Damascus–In the town of Qardaha, perched on the mountains overlooking Syria’s Mediterranean coast, former president Hafez al-Assad must be turning in his grave.
It is 10 years since the man who ruled Syria for three decades was laid to rest in his hometown, and any notions that his son and successor, Bashar al-Assad, would continue his father’s brand of Baathist socialism were long ago erased by a program of privatisations and foreign investment.
Yet if the economic heart of Hafez’s legacy was removed a while back, now it seems the soul is being quietly expunged as well. The government of Bashar al-Assad has employed a branding agency to give a very twenty-first century makeover to all of Syria’s ministries. In a move that the elder Assad may well have found slightly bewildering, ministers are seeking to develop a single brand identity for the Syrian regime.
From the pens and paper in the stationary cupboards to the signs used to direct people around ministry buildings, the government hopes a swish new logo will bring a dose of corporate kudos to the typically chaotic workings of Syria’s lumbering bureaucracy. According to Ali Mahmoud, who runs the Keybrand agency which has been hired to do the job, the regime of Bashar al-Assad is keen to show a new face to the public.
“The government need to reflect a certain image,” he said. “It’s a mess and they know it. Now they are more aware of the necessity of changing it.”
It is perhaps a sign of the evolving Syrian economy that even the government has come round to the opportunities presented by branding–that ultimate symbol of money-clawing capitalism.
The process of loosening the country’s markets began some years ago. Foreign investment was permitted for the first time in 2003 while last year Damascus opened its new stock exchange. On top of that the advertising market, which now colours the streets with gaudy billboards that would have been unthinkable 10 years ago, is now estimated to be worth up to $180million.
But while advertisers have been making hay since Bashar began to reform the economy after taking office in 2000, the concept of branding is still relatively new, according to 39-year-old Mahmoud. Although his own company saw a 20 percent year-on-year turnover increase in 2010, businesses in Syria are being slow to wake up to the possibilities of creating an effective brand identity, he said. “Now we’re in the post-social phase somehow. During the phase where the government owned everything there was no need to do anything. There was only one brand of matches; one brand of tissues; one brand of shampoo. Now things are much more different, but a culture of branding is still not established.”
His words were echoed by Hania Nahas, executive manager of the perfume division at Nahas Enterprises Group, a family-run company which supplies Syrians with everything from Hewlett Packard PCs to Peugeot cars. She said that the advertising market has outgrown the branding sector considerably, and added: “You don’t need to have a clear brand to say
‘Buy One Get One Free’.”
The 37-year-old, who also runs her own Damascus cafe, said: “Today branding is being done in an unprofessional manner in Syria. There is a lack of understanding of how important it is to have a clear branding ID. Companies do not understand what it means for the consumer.”
She said that although there had been a “shift” over the past five years to more companies embracing brand culture, it was still only emerging among larger firms with more “consumer-orientated” products. “When it comes to products that are not consumer-related, like fridges–products you are not in daily contact with–branding is falling behind.”
Although Hafez Baathism might be dead and buried, the so-called Lion of Damascus still casts a shadow over his son’s presidency, according to Clive Woodger, managing director of UK branding company SCG. He said the results has been stultifying for the development of brand awareness. SCG is currently working for Syrian construction firm Fouad Takla Company, and Woodger said that the slow development of a marketing sector is due in part to Syria’s gradual emergence from a “Soviet-style regime”.
He said: “The interesting aspect of branding is that all modern companies want to talk about opinions, but if the government is stopping people saying what they think then that’s a problem. China is a classic case where the government is trying to control what people say, but social media are now a major part of the branding exercise."
He said that Facebook and YouTube–both of which are officially banned in Syria–along with Twitter, were playing an increased role in brand marketing.
“Joe Public is taking control and whatever the government tries they cannot do anything about that. It’s turning traditional marketing on its head. That’s coming to Syria very fast.”
There is no doubt that a lack of openness in Syria hampers the kind of market research which is essential to identifying consumers for a potential brand.
According to Hania Nahas, basic information is simply “not very transparent”. “I had my own employees go and count the perfume shops in Damascus.
There are no official statistics. There is no organisation taking care of any kind of figures. You cannot get the smallest piece of information you might want
before carrying out a study. Who are they? How many are there? Where are they located?"
But that is not the whole story, according to Leila Khauli-Hanna, a lecturer at the American University of Beirut who specialises in marketing.
She said that the autocratic overreach of Syria’s government had not necessarily had such an adverse impact on the nation’s branding culture. She said: “I don't think having single party rule makes a difference.
“Look at the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and most of the Arab world, it is the same way. Branding communication is very advanced in the UAE.
“It depends on laws and regulation, if there is a minimum of bureaucracy along with a sophisticated media infrastructure then there
is no problem.”
Yet for whatever reason it is clear – especially among those who work in the field – that branding has a long way to go in Syria.
Swigging from a glass of murky black tea and puffing on his cheap Kent cigarette, freelance brand designer Ahmad Edilbi agreed there was a lack of awareness in Syria when it came to product marketing.
He said: “The general manager in Syrian companies is often a father who studied the baccalaureate and he doesn’t know anything about brands.
“We’re trying to teach these people how marketing works.”
But for people like Ali Mahmoud, who in many ways have become the standard-bearers for Bashar al-Assad’s neo-Baathist economy, the future is still bright.
“I can see my generation playing a more important role than before. I feel there are big chances here and this is the reason I set up my branch here.
I think it’s a big chance to influence other people doing something maybe better than they can do it themselves. But I’m not idealistic. In the end it’s just a business for me.”
