We recently had the privilege of interviewing Albandari Alyamani, a Marketing expert, and one of the few marketers in the region who specialize in city marketing and national branding. Being in the marketing field, Albandari Alyamani is in the perfect position to merge her dual interest in consumer behavior and neuromarketing science and practice her creative endeavors.
Albandari Alyamani plays a crucial role in managing several functions at The Royal Commission for Riyadh City, including running campaigns, creative content development, mega event marketing, and overseeing the creative production aspect as the Senior Brand Manager. In this interview, Albandari Alyamani shares her perspective on choosing her profession, the challenges in this field, common misconceptions, and how aspiring entrepreneurs should start in this industry.
Spark Behind The Decision
We started the interview by asking, “What ignited your passion and led you to embark on your professional journey in this particular field?”
Albandari shared, “My dream was to study Anthropology because I believe that Anthropology and human races are the father of sciences from which the rest of the sciences and specializations come. I learned through this science the importance of context, the importance of multiple sources of information and evidence, and what I find out when I listen to and observe real people in real places living their complex lives. However, I specialized in business studies to obtain my bachelor’s degree and earned a diploma in Interior Design while enjoying all these disciplines.
When it was time to work, I discovered that marketing was the right field for me because it combines psychological studies of the human psyche, concepts, and beauty of designs, and audiovisual materials with the development of practical strategies and plans. This is how I was able to benefit from both my studies and the fields I love. I got into marketing because we both complement each other; I need a huge space to be creative, and this field also needs a creative young woman who loves challenges.”
Albandari Alyamani added, “I consider the field of marketing to be broad and full of sub-disciplines that can be mastered over a long career, as well as being one of the fields. In the world of business, you see the results of your work quickly, whether in increasing sales or increasing customer loyalty, which makes these returns a motivation for you to give more and discover everything new to excel and be distinguished in your field.
There is nothing more beautiful than seeing the tangible result of your hard work. Continuously work until you become a person accustomed to achievements and success and not satisfied with little. This is the successful marketer.”
A Glimpse Of Albandari Alyamani’s Life
To learn more about Albandari Alyamani and the driving forces that led her to be in this industry, we asked, “Share more about your background and the unique story behind the inception of your business. What sets it apart in the market?”
Albandari Alyamani shared, “Fate placed me to work in important companies and huge files that require quick wit and ferocity in implementation, which shaped the professional personality I am now from the beginning of my work. I worked directly under CEOs, which has made me grow professionally faster and take on responsibilities at an early career stage because of the work. In global brands, I became bolder and learned that if I didn’t panic before launching my marketing campaign, my campaign wouldn’t succeed; “and this is the secret.”
My criteria for success are fear, confusion, and panic; I don’t like working in silence. For me, the calm, typical work team that goes 100% according to plan confuses me, and I do not feel a sense of victory with them. I do not accept delays in implementation, I love the challenge, and I do not accept excuses at all for the quality of project implementation. Therefore, I always make sure that my team acts as a marketing SWAT in every facility I work at.”
Busting Common Myths
Every industry has some common misconceptions that need to be addressed by an expert. So, we asked Albandari Alyamani, “Identify a prevalent misconception about your industry or role that you believe needs clarification. How would you address and rectify this perception?”
Albandari Alyamani responds, “Unfortunately, there is still confusion and misunderstanding between the concept of marketing and sales in some companies in the private sector and corresponding confusion between the concept of marketing and communication in the public sector.
Marketing is indeed radically different from sales, as the two are stages and links in a chain of integrated work. But the marketer is not a seller. The marketer is the one who prepares the sales floor, its conditions, and its materials for the seller so that he can complete his work in his way.
As for the public sector, awareness and understanding have recently begun to increase that marketing is the foundation and determines the ABCs of communication, its methodology, form, and spirit as well. Therefore, cities and countries have turned to the concept of precision marketing, which is concerned with international marketing that provides great benefits and opens horizons for business growth, diversification, and increased profitability. Diversifying the market and working to change the international perception that is also associated with the city or country globally, and then comes the role of communication as a tool consisting of several channels that require customized content to convey information, target, promote, or spread awareness.”
Adaptability Amidst Adversities
While challenges are an inevitable part of every business, overcoming the same efficiently counts the most. We inquired, “Reflecting on your journey, what significant challenges have you encountered in your business, and how did you successfully navigate and overcome them?”
Albandari Alyamani replied, “The great challenge that I and all marketers faced was the outbreak of COVID-19 and our lack of preparation for this crisis, especially for those who work in retail markets, and our confrontation with the situation in the face of a deteriorating sales situation and a decline in frightening numbers, and the time factor does not help in devising radical solutions. I learned two benefits after this experience. The first is, that in a time of major crises that affect everyone, do not try to resist with all your might, as the loss is more likely. The solution was to prepare and monitor closely and work without stopping to gain the trust of your customers and appear in a way that suited the stage because your enemy at that time was not the pandemic but rather fear itself.
The second lesson we learned was to go 100% digital. The traditional school of business does not serve the next stage and is not in line with the aspirations of customers. Whoever does not benefit from the coronavirus crisis and develop himself, his products, his work, and the way he sells them, has missed out on 100 years of experience and practices that have been reduced, in just a year.”
Effective Teamwork
We further asked, “Collaboration and teamwork are integral to success. Could you elaborate on the methods and practices you employ to foster a culture of collaboration within your organization or group?
Albandari Alyamani continued, “Participation is the basis of success. In the marketing sector, it requires us to always be innovative, always know what’s new, and keep up with the times. So, all of this is hard to come from just one person’s brain. The nature of our work requires us to always work together. One of my favorite practices is workshops. Open discussion sessions and brainstorming workshops for the work team
As for the city or community, I very much like the idea of creating an intellectual home for creatives, young people, designers, and specialists to involve them in marketing their city, which gives marketing plans and campaigns a stamp of credibility and authenticity. And the spirit of belonging as well.”
Envision The Future
We were curious to learn how Albandari Alyamani envisions the future of her field. So, we asked, “How do you foresee the evolution of your industry or field over the next 5-10 years? Are there emerging trends or innovations that you anticipate playing a pivotal role?”
“I will talk about neuromarketing, especially since it is considered one of the new concepts in the field of marketing, and I have recently invested a lot of time in studying it, considering that it is a modern science in our region specifically, and there are no universities or institutes interested in teaching it.
In my opinion, we have spent so much dealing with the conscious mind of the customer that our method of marketing has become clear. Our entire strategy is exposed to clients. Neuromarketing comes as a revolution in our field. It allows us to learn more about the client’s unconscious mind to first understand his behavior without any influences and allows us to build a close relationship of trust. With the client through systematic affirmation messages in our campaigns that address his subconscious mind more than his five senses as we were accustomed to before.”
Addressing The Beginners
We concluded the interview by asking Albandari Alyamani, “Drawing from your experience, what valuable advice would you offer to individuals who are just embarking on their journey in this industry? What key lessons have shaped your professional perspective?”
“The world of marketing is a renewed world and a vital and dynamic field. You cannot stop learning and must always stay informed so that your competitors do not precede you in achieving your goals. In addition to that, understanding your customer’s behavior is the DNA of your business if you do not get close to him and have an accurate knowledge of what his life is like, what he prefers, what he likes, how he spends his day, what he uses, and where he is located. It will not be his first and favorite brand because it is not only a buying and selling process, but rather a human relationship that you build with the customer and you are responsible for its successful continuity throughout his life.
Another lesson learned is to be flexible, as marketers are always different from other professions because of the number of stakeholders in their projects, all of whom are committed to working together until the campaigns or projects are delivered and launched on a specific date, thus managing the partners, including managers, colleagues, work teams, designers, suppliers, etc. Organizing events, influencers, photographers, etc. is not an easy task. The more creativity, insight, and flexibility a marketer has, the more proficient he becomes in his work.” Albandari Alyamani concluded.
Follow Albandari Alyamani on LinkedIn.
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