Keeping the faith (2) (page 3 of 3)

Hence, I would argue that before we look at the advertising budget, we first need to ask whether we are prepared to compromise our MR spend and therefore the flow of the most essential information we have i.e. what drives our brand - our understanding of the brand relationships which will form the platform of a well founded advertising campaign.

Most commonly in this region such compromises take the form of not pretesting ideas for ad campaigns : cutting MR budgets : tying the research budget in as a percentage of a reducing gross income or bottom line : or even just failing to adjust annually for the effect of inflation.

There is much evidence now to show that consumer expectations in the GCC markets nowadays are undergoing some very fundamental changes. (See our study The Arab As Consumer, 2001.) Most observers now agree that there is a growing trend towards more individualism evident in all the GCC populations. This is an emergent trend - and therefore a nervous, uncertain time for many of these people. Psychologically many will be looking, perhaps unconsciously, for reassurance and support, help with a growing sense of self identity, help to say who they want to be in this brave new world. And amongst other things they will turn to the brands in their lives to help them make a statement about who they want to be, both as individuals and as members of these more fragmented, more mature societies.

There is therefore a real opportunity out there right now for the brand owners who keep the faith, research before they advertise - put some real investment behind their brands in the research which supports them - and always judge the research they are offered on the basis of value, and not price alone.