Bandar Seri Begawan - Bruneian Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) need to capitalise on the Sultanate's good name to get their products exported, particularly in the Japanese high-end retail market, a visiting Japanese academician said yesterday.
Ramon Meguro, entrepreneurship professor from the Tokyo University of Technology's Graduate School of Business, said that although Brunei is largely unknown to consumers globally, the country has already earned itself several positive traits which are associated with the word "Brunei".
As far as Brunei business is concerned, the country's image is very important. You have to use that country brand," he said during a workshop on branding and its benefits to SMEs, held at The Empire Hotel & Country Club.
"When Japanese (consumers) hear 'Brunei', they think 'rich country, gorgeous (environment)' and they think of the royal family. There are very big advantages to sell products to Japan," he added.
Professor Meguro told The Brunei Times that since the "Brunei brand" is nascent in nature and is still growing, the country's image needed to be developed in the right direction for the SMEs to be able to use the name as a marketing tool.
He said that strong government backing is a must-have to advertise and promote the country's image.
The Japanese academician suggested that the government set up a shop in one of Japan's central business districts, which would not only sell Bruneian products, but the shop itself should also reflect Brunei's image to Japanese consumers.
"You need to build a beautiful shop, one that (portrays) the beauty of Brunei," he said. Once established, the shop and the development of the country's brand would serve as a link to the Japanese retail market for the SMEs to penetrate.
He explained that since it would be more difficult for SMEs to promote their products for export themselves, the using of the country's brand would facilitate the process.
Professor Meguro cited Thailand's country image as an example, where the popularity of Thai silk and culture of Thai cuisine has also washed on to its national carrier. He said that Brunei could develop its country's branding in a similar way.
"The country's image could also serve as a guarantee of quality assurance like Swiss watches or German cars," he added.
Recently, the Sultanate has launched several major initiatives to market products using the Brunei brand. Of particular note was the Brunei Halal Brand, which hopes to capitalise on the country's reputation as a strictly Islamic adherent nation to market halal products internationally.
The Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources (MIPR) has also teamed up with Singapore-based Consulus Pte Ltd to launched Brunei's first brand of luxurious biscuits, Serijunjung, that will harness the capabilities of small enterprises to churn out Malay delicacies for consumers in cities like London, Dubai and Tokyo.
The two-day workshop, which is a partnership between the Brunei Economic Development Board (BEDB) and the Asean-Japan Centre, was opened yesterday, inviting participants from the Women's
Business Council, MIPR's entrepreneurial development programme and other SME assistance schemes. A majority of these SMEs specialised in producing local handicrafts and food.
In his remarks, BEDB CEO Vincent Cheong spoke of the importance of branding and BEDB's vision of "Made-inBrunei" products being identified as high quality, premium products.
Already, we are seeing some of our local SMEs being approached by overseas suppliers who have come to appreciate the value of our local products. With this in mind, we hope to work together with our stakeholders to ensure that our local businesses grow beyond Brunei and to see our Made-in Brunei products on the shelves of supermarkets and homes around the region and even the world," Cheong said.-- Courtesy of The Brunei Times