Communicate speaks with Nahel Selo, creative director of Sedar, a regional home decoration organization about a recent company revamp that will change the way Sedar has done business for the past 40 years.
Originally a family business, Sedar currently employees over 2,000 people. As of recent, Sedar has announced its plans to expand by offering franchise opportunities to different market segments in the region and the globe.
How will this change in management affect Sedar’s products? Can you give specific examples?
As society evolved and continues to evolve, we had to keep up with the trends. As such, the products at Sedar have definitely become more modern, and they reach out to a younger audience. We have had some designs that are very abstract in comparison to previous designs, which were very floral and classic. Of course, we have some signature designs that will not change, but the overall style is slowly shifting to the modern, to fit the demand in Dubai.
How will it affect your marketing activities?
The scope of our marketing activities have shifted – we are now focusing more on public relations and on non-traditional mediums- especially social media. With everything becoming more digital, it is essential for us to push our brand through channels like LinkedIn and Google+ in order to stay relevant in the industry. Our YouTube ad is now in its final stages and we are excited to get it out there.
We will always be on TV as we don’t want to neglect our loyal following who have been with us since the beginning, and we will be reaching the newcomers and the younger generation through different online channels.
We always aim to stay the top find among our target audience by keeping up with the trends and creating on-going creative marketing campaigns.
Are there any specific media channels you’re looking to work with especially digital, social, mobile?
We are in an age of a digital revolution, everything is gearing towards the digital sphere and so is Sedar. We have rebranded our website, and our social media activity has increased drastically. We feel like if our organization isn’t present online, it will be eventually be forgotten.
How can you engage consumers as Sedar, which is not a FMCG brand?
Curtains are a necessity. They protect our privacy as much as they provide decoration to our homes. We are a one-stop shop; we save our consumers from having to find someone to take measurements and to install. We also focus more on the journey of the customer and how our high quality fabrics enrich the experience of the consumer. We are present on line and on all social media platforms. We also have a loyalty program coming out soon, which will allow our clientele database discounted rates with our affiliated businesses.
As per Ipsos’ list, Sedar was the top spending brand in 2014. Can you give us a breakdown of the different media channels that you have invested in?
We have invested in all forms of channels possible. When we first moved to the region in 1979, we started with TV, as it was the biggest form of communication. Slowly, we made a shift towards print media, promoting our brand in newspapers and magazines, which was really well received. And now, in an age where everything is online we’ve gone digital, so stay tuned.
