Best Mobile Brand - Nokia
Best Watch Brand - Rolex
Best Television Brand - Sony |
1 Connecting people
NOKIA
Nokia remains the preferred choice in cellphones, but it needs to watch out for the Samsungs and Motorolas
POINT
That the brand name Nokia is synonymous with cell phones in the region owes itself more to the company’s customer perception management than any other factor. The perception is so strong that Nokia’s products don’t even need to have names, just the numbers attached to the brand do the trick.
COUNTER POINT
It took Nokia two years to recover the ground it lost in 2004 after it failed to introduce folding models. The gap enabled the competition to catch up.
QUOTE CALL
Sudhir Nair
senior marketing manager
Middle & Near East, Nokia Middle East and Africa
“The key to success in the market is understanding customers and providing products and services that reflect their needs and desires. And through our wide portfolio of phones, we continue to offer our consumers a variety of choices to suit their requirements.”
TRIVIA
Nokia traces its roots to the year 1865 and the establishment of a pulp mill in South-Western Finland by mining engineer Fredrik Idestam |
1 The last word
ROLEX
Always among the first few in most people’s wish list, a Rolex watch remains top draw
POINT
With a 100 year heritage, Rolex is undoubtedly the most aspired to watch brand in the world. It is a family heirloom whose value increases with each succeeding generation, customers have saved for years to get a Rolex.
COUNTER POINT
A fluctuating dollar has led to a seven per cent rise in Rolex prices this year in Oman. With the invoicing of watches being done in Swiss Francs, a depreciating green buck has a
ripple effect.
QUOTE CALL
Vivek C Pande
General manager,
Lifestyle group
“Rolex is not a brand that you need to push, it is a brand that sells itself, the name Rolex has tremendous consumer pull.”
TRIVIA
The Switzerland-based Rolex is run by a public trust with all its profits going to charitable causes |
1 Sony warrior’s battle
SONY
The company has made a strong come back in the television market thanks to smart strategies
POINT
Sony CEO Howard Stringer’s restructuring plans of cutting costs and trimming product lines to focus on core offerings have helped the company steal a march over its rivals. The company’s approach of doing what others do not has paid off.
COUNTER POINT
Several factors have led to Sony Corporation’s first annual net loss in over a decade. Stringer’s three-year restructuring plan will eliminate about US$2bn in costs, 10,000 jobs and several unprofitable operations.
QUOTE CALL
D R Bijlani
General Manager,
Muscat Electronics
“We are not here to be logical or predictable. We’re here to pursue infinite possibilities. We allow the brightest minds to interact freely so that the unexpected can emerge. We invite new thinking so that fantastic ideas can evolve. Creativity is our essence and help dreamers dream.”
TRIVIA
The name was chosen as a mix of the Latin word sonus, the root of sonic and sound, the English word sunny, and from the word Sonny-boys, a Japanese slang for whiz kids |
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