As you may have noticed, we recently celebrated our 10th birthday. Over the last decade, we\u2019ve had countless milestones and memorable moments, but perhaps the most exciting development of all has been our expansion overseas. We enjoy amazing relationships with our client partners in the Middle East, particularly in Saudi Arabia.<\/p>\n
From funded start-ups to large enterprises in a wide range of industries including FMCG, ceramics, retail and real estate; it\u2019s been a smooth-sailing success – but, how? We\u2019ve taken some time to reflect on this question and come up with some top tips for working with international clients.<\/p>\n
When there\u2019s a language barrier, it\u2019s important to be smart with speech and considerate with email correspondence. We explain our ideas with clarity and without complexity. This comes from years of experience which translates into total confidence in what we do and the way we do it. This means we can answer questions calmly, and describe things thoroughly and slowly if necessary. Overall this helps our clients to relax as they understand exactly what\u2019s going on and why.<\/p>\n
To be global you need to think globally. It\u2019s important to be conscious of affairs, customs and cultural sticking points in your client\u2019s country. From greetings and faux pas to religious holidays and market dynamics – it\u2019s well worth starting your journey armed with as much insight as possible. It\u2019s not just polite, it\u2019s impressive. We demonstrate this casually on our calls and more formally on brand strategy documents. A great example of this is Vision 2030 which is a huge government-led plan that\u2019s transforming the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. We found it, learned from it and implemented it to strengthen our brand strategy work.<\/p>\n
Your perception of artistic value, good taste and fashion come from your environment and the media you consume. There is a chance that your overseas clients don\u2019t share your palette and this may throw a spanner in the works if you\u2019re not ready for it. You need to be able to adapt your style and think outside the box, explaining your creative choices more thoroughly as you present them. It\u2019s important to be mindful of differing cultural preferences and understand the look and feel of their market – we cover all of this in our brand strategy exercise before we begin any creative work.<\/p>\n
Overseas clients like to socialise at the start and end of meetings. At the end of the day, it\u2019s a long-distance relationship so extra efforts need to be made in order to retain trust, confidence and overall satisfaction. From our experience we have found that our clients in the Gulf believe that business is personal and by bringing us on board they are welcoming us into their family. This is great for us as we love sparking genuine relationships and being friendly, it\u2019s an organic part of the Klinical DNA.<\/p>\n
Having 10 years of skin in the game means we\u2019ve built formidable foundations for success. We\u2019ve developed a way of thinking and a method of working which, with tweaks, works for any kind of brand in any part of the world. It\u2019s about grasping consumer behaviour, culture, design, language, sales and marketing, and bringing them together with creative flair and purpose.<\/p>\n
Those are our top tips and we hope they demonstrate that although we\u2019re located in London, the scope of our services is truly and comfortably global. To us, it doesn\u2019t matter where you are, we care about what you do and why you do it. So, whether you\u2019re looking for a branding agency in Saudi Arabia or a brand consultancy in Dubai, you can choose Klinical with confidence.<\/p>\n