It’s not enough to have an amazing product on the web or marketplace. People need to know about it! One of the best ways to get your organization out into public consciousness is by developing your brand. Through effective brand management, companies can create a fan base out of their existing clientele, literal devotees instead of mere customers. The methods and techniques may vary from country to country, especially with regard to Arabic brand management. But, the principle across the board is the same: brands are as important as the actual product itself, if not more so.
If your company is looking to expand into the MENA region, you will definitely need to adjust and adapt your brand management to fit within an Arabic-language context. Industry Arabic’s intimate knowledge and experience with all things Arabic can help make your company a household name in the region. Below are some of our tips for a successful Arabic brand management strategy.
Key Terms:
Before delving into the in’s-and-out of our method, let’s establish some basic concepts pertinent to brand management:
- Attitude: How consumers view your brand’s ability to satisfy their needs.
- Awareness: How easily or readily a consumer can recognize a brand.
- Equity: The financial value of a brand in terms of revenue generation for a company, as well as the value of consumer’s loyalty to a particular brand.
- Image: The perception that a company wishes to convey for a particular brand.
- Personality: The human characteristics or personality traits associated with a brand.
- Preference: The consumers’ tendency towards choosing one brand over another, usually by means of creating some sort of common bond of perceived shared values between the company and consumer (self-brand congruity).
All of these factors play an important role in promoting your brand, no matter the language or culture. The following is our short list of tips to ensure that your organization can appeal directly to consumers in the MENA region specifically.
Our Top Arabic Brand Management Tips:
- Creating the Right Slogan:
Many brands around the world can be quickly recalled through some sort of catchy jingle or slogan. As Shakespeare said, “Brevity is the soul of wit and the key to effective brand management.” As such, keep your slogan between 1 to four syllables with simple words that flow well together. Sometimes it even helps to incorporate the brand’s name into the slogan (think Miller Time or Built Ford Tough), which can go a long way to reinforce a company’s name recognition. Alliteration, rhyme scheme, and consonance are all fair game for creating the perfect phrase to conjure your brand in consumers’ minds.
Another important aspect of slogans is that they evolve over time and/or adapt between languages. Take the slogan for Emirates Airlines. Over time, the slogan has been Fly Emirates, From Dubai to Destinations Around the World, Keep Discovering, to the current Fly Better. However, the Arabic language slogan remains “أهلاً بالغد ” (Hello to Tomorrow). Instead of trying to directly translate its brand content into English, the company finds a way of best expressing and adapting its identity to the target language. In this way, this company has been able to build brand recognition in two different language markets simultaneously.
- A logo that Looks Good:
Just like s a catchy slogan, some companies are known solely by their logo. It is hard to separate famous brands from their ubiquitous symbols, such as the Nike “Swoosh,” the Mackintosh Apple, and McDonald’s Golden Arches. Likewise, many Arab companies utilize common national colors, symbols, or mascots to improve their brand recognition. Another common convention is the use of intricate calligraphy designs that transform the company name into a beautiful, instantly recognizable image (i.e. Al-Jazeera or Emirates Airlines). Whether you want to adapt your current logo or create a brand new one, Industry Arabic can advise on the most appropriate designs to connect with the particular Arab market. This is due, in part, to our team’s eclectic and specific knowledge of the diverse MENA region’s countries and cultures, which leads us to our final important tip.
- Localization, Localization, Localization:
Though the MENA region is connected by a shared heritage bound up in the Arabic language, its culture is not monolithic. Each Arab country possesses its own localized culture, norms, and dialects, some of which are virtually incomprehensible from one another. Some are more liberal and have more permissive standards of expression. Others still adhere to strictly conservative values that may limit a company’s creative license. Knowing your audiences and understanding the difference between them can make or break your chances of mounting a successful brand launch in any Arab country.
If you intend to market to the entire MENA region, we can help to craft your brand in the generally understood Modern Standard Arabic dialect. This is the language used most often in print media and while conducting business. However, if you wanted to take one step further to better your chances of reaching your prospective audience, we can also assist you in translating that same message into any local dialect of any specific country. In this way, your brand can show your consumers that you care to engage with them on their own level, and in their own tongue. At every step of the process, Industry Arabic will be there to help guide your brand into popularity!
Prior Work:
When appealing to an Arab audience, some ad campaigns or slogans simply do not translate well, or at all, into the Arabic language. What makes the difference in all the previous examples is utilizing Arabic language conventions to their maximum benefit. Our professional team has the resources and linguistic proficiency to help our clients find the best way to craft their brand management strategy for the Arab market. And we’ve shone, time and time again, that our intimate grasp of the Arabic language and culture, attention to detail, and curated, personalized translation method deliver positive results. Below are just a few of the successful brand management projects we have completed for satisfied clients in the past:
- Arabic Brand Identity Development: We supported the Arabic-English brand development for a tourist attraction under development in a GCC state. As part of the project, we assisted with the naming process, logo design, and taglines.
- Youth Sports Program: We have translated the promotional material for a government-sponsored program geared towards encouraging youth engagement in organized sports. This project entailed working alongside the involved public and private entities in drafting the brand’s message, mission, and terminology, as well as formatting the culturally-appropriate InDesign flyers and Powerpoint tutorials.
Launch your next lucrative brand campaign today!
See how Industry Arabic can help you build a global brand by getting in touch with one of our dedicated project managers. Simply click the Get a Quote button at the top of the page, and expect a speedy, personalized response within 30 minutes or less. After that, we will work with you to put the best plan in place to address your brand-related translation needs. In no time at all, we’ll have the ball rolling on your project so that you can begin rolling out your product to the wider Arabic-speaking world!
