The Middle East is home to some of the most ancient traces of musical instruments in the world, a strong and vibrant cultural heritage, and distinct musical traditions that are valued and developed to this day across the region.
Simultaneously, its branding and advertising landscape is currently undergoing an ambitious transformation, as the volume of content continues to grow, and many companies are looking to strike a chord beyond the local markets to reach global audiences.
For many home-grown brands with worldwide ambitions, this duality can be challenging to navigate: how do you encapsulate millennia of musical history in a way that is relatable to local audiences, whilst also speaking to international ones? It is a thin line to walk and a tricky balance to strike.
A first suggestion for brands is to focus on authenticity and history, and leveraging these in a nuanced way to your advantage. Gone are the days of boiling down Middle Eastern music to using an Oud in every single soundtrack, which became the expected approach to ‘Arabizing’ a piece of music over the last century. Instead, look to understand the roots of your brand and the hyper-localised musical nuances that come with it.
For example, if your business originated in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, look at the rich heritage of Hijazi music, including specific musical scales that originated from the area, as well as instruments like the Ney flute, which are highly identifiable, but less expected. Then, think about how you can integrate these music theory elements and instruments into a globally-friendly sound, by fusing them with Western musical elements, such as orchestral sounds or electronic beats.
By creating this fusion between hyper-localised elements and accessible global music, your local audience will recognise the authentic reflection of culture, whilst your global audience will be eased into the listening experience with elements that are already familiar. Brands such as AROYA Cruises have mastered this skill, and gain an additional benefit in differentiation: their intricate approach to musical relevance helps stand out from others which are taking a more generic approach.
Another way to go about this exercise is to focus on the global audience, and retrofit local elements of music to fit their tastes. Middle Eastern music holds a lot of beauty and history but, due to its unique scales and instruments, can often be alienating to listeners who are unfamiliar.
Chord structures that may sound positive to locals due to their cultural significance, can have the inverse effect to a listener from another part of the world, who may find them confusing or sad. So think about which elements from regional music traditions can be fused into internationally-friendly compositions in a natural way, whilst remaining respectful of their heritage.
This may mean tastefully sampling instruments like Oud, Qanoon and Rabab, within hip-hop, electronic and score compositions like in this commercial by Cenomi. Or using Arabic lyrics which are simple and catchy, even for those who do not speak the language.
Brands can also look towards local artists to guide them. The Middle East is home to a flourishing scene of up and coming talent, many of which have already mastered the codes of integrating their heritage into contemporary global music styles.
Artists have both feet in culture, and are as such best positioned to navigate its intricacies. So, as a brand, you should look to hire local talent, and trust the creative inspiration of the artists that you work with – look to examples such as Samsung’s collaboration with Wegz as an example.
Finally, think of your holistic sonic branding. Do you have one in place? And if so, what does it sound like? Does it cater to all of your touchpoints with a sound that is unmistakably yours?
Campaigns and content are a powerful tool, but how about apps, devices, events and physical spaces, for example. Here you can implement sounds that reflect the brand’s heritage whilst also providing an intuitive and functional sonic platform for all audiences. Identify your brand values, and translate them into sound across all touchpoints, creating a relevant, strategy-based and coherent ecosystem that allows customers into your sonic universe.
If you are a brand from Oman, how about using traditional clapping sounds as interactive elements in your application or website? Or for a Khaleeji brand, how about integrating Liwa performances in your brand events to make them more immersive? By expanding your musical strategy to a sonic brand, you will make music into a functional tool which all audiences can relate to as they become a part of the daily interaction with the brand.
These are some of the many ways in which MENA brands can navigate the seas of culture to target both local and global audiences in music.
Is your brand surfing the wave, or sinking already?
By Pierre Carnet, Managing Director, MassiveMusic Dubai
