Something else...

Keybrand is Ali Mahmoud’s baby project. A graduate of the Faculty of Fine Arts at Damascus University, he packed his belongings and headed for Offenbach, Germany to enroll at the Academy of Design. After graduation, Mahmoud decided to stay in Europe to learn from German designers. From here, life became a whirlwind of projects that ultimately, led to the establishment, in Frankfurt, of the original German branch of Keybrand in 2006. That in turn led him to return to Syria.

The concept of branding is a fairly new in Syria and local businessmen are just beginning to grasp it, says Mahmoud. He adds, “In an age where all products and services posses near-identical attributes, branding is the key differentiating factor.” If a branding strategy is adopted, backed by a strong conceptual approach, then such a product/service would receive an advanced standing in the selling game. We have to ask ourselves, however, what is branding? How can we explain a powerful force that makes Herbal Essences outsell Shampoo Vicks? Ali Mahmoud denies it as, “an emotional bond between a consumer and a trademark based on the consumer’s experience in all its facets (e.g product, packaging, availability, branding & communication, etc.).” Merely the lack of such an “emotional trust” would transform the product/service into a simple commodity, with no added value. These days, large multinational companies like Volkswagen, for example, are not simply selling clients ‘a car.’ They’re selling a Passat or Golf, with a trunk filled with values, ideals, goals, and even an entire lifestyle. By owning a Volkswagen, one becomes part of an privileged club that promotes safety, efficiency, and elegance.

So what role does Keybrand play in all of this? The process is straightforward, yet unfortunately, not many believe in its application. Furthermore, a majority of Syrian businessmen are not even aware that such a process is needed in order to create a brand with “visual translation.” It all begins with an idea that answers two straightforward questions: “What is this company?” and “What does this company stand for?” Based upon the answers, Keybrand devises a strategic approach in which the corporate identity is built upon. After all, behind every great logo, is a great concept. Once the concept has been established and identity designed, branding agencies take on the role of the “brand-guard,” protecting and ensuing its continuity. That can only happen when ”all communication is in total alignment with the concept.” All items that are created, whether packaging, letterheads, or even advertisements, must adhere to the positioning that the product/service is trying to communicate.

Let’s take “Inhouse Coffee,” our beloved local coffee shop and the first successful branding project in Syria, as a case study. Contrary to popular belief, Inhouse is a local brand; its design and concept were created by Keybrand. Rumors of it being a Canadian or American chain were the result of its attractive design and professionalism. Naturally, the primary step was to ask the basic questions, “What does Inhouse Coffee represent?” “What image are they trying to communicate?” Obviously, this coffee shop is the first of its kind in Syria, and because of its singularity and target consumers (those who have to have enough purchasing power to buy a cup of coffee for 140 Syrian Pounds) its image should be modern, “cool”, and funky. These attributes were smartly translated onto the logo design, the colors, and atmosphere. It doesn’t stop there; the packaging, posters, and even the interior design of the place itself are all harmoniously put together as one unit. Nevertheless, it isn’t always a joy ride. In fact, the ride that Keybrand gets is one filled with stress, frustration, and deadlines. Furthermore, because professional advertising and design are new to the Syrian market, and branding is alien, it is often difficult to get quick results. Mahmoud elaborates, “In order to get a satisfactory result, all sides, not just one’s own self, have to be functioning well, and in Syria that is a rare occurrence.” Normally, the branding agency would be working hand-in-hand with a market research company, which in turn would provide statistics and precise information on market and consumers. These type of companies, however, either do not exist, or when they do, they do not have accurate information. That in turn leads to false results.

As for the printing houses, “mistakes made during the printing process are often taken lightly, when they shouldn’t even be occurring in the first place.” Often, Keybrand resorts to foreign resources (photographers, studios, and marketing experts) to get the job done. Finding the right alliances is a timely process, yet one that is necessary to ensure adequate outcomes.

In light of this situation, Key brand has forged a strategic alliance with JWT, so as to provide the clients of both companies with state-of-the-art specialized services across the entire communication spectrum.

Thankfully, many Syrian businessmen are beginning to digest the importance of branding. “This segment of business-people belong to a new generation who have mostly received some sort of education abroad and been exposed to international brands and branding processes.” There remain, of course, those who care to turn their commodity (product/service) into a brand but don’t care at all to pay for the services. The ones to be feared most, however, are those “who believe that if all is well with the sales figures, then one shouldn’t mess with the status quo by improving anything brand-wise.”

Every product/service (even those that target only the local market) is capable of becoming a potential brand. Ali Mahmoud explains, “Each segment of society has its own visual culture, and we need to speak it.” It would be more than condescending to assume that the mass market consumers in Syria would not appreciate properly branded goods and services as their up-market counterparts do.

Despite these irritations, the founder of Keybrand remains considerably positive as his client list continues to grow with the names of the biggest local companies in Syria like Assia, Inhouse Coffee, Nahas Enterprises (which includes Marliou as well as Trendy & Young), several governmental projects, and myriads in the financial business sector. The vision that one day Keybrand will become an international agency in which Arab business people will be provided with European quality and expertise without actually having to get on a plane to another continent, all began with Ali Mahmoud’s “idea.” It was an idea that Keybrand will one day, most definitely become “something else!”