What would your reaction be to looking at a product label and seeing it bearing the logo stating it was "Proudly Made in the UAE"? The view of a meeting in Abu Dhabi this week of the Ministerial Council for Services was that such a logo would be a guarantee of quality, enhancing the country's reputation while bolstering local manufacturers.
There is a long history of countries using their reputations as a brand to help sales, so long as they are associated with high quality. Just consider the car sector where it wasn’t that long ago that Britain was the source of high-quality cars and Japanese products were seen as pale imitations. In turn Japanese reliability made it a go-to national brand for quality and South Korea was the wannabe competitor. Now Korean companies such as Kia make good, cheap and reliable cars but are under pressure from fast- improving manufacturers based in China.
The UAE is a natural fit for such a countrywide branding process, which would reap benefits on a series of levels. The most obvious beneficiary would be local manufacturers, who would be able to use the Proudly Made in the UAE logo to distinguish themselves as making a quality product. But it would also broaden the reputation of the country as a whole, which in too many cases is seen in restrictive terms as just being the home of oil and glitzy cities.
One sector has already achieved this. Emirates, which began operations in 1985, created the image of Gulf-based luxury airlines and that impression has been enhanced since the launch of Etihad Airways in 2003. Now that reputation is so well known that other carriers are complaining about unfair competition.
However the Proudly Made in the UAE initiative also requires oversight to ensure standards remain high and the brand retains its guarantee of the best quality. A specific logo to go with the slogan would ensure consumers know that the product has been properly vetted. But with care, seeing the logo will boost sales – and fill those of us in the UAE with pride about homegrown products.
