Click images to view larger versions

The concept of regional brand ambassadors, while nascent, has the potential to blitzkrieg conventional promotions
Nazia Khan

For every individual who aspires to be like Oman’s best-known footballer Ali al Habsi, there’s a brand connection that provides as good a mirror image effect as a consumer can expect. While the sponsorship deal between Oman Oil Marketing Company (OOMCO) and Habsi was not the first instance of a brand getting together with a star in the sultanate, the high profile and visibility of the campaign lent a considerable amount of flair to the brand ambassador concept. Meanwhile, the case for regional and local brand ambassadors grows stronger every year, with simple enough facts as its base. As Lubna Forzley, public affairs and communications manager, Coca Cola - Middle East, explains, “Regional brand ambassadors are more local and therefore more relevant. They are one of us, in the sense that they look like us, speak our language, and understand our issues. As a result, they are closer to consumers' hearts.”

The ambassador effect
For companies, local as well as international, and their brand managers, the desires in consu-mers’ hearts for their products are what lead to healthier bottomlines. While they do have their unique traditions and their regional sensitivities, consumers in the Middle East identify with stars as much as consumers in any other part of the world. And this similarity in customer perception is what companies plan their promo-tions around. Khalid al-Kharousi, branding and market communication manager, marketing and sales division, Oman Mobile, shares why the approach continues to work. “Most recently, Oman Mobile has signed members of the Omani national football team, Imad Ali, Badr Maimani, Khalifa Ayil and Mohammed Kabae, to be its brand ambassadors, for a period of three years. The players are young, well known and well respected. They are the stars of Oman, where football is a passion. We see the players adding value to our campaigns for our prepaid and postpaid services. Through our association with them, we will be better connected with all the people in Oman.”

The advertising campaign for Oman Mobile’s recently launched new tariff for its postpaid services features its latest brand ambassadors. The fact that the FIFA World Cup concluded not far back, and that the Arabian Gulf Cup is approaching, adds to the effectiveness of the campaign’s timing.

Meanwhile, the love that music elicits has been giving the region’s brand ambassadors international affiliations for a long time now. Lebanese singer Elissah Khoury, brand ambassador for Pepsi, recently featured in the cola major’s ad spot with American pop star Christina Aguilera.

Concurrently, songstress Haifa Wehbe teamed up with French footballer Thierry Henry for another Pepsi ad. A Gulf marketing manager for PepsiCo International says that local relevance is key to image building in the local market. Other ambassadors that the local relevance factor has brought forth for Pepsi include Egyptian singer Amr Diab and Nawal Zoghby.

Meanwhile, the competition at Coca-Cola, which chooses its ambassadors based on personality fit with the company, regional significance, and extensive consumer research has singer Nancy Ajram as their brand ambassador. Usually, the brand ambassador contracts at Coca-Cola range from two to five years.

Delving in the deals
Securing a brand ambassador, whether local or regional, is expensive business, though exact figures pertaining to sponsorship contracts are kept tightly under wrap by companies. It is rumoured that stars such as Khoury, Diab, Ajram and Zoghby charge well over US$1mn to star in television commercials. Add up personal appearances at events, their images on products, print ads and billboards, and it is obvious that signing and retaining a popular brand ambassador is not something every company can afford. Closer home, while OOMCO has renewed its contract with Habsi for another year, it remains to be seen whether the association will continue as the goalkeeper’s career moves definitively to Bolton Wanderers, the English premiership club he’s been playing for, and beyond.

Another factor that prevents more companies from adopting regional brand ambassadors is the fact that the celebrity culture in the Middle East is still developing, as compared to the West where it is more evolved. Says Ajit Singh, general manager, Asha Advertising, “Traditionally, brand ambassadors come from the world of entertainment – music, cinema, and television, as well as sport and fashion. Once the entertainment and fashion industries develop across the region, more companies will consider having brand ambassadors. As of now, many might feel that the existing stars do not have the kind of strong regional appeal that is needed for it.”

Even if there are views to the contrary in the corporate circles that decide on methods of brand leveraging, there are various factors to consider. The case for local companies to hire regional ambassadors, in an effort to boost the popularity of their brands, would involve consi-derable research, planning, and, ultimately, estimation. Oman Mobile’s Kharousi believes that bringing a brand ambassador from ano-ther country would work better for those firms who have business interests outside the country as well. “When a business is focused internally, it makes sense to have someone from within the country.”

Even platform
But for some companies the benefits of having brand ambassadors outweigh the costs and the choice is already made. Says Forzley of Coca-Cola, “The process of creating an advertising campaign featuring a local star requires the same effort as featuring an international star. It still takes three days to shoot a 30 second commercial.” And when featuring stars on the make, adding a bit of novelty is what turns a brand ambassador to an operative instrument of brand management. Says Kharousi, “We sponsored Omani cyclist Abd al-Ghani al-Zadjali when he undertook a tour of different regions in the sultanate, starting from Musandam and ending in Muscat. The tour served to popularise sports in Oman and also to take the services, benefits, and offers of Oman Mobile to its customers.”

While they do help alter a company’s image and improve sales, brand ambassadors are not a one-size-fits-all solution. No matter how strong the image of a brand ambassador is, there has to be an essential force to the product that they have associated themselves with. What brand ambassadors do achieve, in an age where everyone is conscious of their lifestyles, is an effect of cutting through the clutter that conventional advertising and promotions involve. Deep down, every consu-mer is looking for a hero. And that’s where brand ambassadors deliver.