Top Qatar corporations shortlisted for Gulf Brands awards

In the media & advertising sector, Al Jazeera is up against AME Info, MBC and Face 2 Face, while Q-Tel is pitched against Batelco and Saudi Net.

The travel and tourism category is predictably strong, with Qatar Airways pitted against Arabian Travel Market, Burj al Arab, Gulf Air and Emirates. However, Salam al Shawa, Qatar Airway's manager of corporate communications, believes that the airline's extensive relaunch and repositioning in 1997 under the airline's new CEO, Akbar al Baker will stand them in good stead.

Shawa said: "We have developed a growth strategy to establish the airline as a profitable, customer-focused, international airline of high repute, and we have a strong philosophy of customer service that is epitomised in the tagline 'taking you more personally'."

He also believes that he can trace the direct effectiveness of the new look and the brand strategy over the last six years. He points out that Qatar Airways improved its sales revenue by 12 per cent in the past financial year, despite only increasing seating capacity by 1 per cent. The airline carried more than 2.5 million passengers in the 2002-3 financial year, an increase of 51 per cent from 2001-2, and is expected to rise to 3 million in 2003-4, a further increase of 20 per cent.

Shawa explained: "Passenger growth has been achieved despite a depressed aviation market. We have been able to substantiate our branding with our peers in the aviation industry as well as target markets. The independent airline quality monitor Skytrax Research (UK) ranked Qatar Airways as the third best airline in the world for quality - outperforming other airlines in the region.

"All this has been achieved in the last six years, with relatively small advertising / marketing budgets because of our strong brand."

Barry Gray, publisher of Gulf Marketing Review, the host for the awards, said: "What has become evident is the stature of brands nominated. Many of these names have attained significant international exposure and are spoken of in the same breath as multinational or international brands that have taken far longer to establish themselves."

The awards are being staged by Gulf Marketing Review in celebration of their tenth anniversary, and Gray added: "What we often forget, however, is that Gulf brands are relatively young - indeed, some are less than a decade old - and it is achievements like this that we will be celebrating."

Meanwhile, Gray is also behind the Middle East Marketing Forum event in Doha on January 12 - 14, when more than 200 regional marketeers are tipped to gather in the city to discuss the theme Marketing in a Changing World with a host of international speakers, including the international marketing guru Philip Kotler. Delegates can apply for tickets via the dedicated website www.themarketingforum.com