Delaware: the next Dubai Media City?

Delaware, the most boring state in America according to a thousand jokes, should reinvent itself as a major media hub - taking Dubai Media City as its model, according to a Delaware website.

Now, now, come on. Stop laughing at the back there...

Despite its reputation for tedium, Delaware has played the commerce game pretty cannily in the past, as the article above makes clear. Vast numbers of US corporations, especially finance-based firms, use Delaware as their base thanks to the lenient tax laws.

Could it do the same for media? And if it does, why Dubai as its model?

Well judging by the Communitypub.com piece, the author has probably not been to Dubai Media City. While all the points he makes - freedom to publish, facilities for freelancers, tax-free income, etc - are true, strictly speaking, the reality on the ground is somewhat... different.

Add to that the competition just up the coast from New York - in contrast to Dubai's virgin territory - and the idea of DMC II: This Time It's In Delaware starts to look a little more fanciful.

But perhaps the most interesting thing to note is, yet again, Dubai's almost supernatural powers of brand building have claimed another mind.

I've said it before and I'll say it again - whatever else you say about the place, you have to hand it to Dubai on the marketing front, especially outside the UAE itself.