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Dubai: In today's polished corporate world, it pays to be pretty. If you look good and sound good, say experts, you're likely to earn about five per cent more than your plain counterparts.
It seems that being image-conscious doesn't just apply to people. It's a phenomena now taking hold in the not-so-glamourous world of business. Industry experts have found that injecting a little effort and a serious amount of cash into your business will increase your bottom line, so to speak.
"It's not just about a design or a logo. It's more important to make sure you secure a competitive position in the market with your brand," said Simon Bolton, CEO of The Brand Union. "And in Abu Dhabi there's amazing business to create brands to attract investors."
The Brand Union plans to be the first global branding firm in Abu Dhabi when it opens on March 2. It aims to attract multimillion dollar investments and rebrand the capital's corporations.
Bolton said the region contributes about 10 per cent of the company's total global income.
"We expect it to increase over the next 2-3 years," he said. "In the future, about 50 per cent of our income will come from major new economies - that's China, India and the UAE, within three years from now, because there's such ambition within these markets to create brands."
With 21 offices around the globe and an employee bank of 500, The Brand Union has its headquarters in London. From its Dubai office, the company currently works with just under 20 Dubai-based clients over a wide range of sectors. These include Emaar, the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) and The Tiger Woods golf community. Within the capital, the Brand Union works with Mubadala, and the Tourism Development and Investment Company (TDIC).
The streets of Dubai are bursting with a plethora of businesses and shops with no recognisable visual icon. While name is important, the many Arabic names of Dubai businesses hinders them from becoming truly global. While Emirates airline has its distinctive font in gilded gold, many other local companies could well benefit from a little cosmetic revamp, according to a business consultant.
Complex strategies
For companies, branding and brand management dictate your corporate persona. A single image is sometimes all you need to engrave your business on the minds of consumers. Take McDonald's, Nike and Apple. Forget the fact that they are a few of the most successful corporations on the planet, stuffed with multi-billion dollar contracts and complex business strategies; they are known by some as the golden arches, a swoosh and an apple.
But branding goes a lot deeper than a logo. Brand Mastery may sound like a class in Hogwarts, but is in fact a carefully constructed philosophy, deep-rooted in creative flair and scientific analysis.
Businesses that blend the two, conscious of the image they are projecting both to clients and employees, are currently powering their way to the top of the corporate ladder.
Customers are given a definite visual link to what previously may have been just a bank or just a car. In the same vein, employees within a branded company are more aware of being part of a team and proud to work in a company that is known worldwide, from New York to New Delhi, from Tokyo to Timbuktu.
Toby Southgate, managing director of The Brand Union's new office in Abu Dhabi, said that within the next decade there will be globally recognised brands that have their roots in Abu Dhabi.
"Abu Dhabi is incredible and has a completely different marketplace to Dubai," he said.
Under Plan Abu Dhabi 2030, a master urban plan incorporating the ambitions of President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the capital is aiming to increase its population from 930,000 to 3.1 million by 2030. Abu Dhabi also has 1.4 million square metres of office space. This figure is expected to hit 4.5 million under the plan.
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