Qatar, a peninsula adjoining Saudi Arabia, next door to the UAE – that’s is all I knew when I first came here 3 1/2 years ago as a consultant and then client director to Fitch London working on the Doha Asian Games Brand, Image and Look Programme with our client DAGOC (Doha Asian Games Organising Committee)
I had no idea that one day I would be running grow - a refreshingly creative and successful Doha-based branding and advertising agency. There was a seminal moment in the transformation of my fortunes from UK-based employee to expatriate partner and owner.
I presented to a very senior official who, in a moment of quiet reflection, told me that the Ruling Family were committed to putting Qatar on the world map. They were tired of the revolving doors with agencies walking in and out again, leaving little or no legacy, much less any transfer of skills or knowledge. That was my ‘Eureka!’ moment. I had been working in London for some of the most imaginative, innovative and original agencies, developing creative solutions for many of the world’s leading blue-chip companies in their respective fields. I knew that I could help Qatar and Qatari companies articulate and express their positioning and differentiation locally and internationally, but I would need to be based here, in order to succeed.
I recount this story because it’s probably the most important principle that companies need to consider when looking at Qatar as a business opportunity. The country is growing rapidly and is looking for long-term partners to share in this growth. The commitment must be both financial and offer a transfer of skills and knowledge in order to succeed.
41 hotels are being built over the next 3-4 years. The Government is investing over $100 billion in infrastructure projects by 2012. Qatar is planning to be the world’s largest exporter of liquefied natural gas by 2012. The ruler’s foreign and domestic policies reflect a remarkably open and progressive attitude. Education, health, sports and premier tourism are the country’s key investment priorities after oil, gas and infrastructure, naturally.
But this is just touching the surface. There’s a huge youth market with over 50% of the population under 25 years of age; highly literate, brand aware and flush with cash to spend on gizmos, cars, watches and the latest fashion accessories.
Qatar development projects are increasing exponentially. There’s Lusail, a new city for 200,000 people – see http://www.lusail.com - also Al Khor development, a US$ 5 billion development project to house over 80,000, plus the massive Pearl Qatar project - see http://www.thepearlqatar.com. In all these developments foreigners can own property with permanent residency.
There is much work to do in Qatar to inform, educate and raise perceptions about the value of good corporate design and integrated branding. Yes there still is the cry of “I need a logo” for as little money as possible; some clients are still price-driven, rather than understanding how a strong brand can add a premium value to their company and reputation.
At grow, we believe that at the heart of every company, there has to be a “BIG IDEA” or brand story, which communicates the essence or soul of a company. It must be at the centre of your communications and it must match your customer’s experience of your brand, resonating with their desire for new and different experiences that define who they are or want to be. We ask our clients to define their brand – are they transaction-led or relationship-led? This will clarify whether they have won the right to dream in their customer’s world, whether they understand the needs and motivations of a fast-moving and brand-aware audience, in other words, whether they are standing still or growing with the times.
Forward-thinking clients are willing and receptive to understand how the creation of a brand that is campaignable and has longevity is more than just about the logo. Our clients want to hear how we can add value to their brand by creating effective and unique positioning and differentiation which will, in the long run, increase their market share, their profitability and lower their customer acquisition costs, while giving them a platform to launch new products and/or services as part of the brand development. These companies understand that what differentiates a great brand from merely an ordinary brand is how the product or service is communicated and perceived at each stage of the customer journey.
While Qatar makes its great leap forward onto the world stage, there are many Qatari companies working hard to articulate their positioning and establish communications - from tone of voice to look and feel - that are integrated, convincing and believable.
The same is true for advertising campaigns, corporate brochures, CSR, CRM – clients want holistic, integrated communications that are going to deliver on the brand promise as well as on ROI.
Leading companies are already flying the flag, albeit with their own agenda and not necessarily as part of a BIG IDEA country brand positioning. But nevertheless, companies such as RasGas, International Islamic, Qatar Islamic Bank, QAPCO, Mowasalat, Qatar Steel, Qatari Diar and Alaqaria have all introduced new corporate identities as part of their plan to own a distinctive positioning and communications space and are actively shouting from the rooftops.
The tide is turning. Once we have achieved critical mass in understanding, the dam will break. Rupert Sheldrake called it the Hypothesis of Formative Causation, or the 100th monkey principle to us normal mortals. When enough members of a population incorporate a pattern of thinking or behaviour into their lives, there’s suddenly a quantum leap in consciousness and those habits are inbred into the system, so to speak. Then, strategic branding and creativity will achieve their rightful place at the top of the management thinking pyramid, and grow can fulfil its mission to create powerful brands and creative advertising campaigns for leading global players whose home is Qatar.
Anthony Ryman is Managing Director of grow, a successful and refreshingly creative advertising and design agency focused on brands. Successful clients include Carnegie Mellon Qatar Campus, Commercial Bank, Doha Bank, Harley Davidson Qatar, Four Seasons Hotel Doha, International Bank of Qatar, Qatari Diar, Qatar National Hotels, Ritz Carlton Doha, Ramada Hotel Doha, UDC, Weill Cornell Qatar.
For more information please go to http://www.growqatar.com
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