Talking to HH Sayyid Faisal Al Said, CEO of Oman's newly created Brand Management Unit.
What a potential customer thinks, does and ultimately buys is driven by his perceptions, says His Highness Sayyid Faisal Al Said, CEO of Oman's newly created Brand Management Unit (BMU). Like any product or service, a nation's brand is experienced through various encounters, ranging from the food on the national carrier, to how travellers are welcomed by passport control, to the quality of goods bearing the country of origin logo, through to the ease with which one can set up commercial operations. Brand efforts have to permeate to every level and be present at every point of a customer's experience. According to Al Said, this has to be understood by the man on the street whether he be a taxi driver, a customs officer, an airline steward, a shopkeeper or a diplomat each one will have an impact on how brand Oman is perceived.
Your Highness, just how important is national branding to Oman?
It's increasingly important that Oman gets its international image right. Essentially, we're up against every country in the world we're all competing for the consumer's attention and respect. We understand that people like clear and consistent messages about things they value, from competent governance, to friendly and hospitable people, to financial transparency and investment opportunities. It's in these areas that Oman has to present unified, coherent and accurate messages.
Nations across the world are all trying one way or another to do something about their lot. It's not just a matter of national pride; ignorance can have a profound impact on economic growth and development. It's important that we market ourselves effectively, and this is where issues around national identity coalesce and merge with the world of marketing, and particularly branding.
Let's be frank: people believe what they believe about a particular country, because they've believed it all their lives. For example, Ferrari is Italy and Italy is Ferrari, right? Whether managed or not, every country has a brand. Think back 20 years and if I were to say to you "Finland", you'd probably say "cold", "midnight sun" or "the northern lights". Now you're more likely to say "mobile phone technology".
Croatia is another interesting example. Ten years ago most people associated it with the conflicts of the former Yugoslavia. Today, and due to successful branding, people conjure up idyllic images of the Mediterranean Sea and beautiful yachts.
New Zealand is another case. Twenty years ago it was perceived as a sheep farm at the bottom of the world; today, it's the home of extreme sports, the world's most famous rugby side, beautiful snowcapped mountains and high-quality natural products. These stories clearly illustrate that nation branding can and does work.
How do you convey Oman's identity?
Oman conveys its brand identity and messages through dozens of public and private sector sources, everything from our print media, inward investment brochures, TV news, local radio, websites, road signage, postage stamps, trade show materials to our stance on complex issues like global warming and free trade agreements they all give the world an indication of Oman's identity, who we are and what we stand for.
Our national brand will revolve around Omani people, stories, culture, ideas, leadership and vision.
Over the years, we've been relatively modest about our achievements and assets, whether that's in the diplomatic arena, in education and training, or in leisure and tourism. Indeed, as I mentioned earlier, countries articulate ideas about themselves through art and architecture, cuisine, dress, diplomacy, economic policy, sport, literature, design and personal style. It's my job to capitalise on Oman's achievements in these areas and create an optimistic sense of national purpose, in a language that has powerful imagery and is exciting. In simple terms, we're looking to create a new context for the world to view Oman in. We're extremely fortunate here in the Sultanate in that we don't have to manufacture a brand; our job is to showcase the wonderful things that we've been blessed with.
What do you want the new brand to achieve?
I want the new national brand to do four things. First, it has to work on an emotional as well as a rational level; it's got to appeal to people's hearts and minds. Second, it has to be relevant to all of the brand's stakeholders. Third, it has to be distinctive. After all, the point of nation branding is to set Oman's offer apart from those of our competitors. Fourth, it has to be true; it has to get to the heart of the brand, avoid clichés, and outline a concept that is recognised as realistic and inspirational to all our target audiences.
Can you tell us a little more about the new brand mark?
A new national brand mark has been designed by Landor Associates and will launch next month. So distinctive visual system has been created for tourism; inward investment, higher education and ICTa scheme which will enable these individual sectors and their respective initiatives to retain their own characteristics while clearly remaining part of a whole. But Oman's branding programme is much deeper than design implementation. For one, it will involve the creation of major attention-getting events initiatives that we'll run with a variety of public and private sector partners both domestically and internationally. We have a very exciting agenda planned.
What do people think about Oman?
In order to create the core idea behind the brand, we investigated current perceptions of Oman among its most significant audiences around the world. We carried out research in the Middle East, Europe, Asia and North America. In general, perceptions of Oman were hazy and confused. Indeed, in some cases negative. Some saw us as slow and bureaucratic. However, there were background images of the ancient frankincense trail, hospitable and friendly people, rich heritage, breathtaking scenery, an eco-friendly nation with a forward thinking foreign policy.
And domestically?
We found differences between the views of older people, who were typically concerned about the future, though this is common with the older generation irrespective of the country of origin while younger people tended to be highly optimistic and relaxed about their future. It was clear from our discussions with young Omanis that they're passionate about their role in helping take the Sultanate on and up there was tremendous energy in those discussions. Our task is to capitalise on that energy and get youngsters fully engaged with the Unit's work.
We also ran a series of domestic discussions, workshops and brainstorming sessions with groups of people representing all parts of society, business, the arts, sport, civil service and the media. We had specific discussions with leaders from the tourist industry and those responsible for inward investment, ICT and higher education. It's critical for the Unit to understand where these four sectors want to go, what their ambitions and plans are.
Through all this research it became clear that Oman draws its personality, power and motion from a wealth of characteristics. Although firmly rooted in the Gulf, our rich maritime and trading history has helped us understand and welcome outsiders. We're a hospitable, practical and resourceful people; we're acutely aware of our natural surroundings and the enduring value they represent. The Omani character is down to earth. Indeed, we're a young nation with ancient traditions this is a unique combination. From all of this emerged one core idea and that core idea is based around Oman's character, its landscape and our evolution as a nation. We labelled that core idea "natural growth".
So how will the core idea of "natural growth" work to project Oman's national brand?
We hope to help inspire and coordinate nation-branding activities, everything from how the Sultanate is presented to the world at international exhibitions, to niche tourism events that celebrate the Sultanate's environmental credentials, to exploring the applications of digital media to heritage and culture. This is particularly exciting given that it brings together Oman's rich and vibrant heritage with all the excellent initiatives that are taking place in the ICT space in Oman - what a fabulous combination.
We've identified the unique qualities that Oman has to offer and we need to balance that with what consumers actually want from us. Understand our compelling truth and look at what we have natural resources, beauty, culture, infrastructure, education, technology and then match these deliverables to what is really wanted from a global audience. The word brand stimulates a great deal of discussion; a less emotive label, and perhaps a more accurate way to describe the Unit's work, is reputation management.
How are you going to spread the word?
While a lot of countries have used straightforward advertising to try to change overall perceptions of who they are, most of these efforts have failed. In fact, much of the work that many countries have produced has been banal, unconvincing and uncoordinated. You only have to look at the slogans, straplines and brochures to see that most national tourism programmes are interchangeable. They don't differentiate themselves.
It's my role as CEO of the BMU to encapsulate the fundamental common purpose of Oman and communicate that domestically as well as internationally. We want to harness Oman's energy: create forward momentum and effective common behaviour. What I and my team will be encouraging across Oman's public and private sectors, particularly in tourism, inward investment, ICT and higher education is a more focused, organic, sustainable and co-ordinated approach to developing a stronger national brand. Getting all parties to look and sound alike is absolutely imperative.
I'm an advocate of simplicity. We're looking for simple but powerful stories that give context to Oman that are relevant to our visitors and ourselves. We'll be presenting a compelling thread that binds the extraordinary and the ordinary things that are Omani.
How important is the domestic audience to the success of the new brand?
We won't achieve anything without domestic approval.
The best nation branding campaign is dead in the water if it doesn't work for the home crowd. Nation branding doesn't happen in isolation; it needs to involve all stakeholders, both internal and external.
People need to buy into it and live it. It's important that the Unit leads that process. Importantly, we need to enable the citizens of Oman and here I'm referring to people of all nationalities to feel proud about Oman; we need all our citizens to live the brand.
Will Oman's image change overnight?
The national branding programme for Oman is wide ranging and long term.
I don't expect attitudes to change in a week, a month or even a year. In the longer term, though, it's essential for the self-confidence and self-esteem of Oman to be seen for what it is and what it is becoming.
And imagine if we get it right. Imagine if we develop genuine self-belief and self-confidence, if our entire society, Omani and expatriate alike, share a strong sense of collective purpose and vision.
Anything will be possible. If we're to get a share of the world's attention then branding isn't just useful for Oman, it's absolutely necessary.
© Gulf Marketing Review 2009
