Think Local, Present Global

Greetings from Dubai.

We’re visiting our Brand Keys offices here this week and had the honor of giving a Keynote Address, “How to Create Loyalty,” at the Middle East Total Marketing Brand Summit yesterday.

Dubai is the “shopping capital of the Middle East,” with more than 70 shopping malls, including the world’s 7th largest, the Dubai Mall (see photograph), where the Brand Summit is being held through tomorrow. Dubai draws enormous numbers of shoppers from countries within the region and from as far away as Europe, Africa, and the Indian Subcontinent, so effective marketing, brand development, and loyalty are critical issues here.

But regardless of geographic locale, one global truth remains: an increase in customer loyalty always shows up at the register, and Brand Keys presented its view of why understanding the unarticulated ideal that consumers hold in a category is critical to unlocking the emotional and rational desires. Those desires are the archetype for consumer engagement with brands, loyalty, and profitability.

If you were otherwise engaged, drop us a note ([email protected]) and we’ll be glad to arrange to take you through the presentation. Happily, the methodology applies no matter where your brand competes.