Test marketing a product for the world market in the UAE
Expert View
The concept of test marketing has not lost its charm, relevance or usefulness. Being able to activate in one market, ensure success, and customise to redeploy in other markets is a critical capability for global brands.
While the common approach was to use a single country as a proving ground for the rest of the world, it has often proved inadequate for assorted reasons. New areas of testing are being driven by the realisation that what works in one place will not necessarily do so in another. Exercises are further complicated by split testing, which involves creating different versions for direct comparisons on effectiveness in each market.
While large corporations have the resources to gauge the viability — and visibility — of a product or service before roll-out, smaller ones are always looking for ways to collect feedback without bankrupting themselves in the process. However, any company irrespective of size wishing to undertake tests must remember that the customer is more critical than the market. It is the customer that makes up the market.
The UAE is a stellar example of a single-country international test market.
An August survey by LinkedIn affirmed — for a second consecutive year — that the UAE is the ‘world’s most attractive nation for migrating professionals’. Hundreds of international companies have established their regional offices here, and entrepreneurs continue to be attracted by the ease of setting up business. In turn, this global professional pool makes the country an incubator for innovation. The UAE Government earmarked 2015 as the ‘Year of Innovation’, and now with the National Innovation Strategy in place, the aim is to become one of the world’s most innovative nations within seven years.
Vibrant economy
Already a significant market in the strategic and geographic context of the Middle East, the UAE is also one of the most vibrant economies in the world. The large expatriate population not only records maximum participation from different nationalities, but provides multicultural, multilingual, multi-tier learning’s. This international influx has brought in new norms, and bigger and brighter ideas to our doorstep.
Our access to this staggering range of social and cultural influences can produce communication styles that are nothing short of groundbreaking. Complementing this is the dense penetration of the internet, the widespread popularity of smartphones, and familiarity with social media.
The cosmopolitan nature means that for a product or concept to be deemed successful, it has to appeal to many nationalities. If it works here, it can be truly international. On the other hand, the UAE has a significant representation of most of the world’s largest countries, and a product designed for the Filipino and Sri Lankan markets can be tested in Abu Dhabi or Dubai, just as easily as it can be in Manila or Colombo. There are also tangible benefits to launching marketing campaigns here before rolling it out to the rest of the world. Brands that need to speak different customers’ languages get to speak them all here.
These factors make the UAE a fertile ground for the creation of truly inclusive global campaigns. Earlier this year, Western Union unveiled the WU Wish programme — a global social experiment in which we asked people to list their selfless wishes for others — and it was the UAE that was chosen for the launch. At our regional office, we are a team made up from many nationalities and markets, and all these inputs went into local testing.
The results spoke for themselves: within five weeks of activation, we had communicated directly with more than 2.23 million residents through our social media channels. More importantly, they engaged with us, and we got to hear their original voices. Testing necessitates tracking of responses linked to the brand, product and service awareness. While consumers in the UAE are open to new ideas, they are not hesitant about expressing their opinions. This is another invaluable tool, for real feedback, even if it is negative, is the key to correction and perfection of any test launch — be it product, concept, advertising or marketing.
The UAE is a vibrant microcosm of the world, with a representation of almost all its socioeconomic strata and sociocultural nuances. As a test market, it is an enviable place to develop international fluidity and fluency.
The author is Vice-President for Marketing — MEA, APAC, EE and CIS at Western Union.