When you think about it, company names are a peculiar thing. What likely begins as a simple moniker for a family business or tiny ambitious start-up can, over time, become the all-embracing brand image of a multinational monster. If a company becomes big enough, its name can become so attached to the public consciousness that it starts being used as a verb, as the catch-all term for a group of products, or it can even obliterate all other meanings from the very words it’s composed of.
Think “Apple” for example, and there could conceivably be a sizeable number of people who think first of a phone rather than a piece of fruit. Say “Amazon” and as many people will think of a smiling delivery box as they will the largest river on the planet. “Marmite” is used as a description of something that splits opinion; “Google” as the act of searching the internet.
Then you have the situation with plenty of well-known brands that people recognise instantly by just a few letters – H&M, HSBC, IBM – and yet I’d argue that far fewer will know what, if anything, those initials ever stood for. Other names may be based on a language a user doesn’t speak, yet are no less ubiquitous for it – just in the UAE, you have, for example, Emaar, Etisalat and Daman, all of which are Anglicised Arabic words whose meanings are most likely unfamiliar to many expat residents.
In any event, the public won’t even necessarily respect the name as it is either. Very often that carefully chosen (and potentially expensive) name will end up acronymised or shortened to something people feel is more convenient. For people on the inside, the act of sending multiple emails with a lengthy company name is likely to prompt a rapid search for a shorter version that saves their sanity. Meanwhile, consumers are unlikely to bother distinguishing between expertly designed corporate divisions and specialist teams, instead referring to a company solely as its largest, market-facing form.
Company names, then, often take on a life of their own. They might start as a basic description of the product or a catchy pun that looks good on a sign but, whether a firm is large or small, they will become intertwined with a company’s entire offering and culture. People will use and recognise them without a pause, and they will do so with a fairly immovable sense of what the company is about.
This makes a change of name particularly daunting. If you have established a decent business and a brand to match, shuffling from the recognisable to the sparkling new can feel like a risky endeavour. Even while your reasons may be valid – say to reflect your expanded offerings or a change of business focus – the fear is that you lose visibility, some of that customer loyalty and perhaps a measure of whatever else it was that previously made your organisation your organisation.
Obviously, an early lesson from this observation is that you probably shouldn’t just rebrand your company because you think the logo needs tweaking or spontaneously feel that the name might look better with American spelling. A rebrand could be a jarring change for many stakeholders, and it certainly shouldn’t be undertaken on a whim.
At the same time, an equally important consideration is that a brand’s underlying strength doesn’t rest solely in its name, its “unique” corporate colour set, or its expensive-looking graphics. Certainly a rebrand should take the time to think about all of these factors in great detail, but it should also not obsess about how it will impact on how the company is perceived. A great brand can certainly positively affect perception, but it shouldn’t be a substitute for paying attention to the core of your organisation.
Ultimately, a reputation for quality work, for great customer service, for a strong focus on good business, will be what carries the strongest pull with customers. A new brand may well take your organisation to new levels of success, but it will be most successful when it retains within it the same focus on excellence that won your current place in the market.
Ahmad Badr is chief executive of Abu Dhabi University Knowledge Group.
business@thenational.ae
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MO
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How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
SPECS
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
How does ToTok work?
The calling app is available to download on Google Play and Apple App Store
To successfully install ToTok, users are asked to enter their phone number and then create a nickname.
The app then gives users the option add their existing phone contacts, allowing them to immediately contact people also using the application by video or voice call or via message.
Users can also invite other contacts to download ToTok to allow them to make contact through the app.
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
UAE v Ireland
1st ODI, UAE win by 6 wickets
2nd ODI, January 12
3rd ODI, January 14
4th ODI, January 16
What you as a drone operator need to know
A permit and licence is required to fly a drone legally in Dubai.
Sanad Academy is the United Arab Emirate’s first RPA (Remotely Piloted Aircraft) training and certification specialists endorsed by the Dubai Civil Aviation authority.
It is responsible to train, test and certify drone operators and drones in UAE with DCAA Endorsement.
“We are teaching people how to fly in accordance with the laws of the UAE,” said Ahmad Al Hamadi, a trainer at Sanad.
“We can show how the aircraft work and how they are operated. They are relatively easy to use, but they need responsible pilots.
“Pilots have to be mature. They are given a map of where they can and can’t fly in the UAE and we make these points clear in the lectures we give.
“You cannot fly a drone without registration under any circumstances.”
Larger drones are harder to fly, and have a different response to location control. There are no brakes in the air, so the larger drones have more power.
The Sanad Academy has a designated area to fly off the Al Ain Road near Skydive Dubai to show pilots how to fly responsibly.
“As UAS technology becomes mainstream, it is important to build wider awareness on how to integrate it into commerce and our personal lives,” said Major General Abdulla Khalifa Al Marri, Commander-in-Chief, Dubai Police.
“Operators must undergo proper training and certification to ensure safety and compliance.
“Dubai’s airspace will undoubtedly experience increased traffic as UAS innovations become commonplace, the Forum allows commercial users to learn of best practice applications to implement UAS safely and legally, while benefitting a whole range of industries.”
The specs: 2018 Audi RS5
Price, base: Dh359,200
Engine: 2.9L twin-turbo V6
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 450hp at 5,700rpm
Torque: 600Nm at 1,900rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 8.7L / 100km
Company%20Profile
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Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Company profile
Company: Eighty6
Date started: October 2021
Founders: Abdul Kader Saadi and Anwar Nusseibeh
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Hospitality
Size: 25 employees
Funding stage: Pre-series A
Investment: $1 million
Investors: Seed funding, angel investors
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
MIDWAY
Produced: Lionsgate Films, Shanghai Ryui Entertainment, Street Light Entertainment
Directed: Roland Emmerich
Cast: Ed Skrein, Woody Harrelson, Dennis Quaid, Aaron Eckhart, Luke Evans, Nick Jonas, Mandy Moore, Darren Criss
Rating: 3.5/5 stars