In an industry often defined by spectacle and scale, Cihan Sel has carved a distinctive path, one where restraint speaks louder than volume and meaning outweighs mere messaging. As Executive Director of Marketing and Communications at OMNIYAT, Sel brings over 20 years of international experience spanning real estate, sports marketing, and consumer electronics, shaped by an uncommon philosophy: create value before extracting it.
His approach to uber luxury real estate marketing challenges conventional wisdom. Where others pursue visibility at any cost, Sel champions scarcity, emotion and storytelling as the true drivers of brand equity. One memorable campaign positioned luxury not through opulence but through space and natural light: empty rooms spoke louder than marble and gold. Another flagship project launched without a single dollar of paid media, relying entirely on earned coverage and unreplicable live experiences.
Drawing unexpected inspiration from custom motorcycle culture – with its emphasis on precision, personalisation and uncompromising attention to detail – Sel has brought a craftsman’s sensibility to the world of luxury brand building. In this conversation, he reflects on the early experiences that shaped his marketing philosophy, the evolution of brand thinking in the region, and his vision for establishing OMNIYAT as a timeless force that transcends projects to contribute meaningfully to design legacy and cultural conversation.
Looking back, which early experiences most shaped your marketing philosophy, and when did you first realise that storytelling would be central to your work?
Early in my career, working across very different sectors and markets taught me that products alone don’t build brands, meaning does. Whether in real estate, sports or consumer tech, I saw that the campaigns that truly resonated were those rooted in human stories, not features. That’s when I realised storytelling wasn’t an executional layer; it was the strategy itself.
Your campaigns are often driven by rarity, uniqueness and emotion rather than volume or noise. Was that a conscious departure from prevailing norms in the region?
Yes, very much so. At a time when visibility was often confused with value, I felt that restraint could be more powerful than scale. The confidence came from understanding the audience, particularly in uber luxury, where scarcity, depth and emotion create far stronger brand equity than repetition ever could.
Which project or achievement best captures how you think about building brand equity, and why does it still stand out?
What stands out most is not a single campaign, but building platforms where brand, product and culture align over time. Projects that moved beyond launches into long-term narratives where architecture, design, experience and communication spoke the same language best reflect how I think about sustainable brand equity.
How has the marketing scene evolved during your career, and where do you feel you personally pushed it forward?
The region has matured from transactional messaging to more sophisticated brand thinking. I’ve tried to push that shift further by advocating for meaning over messaging, positioning brands as cultural contributors, not just sellers. Especially in uber luxury real estate, this meant elevating marketing into a long-term brand and lifestyle conversation as well as experience.
How has your passion for the motorcycle world influenced your creative standards in other sectors?
Custom motorcycle culture demands precision, personalisation, performance and respect for design integrity. That mindset shaped my standards everywhere else from how rigorously ideas are crafted to how uncompromising we are about detail. If something doesn’t perform emotionally or aesthetically, it simply doesn’t make the cut. Rarity and uniqueness becomes the core.
As Executive Director of Marketing and Communications at OMNIYAT, what vision are you working towards, and how do you want your impact to be remembered?
The vision is to build OMNIYAT as a timeless brand, one that transcends projects and contributes to culture, design and legacy. If my impact is remembered, I hope it’s for helping position marketing not as promotion, but as a strategic force that shapes how brands endure, inspire and matter.
