As we wrap up our coverage of the Nseries launch event in Lebanon, it is fair to make a few notes. The overall impression you get when you attend press conferences like this is awesome, especially when you meet up with people who are passionate about their work, have the friendliest personality and can always spare a minute to get involved in a conversation with you. Lebanon and Jordan might not be large markets for Nokia, but I believe they are part of the core markets that matter for the Finnish giant. Nokia’s 40% global market share doesn’t come from nowhere, and the 70% market in EMEA (Europe, Middle East, Africa) is a living proof. That’s why in the last few months, we have seen a great deal of interest coming from the local Nokia representatives and managers in the Middle East and in the Levant area.
Getting press representatives to hold a device just 3 days after it is globally announced, when only a few other regions have had a chance to do that is nothing short of amazing, so a big kudos to the local Nokia team for making it possible, believing in the region, and allowing me to have the extensive coverage that I shared with you. Here is a recap of the posts I wrote during the last week:
- Wouldn’t you rather carry them all in one hand?
- Dual-LED vs Xenon flash, a real-world test
- OLED vs LCD screens, does it make a difference?
- Nokia N96 hands-on, it’s a video brick
- Nokia N79 hands-on, where no Nseries has dared to go
- Nokia N85 hands-on, an N95 in an N81′s dress?
- N85 vs N96, the cold war returns
But all of these don’t really matter until you start looking at the big picture, at the way Nokia has prevailed in this region (which probably apply to all the other regions as well) and the way it looks at the consumer right now. These are the issues I wanted to discuss with Haisam Jamal, General Manager for Nokia Levant.
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Q: Knowing that Nokia’s marketshare in the EMEA is around 70% now, what do you think gives Nokia this edge on the competition? Is it the number of handsets released, the marketing, or something else?
A: It’s a number of reasons, but the number 1 is that Nokia is the most comprehensive company, that’s what we’ve been known for and that’s what we continue to do. Today was one example as we launched 3 devices which have the same specifications in general but suite 3 different kinds of consumers. Beyond this, we have an offer for everybody: from the little town in Africa who doesn’t have a TV yet and is now being introduced to the simplest mobile device, to the highest and most tech-savvy blogger or user who challenges the device. This complete range of offerings is something that I don’t think any other company has and if you look at the competition, you’ll see that they are focused on one angle and one or two price points. So this is the major reason, but it also has to do with the brand, user interface and consumer loyalty: Nokia handsets became a habit, a sort of comfort zone for users in this region.
Q: I am a bit new to the whole mobile industry talk. I remember back in the late 1990s, we had Ericson phones in Lebanon, then all of sudden, it was just Nokia. What gave Nokia this fast success, was it the UI, the introduction of antenna-free handsets, Snakes, reception quality, sturdiness?
A: It was more about the products and the interface. We had a few key products that were launched during that time. We were also the first company to launch 2 phones at one time, whereas everyone else was releasing one phone and letting it phase out. So we brought the factor of range and competition into the game. We were also amongst the first to introduce individualism in a very primitive time: Xpress-On covers were very new to the market and a big thing at the time.
Second, we had a user interface which people found very easy to use. Right now, the interfaces may be probably closer, but there was a time in the late 1990s and early 2000 where Nokia’s interface was by far the superior one. The UI was user-driven instead of technology-driven and this is what switched a lot of users to Nokia handsets. That was mainly the start of one of our key company values, which is very human: we create technology not to impress but to use.
Another thing you might want to add is that we won the logistics game, that’s what gave us a big edge. The demand was far bigger than the supply in the late 1990s, and Nokia was the only company at the time that was able to keep up with the demand.
Q: Talking about the Levant and Middle East, what do you think differentiates the consumer here from the European one? And do these differences affect the way you market the phone here versus how you market it in Europe?
A: First of all, if we look at the Western society versus the Middle Eastern one, people are much more attached to their device in this part of the world, for different reasons, which aren’t just technological ones. The number one reason is that a mobile device is perceived as a status symbol: western societies don’t need tools to prove their status, which isn’t the case here where a handset is considered as an extension to your personality.
The number two reason is that handset purchase has been commoditised a lot in Europe by operators who give mobiles for free sometimes, whereas here, you pay for it with your own money so it’s considered as a big purchase, be it for the high-end handsets or even the low-end ones. These two reasons play a great role in the way we market our handsets in different regions, especially the second one.
Q: How about the different Nokia services in the Levant: Music Stores and Comes With Music, Maps, N-Gage, Share on Ovi…? Can we expect them anytime soon?
A: The Nokia Music Store is coming to the region. We’ll have the first Middle Eastern one open by the end of the year, and the others will follow. As for Comes With Music, we’ll have to wait until the stores are launched and if we see that the service is a good thing to do, we’ll launch it, but probably yes, Comes With Music will come to the region.
Moving on to Nokia Maps, we don’t want to take maps that are available for the platform, we want to create our own map for Lebanon and embed it in our devices. It’s definitely in the making and will be launched soon.
As for N-Gage, we know that there hasn’t been any free game giveaways for the Middle East so we’re working on giving the full game for free in the box.
We have put Share on Ovi on hold now in the region. Our main concern is that there is no content filter yet and no way for the user to choose to avoid certain material, as other image sharing services offer. Being that this is a major issue in our region, we’ve decided to pause the service for now. When the problem is resolved, we’ll certainly be back on track.
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It was a short interview, but a very enlightening one. We always tend to pick on Nokia for small and big reasons, as if they were on the verge of breaking down, forgetting what really made the Finnish company what it is now, and what really keeps the consumer coming back for more.
The N85, N79, N96: they may be just another handset in our blogger’s eyes, and another reason to criticize the company. But in my eyes right now, they’re not. I SEE. I see why these 3 handsets were launched together. Re-read question 2 and the first part of its answer. Replace “phone” with “smartphone”, and you will see as well.
