Dubai: Complicate the customer experience and your brand pays the consequences. Keep your interaction simple to hit pay dirt.
That’s the logic behind the fourth Siegel+Gale Global Brand Simplicity Index. Within the Middle East, Google, YouTube and Samsung emerged the Top Three, with Carrefour in fourth and Apple in fifth. Among regional brands, Emirates airline flew into seventh spot and Gulf News was 11th. McDonald’s was(15th), and KFC and Yahoo! were ranked 16th.
“Simplicity equals many things and it certainly isn’t easy to achieve. Indeed, overcoming complexity is a key brand challenge and the brands that get it right, win,” said Liana Dinghile, director of strategy for the EMEA territory at Siegel+Gale, a global consultancy.
“This year’s index proves that companies that articulate a clear purpose and make it a central focus for employees foster innovation. Companies where employees both understand and are committed to their company’s purpose are the ones where it is simplest to innovate.”
From the UAE and Saudi Arabia, there were 1,764 respondents in the poll, conducted between May 3 and July 2. (For the global survey, Siegel+Gale’s online survey sourced feedback from more than 10,000 respondents in seven countries on how industries and brands make people’s lives simpler or more complex.”
Respondents rated 525 brands globally. The brands were selected as a representative set that respondents would be most likely to know and/or use in each country.
Simple
“Brands that become difficult to deal with are brands operating without purpose, especially those that continually expand into new sectors or release new and updated products,” said Joumana Al Hage, senior strategic planner at Cheil, a marketing consultancy based in Dubai.
“Throughout such change there has to be consistency, so companies and brands that want to innovate must make purpose a central focus, one that guides the way employees engage and act. Providing companies encourage innovation and make it simple to implement — like Samsung or Google do — then, yes, it is much easier being simple than complicated.”
Interestingly, regional consumers were more than willing to pay more if the transaction process was direct enough. For instance, more than 50 per cent of consumers in the UAE and Saudi Arabia said they would, on average, spend up to 5.5 per cent more for a “more simple product, experience and service when purchasing electronics”, according to the study.
Also, 72 per cent of them are more likely to recommend a brand because it provides simpler experiences and communications.
Innovate
Within the wider matrix of brand dynamics, the study reckons that not all of it can be created and sustained by what consumers want. Employees need to be clued in as well. “According to our study, employees find it easiest to innovate when they understand what drives the company they work for and are committed to the difference they are making every day as part of that company,” said Dinghile.
Global tech uber-brands lead the way in Sigel+Gale’s Brand Simplicity Index, while regional names also figure prominently.
While Google is a “synonym for simplicity”, YouTube wins users over by diligently localising its content to push through with its reach. Samsung’s prioritising of creativity is winning regional adherents, while Apple’s backing is for the ease of use of its products.
As for regional brands, there are top mentions for the Saudi Arabia fast food chain Al Baik for its “innovative” order system, and Emirates’ for its continual brand evolution.
Gulf News is in 11th spot, ahead of HP, LG and Dell, as well as McDonald’s (15th) and KFC (16th). Yahoo! was ranked 16th.
