns with what many contemporary brands now seek: authenticity, relatability, and a willingness to embrace imperfect yet compelling storytelling.
From the outset, the competition was designed to be inclusive of the entire creative journey, including how participants documented their progress. Teams were encouraged to share their creative trajectories on social media, generating a steady stream of behind-the-scenes content, teaser clips, and campaign updates that could engage audiences organically. The social documentation aspect proved to be a powerful amplifier, expanding reach and eliciting real-time feedback from viewers who could observe the evolution of ideas from concept to execution. The impact of these social publishing efforts extended far beyond mere vanity metrics. The campaign accumulated an impressive 8.3 million views across TikTok and Instagram, accompanied by 9,800 likes and 2,100 shares, in addition to hundreds of organic reposts. These figures highlighted a clear preference among audiences for timely, unpolished content that captures the spontaneity and energy of real-life campaigns rather than overproduced, conventional advertising. In other words, the audience gravitated toward authenticity and immediacy, a trend that aligns with broader shifts in how younger consumers engage with brands online.
The outcomes of the Nissan KICKS Starters initiative extended beyond digital engagement metrics. The top team earned a fully funded Master’s scholarship, signaling AAC’s commitment to fostering long-term growth and development for aspiring marketers. This reward reflected a broader strategy: combine immediate exposure with substantial investment in participants’ future, ensuring that participants can sustain and deepen their education while continuing to contribute to real-world projects. Beyond the scholarship, AAC itself gained a valuable, mutually beneficial perspective on Gen Z creative instincts. The program functioned as a two-way learning street—an exchange of ideas, values, and strategies that informed both side’s approaches to content creation, audience engagement, and brand storytelling. Omar noted that the participants were not merely passive observers of a campaign; they were active participants who contributed to the campaign’s unfolding in meaningful ways. This sense of ownership underscored the deeper impact of experiential learning: students gain confidence and agency, while brands gain access to fresh ideas and unfiltered insights from the next generation of marketers.
With the Nissan KICKS Starters initiative, the experience extended beyond a single campaign’s production cycle. Participants worked side-by-side with mentors and AI-guided personas, benefiting from a hybrid model that blended traditional mentorship with contemporary, technology-enabled collaboration. This approach was designed to reflect a generation raised on constant connectivity, where digital tools and human guidance intersect to facilitate faster, more inclusive creative processes. Importantly, the program emphasized that Nissan KICKS Starters was not about producing polished, corporate ads. Its core aim was listening—creating a platform where Gen Z could create, express, and connect with their peers in an unfiltered, unedited manner that still conveyed meaningful brand messages. The result delivered campaigns that felt genuine and lived-in, mirroring real experiences rather than meticulously staged narratives. The participants were not only being prepared for the platform they would enter; they were actively shaping the platform itself, contributing to a living conversation between young marketers and brands seeking to understand their perspectives.
As Omar articulated the broader takeaway, “Letting young people market directly to their peers just makes sense. We see things differently from how older marketers assume we see things.” This closing thought captures a crucial insight about contemporary marketing: the value of peer-to-peer communication, experiential learning, and audience-informed creativity. The Nissan KICKS Starters program demonstrated that today’s brands no longer rely solely on conventional advertising tactics; they increasingly seek authentic, peer-driven content that resonates with younger audiences in a direct, personal way. The initiative also showcased the importance of giving students a seat at the table where real brand decisions are made, not merely as observers but as active contributors whose fresh perspectives can shift how campaigns are conceived and executed. The result is a more collaborative ecosystem in which brands gain immediate access to authentic voices, and students gain practical, transferable skills that strengthen their readiness for roles in marketing, advertising, and public relations.
From the onset, this program highlighted a broader shift in how the industry views education and talent development. Instead of treating classroom learning as a distant precursor to real work, AAC and its partners positioned experiential, hands-on campaigns as an essential bridge between academia and industry. The collaboration brought together a spectrum of expertise—from academic institutions like the American University in Dubai and Westford University to creative agencies and technology partners—creating a holistic learning environment that reflected the realities of contemporary brand work. The emphasis on real-world exposure, mentorship, and practical production experience signals a move toward more integrated, industry-aligned education models. In this sense, Nissan KICKS Starters represents more than a single competition; it embodies a forward-looking approach to cultivating a workforce that can swiftly translate theoretical knowledge into action, communicate effectively with diverse stakeholders, and deliver campaigns that resonate in the real world.
In summary, the Nissan KICKS Starters initiative embodies a convergence of several critical trends shaping today’s marketing landscape in the UAE and beyond. It aligns with a rising demand for fresh, creative talent capable of delivering authentic, impactful campaigns; it responds to the documented gap between classroom learning and industry readiness with an immersive, experiential approach; and it embraces the growing importance of Gen Z’s preferences for realness, spontaneity, and peer-level relevance. The program also demonstrates the value of collaboration across universities, brands, and agencies, with each participant benefiting from exposure to leadership, mentorship, and practical production processes that prepare them for real-world responsibilities. For Omar Alaqubawy and his peers, the experience was more than a test of ingenuity; it was a formative journey that offered a glimpse into how brands can engage with the emerging generation in ways that are honest, inclusive, and profoundly connected to lived experiences. The insights generated by this initiative will likely influence how brands design future campaigns, how universities structure experiential learning, and how industry leaders view the next generation of marketing professionals—agents of change who bring not only creativity but a keen sense of authenticity to everything they undertake.
Conclusion
The dialogue around marketing, advertising, and public relations careers among UAE graduates has reached a pivotal moment. A blend of robust opportunity, intense competition, and a palpable gap between classroom theory and industry practice is driving a reimagining of how young professionals enter and influence the field. The Bayt.com survey and the LinkedIn Workplace Learning Report collectively illuminate the motivational pull of these careers while underscoring the practical hurdles that must be navigated to translate potential into performance. The SHRM’s emphasis on soft skills further reinforces the need for educators and employers to collaborate on building more holistic training pathways that cultivate communication, teamwork, leadership, and project management in tandem with core marketing competencies. Against this backdrop, AAC’s Nissan KICKS Starters initiative stands out as a pioneering model of experiential learning—one that puts students in direct contact with real brands, real briefs, and real audiences, while providing them with the mentorship, tools, and exposure necessary to mature quickly into capable professionals.
What makes this approach especially noteworthy is its dual payoff: students gain meaningful, career-enhancing experiences and brands receive fresh perspectives from a generation that thinks and communicates in ways that often deviate from traditional paradigms. The program’s emphasis on authenticity, unpolished creativity, and real-time audience feedback resonates with the evolving tastes of Gen Z and reflects a broader shift toward more human-centric marketing practices. The documented engagement metrics—millions of views, thousands of likes and shares, and extensive organic reposts—demonstrate that audiences respond to content that feels real, spontaneous, and rooted in everyday experiences rather than overproduced messaging. The scholarship awarded to the leading team signals a tangible commitment to ongoing education and deepened expertise, ensuring that the momentum generated by the competition continues to fuel the participants’ growth and professional trajectories.
For students like Omar and his peers, the journey offers more than the chance to win a prize or gain exposure; it provides a blueprint for how to navigate the early stages of a marketing career in a landscape that rewards agility, authenticity, and collaboration. The collaboration between universities, automotive brands, and creative agencies points to a future where education and industry co-create opportunities that prepare graduates for the realities of modern campaigns. It also signals an opportunity for more institutions to embed similar experiential programs within marketing curricula, thereby accelerating readiness and reducing the lag between academic preparation and on-the-ground performance. As brands seek to connect more deeply with Gen Z and beyond, programs like Nissan KICKS Starters could become essential components of a broader ecosystem designed to cultivate talent that can think creatively, act decisively, and communicate with clarity across channels and contexts. In a word, the initiative offers a practical pathway toward a more integrated, responsive, and effective model of talent development—one that aligns the aspirations of UAE’s new generation with the evolving needs of the global marketing industry.