The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is one of the most exciting regions of the world for those seeking to grow a business. A wealthy foundation of consumers, supplemental by a global population of expats, makes this a prime area for opportunity. However, any company that wants to do well here needs a brand strategy evaluation.
Brand strategy is a critical component of a competitive business environment. While the prospects here are excellent for business growth and development, organizations must also consider just how globally competitive it has become. With a solid brand strategy, it's possible to capture the attention of today's most desirable customers and transform success, driving better return on investment in every strategy.
The Foundation of Brand Strategy
Working with branch benchmarking services is an excellent starting point. For many organizations, though, it’s critical to go back to basics and learn what brand strategy is and why it is so critical.
A solid brand foundation creates a memorable mark on every consumer, one that drives sales not just once but multiple times. There are four dimensions of differentiation every brand strategy must include to ensure success:
- Purpose: This is the guiding force behind the strategy based on the contributions and impact the brand hopes to have on the world. It should define why the company exists and clearly but uniquely differentiate it from competitors.
- Culture: The cultural aspect of branding focuses on how people react and behavior. The focus here is on leadership, the values the company shares, the people that make it up and their efforts that impact business performance and external branding.
- Innovation: Being disruptive, different, unique, and incremental is critical to this area. The clear here is to define what the company does differently and, most importantly, better than the competition.
- Image: This is the visual impact of the brand. It’s what people see, hear, and experience when considering the brand.
Each of these dimensions interplays with each other to create a well-designed, clear brand strategy that addresses every important component of brand success.
Case Studies of Brand Success
Dozens of branding success stories exist. From a global perspective, consider what makes some of the largest, most recognized brands stand out:
- Apple: Apple is easily noted around the world as a leader in technology and a for-the-people type of company. Its branding is all about showcasing its efforts, innovation, and impact on the world around it.
- Toyota: Once a small Asian company, Toyota worked to establish itself as a leader in both affordable and innovative vehicles, becoming a leader around the world.
- Dubai: While certainly not just a brand, the branding strategy for this region, as the most luxurious of destinations around the world, not only increased demand and innovation in the region but transformed an otherwise unknown into one of the most desirable places to live.
Digital Transformation in Brand Strategy
When utilizing brand strategy evaluation, organizations must tap into the extensiveness of today's digital platforms and technologies. These separate components are no longer separate components but rather must be a component of a larger omnichannel experience.
Omnia's approach to creating a digital design transformation for brands that incorporates intelligent technology creates results. With digital solutions that keep pace with today's hyper-connected consumers, Omnia is consistently working to remain ahead of the pack.
A digital-first strategy in UAE is critical for many reasons but for one specific need: UAE’s wealth has helped the country to become one of the most tech-savvy of cultures today. Playing into that with a digital branding strategy is critical.
Crafting a Distinctive Brand Identity
With the support of brand benchmarking services to determine the current reach of a company, the next step is to develop a strong brand strategy. The creative process here needs to be focused on building out a unique brand identity, one that is comprehensively different but memorable from all other competitors.
In order to do this, it is critical to consider the significance of a cohesive experience, one that blends physical, experiential, and digital elements of the brand together to create a single, clear strategy
Employer Branding and Culture
Product and service branding is just one component of the overall brand strategy for any company. There is a growing importance throughout the UAE of creating employer branding, to both attract and retain highly qualified and top talent within the organization.
Fostering a brand culture from this vantage point often means staying front-of-the-line with employer benefits packages, compensation, and overall treatment of employees. Strategic thinking about objectives and goals helps align these areas with the company’s overall branding.
Navigating the Future with Strategic Agility
Critical to success is to not become stagnant in any branding effort. That means organizations need the support of branding experts to help them stay ahead of and not catching up to industry trends.
There are multiple ways to do so. That includes through consulting, creative, and martech avenues while also using outsourcing of key teams to drive change within the organization.
Engaging with Your Audience
Perhaps the most important component of a successful brand strategy is to create engagement. Today’s consumer does not just want to be talked to or talked at, but rather talked with. Creating a meaningful and impactful way of doing that requires careful focus on a number of core branding strategies.
This includes creating consistent branding messages that allow a company's voice to be heard and open the door for relationship building. Good public relations and outstanding brand communication can help drive home the ease of working with the organization.
The Transformative Power of Brand Strategy
Every organization needs to embrace brand strategy, starting with brand benchmarking services to determine where they are right now and then leading into a comprehensive brand strategy evaluation to determine how to stand out.
A well-executed brand strategy in the UAE’s competitive landscape is the defining component. It is what helps companies on a global scale to stand out or fade into the distance. Consider a holistic approach to brand strategy to create and maintain sustainable growth.
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