Origin Oman: A grand success

But this attitude has been changing since the launch of the Origin Oman campaign earlier this year.

"From January we've been working hard to promote the importance of buying local and exploding the myth that locally-produced products and services aren't up to the same standard as their international counterparts,"

says Ibtisam Al Faruji, Marketing Director at the Public Establishment for Industrial Estates (PEIE) and the woman spearheading the Origin Oman campaign.

"We want to offer Oman-based residents the opportunity to buy local and save; save money and save the environment while also helping the local economy," says Hamida Al Balushi, Origin Oman Co-ordinator at PEIE.

"We want everyone to understand that products of Omani origin mean quality. If made-in-Oman Reem Batteries are powering London's red double-decker buses, then why is anybody in Oman buying anything else? When you buy local everyone wins: the economy is supported, residents are employed and consumers get well-made items. Buying local also benefits the environment as there is less packaging waste and transportation-related pollution," she adds.

Of course, efforts to recognise and boost products of Omani origin are not new. For example, OCIPED has put a great deal of work into Omani products, but the focus of their energy has been on accessing foreign markets and they've been remarkably successful. Even with the recent credit crunch manufacturing order books are full. "With Origin Oman the focus lies entirely on domestic markets," comments Al Faruji. "And domestic markets count in terms of serving local society and protecting our environment," she adds.

Al Fauji goes on to say: "Reem Batteries is just one of many success stories, and these ventures need to be promoted and projected here so that the domestic market understands the real quality of local products. This is key to our campaign."

The Origin Oman campaign aims to engender national pride and encourage consumers, institutional buyers and companies to consider buying locally made products and services. However, as HE Ahmed Al Dheeb, Under Secretary for Commerce & Industry, Ministry of Commerce & Industry says: "It's not a militant buy Omani initiative. The campaign offers consumers as well as institutional buyers an informed choice to help them with their buying decisions. It aims to make consumers, businesses and government purchasing agents ask the right questions before spending their Rials."

"It's a balanced and rational campaign that is more about educating consumers and institutional buyers as to the availability of Oman-made products and services and the success many of our manufacturers enjoy in international markets, We want to encourage people to think, buy and eat local," adds HE Al Dheeb.

Al Balushi and her Origin Oman colleagues believe it is local businesses that nurture local communities and contribute to Oman's economy, making sure wealth remains local. Its portal for the campaign (www.originoman.om) provides institutional buyers, local businesses and consumers with product listings accessible through queries plus a host of other services and information. "You'll find short video clips on the Origin Oman portal - people talking about why they think it's important to buy locally made products and services. We want people to contribute to this project and send in their video clips," says Al Balushi.

"From presentations on the Origin Oman portal to creative headline-grabbing initiatives have all been part of the 2008 campaign," says Al Faruji. "We've run workshops on how to win public sector businesses, launched the 150 Kilometre meal, held exhibitions of Omani products, organized the Origin Oman student logo design competition, aired radio and TV commercials, run print advertising campaigns, recorded documentary movies on the campaign and placed the new Origin Oman logo into supermarkets. It's all been about stressing the point that buying local is critical to the Omani economy."

Al Faruji is also enthusiastic about the environmental benefits of buying local. "More than the cost-factor, there are several extra benefits to buying local that spread across social, economic and environmental fronts. The employment generating potential of buying local is obvious but buying local also reduces our impact on the environment. As every kilometre covered by a packet of food, or any product for that matter, adds to the carbon footprint (a measure of Carbon emission), the significance of buying local is huge, especially given that over recent years there's been a 50% increase in the distance travelled by food from producer to the plate," she comments enthusiastically.

Earlier in the year, the campaign showcased the eco-aspects of going for domestic produce with the 150 Kilometre Meal, an initiative held at the Oman Tourism College. "All the food served was grown locally and prepared by a fleet of talented Omani chefs. By supporting locally grown products we're also actively contributing towards a sustainable lifestyle," argues Al Faruji.

On top of this, Origin Oman launched the highly successful Go Green Guide in partnership with Omran and the Environment Society of Oman. "We were also supported by the newly-launched Oman Botanic Garden. Copies of the Go Green Guide - produced in both Arabic and English - flew out the door. In fact, the demand for the Guide has been overwhelming so we've uploaded it to the campaign's portal - www.originoman.om."

In today's competitive economy, product design is increasingly important so, in order to give Omani products an edge in the market, Origin Oman is organising a product design workshop in late December. "We'll be finishing off the year with a product design workshop, the idea is to help foster a greater understanding of the impact of product design and the added value it offers local manufacturers. What's the point in having a great product if it's packaged poorly?" Asks Al Balushi.

The Origin Oman team is of the view that the campaign is beginning to help consumers, businesses and institutional buyers appreciate and take pride in local products and services more, help the economy and contribute to the well-being of the environment.

We've an exciting set of initiatives lined up for 2009. Indeed, this year has all been about setting out our stall, raising the general awareness of buying local, and creating a new look and feel to the national products campaign. In this regard, I believe it's been a grand success," smiles Al Faruji.