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MAGAZINE ISSUE

something for your mind

yeah, we did this!

AL JAZEERA NETWORK
BROCHURE FOR 2011
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credits
Issue Writers Editor Designer Photography Cover Artwork By Anthony Ryman, Managing Director
Anthony Ryman Anthony Ryman Mae M. Alkuino Jason Añonuevo Mae M. Alkuino
Andreas Ioannou
David Omi

yeah,
we did this! AL JAZEERA NETWORK - BROCHURE FOR 2011
On
brand The Dimensions
of grow
1
Brand is much more than a logo, a uniform, packaging, Discovery
an advert or a look and feel. It’s all of these and more!
Discovery is about finding out about who you are, what
Your brand is your DNA, your brand promise. It’s emotive
you do and how you do it. We learn about your business
and it’s an asset with intrinsic value. Moreover, brand is
strategy, your industry sector and the competitive
about “tribes” or “identity”.
landscape to gain a clear understanding of your business.
In this world of complex messaging, where we are
constantly getting bombarded by thousands of
advertising messages per day trying to sell us stuff,
2 Definition

We develop a positioning matrix to compare you to your

brand is a shorthand to cut through all the hype, enabling competitors. We identify key words that define you, your
you to find the brand that reflects and reinforces who you uniqueness, your specialism, your value proposition and
are, or who you want to be. It’s a shorthand for your DNA. This helps us to understand how and what to
self expression. communicate to your audiences and which channels to
use. We now define your positioning and differentiation
From a corporate perspective, brands are at the core of and build your brand story, so you’re easy to understand,
communications, focusing thinking and action internally easy to trust and easy to do business with.
and externally and guiding the entire customer and
stakeholder experience.

Brands and the idea of branding are the most significant

3 Development

We start to develop the positioning ideas

developments that commerce has ever brought to and insights into a visual context through
modern culture imagery and colour palette, form, shape and
typography. There’s a lot of work here behind
A great brand should set you apart from your competition, the scenes, much scouring the Internet,
and speak to the world about who you are, what you do, magazines, much cutting and pasting,
how you do it and what you stand for. Ultimately, it should brainstorming and discussing.
get you noticed and drive people to want you and what

CHALLENGE CREATIVE RESPONSE THE RESULT

you offer.

Great brands are based around a “BIG IDEA”,

4 Design

We create a graphic board to show the visual

Al Jazeera Network is an We decided that, as most of their A powerful sales kit that help a brand story, that is true, authentic, believable, expression and creative orientation. We then
international news media network services were visually very powerful, Al Jazeera communicate their campaignable and compelling. It’s an idea so simple, develop our thinking to a focused set of imagery
dedicated to in-depth coverage we would begin with a pure white cover activities and breadth of scale so powerful and so insightful, that it gives the company and colours and explore different concept routes for
and analysis of global issues to reinforce their values, ie transparency in a visually interesting and a real sense of purpose and belief that drives everything
and events. Over the last 15 and offset the rich colours and simple manner. It reflects the
presentation across various applications so we can
they do. It fundamentally answers the question “Why?”. show you how well the ideas work.
years, they have expanded their photography within the brochure. dynamism, commitment to service
Why should I care? Why does it matter?

5
offering to include news channels and expertise that Al Jazeera
Decision
in several languages, interactive At the same time, we focused on the provides. It’s used as a media and
news channel, studies and visual marquee and used that visual marketing tool e.g. at international Essentially if you’re easy to understand, you’re easy
training centre, websites, online device in silver to offset the white. conferences, to promote the to trust and if you’re easy to trust, you’re easy to do Once we have the strategic choices fleshed out in a
and mobile. Al Jazeera brand worldwide and business with. visual context, we recommend a final creative route to
We chose to communicate within a demonstrate its global reach and design develop in consultation with you. The objective
How to communicate the scope landscape information tool-kit, visually expansion plans. In our design process, this “BIG IDEA” acts as the is to choose a creative route that not only works, but is
of activities in a simple but visually very rich and yet very easy to read. creative and communications catalyst and platform powerful, compelling and sustainable.
engaging way? from which we design how your brand looks, feels, talks
Al Jazeera approached grow with
this challenge.
We used a colour-coded bar,
reminiscent of the TV colour bars
to delineate the various chapter Note to readers:
and acts. Essentially we give the brand its own voice,
character and personality. 6 Deployment

Armed with a clear direction and action plan, we are

heading, supported by key words to
grow is a refreshingly creative Based on our core understanding of brands and how now able to roll out the communication deliverables
reinforce the activity and nature of
the business. Doha-based advertising and design they are formed, we have created our grow process to against a clearly articulated plan. Our role is now often
agency focused on brands. For more create and define your brand in six key steps. to become your brand champions and deliver regular
information please visit our website brand health checks or assist inside the rollout to
We also art directed the photo shoot
http://www.growqatar.com or email
and handled the print production. ensure the enterprise fully and properly engages.
[email protected]
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By Andreas Ioannou, Brand Consultant

Keeping it simple: when we say ‘brand’ we mean the Brand consumers develop rational connections with the
personality of an entity – whether product, service, brand’s external features and emotional connections
organisation, nation, or a person. Personalities (and with its internal features (as shown in the model below).
brands) are shaped by two fundamental sets of features: Value is maximised when brands achieve both types of
¬ EXTERNAL, the way they present themselves – consumer connections. Coca Cola
it could be the style of their clothes or their from “I’d like to
graphic identity or the colour palette on their Adding a new dimension to the model to get teach the world to
communications cultural branding: in addition to achieving emotional sing” to polar bears
Virgin
¬ INTERNAL, the way they allow their character traits connections in the conventional sense, some brands injecting a sense
even during
and values to be perceived – they could have managed to form an additional powerful bond of innocence in our
economic
be outgoing, understanding, trustworthy, with the consumer – through becoming cultural, complex cultures
meldowns ‘life is
or conservative. iconic symbols representing ideas and ideals often
never dull’
disassociated from the core product or service (and the
main essence of the brand). Think of BBC as a carrier of
‘Britishness’ and not as a broadcasting corporation; think
of Elvis as a prototype of ‘achieving a dream’ and not as
RATIONAL brand connections EMOTIONAL brand connections a rock-and-roll singer; think of the Olympic Games as
‘building a bridge over the world’ and not as a series of
what the customer may say how the customer may feel sports events; think of the value such iconic dimensions
¬ the price is just right for me ¬ I trust them can bring to a brand. Apple
¬ the features are great – easy to use ¬ they respect my time in a complex world
¬ I like their contemporary image ¬ they understand my needs they bridge the
cultural gap with
> this product / service is for me > this brand is for me creativity
and simplicity
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So brands need
to think big and
attempt to enter
the world of our
wider culture.
Developing and nurturing a brand as a cultural icon
First, the prerequisite: the rational connections with
the brand have to be in place (a modern airline cannot
become a cultural icon if, for example, its tariff structure
¬ have a story to tell – communicate through
is not in-line with customer expectations). Managing
characters, metaphors, or messages the brand’s
cultural branding, creating that ‘iconic bond’ takes time
empathy towards society’s contemporary beliefs
and strategic effort. Brands need to:
make it real, turn words and promises into actions
¬ identify and respond tightly to people’s current ideals
(eg, people want to see how a brand is Corporately
and values or provide a perceived relief to their
Responsible – not simply read about it).
social or economic concerns and worries –
or cultural disruptions
The benefits of cultural branding are real
¬ be the vehicle to fulfill people’s social or personal
It takes time and effort to create an iconic brand,
ambitions and desires – people know what
but it can pay off through:
they want to achieve but cannot always
¬ being top-of-mind – they get the attention from
achieve it – for example, a worthwhile contribution
journalists, they feature heavily in social networks
towards environmental protection
¬ (viral marketing), and generally the brand
¬ keep re-inventing the brand but keep it relevant
awareness is maximised
to society’s needs and attitudes (British Airways
¬ increased brand equity and therefore
damaged its iconic status during their 1997
increased customer loyalty
rebranding by introducing multi-ethnic art that
¬ attracting quality co-branding and quality
went against the collective ethos of a nation Bank of Cyprus business partnerships
and upset politicians) for over 100 years ¬ being hard to replicate – creating barriers
remains etched in to current and future competition
local people’s lives BBC ¬ attracting and retaining talent
and memories a symbol of ¬ the ‘halo effect’ – more easily forgiven during
Britishness slip-ups having a ‘protected’ quality reputation.

A last thought …
When consumers connect deeply and emotionally
to a brand that articulates and brings to life their inner
beliefs (and ‘completes’ their identity), they want to stay
connected to that brand. So brands need to think big
and attempt to enter the world of our wider culture.
Even if they don’t achieve an iconic status, they can still
leverage the benefits of a differentiated, fresh positioning.
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By David Omi

disconnect between who we really are

and who we are perceived to be.
Which means that we do not have an
effective cultural brand.

Cultural identity as ambassador

An effective cultural brand serves as an
ambassador to the world. The role of
The UK Brand Now ambassador is to represent everything that
I was recently in Heathrow’s Terminal Five building and is good and authentic about a country.
happened upon the souvenir gift shop. As I walked You can tell a lot about a culture from what
around the aisles festooned with double-decker bus it chooses to say about itself: a willingness
piggy banks, teddy bears wearing tiny sweaters to trade in cultural cliché belies a lack of
emblazoned with Union Jacks and ludicrously priced confidence and fails to offer the world
Fortnum and Mason tea selections, I was overcome with anything new.
a growing sense of woe and frustration.
An effective cultural brand provides
Being a Brit and a long time a powerful insight into the collective
expat I am appalled at how my psyche of a people and the
country insists on portraying social and political mores of a
itself to the outside world. country. Effective cultural
The picture we paint of representation can give
ourselves is misleading at business leaders valuable
best. My heckles rise when insights into a country vis-
people of other nationalities a-vis how their businesses
describe the UK as being a might integrate into the
nation that cannot cook, local culture and avoid
a place that suffers any political missteps by
constant rain, and a quiet offering authentic insight
and reserved people with into the potential threats,
a stiff upper lip. Nothing opportunities and practicalities
could be further from the of doing business there.
truth. There appears
to be a profound
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But effective cultural representation requires a certain

degree of accuracy. Cultures are always in a state of
transition. None more so than the Middle East and its
constituent nations.

The Qatari Brand Now

Qatar right now smacks of a country in a hurry to be
loved by the world. It wants to show it is culturally
progressive, having recently hosted the Doha (New York)
Tribeca Film Festival and a TED (New York, Vancouver)
conference. University College London is setting up a
campus in the country and the Qatari powers that be are
also looking to buy the auction house Christie’s.
Already Harrods is now past of Qatar’s rapidly increasing
global investment portfolio.

Qatar is interested in becoming known for something

beyond its untold wealth. It wants to be part of a larger
cultural world and is using its vast resources to do so.
But in its rush to impress the world with its cosmopolitan
Rolodex, it is imperative that Qatar does not buy into
the shopping mall of imported high cultural status brand
names, removed from time and place. In fact, this global
mall is not theirs – it is not Qatari – and paving over
ancient marketplaces for such construction leaves Qatar
in a cultural desert. It’s vitally important that Qatar does
not lose its essence by smothering its traditions and
cultural nuances because the specificities of its culture
are what the world will ultimately fall in love with.
Hence why places like the Souq Waqif, Museum of
Islamic Art and Katara are loved by the people who have
embraced and adopted them as their own. Heritage,
tradition and family values fused with enormous ambition,
it seems, represent the Qatari DNA and as these
are expressed outwardly in a truly authentic manner,
monuments to Qatar’s brand will remain and emit Qatar’s
brand as a legacy for generations.

The Arab world’s struggle to recreate itself for the

Qatar is interested modern age provides Qatar with a fabulous opportunity.
Namely the possibility to develop a cultural identity that
in becoming known represents not only Qatari society but also one that
for something reflects in microcosm, everything that is beautiful about
the Arab world’s newly emerging socio-political selfhood
beyond its untold
wealth. It wants to As for the UK’s souvenir gift shop in Heathrow’s
Terminal Five, it remains a wasted opportunity in terms
be part of a larger of conveying the true nature of our national character.
cultural world and The Arab Spring has directed the world’s rapt attention
to this corner of the globe. Let’s not waste the
is using its vast opportunity by peddling in worn-out clichés.

resources to do so. _________________________________________________

David Omi is Chief Creative Officer and Vissionary

at Sine, New York.
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