About This Case Study

The Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) set out to establish a national standard for digital skills across Qatar’s public and private sectors. Sircles was brought in to name, brand and launch this framework as “Makeen” ; Arabic for “proficient and influential” ; and to build the 360° marketing engine behind its national rollout, from brand identity through to full-scale public awareness.

“Empowered for a Promising Digital Future.” ; Makeen brand tagline

How Did It All Start?

Qatar’s workforce needed a shared language for digital skills ; one able to keep pace with three converging forces reshaping the market.

Three Driving Forces

• Technology Advancement ; the pace of digital transformation was outrunning existing skills frameworks.
• New Generation Needs ; a workforce entering the market with different digital expectations and fluency.
• Changes in Regulations ; policy shifts requiring institutions to formalise digital-skill readiness.

From Transactional to Trusted

The brief went beyond issuing press releases. The goal was for Makeen to become trusted in the eyes of government bodies, private companies and the public alike ; a credible, universal benchmark for digital-skills development rather than a one-off announcement.

Five Workstreams, One National Launch

1. Brand Identity & Naming

Named and branded the initiative “Makeen,” paired with the sub-slogan “Empowered for a Promising Digital Future.” The colour system merges blue (precision, formality, alignment with Vision 2030) and green (sustainability and public/private participation) ; chosen through colour psychology to reflect the framework’s 15 integrated skill categories. The visual language echoes Tasmu, Qatar’s smart-nation programme, through a 360°-rotation motif and Arabic calligraphy styling.

2. Strategic Approach: The 3M Model

Megaphone ; attracting attention through social media, video content, TikTok and co-branded activations. Magnet ; driving customer-to-outside word of mouth. Monitor ; tracking customer-to-business sentiment and brand perception in real time.

3. 360° Media Execution

ATL: Qatar TV, Al Rayyan TV, BBC, CNN and the beIN network; Qatar Radio, Oryx FM and Radio Sawa; print in Al Raya, Al Sharq, Al Watan, Gulf Times and The Peninsula. BTL: sponsorships and activation campaigns leveraging MCIT, Mada and Tasmu touchpoints. Digital: bilingual Arabic/English content across LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, a dedicated Makeen microsite, and launch integration on the Tasmu app.

4. Incentive Scheme Design

For the private sector: invite-only access to government tenders for Gold/Platinum certification holders, plus galas, trade-shows and customised consultancy. For the public sector: “Future-Ready” digital signage, overseas training in the EU and US, and an annual national award presented by senior MCIT officials.

5. Government & Stakeholder Communications

A phased quarterly roadmap ; from launch and transformation-status updates, through a “Digital-by-Default” push and Platinum certifications, to a year-end gala ; kept every stakeholder aligned across PR, digital, on-ground and broadcast channels.