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- Dubai 04:32 05:49 12:21 15:48 18:47 20:04
This taxi driver at London’s Picadilly Circus could soon be looking up at a UAE-born brand. (GETTY IMAGES)
Nostradamus predicted the next world leader would come from the east. And last month, global brand consultancy Wolff Olins was only the latest to suggest the next top international consumer labels will grow out of Asia and the Middle East.
That no names from the Emirates were on its list was enough motivation for Emirates Business to consider which homegrown companies might make Made in the UAE the next aspirational seal of quality. One hot sultry afternoon in dusty Al Quoz, then, the entire weekend editorial team sat down and determined which consumer products on our internally generated long list were best placed to make the transition to international icon.
Back and forth we went, deliberating how abaya designers could take on the kings of couture, and who would win in a Modhesh-Mickey Mouse face-off, before we arrived at five names that everyone (or at least the majority) agreed could cut the mustard.
By no means do we intend this to be an exhaustive list. Rather, we tried to be representative, looking at different kinds of brands, from fast-moving consumer goods to furniture labels and energy leaders, while avoiding such obvious names as Jumeirah, etisalat, Emaar and Emirates airline, all already either well-known internationally or on their way there.
We then asked five of the biggest international brand consultancies operating in the UAE to suggest a strategy for these companies to follow.
Their recommendations, which you can find overleaf, show the road to realising the international dream. Between them, the experts explore everything from the authentic brand experience to overcoming the difficulties of an Arabic name, to how a collaborative approach to leadership can transcend narrow cultural and national borders.
Nostradamus would surely approve.
Global action plan for local brands
Do the UAE's brands have what it takes to be global players? We ask five experts.
MASAFI
Bengt Eriksson, Managing Director, Landor Associates, Mena and South Asia
Premium regional mineral water firm with recent foray into tissues and juices sectors.
First I would take a reality check and adjust the ambition. Global" is not necessarily the answer.
There are very few significant global water brands. Evian and Perrier in premium waters, Aquafina, perhaps BonAqua and Nestle's PureLife. The juice category is even more dominated by local brands with Tropicana the main exception.
The key to going global is distribution. In practice it means tying up with industry giants such as PepsiCo, Coca Cola, Nestlé, Danone or others. If that is my strategy, I must answer the question: What could my brand bring to these companies' portfolios that they don't already have or can build?
Being global is frankly not that interesting. Europe and the US are jam-packed with established competitors fighting for shares of stagnant or declining markets. Latin America and China are growth markets but expensive to build in. So let's put the "global" plan in the drawer for now and instead think "regional".
The Middle East has a larger consumer base than Europe or the US. My Masafi's first priority is to become as dominant in the biggest of these markets as the brand is in the UAE. Not as spectacular as conquering New York or London, but far more profitable.
Masafi is in pole position to succeed here. It knows the customers and understands the market, it has a good product and a well-attuned brand foundation in its Masafilosophy built around exuberance, purity and nurturing.
Secondly, I would look to India. I would start in parts of the country and build on the back of the new organised retail. Distribution is key and good advertising would need to follow. Then I would consider Indonesia and I would build on current footholds in Africa. By now I have about two billion consumers in my target area – ambitious enough for the next 10 years.
If I find the time and money I might, in parallel, launch a premium range of desert water and desert juices to luxury hotels and restaurants in the world's trend-setting centres, with limited distribution to exclusive shops. Add a lot of PR and a small dose of selected advertising.
That would give my brand two things that would really interest the giants of the industry: Prestige that can be monetised in a bigger context, and a strong consumer base in growth markets.
- Landor Associates is one of the world's leading strategic brand consulting and design firms, with clients including Evian, Pepsi, Coca Cola, Tropicana and Aqua by Danone. Four years ago Landor assisted Masafi with its move into the juice category. www.landor.com
Strategy
Expand into India and the Arab world first to woo global industry giants
MASDAR
Hans Brandt, Strategy Director, Total Identity
Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company aims to address global energy security needs.
Masdar has a great opportunity to develop a true global brand. A radical new approach is key to the success of this initiative. We strongly believe Masdar can function as the worldwide 'booster engine' to invent new 'technologies of the future', by initiating, facilitating and creating energy technologies.
To achieve this ambition, Masdar must bring people together at different levels from all over the world.
Firstly, at an individual level inspiring and energising (online) discussion platforms must lead to new ideas. These ideas must be further expanded at the organisational level and it is crucial that companies form strategic alliances to develop the desired technologies.
Next, relevant locations must be found worldwide, such as the west coast of the United States, the northeast coast in Europe and Shanghai. Here, the technologies must be turned into real and workable solutions.
One example is the knowledge management strategy of Esa, the European Space Agency.
As in other technical fields, space operations face the challenge of preserving and sharing knowledge. At the ESA Space Operations Centre, knowledge management is considered a strategic issue for maintaining and strengthening leadership in spacecraft operations and ground systems infrastructure in an expanding international context.
This approach demands a collaborative attitude; essential to the new way of working is the belief that finding solutions serve a higher purpose and exceeds the need to fight the competition. This attitude will lead to participation of all relevant stakeholders and potential barriers will be eliminated in advance.
Key to the success of this initiative is a clearly defined ambition (step 1), followed by a clear communication strategy to manage the expectations of all relevant stakeholders (step 2).
Full execution of this strategy is critical and decisive leadership is essential to ensure a collective long-term view as well as realise a time- and cost-efficient process.
- Total Identity is a strategic brand agency with 10 offices worldwide, including Amsterdam, Dubai and Taiwan. KLM, Hyundai Capital, Al Futtaim, Greenpeace and Fortis are among its clients.?Its UAE?representative is Image Creators. www.totalidentity.nl
Strategy
Be global booster engine for new technologies through collaborative approach
THE ONE
Abed Bibi, Managing Partner, Wolff Olins Dubai
Flamboyant homegrown furniture brand that aims to be both magical and meaningful.
Talking about the brand The One is not easy, as it does not feel like a brand; rather it feels like a name and a logo. The One has a store in every mall and gathers furniture and sells them under the name The One. But what differentiates it from Marina, Homes 'R' Us and other furniture stores in the UAE or the region?
In my opinion, the brand lacks the "big idea". If you read the story about The One and how it started, the only thing that triggers my attention is the brand Ikea, it is mentioned in every other paragraph. So does the brand exist because of Ikea?
If so, then Ikea is the indirect element that brings the brand to life; a brand should deliver an outstanding concept. The Ikea brand is easy to get, it is the product range, their names, the self-assembly, the huge showroom/ warehouse experience, the paper tape measures and pencils, the Swedish meatball café and of course the price-points. Love it or hate it, it's a clearly identified and positioned offer.
The One is confusing and I am more confused after reading the website. I'm not sure which 'one' they are referring to. If it's the One World man?
Charity is not new, every one tries to adapt such direction, but the question is, how do you do it? A successful example is the brand (RED).?Initiated by the musician Bono, it helped millions of Africans with HIV. A case study is on our website.
To be global, brands need to have a global big idea, to stand for something, and to stand out. The One brand is created in the region, to be global, it should travel the European and US markets. We believe the next brand will be from Asia and the Middle East, but a brand cannot be global unless it achieves global recognition in its local market.
How can The One do that? The One should rework their brand idea, their brand strategy, and define their identity by identifying their offering clearly. I suggest it start by reviewing:
- The One's ambition is defining business goals and defining ideas and strategies that meet them.
- Being innovative by creating services and products that deliver the brand.
- Transforming the brand by stimulating change in how people think, feel, and work... And build a visible presence in the world.
- Brand consultancy Wolff Olins, based in London, New York and?Dubai, has done work for GE, Sony Ericsson, London 2012 Olympics and Unilever. www.wolffolins.com
Strategy
Rework brand idea and strategy to become global in local market first.
AL NASSMA
Noel Tabb, Managing Partner and Executive Creative Director, Brandbeat
World's first chocolate made with camels' milk seeks luxury marketshare worldwide.
For Al Nassma to compete globally we would have to initially focus on building awareness locally by competing with international brands in the Middle East. The larger challenge would be building the brand in non-Arab markets, which would require greater education to build acceptance of this new chocolate concept.
When looking at a suitable strategy we would take into account current market conditions and outline a cost-effective approach to building brand awareness and product sales.?For example, we would look at initiatives including focus groups in all entry countries to test acceptance of the concept; an e-marketing strategy encompassing internet retail as well as search engine optimisation; a strong PR campaign; supply chain alliances with established luxury brands; and a consistent branding and experience across markets.
The product has three unique characteristics that could appeal to connoisseurs: its Middle Eastern origin strongly influences the ingredients; the health factor with its lower fat and higher vitamin content; and familiarity in the region with the ingredients but not with this unique combination.
When taking the brand global, there are a few issues to address. For instance, the name 'Al Nassma' has meaning in Arabic (cool desert breeze) but in non-Arabic speaking countries, it would have low recall as it has no obvious meaning and is not easily pronounced. This can be overcome but requires a large advertising budget, and it needs a strong retail presence on the ground.
It would make sense to start the brand expansion in the Mena region, which requires less education to "sell through" and develop a strong brand name.
Logically we'd begin with an initial brand audit and review of the business objectives, then proceed to planning and strategy; outlining brand positioning, possible target markets, marketing approach, and then design and development of communications materials.
- Brandbeat, one of the region's top boutique branding specialists, has created some of the best-known Arab brands, including Burj Al Arab, Ski Dubai, Wild Wadi, Axiom Telecom, and Qatar Islamic Bank. www.brand-beat.com
Strategy
Heavy advertising and strong retail map will overcome name difficulties
MORE CAFE
Hermann Behrens, CEO, The Brand Union Middle East
Trendy international café with wide appeal due to its familiar but often-exotic menu.
Because of its distinctive brand world – the way the brand imprints the force of an idea in the consumer's mind at different touch points – More Café has a chance to compete with brands on an international level.
It has a level of authenticity and does not feel like the typical formula-driven eating experience you may get in franchises. They do really interesting concepts like the Friday brunch with a combination of self-help healthy food or even popular dishes like the famous eggs Benedict.
The brand experience More Café provides is unique, with the water and mint touch they serve upon arrival and the few larger-than-life tables that can accommodate big groups or a bunch of people eating and meeting.
To succeed internationally, More Café would need to clearly define what makes it unique and ensure that wherever it goes, it holds onto those values and experiences and delivers them consistently. Key qualities to capitalise on include the little touches mentioned earlier: the high ceilings, distinct hanging tables, open kitchen and artworks as well as the high-quality healthy food appeal are all brand touch-points that deliver More's distinctive experience.
The brand colours are rich and distinctive and fit perfectly with the overall brand.
An important feature is the More café staff. They are well engaged, passionate and knowledgeable about what they have to offer and that needs to be the case for cafés worldwide. That is why I would suggest they don't just franchise, but rather find owner/managers who are engaged with the brand and share the passion to deliver the More experience.
At The Brand Union, we use a mix of strategic and creative skills to create brands and I would suggest the following process:
- Define the brand story and what makes More Café special
- Develop brand guidelines for effective brand roll out
- Develop a brand engagement toolkit for engaging new personnel to deliver the true experience
- Engage trainers ensuring there is a clear understanding of the brand and an ability to engage trainees with its brand values, promise an experience that makes all the difference
- Carry out an audit in key markets to identify a brand gap for More Café and recommend a communication strategy for market entry
- Develop the necessary requirements for the launch
- The Brand Union is a leading global brand agency. Clients include ADACH, Bank of America, Canon, Emaar and Sorouh. www.thebrandunionme.com
Strategy
Find passionate owner/managers to recreate authentic More experience.
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