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Posts Tagged ‘differentiation strategy’

On Flight, Let There be Dancing

28 Dec

So the Portuguese Airlines danced on different airports floors, and Southwest flight attendant actually sang to the passengers on flight, so it is about time to see some dancing … on flight!

This is exactly what Philippines’ Cebu Pacific Airlines did!

They started it in 2010 (first video below) and repeated it just few days ago before the Christmas (the second video).

These videos are not merely about the dancing and fun, they are about the unconventional branding opportunities the Internet is providing for all of us; It is about the power of social networks.

It is really mesmerizing how much such viral videos can contribute to the brands behind them. At least for the exposure and awareness; I would personally have never heard of Portuguese Airlines or Cebu Pacific Airlines because I am not usually on their flights routes. But for those on their routes, the rewards are even more. Such publicity fosters an image of  fun, full of energy, dynamic, can be related to, and have a high sense of customer service and understanding brand!

I guess there is no need to mention Saudi Airlines, right?!

Enjoy the videos …

 
2 Comments

Posted in Advertisement, Branding, Communication, Marketing

 

Al Baik Restaurant; Revisited!

07 Nov

Image via: jscreationzs/freedigitalphotos.net

Almost two years ago, I wrote this postabout Al Baik; believe it or not, this post is the most successful post I have ever written in terms of comments, responses, and search engines inquiries. There is not a single week passed since I wrote this post without me having some kind of response on it, through emails mostly, or having it attracting more visitors from Google. Most of the notes I am receiving are wonderful memories of those who have been to Jeddah and tried it and now missing it, or those asking me why it is not expanding in their home countries (including USA!) and if they could win a franchise deal, and of course there are those who are asking me about its garlic recipe!

So I decided to revisit Al Baik with another post today, the first one was mostly discussing their strengths, so let’s discuss their weaknesses!

  • Superb Customer Service … is cutting back! 

As I have indicated in the first post, Al Baik has always been known for its fast services, servicescape design, and cleanness of their restaurants environment. Its management maintained all of those up to a certain level of high quality. However, the in-store experience started to decline and becomes seriously annoying recently. Standing there to request your order is like standing in a middle of an old style car auction where everyone is shouting and having some kind of shoulders fights! It is like the whole idea of queuing and standing in line is yet to be invented! Maybe it is harsh to say this, but it is a truly uncivilized scene to see and be part of! I know that Al Baik cannot be blamed for such behavior because it is somehow part of the whole public culture that does not respect waiting in lines and order, but I am blaming Al Baik for encouraging such behavior and not developing some kind of  system to organize the in-store experience. There are different and easy solutions out there that could bring back the peace and order to Al Baik visits.

  • Location … location … location!!

It is not a surprise we all have at least once wondered why Al Baik has not yet expanded locally, regionally, or even internationally! You cannot hear but rumors in this regard because nobody actually knows the true reasons but Al Baik management themselves! There are numerous models and examples already in the market where they could have learned from and improved to suite their strategic goals! I truly believe that they have lost a lot in form of lost opportunities! And I am sure they have received a lot of comments and inquires from fans all over the world … yes from all over the world!

*Image Source

 
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Posted in Branding, General Management, Saudi business

 

The GCC’s Top 10 Employers

16 Oct
Image via: digitalart / freedigitalphotos.net
Admit it, you either want to work in a great company with a brilliant working environment, or you want to have your own business and create that awesome working environment.

Arabian Business.com took it on its shoulders to provide us with yet another benchmarking list of the top 10 GCC employers. If you are already in one of them, lucky you, you have been selected. If not, you may have another
opinion and think that your workplace is among the best already, or you could just watch and weep!!

According to the magazine, its researchers conducted a study to determine the best employers in the GCC area. The following items have been used in its comparison list: salary, benefits, chances of promotion, working conditions, perks — and also the quality of the people you will be working for.

Before giving you the list of companies and a link to the website; I have some comments of my own:

-         I have a problem with the methodology, because it is not there! We do not know or have any details about how Arabian Business conducted its research. Questions such as which companies did they approach?
How did they receive the response? and others are not answered! The claim to name a company as a best employer is a considerable one! And in my guess, it is difficult to measure! In all cases, it is not bad to be exposed to some of the professional companies’ practices.

-         Believe it or not, there is not a single Saudi company in the list! It’s shocking to be honest. Yes I
voiced out my concerns about the research methodology, but still, the absence of Saudi companies is alarming and could be used as a justification to re-think our managerial practices.

-         In almost all of the top 10 companies, there is a reference in a way or another to the importance of
work/life balance and the importance of investing in the human element. Or let’s put it in this way, in the selected companies, apparently there is an understanding of the importance of creating a winning culture! Modern management is very clear; have an empowering environment, you will definitely have satisfying rewards and results.

-         While going through the list I remembered one of the concepts Collins and Porras discussed in their
very well known book ‘Built to Last; Successful Habits of Visionary Companies.’ The concept states that successful companies built their whole existence around a core ideology that is beyond making profits. Of course companies are the in the market to make money, but this is not all. They have a reason behind their existence. In the list, you can see examples of companies having the ideology of developing people, or building communities and so on. This is definitely a challenge.

The introduction to the list can be found here, and the companies profiles could be browsed starting from here.

And this is the summary of the list:

  1. Emirates Airline.
  2. MH Alshaya Company.
  3. Omnicom Media Group.
  4. Batelco.
  5. Emaar.
  6. GE (General Electric).
  7. Standard Chartered.
  8. Qatar Foundation.
  9. Siemens.
  10. Aramex.

 

* Image Source

 
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Posted in General Management, Saudi business

 

Aramex; Delivering Customer Satisfaction

06 Oct
Image from: aramex.com

It is good to read about companies that are making spectacular customer service, and about customers who are receiving these services. But do you know what is even better than reading these stories? It is being at the receiving end … of course!

That what exactly happened to my friend Mohsen who was at the receiving end of a superb customer service from Aramex, the transportation and logistics company. Before going on with this story, I should emphasize  here that this story has not been influenced by Aramex or any of its staff in any way. The only influence that you may want to consider is their sincere efforts in making one customer, a happy one!

Believe it or not, the story that in some point witnessed the involvement of the company headquarter started because of an online chat between Mohsen and a customer service representative. Mohsen started the chat asking about his shipment that was already in Jeddah but never reached him. The online customer rep. gave a weird reply stating that the shipment has been already delivered and it was received by someone called “Tahlia Branch” … I am sure you can guess that Tahlia Branch is … you know … a branch of Aramex on Al Tahlia street!!

Of course Mohsen was not impressed, he clarified the situation to the customer rep., then filled an online complain about the service, and decided to tweet about the story while hashtaging Aramex.

Nothing abnormal about the story so far; we have been there, done that! Now prepare for the delightful customer service surprise!

After a couple of hours, Mohsen received an international phone call. Identifying himself as the COO of operations in the Middle East, the gentleman on the other side of the phone called to apologize to Mohsen about of the misgiven information in the chat, and that he will make sure it will never happen again! You may want to ask how the COO knew about the story! Yes, he is on Twitter, he read Mohsen’s tweet!

You can imagine the kind the impression such experience had left on Mohsen, or any customer in his position. The COO of an international company is actually calling you to apologize for an online incident that he noticed because of a tweet!

The story is not over yet; in a couple of days, Mohsen received another call from Aramex, this time from a quality assurance representative calling him because of the online complain he had left after the chat! And guess what, Mohsen told the representative about the call he received from the COO and she was not aware of it, she was just calling to help with misfortunate customer expereince he had had while receivng the service!

So why this is a superb customer experience:

  • It clearly shows that the company, Aramex in this story, has the customer experience at the heart of its culture. You do not usually get a call from the COO and get follow up calls from a company that did not thoroughly thought about customer satisfaction!
  • The story does not suggest in any way that Aramex is a perfect customer provider and there is no chance of receiving some unfortunate experience with them, but it certainly shows that they are willing to learn from their mistakes, they care, they understand what customer service is (read the previous point again).
  • Finally, this is an example of the power of social media. An evidence of what Jeff Jravis* calls the lost control of timing. On social media you ‘no longer decide when to put your story out or when to answer critics.’ That’s why companies like Aramex cares about their reputation on the social network. That’s why they are closely monitoring what is said about their services. Deciding to have a Twitter, Facebook, and a website is not a luxury anymore. Online presence is important to have, more important to use well. To interact with customers and to engage them. To understand them.
* Read Jeff Jarvis book, “What Would Google Do?”

 
3 Comments

Posted in Branding, Customer Service, Marketing, Social Media

 

Apple Headquarters

14 Aug

via Mashable.com

 It seems that Apple is destined to be different and unique in everything it does. Yes, it has a line of products that everyone wants to have (some would keep this desire a secret though!) and it is the company that changed the landscape of portable computing technologies several times. Let me repeat this so you could feel the heat of the statement; they changed the landscape of portable computing technologies several times. Music: iPod; Smart phones: iPhone; Tablets: iPad … and I did not go back much in history to talk about Macs and operating systems, so yeah, I rest my case!

Now Apple is getting the spotlights again not because of one of its products, but because of its headquarters.

On the Internet, it started to be known as the Apple Saucer while its official name is Apple Campus 2 (why don’t they call it iApple?).  It is the impressive building design that will have among many things:

  • Four stories building constructed on 2.8 million-square-foot area (about 260,128.5 square-meters).
  • 12,000 employees to be housed in the building.
  • 1,000 seat auditorium.
  • 300,000 square-foot research facilities (about 27,870.9 square-meters).
  • The building will be powered by its own ‘energy center’ and it will depend on the national grid for backup.

Check out this Mashable page for more details and photos.

It is a no surprise that this is coming from the company that has more cash than the US government itself! Apple never ceases to impress you!

 
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Posted in Branding, Communication, General Management

 

Iconic Companies

28 Apr

Less than 10 days ago, Barack Obama, the president of the United States of America, paid a visit to the headquarters of this decade sensation, Facebook, Inc.

There are many angels where you could look to this visit from, the political angel is no doubt the largest. After all, the visit is a part of the president’s agenda to promote certain politics and to stimulate funds for his upcoming reelection efforts. However, there is another important dimension to this visit, it is acknowledging the significance, the symbolism of Facebook to the whole American business image. Read more this visit here & here. And this is a video as well.

There are companies that turn to be icons representing their countries’ capabilities and competitive edges. The United States has no shortage of supply in this department; you name it, Ford, GM, GE, Apple, Google, etc. In the UK, BP, HSBC, Vodafone group, etc. In Germany, Allianz Worldwide, DaimlerChrysler, Siemens, etc. In Japan, Toyota, Honda, Sony, etc.

Now the question is; which Saudi companies would fall into such category?

Tough question, don’t you think? I can only think of Aramco and SABIC, noting that they are mostly governmental institutions and their operations are based on the country’s natural resources. But still, they are definitely symbols on the the Saudi business scene.

Honestly, it is a bit disturbing to find it hard to think of iconic companies to represent a country that enjoys a powerful economic status as Saudi Arabia, a country that enjoys a seat on the G20!

Anyway, maybe it is appropriate here to mention that the Forbes list of the biggest global 2000 companies mentions 15 Saudi companies (public companies, so Aramco does not count!). SABIC performs well, and comes at the rank of 95 (out of 2000 of course). STC is not doing bad either and comes at 334. You can go through the list in here, however, I would not say that these companies qualify to be iconic (it’s debatable topic though!). This list is compiled based on many factors, assets, profits, etc. To be iconic means that you are bringing something new and special to the table, that you have traditions and exemplary managerial practices, I am not sure any of those companies do any such thing (except for SABIC, for some extend at least!)

What do you think?

 
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Posted in General Management, Saudi business

 

Qatar 2022; Expect Amazing

02 Dec

Few minuets ago; FIFA has announced that the host of the World Cup 2022 would be our neighbor, the small but ambitious country, Qatar.

In so many ways, hosting a world cup is not only about sports. Being the host of such a major international event carries so many meanings and sends so many signals – it is safe to argue that World Cup is THE largest event on the global scene nowadays-. Qatar is now saying to the world that I am here as a country, I have the ability, the will, the resources, the infrastructure, and the culture to host such a huge event. In a lot of times, the privilege of hosting the World Cup marks a distinct point in history for the host country, just think of what it meant to South Africa to have it on its lands.

For that, Qatar in 2022 will not only represent itself, it will represent the whole Arabs, the oil countries, the always unstable area of Middle East, and maybe the shadows of being a Muslim country. Yes, I do believe that sports should transcend such aspects, I am only stating the perceptions and maybe challenges that Qatar might face in the coming days.

Just putting aside the hot climate, I have no doubt that Qatar will be up to the challenge. It has what it takes to create a memorable event. Huge amount of money will be invested in the country infrastructure, but it is an investment in the future. It is a huge branding and economical victory. The country is now having the chance to market itself as a major player in the region and a major business hub. It has the chance to continue attracting international investments, which Qatar already started, and foster its global position as a business friendly environment that is full of opportunities.

Qatar is bringing the world to its doorsteps, to its people, to its culture; it is simply a country that wants to break away from its surroundings and join the developed world.

In Qatar 2022, we will ‘Expect Amazing’ …

 
2 Comments

Posted in Branding

 

When You Know It Was A Mistake

12 Aug

I believe that there are a lot of things we could learn from Google even when they take a wrong step and make a wrong decision!

About a year ago, Google introduced a new product called “Google Wave” which was presented as the new and revolutionary way to communicate online. It combined instant messaging, documents sharing, emails, and many other features that promised instant interaction on the network.

Few days ago, Google decided to stop developing “Wave” as a single product; simply, It did not accomplish its targeted goals!

Here are some Google lessons:

  • The company that does not fear innovation is the same company that does not fear setbacks. There is no doubt that Google spent a lot of resources on “Wave” and was, in a way or another, betting that it will change the online interactive scene. But the moment it felt that the product is not harmonious with customers, the company had the gut to stop it!
  • A message to customers; we are here to serve you. We thought that a new product will be beneficial to you all, but once we sensed that you did not like it, we stopped it and we are working on something else to meet (or exceed!) your expectations.
  • A message to employees; the company is ready to believe in and support your innovative ideas. We are ready to accept the risks to make a difference in our customers lives. And if that idea did not make it, we are ready to accept the consequences. Just go there and bring us some fresh and innovative ideas.

All in all, innovation management does not mean that all ideas should be introduced to the market without proper market analysis, but it certainly means that a company should know when to retreat and learn its lesson instead of being stubborn and start losing customers loyalty.

 
2 Comments

Posted in Entrepreneurship, Marketing, Public Relations

 

Steve Jobs Advice

30 Apr

Whenever you receive an advice from an experienced man/woman, you should appreciate it and see how much you can integrate it into your own vision and style. But when you receive the advice from someone who is heading an iconic company and is believed to be the innovative spirit within that company, and not to mention that he has just been selected for the fifth time to be among the 100 most influential people around the world by the Time magazine then you should really listen … and listen carefully!

I am taking about the CEO of Apple, the man who does not need to be introduced; Steve Jobs. In the following clip, Mark Parker, the CEO of Nike is sharing with audience, and with all of us, the advice he received from Steve. Although the advice is very straight forward and, you could say, simple. thinking of it for few minuets would tell you that it is a strategic advice. An advice about the mission and personality of a company. And if not taking that from Apple, whom should you take it from anyway!!

Check it out …

 
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Posted in Leadership

 

The Psychological Cost

25 Apr

I have a confession to make. and if, by any chance, Steve Jobs is reading this; I am sorry!

I have been a long time advocate of Microsoft and I hated the gut of Apple before even trying it!

My reasoning was simple, we would not know the world as we know it today without Microsoft Windows and Office, and that is partially true even after my confession. In other words, I was feeling gratitude toward Microsoft more than being happy with its system quality. I was not looking at its shortcomings, I was looking more to its role in my daily life.

Anyway, before this get very sentimental … this post is neither about Microsoft nor Apple. It is about our psychological attachments to certain brands.

There is something in marketing called ‘the switching cost;’ They are the costs a person, or even an organization, has to pay when deciding to choose another product, supplier, service, etc. The cost here should not be only thought of in terms of financial means. Beside money, there is time, efforts, and there is physiological costs as well. And to make things clearer, think of switching from a phone brand to another. You have to spend some time learning and getting familiar with the new brand.This is a switching cost right there and some people might not be willing to deal with.

Psychological switching cost or barrier, plain and simple, is anything a brand does in an attempt to relate to its customers. This will turn into feelings such as admiration, respect, love, …, etc in the customer minds. And eventually, customer will get attached to the brand because of these feelings. The touch of a product, the smell, the quality, or customer service, all these are examples of investments that can be made to create the required psychological switching barrier.

So the next time you are drafting your branding strategy, or planning an advertisement campaign, you better not only think about customers buying more of your products, but how customers will never think of switching to your competitor. Not only having more customer attention through the ads, but having more customers relating to your brand through these ads.

Now, If you look around, you might find something that you are psychologically attached to; maybe the perfume that makes you feel sexy and mysterious when wearing it, a clothing brand that adds elegance to your personality, what about the brand of your laptop, or the type of the car you are driving.

So, do you have any confession to make :) … share it with the rest of us …

 
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Posted in Branding, Marketing

 
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