SME in Dubai towards Branding and Brand Management - Case Study Example

Journal Article Critique Name of Student: Name of Course: Name of Instructor: Date of Submission: Journal Article Critique Summary The aim of the article is to evaluate the attitudes of owners and managers of small and medium sized enterprises SME in Dubai towards branding ad brand management. In a review of literature, the article notes that many SMEs fail in a short period of time due to their inability to withstand the competitive forces in the market. The article points out that many SMEs usually downplay the importance of marketing in their organizations. As a result of this, they end up not being able to reach out to their target markets. The article further notes that SMEs are more vulnerable to changes in the market more than larger firms. As a result of this, the authors recommend that branding and brand management is important in enabling an organization remains sustainable in the market. Efficient branding and brand management are noted to be critical business aspects which increase the competitiveness of an organization. Qualitative and quantitative data is collected from a sample of 62 respondents who are either business owners or business managers who are interviewed on their attitudes to branding and brand management. From data analysis, it is found out that 68% of the respondents uphold brand management in marketing. It was identified that there are various barriers which lead to this scenario. Additionally, only 39% carry out market research before brad orientation, only 66 have brands with distinctive characteristics. Lastly, the recognition of a brand by customers was found to be influenced by varying parameters. The article concludes that there is less emphasis on branding and brand management in marketing activities by SME owners and managers. Main Objectives The main objective of the research study presented in the article is to find out the attitudes of SME owners and managers towards branding and brand management (Gundala, Jack & Khwaja, 2014). On this objective, the authors seek to find out the attitudes which the sample population holds on the two critical elements of marketing. As a justification of this objective, the article points out that many SMEs in Dubai do not incorporate branding and branding management in their marketing processes. This influences their ability to compete in the market negatively. The other objective is to find out the importance of branding and brand management. Through a literature review, the researcher aims to evaluate the importance of brand management and branding to a business organization. The review comes up with crucial elements of branding and brand management such as brand orientation and brand distinctiveness. The rationale behind this objective is to give background information about branding and its relationship to marketing. The third objective of the research study is to find out the barriers to branding and brand management. This objective aims to identify the factors which influence SME managers and owners to integrate branding and brand management into marketing. The fourth objective is to find out the approaches taken by the respondents on orienting their brands to the market. This is meant to identify whether the respondents value the importance of branding. Fifthly, the study aims at evaluating the factors which influence the distinctiveness of a brand in the market. This objective aims at identifying the value attached to branding in comparison to other distinction factors. Lastly, the authors aim at evaluating the performance of brand marketing from the respondents. This was used to identify the value which the respondents attach to performance of a firm with respect to marketing. Research Methodology The research design used by the researchers in the article is experimental. The study collects data from 60 SME owners and managers located in Dubai (Gundala, Jack & Khwaja, 2014). From the basic fact that the authors have noted that there are 72,000 SMEs in Dubai, it can be acknowledged that the sample population chosen is not representative of the entire population. For this reason, it is not certain that the deductions made from the research study can be held valid for all the other SME owners and managers. Questionnaires are used to interview the respondents. The questionnaire is divided into seven sections, each of which aims at collecting specific information from the respondents. The design of the questionnaire is great since it enables the researcher to get a wide range of information. The research collects qualitative and qualitative data from the respondents. Owing to the fact that the data being collected is about attitudes, it is obvious that qualitative data will come in handy to give an explanation of the various factors attitudes identified from the study. Additionally, it will explain aspects of the research study which cannot be quantified. Quantitative data was analyses using measure such as mean, variance, percentages and standard deviation so as to identify the relationships among the various sets of data. . Findings The findings of the research study are that 32% of the respondents integrate brand management in marketing. Various barriers to the integration of brand management in marketing were identified. It was seen that 19% quoted financial constraints, 23% quoted overdependence on the enterprise owner, 15% human resource/skills shortages, 11% quoted lack of organizational systems, 11% inefficient marketing strategies, 13% quoted lack of skills in creating market awareness, and 9% quoted technology skills deficiency (Gundala, Jack & Khwaja, 2014). With respect to brand orientation, it was found out that only 39% of the respondents conduct a market research to identify the opportunities in the market. Secondly, only 73% of the respondents were serious about collecting information about their rivals in the market. 27 % affirmed that they did not make any move towards collecting competitive information. 53% admitted that they set aside some resources to add value to their customers, 34% did not set aside any resources while 13 % quoted that they did so inconsistently (Gundala, Jack & Khwaja, 2014). With respect to brand distinctiveness, it was found out that 66% of the respondents’ product had distinctive features while 11% did not have any. 88% quoted that their services or products did not identify with their organization. 55% of the respondents used brand distinctiveness features on their products while 45 % did not (Gundala, Jack & Khwaja, 2014). With respect to brand marketing performance, it was identified that 47% of the respondents’ customers recognized their products by recognition, 26% by recollection, 16% mind recall, 11% brand name. 39% upheld innovation, 23% interaction, identification 18%, and 20% information as core to their strategies (Gundala, Jack & Khwaja, 2014). Relevance This article is very relevant to the SMEs in Qatar because of several reasons. Firstly, it gives the SMEs and insight into what happens to many SMEs in the market. the article borrows heavily from the UAE market in which Qatar is part .The article notes that the failures in many SMEs is as a result of their inability to cope with the intensity of competition in the market. For this reason, the article points out those SMEs must come up with strategies which increase their competitiveness (Gundala, Jack & Khwaja, 2014). The article gives an insight into the state of SMEs in the UAE such as their ownership and importance to the UAE economy. With this information, Qatar SMEs will be able to study the industry in which they operate in so as to evaluate their relevance to it. The article also gives an insight into the importance of branding and brand management. Qatar SMEs should acknowledge the fact that branding and brand management are important aspects of marketing. Efficient branding and brand management are a source of an organization’s competitive advantage (Gundala, Jack & Khwaja, 2014). Firstly, it leads to the creation of an image of a product/service and that of the manufacturer (Foster, Punjaisri & Cheng, 2010). Effective branding and management for Qatar SMEs will be associated with various benefits. Firstly, it will influence the shopping behavior of the customers. Branding will make it easy for customers to identify their products of choice more easily. Secondly, effective branding will lead to the creation of an emotional connection between customers and the products/ services offered by individual SMEs (Horan, O'Dwyer & Tiernan, 2011). As a result of this, it will lead to habitual purchases that translate to enhanced customer retention. Lastly, it will make it easy for the SMEs to develop and introduce new products/services in the market since they will ride on their brand name. With effective branding, it can be acknowledged that the Qatar SMEs will be able to reach out to their target markets and consequently be able to retain their customers. Thirdly, the article presents the attitudes held by Dubai SME owners and managers. Dubai is part of the UAE hence the findings from the article are transferrable to Qatar. The findings on brand barriers, brand orientations, brand distinctiveness, and brand marketing performance as given by the respondents will be a great starting point for the Qatar SME owners and managers to evaluate their attitude towards branding and brand management. For the reasons discussed above, it can be acknowledged that the article is relevant to the Qatar’s SMEs. Contribution This article draws from the already undertaken studies on branding and brand management to form a background on the research study to be taken by the researcher. The research study upholds the importance of branding and brand management in marketing. The main contribution of the article is its focus on the UAE and specifically Dubai SMEs. The article evaluates the attitudes of SME owners and managers towards branding and brand management. From the article, it can be acknowledged that there is still room for their integration of branding and brand management in marketing in the region. For this reason, the article’s contribution to marketing in the UAE and its focus to SMEs in the region is important in shaping future marketing for SMEs in the countries. Conclusion Concluding, the article has given a deep insight into branding and branding strategies. From the article, it has been seen that branding is an important element of marketing. Branding gives an identity to a product or service; hence creating more market awareness about it. I also learnt that effective branding and brand management is a source of competitive advantage to a company. It was understood that it leads enables an organization to distinct its products and services from those offered by its customers. Additionally, it leads to the establishment of an emotional connection between a brand and the customers hence influencing the purchasing decisions of the customers. It also came out strongly that branding and branding strategies should be incorporated in the broader marketing strategies. Business owners and managers must also give importance to brand management and appreciate its benefits. This instigates them to develop positive attitudes towards branding and brand management which in turn leads to more incorporation of branding and associated strategies in marketing. References Gundala, R., Jack, A., & Khwaja, H., (2014). Brand Management In Small And Medium Enterprise: Evidence From Dubai, UAE. Global Journal Of Business Research,8(1); 27- 39 Horan, G., O'Dwyer, M., & Tiernan, S., (2011). Exploring Management Perspectives Of Branding In Service SMEs, Journal of Services Marketing, 25 (2); 114 - 121 Foster, C., Punjaisri, K., & Cheng, R., (2010). Exploring The Relationship Between Corporate, Internal And Employer Branding, Journal of Product & Brand Management, 19 (6); 401 - 409 Read More