The Importance of Brand

A company owns many things, it owns assets, it likely owns trademarks and it hopefully owns some revenue too. However one of the most valuable commodity that any business can own is a brand, and the power and value of a recognizable brand is something that no one should underestimate.

Many companies don't recognize this and they don't use the right brand promotion tools in order to promote their company and ensure people know who they are which leaves them at a huge disadvantage.

The problem is that without a brand there is nothing holding a company together. Without a brand, in the eyes of the customer you don't exist other than in the form of some random and unconnected products and services. That means you can't promote all of your products in one swoop and it means that someone who has had a good experience can't further look into more of your items and services.

With a brand however and by using the right brand promotion tools you create a 'label' – something instantly recognizable that allows people to seek you out and that lets people connect one of your products with another. If you have a recognizable brand, then this will mean that simply by putting a poster up with your logo on it, people will know that it's yours and they will know where to go to find out more. With your brand fresh in their mind they will be more likely to buy your other products and you might see a lift in sales.

Likewise with a brand, if someone enjoys one of your products then they will come to see your logo as a stamp of quality. They can then look into more of the things you offer feeling that they are guaranteed to get a good experience and that way you can get more repeat business and you can see the word spread more.

People in some cases can even get behind a brand. If they like the brand enough and the company has employed the correct brand promotion tools, then people might come to affiliate themselves with the brand, with the logo or with the idea. Just look at the Nike tick – people will wear it simply to be able to be wearing Nike and will pay more as a result. At the same time people own iPhones partly for the recognizable brand and only partly for the technology and software they contain.

Then there's examples like Virgin – thanks to the recognizable branding, Virgin has consistently been able to enter new markets and generate a buzz and succeed far more quickly than they would if no one knew the name.

Brands represent a long term plan and they represent a vision. This is something that customers and clients recognize, and if you can use the correct brand promotion tools then this can even grow to the point where your brand itself is worth a lot of money – and this then becomes an asset that will hugely increase the value of your business and even encourage people to invest.

Branding and Advertising Trends in UAE

Advertising is a complimentary illustration of a brand or product to generate awareness among customers and public. The objective of advertising is to promote the brand by providing information to consumers about the company, its products and its services. Advertising is the means of support for a business. Without an effective marketing tool, the business cannot last longer and will definitely droop or expire. Some of the companies do not recognize the importance of advertisement for the stability and promotion of the business, that is why several brands do not last long and disappear within five years of establishment. Trends of exhibitions in Dubai experienced an boom followed the region's economic expansion. Like other states there was a growth the in number of advertising agencies in Dubai, and it became easy to find branding firms willing and equipped to do digital marketing Dubai.

There is misperception about the objective of advertising the product. Several people misperceive it as being a tool to increase the sales only which is not true. The main aim of marketing is to make public aware of the product and services of a particular brand. Advertising can form a connection between company and customers. It will not be an exaggeration if we consider advertisement a source of communication between brand and their customers.

There are several benefits of an effective advertisement such as;

• Advertising generates the understanding of products among people.

• If you have just established your brand, advertisement is the best technique to get the space in market.

• It helps to gain confidence of existing customers and to attract new customers.

• However, the main objective of advertising is not to increase your sales, but a good advertisement surely makes an impact to make the individual identity in the market.

There are various options to get your product advertised. Luckily, there are both paid and free options available to get your product introduced or promoted in market. Following are some effective ways you may consider to make them a part of your outdoor advertisement campaign.

• Radio marketing is an old and reliable way of advertisement.

• You can advertise your product on television which is one of the most effective tools as the majority of public is believed to have a habit of watching TV on regular basis.

• Print marketing such as newsletters, magazines, and newspapers is also considered very beneficial.

• Internet marketing or online marketing such as email marketing, search engine optimization and social network marketing have become very important since the world has become a global village and it is the best tool to advertise your product internationally.

Some of the companies have established their own advertising department which is dedicated to promote the products through marketing. While some other companies consider it more appropriate to hire some advertising agency for marketing purposes. Overall economic development has a big role to play in order to promote the advertising agencies and this is the case with sector of Exhibitions in Dubai as you can easily find branding firms in UAE. There are many companies for digital marketing Dubai who have expert and qualified consultants to offer appropriate plan for promotion of your brand.

Interactive Marketing

Interactive marketing is a type of marketing where the emphasis is on dialogue between people rather than the traditional transaction model.

This is a personal service which focuses upon customer needs with the aim of fulfilling those needs. This is a two way process in which the marketing agency talks to the customer, finds out what they want and then delivers.

Hence the use of the term "interactive marketing." By this we mean a two way process in which both parties get what they want. But to do so means spending time with all your customers so that you can tailor your services to meet their needs.

Customer engagement
This is at the heart of interactive marketing. This is where it differs from other forms of marketing in that a greater effort is made to engage with the customer, building rapport and trust in order to deliver a service that suits their individual needs. It's all about going that bit further to ensure that your customer is satisfied and feels valued.
A valued customer is more likely to buy from you again and, to recommend you via word of mouth to family and friends. This will spread your reach and help build your reputation as well.

Go the extra mile
This may seem like a cliché but nevertheless, it happens to be true. People remember those companies who were prepared to look after them and go that bit extra to ensure that their needs were met. And in some cases, the company has 'over-delivered' in order to satisfy the customer and ensure their continuing loyalty.

Personal service
This is what it is about. As a customer you want to feel important, that your custom is respected and valued. Any business or agency worth its salt will realize this and take steps to ensure that their customers have a highly rewarding experience.

This means using a variety of marketing tools such as social media, direct mail and online promotions in order to find out a customer's individual likes and dislikes. Once you have this information you can target your products or services in their direction. Plus you can develop a marketing strategy around these individual needs.
To do so means finding out what your customer is interested in, offering them a range of goods or services which fit in with their interests and then measuring the results.

Interactive marketing plan
This is not something which you can do on the spur of the moment. It requires careful consideration, knowledge about customer likes and dislikes and ways of measuring the results. Use SMS, social media or interviews as methods for acquiring this information.

Treat every customer as if they are special. Take time to find out what they like and need and then fulfill this need. Discuss any issues they may have and deal with their complaints fairly and sympathetically. Remember: you need them more than they need you.

8 Marketing Strategy lessons from Microsoft

Bill gates Microsoft has been an iconic brand of our era. There are 100′s of lessons which business graduates can learn from Microsoft. However, here we present 8 marketing strategy lessons from Microsoft.

1) Network Marketing – The first and most known strategy of Microsoft is Network marketing. This is because each windows product is compatible with another windows products. Your office documents can be opened on most computers because of the number of people using Microsoft. Thus it has established the concept of Network marketing perfectly.

2) Regular product launches – Microsoft is present almost everywhere, be it the music market with its Zune, the computer peripherals market, it is the market leader in operating systems, it has its own tablets, it has revolutionized gaming with XBOX 360, it is now involved in Cloud computing and it generally comes out and gives tough competition to the current players in the market. This expansion helps build up the deep pockets of Microsoft.

3) Follower strategy – One problem in the strategy of Microsoft has been that it has had a follower strategy in the past decade or more. It has rarely come out with an innovation. Check “Microsoft office” from 2003 to 2010. You will see that except for graphics, they have been almost the same products over and over again. In hardware too, there has hardly been an innovation in Microsoft. Ipod launched in 2001 and Zune launched in 2006. Need we say more.

4) Learning and adapting – If you look at Windows, you will find that XP had the most security holes, Windows Vista had several too, Windows 7 has quite less security problems and Windows 8 too is expected to be even better in security. Thus Microsoft is learning fast and adapting to the environment. Microsoft knows that nowadays people need security and it is providing the same to them.

5) Build a cash cow – Even though I am repeating this point, but this is important. Microsoft has a cash cow – operating systems as its backup. And its whole empire is built on the basis of this cash cow.

6) Be customer focused – There are a lot of jokes about the customer service of Microsoft but if you really look at it, then the reason why Microsoft is actually working is because help is available offline as well as online. Your computer might crash for any reason, but generally you are able to specify the reason for the crash and if you are a techie you will be able to rejuvenate it. Even a 10 year old nowadays knows how to correct windows.

7) Ease of use – Make products which can be used by the youngest to the oldest in the easiest manner. Like Nokia in mobile phones, Microsoft OS is known for its ease of access. The start button has been revolutionary.

8) Build brand equity –  Today Microsoft is amongst the top 10 companies in terms of its brand equity due to many different consumer and business to business products that it has. Building such a high brand equity has paid off for Microsoft with it becoming a highly trusted household name.

The above are some strategies of Microsoft which has helped in making Microsoft one of the topmost brands in the world. Can you think of some other strategies which have helped Microsoft grow? 

Dubai Lynx rebranded as International Festival of Creativity

The organisers of Dubai Lynx have announced that its name will change from ‘International Advertising Festival’ to ‘International Festival of Creativity’. The move serves to better reflect the evolvement of the industry from one that has previously focused on traditional creative advertising to one that involves creativity in all forms of communications. 

The Dubai International Festival of Creativity is the leading awards and festival for creative excellence in advertising and communications in the Middle East and North Africa and the must-attend event on the region’s industry calendar. Since its launch in 2007, the number of entry categories at Dubai Lynx has more than doubled due to creativity stretching across a greater number of forms of communications. Held at the Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai, next year’s event will take place 10-13 March 2013, and will once again include an unbeatable line-up of international jurors who will use their expertise to award the best in creativity.

Emma Lancaster, Festival Director of Dubai Lynx, says about the change, “Entering their 7th year, the Dubai Lynx awards are established as the must win awards for the MENA industry. As organisers, we always strive to keep pace and what is clear is that creativity crosses a great number of platforms, from social media to technologies to user-generated content, meaning that to term the event as an advertising festival is no longer relevant.”

The brand new 2013 Dubai Lynx website will be live from 13 October and will contain up-to-date information on the event including full details of how to register and enter. Held in association with the IAA – UAE Chapter and supported by Dubai Media City, the festival’s full programme will be released early 2013.

Key 2013 dates are as follows:
Delegate Registration Opens: 18 November 2012
Entries Open: 9 December 2012
Entry Deadline: 7 February 2013
Dubai Festival of Creativity: 10-12 March 2013
Dubai Lynx Awards: 13 March 2013

Grocery stores move beyond the flyers in the newspapers.

Many people slip some flyers in with the newspapers to convey their business communication. In a bid to find ways to advertise without putting out a lot of cash people modify simple yet inexpensive ways to them make their own. Newspaper flyers have been a long trusted method to reach out to the desire TG with a localized approach. Many believe that certainly there are changes ahead, but reports show that traditional media still tops.

The ongoing shift in consumer media usage habits from traditional to digital media will be pushing the grocery industry in a distinctly social direction, according to research from media and marketing services firm Valassis.

Three-quarters of grocery retail executives surveyed in the US in March said they would use print media this year for marketing purposes, but just 17% expected to be doing so five years from now. Social media, by contrast, was expected to go from just 12% usage in 2012 to 65% usage in the next five years.

Social media was not expected to be the only beneficiary of declining interest by consumers in print media. The grocery retail executives said they would be changing their promotional strategies to account for lower newspaper circulation by increasing investments online in general (22%) as well as in shared or merged mail (19%) and solo or direct mail (14%).

Respondents saw the role of online advertising differently from that of broadcasts or printed circulars. Nearly half of respondents agreed that broadcast was best used for acquisition, while about the same number said circulars were good for increasing traffic and sales. But grocery executives were split on the benefits of internet advertising, with nearly equal numbers naming acquisition, retention and increased traffic as its primary role in the marketing mix.

For now, though, old media are the old standbys for consumers as well as retailers when it comes to grocery purchase decisions. Parents surveyed by agency Cone Communications in May said that in-store promotions were the top marketing channel they used to gather information on their grocery purchases (69% among moms and 57% among dads). Just 12% of mothers and 18% of fathers used online media for this purpose, and 8% and 11%, respectively, used social media.

Now if we look at the Social Media usage in the Arab region, fresh data published in The Dubai School of Government’s annual Arab Social Media Report highlights Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter as the region’s key social media platforms.

In terms of penetration, LinkedIn outperforms Twitter across many countries – most significantly, in the UAE where the business-focused network reaches more than 12% of the population (compared to around 3% for Twitter).

Facebook is the leading social network across the region. Again, the UAE sees impressive penetration, with the service reaching more than 40% of the population.

Here are few online stores that operate to provide wide varieties of grocery products online:

1. Ethnic Grocer.com : Not only do they sell products from the Middle East, they sell items from all over the world. Their prices are great and they offer fair shipping.

2. Kalamala.com : Kalamala.com offers a large variety of Middle Eastern products and even sells wholesale if you need the service. The site can be viewed in both English and Arabic and boasts hard to find fruits and other imported products.

3. Cedar Sky : Cedar Sky offers traditional Middle Eastern food and gifts, more specifically Lebanese products.

All of these above and more and more grocery stores are making their presence felt on Facebook and other leading social media websites. This process has indeed made easier for people to identify the best grocery store that serves what they want and getting the grocery at their door step had never been this easy.

The rise in social media usage in the region unquestionably gives retailers and shopkeepers a great opportunity to target the untapped people.

Event update - Gulf Industry Fair to break new ground in 2013

Preparations are in full swing for the 2013 edition of Gulf Industry Fair (GIF), the Northern Gulf's premier business-to-business industrial show, with a major new initiative being introduced by organisers Hilal Conferences and Exhibitions (HCE).

'Industry Week' is a unique and innovative concept whereby a cross-section of Bahrain's leading industries will open their doors for site visits for university students and graduates for the duration of the Fair, to be held from 15 to 17 January 2013 at the Bahrain International Exhibition and Convention Centre (BIECC).

'Industry Week' is primarily designed to promote Bahrain's world-class industrial capabilities to young stakeholders, while highlighting the sector as a viable and rewarding career option for students and graduates, who will form the backbone of future industrial and economic growth. More broadly, Industry Week also seeks to tap into the growing commitment among large industrial concerns to engage more closely with the local communities in which they operate.

'Industry Week' promises to add yet another important dimension to a show format that is already renowned as a valuable showcase for Northern Gulf industries - from world-scale manufacturing plants to specialist equipment suppliers, distributors and agencies representing the key segments of aluminium, energy and environmental protection, steel and alloys, industrial processes and manufacturing, ports, logistics and free zones, training for industry; and industrial security and safety.

Several Bahrain-based companies have already pledged to support 'Industry Week', including National Institute for Industrial Training (NIIT), Hidd Power Company and ITSS, a prominent industrial trading company, and many more are expected to follow suit as they realise the long-term strategic benefits of early engagement with schools and universities.

Jubran Abdulrahman, HCE managing director, said, "Bahrain, like its GCC neighbours, envisages industrial development as a prime driver of long-term economic growth. Participating companies in Gulf Industry Fair have requested that we highlight the virtues of industrial growth to the wider community."

Abdulrahman said, "Promoting industrial career opportunities to the next generation is important. Industry should be seen not as a dirty word in the modern world but rather as an opportunity for innovation and the development of society. Bahrain's move towards an industrial base will require a new skilled workforce for engines of economic growth.

"We look forward to the evolution of 'Industry Week', which will inject new energy for visitors and exhibitors meeting and doing business in a structured, professional setting," he added.

As in previous years, GIF 2013 is endorsed by some of Bahrain's most high profile industrial organisations, including the National Oil & Gas Authority (Noga) in association with Bahrain Petroleum Company (Bapco), and Aluminium Bahrain (Alba), who will, respectively, sponsor the energy and aluminium zones in the exhibition hall. 

Bahrain's semi-government organisation Tamkeen (Labour Fund) has also agreed once again to extend financial assistance to eligible small and medium-sized exhibitors, following the overwhelming success of the 'Tarweej' growth assistance scheme rolled out for GIF 2012. 

Like 'Industry Week', the close collaboration between HCE and its partners is part of a unique approach to supporting the local economy and positioning the Kingdom as the Northern Gulf's prime exhibitions hub.

GIF was last held from 7 to 9 February 2012 under the patronage of His Royal Highness Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Bahrain, at which more than 100 exhibitors from 21 countries showcased their products, services and capabilities.

Building brands on more than advertising

A talk with  Mr . John Brash, the founder and chief executive of Brash Brands

 Great brands are built on more than just advertising.

If you doubt that, just ask John Brash, the founder and chief executive of Brash Brands, a Dubai agency that helped create the public image of the Burj Khalifa.

Mr Brash believes companies are spending too much on advertising and need to "take a step back" before shelling out on expensive campaigns.

The fictional Don Draper from the television series Mad Men would doubtlessly disagree but Mr Brash is adamant.

"A lot of organisations just do what they've always done and they don't take a step back and reappraise. Therefore, I would say that they are definitely spending too much on advertising," he says.

"[If] advertising is the correct means to reach your target audience, fine, do it. But don't just do it because you've always done it. It might be relevant for your brand, or it might not."

Mr Brash's clients have included Emirates Group, Abu Dhabi's Tourism Development & Investment Company (TDIC) and the Dubai-based property developer Emaar. Part of his work for Emaar involved the renaming of the Burj Dubai, the world's tallest building, as the Burj Khalifa.

Here he talks about how an organisation's front-line employees are critical to the success of a brand.

What is the difference between branding and advertising?

Advertising is a way to help sell a product. Branding is looking at the core of the organisation. It's basically your DNA, what goes through your veins. It's what makes you who you are. And that's something that will last 10 or 20 years. If you're building a house, if you don't get the foundations right, then the house - no matter how beautiful it is - might never be sustainable. I almost feel branding should be part of the capital cost of the organisation, like your IT bill or your fixtures.

I'm sure you do, given that you're in the branding business … does this mean brands should spend less on advertising?

I would say brands should not just go to their traditional methods. Look at your customer's journey, look at all the key touch-points. Who are your key stakeholders? It could be government, it could be shareholders, it could be customers. What you do is map all of that out and then you say, 'Who are we trying to communicate to?' You don't say, 'Let's do an ad straight away.' If your brand is about being personal and being intimate, having a billboard on Sheikh Zayed Road is not a way to create intimacy.

How important are the employees in branding?

Critical. Because brands should begin inside out.

What if a low-paid employee in, say, a fast-food restaurant, is just in a bad mood? Can't that destroy a brand's image?

Whoever you employ, you need to spend time to engage with them about the reason why they are working in an organisation. Even at the lowest-paid job. We did a job for a waste-management company and we didn't just do the brand values as things that you pin on the wall. We actually [spelt out what the brand] means for the senior manager, the middle manager, and the workers on the ground sweeping the streets. We related the values in a manner that was relevant for them.

What excites you about branding?

Working in such varied industries - from an airline one minute, next minute you're doing waste management ... I've worked in one of the biggest ball-bearing factories in the world. I've worked on healthcare brands, education brands and Formula One brands. We did the branding for the Burj Khalifa. We then understood the importance of that to Dubai, to Emaar, to the ecosystem. And that's really interesting because what you're doing is you're seeing how all the dots join together, how the bigger ecosystem works. And that's a buzz.

You were working on that project when the name changed to Burj Khalifa. Did that cause a problem?

No. Before, we had been doing some work on communication. And we were also focusing on the UAE-ness of it, before the name change actually happened. The importance of the Burj Dubai or the Burj Khalifa to Dubai is critical. But to the UAE, it's one of the key statements. So to share it as part of a federal thing is a no-brainer. When we were approached by our client with the name change, it didn't come as a shock, it was a natural evolution of it. The brand personality was exactly the same.

So define your reaction when you first found out about the name change.

We found out a few days before. And the one thing about us is that we were born in the UAE, we set up in the UAE and changes like that happen on a daily basis. We [can] either embrace it, celebrate it, do it - or complain. And the one thing we don't do is complain. You have got a country that has only been going for a few decades that is progressing so fast. It's just the nature of growth. Growth isn't perfect but it's exciting.

How High-Tech Is Changing Retail Globally

The difference between the winners and losers in retail increasingly comes down to one factor: tech savvy.

The retail industry is undergoing significant changes in the merchandising process--at least, so says a recent survey by retail consulting firm RSR. The best of the national performers have picked up on a crucial strategy: Target your store's selection of goods to the needs and interests of specific communities. It's better for sales and for controlling costs. The savviest retailers know this and they're using technology to help give them edge.

How High-tech Has Changed the Game

According to the survey, firms that outperform industry averages for annual same-store sales comparisons tend to use and understand specialized computer software tools to manage specific aspects of merchandising. The most important tool was forecasting. Such systems help predict what goods customers might want and stocking patterns to satisfy customer demand while minimizing the amount of capital invested in excess inventory. Three quarters of the retailers surveyed said that retail forecasting is "extremely important" to financial success.

This is an interesting shift. In the past, forecasting systems were largely seen as supply chain management tools, where the focus was on reducing operational costs. Now such systems and techniques have become important to expand sales opportunities, moving from a strictly bottom-line focus to a top-line one. As RSR says, "Advances in hardware computing power make sku-level forecasts not only feasible, but imperative."

Almost equally as important as demand forecasting is customer analytics. This makes a great deal of sense. You can't create a good demand forecast without understanding your customers and what they might want. About 34% of the respondents plan to optimize product assortment for key customer segments this year.

Winners & Laggards

The study focused on the differences between what it called "'Retail Winners,' judged by year-over-year comparable store/channel sales improvements," the "Average" performers that hit industry average 3 percent growth in comparable store and channel sales growth, and "Laggards" that saw lower growth.

The winners had an edge not in being better at the same activities as the average and laggard performers, but in putting more emphasis on different aspects of their businesses. For example, RSR asked participants to rate themselves as having a solid understanding of specific merchandising tools and techniques. The chart below shows some of the differences.

The different groups of retailers were roughly equal in how they rated the importance of these tools. The big difference is in how well they thought they understood them. As RSR puts it:

"Operationally, the best performers 'know what they don't know,' and have a generally better understanding of what they need to change to improve their merchandising strategies; by comparison, laggards are asking for more customer segmentation information, but at the same time, citing stalled performance on their inability to identify new merchandising ideas that would appeal to new customer preferences quickly."

Laggards tended to see lower growth because they fall into a self-perpetuating cycle of increased promotional activities to bring in revenue and stay afloat. The constant parade of sales and specials, however, has a negative effect on gross margins.

Mid-market retailers might have some of the biggest problems going forward. Although 51% of big retailers and 44% of small ones implement analytics, which can help them understand their customers' behavior, none of the mid-market retailers used the technology. Furthermore, mid-market retailers had significantly less interest in using either customer segmentation or planogram optimization, which can help improve shelf layout and product placement to improve sales.