Marketing Committee
Experts debate marketing strategies View Presentation
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The Marketing Committee held a meeting on June 8 with guest speakers Ayman Ismail, vice president of the South Asia, Middle East & Africa region for PepsiCo, Michel Goddet, managing director of the International Network of Independent Advertising Agencies, and Mohamed Samir, Near East vice president, Procter & Gamble.
The speakers gave a presentation on “Globalization or localization of brands: which strategic marketing school is the correct one?” The presentation was followed by a debate and an interactive discussion with the participants on the two marketing schools.
Ismail highlighted that there is no right or wrong answer to the question of which strategic marketing approach is better; the decision is based on consumer needs and the target segment. The more a company is aware of the desired consumer experience, the more its brand will connect with consumers. You have to understand the brand essence, core brand values and its genetic structure, he said.
Egyptians tend to trust imported products more than locally produced goods. To succeed, he advised, companies should seek to be a global brand that is locally relevant by building on global insights and trends, but with local execution.
Goddet said he tends towards the localization school, applying the globalization model when necessary. He emphasized that the choice of communication – whether global, regional or local – depends on the type of products and services. For example, luxury goods should aim to be global, while food has to be as local as possible.
Finally, Samir advocated the global approach, but stressed that it depends on what the brand promises and how it is used. At certain times, you need to go local, especially with certain products such as detergents. The more the advertised item stresses emotions and self-improvement, such as beauty care, the easier it is to make the product global, especially with the presence of the Internet, satellite channels and online social networks. Cars and mobile phones, however, can go global or local.
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Traditional vs. non-traditional media View Presentation
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The Marketing Committee held a meeting on March 23 on the topic “How to build brands: mass media or non-traditional media?” The session focused on how media can be leveraged to help grow business. Various approaches to building brands were showcased. Brands that have a more traditional “mass media” approach, represented by Mobinil and Danone, were compared to those with a more “non-traditional” style, illustrated by Cilantro and AmCham Egypt.
Hisham Ezz El Arab, deputy marketing director of Danone Egypt, explained how his company used a mixture of mass media and 360-degree media to grow brand awareness. He related two cases to illustrate how using the same message delivered across different mediums made Danone’s products known and available everywhere to target customers.
May Ali, communication director of Mobinil, highlighted the power and penetration of TV, radio and the Internet, and the importance of mixing mediums by using 360-degree mass media. As many Egyptians neither had a landline nor thought they would need a mobile phone, Mobinil relied initially on TV to introduce its new concept to the masses. The impact of this medium was enormous, she said.
Nadine Akil, general manager of Cilantro, showed how non-traditional media played a great role in marketing Cilantro, a local coffeehouse chain. Cilantro depended on word of mouth, where the customers market the brand in more than one way, she said. The key to marketing Cilantro as a brand is location, employee contact with customers, in-store communication, community building, customer-generated marketing (such as Facebook), printed media and radio.
Hisham Fahmy, executive director of AmCham Egypt, tackled the effect of a non-traditional approach on a non-profit organization such as AmCham Egypt. The key to success is credibility, value and the trust of members and stakeholders, he said. The brand is not only what customers see, but what they perceive. People see the logo, publications and consistent messages that serve the AmCham mission. Value is offered through the unique products and quality services that deliver the promise through word of mouth and networking.
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Leading companies discuss brand extension
The Marketing Committee met at the Four Seasons at Nile Plaza Hotel on January 27 for a panel discussion on “How far can we extend a brand?” The panel included Mohamed Rizk, country business leader of 3M Egypt, Karim Ramadan, general manager of Microsoft Egypt, Mohamed Samir, general manager of Procter & Gamble Egypt, and Mohamed Shahin, head of communications at Nestlé.
Each panelist presented his company’s philosophy on umbrella branding versus new products. Rizk explained how 3M built its legacy on certain qualities and goals to become a leader in many industries. As a result, 3M has been able to extend its brand, by leveraging its well-known brand name in one category to launch new products in another. He explained that there are certain factors that determine whether or not a company should attempt to extend its brand. Firms should consider the type of industry, lifespan of the company, private versus public ownership and the firm’s strength in a particular area.
In his presentation, Ramadan illustrated how Microsoft extended its brand name in Egypt. The Microsoft and Windows brands were extended in three ways: within the same market, related markets and unrelated markets. Ramadan then went on to talk about branding in Egypt, pointing out that there is a lot to be done in terms of branding by local companies, especially in PC manufacturing.
Samir gave an overview about Procter & Gamble, whose core business revolves around consumers, brands and people. He raised the question of “When does it make sense to extend a brand?” He said the golden rule to brand extension is to have a strong brand, satisfy consumer needs and have common ground with the mother brand.
Finally, Shahin gave a brief account of Nestlé’s portfolio, history and market share. He also listed the company’s six global brands and umbrella brands. The key to brand extension lies in how the consumer perceives the brand and how the brand meets their expectations.
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