Assignment:
Mo men; one of the biggest fast food chains in Egypt and the Middle East, started as a small family business for takeaway sandwiches in 1988. The three founding brothers chose the brand name for two reasons: it is their family name and it reflects its belonging to the Arab Muslim world which differentiated them from the international brands in the market. In addition to the catchy brand name, they offered a wide variety of innovative sandwiches, high quality components, and attractive distinctive packages. Not only that, Mo men also established a research and development department to continuously seek innovative and competitive products. After the success of the first Mo men store in Heliopolis, the three brothers decided to open other branches in order to reach the 90 restaurants they have today.
Then, they decided to penetrate new international markets; however, they had to study each market independently before deciding to invest in it. Through acquisitions and joint ventures, today Mo men is present in Sudan Dubai Bahrain, Kuwait, Libya, Malaysia and UAE. Organizations that grow domestically and internationally have to ensure the control process, and quality standards are set. This ensure the brand remains consistent in each location.
Furthermore, quality and operation standards created by Mo'men, which must of course comply with international criteria, guarantee customers in each Mo men restaurant receive the same level of quality of products and service, fresh taste and cleanliness. This is how the chain managed to compete in the international market with all its diversified customers' tastes and needs
Discussion
Mo men administrators penetrated each market in a different way; however, they managed to keep the same high quality products everywhere. They studied the potential market, identified its need, and launched their products using integrated marketing plan
One of the main competitive advantages of Mo men lies in its wide variety of sandwiches achieved through different combinations of components. It offers six different food categories, each with a distinguished packaging and a big selection of items under each category. This diversity helps to satisfy customers' various tastes and needs in different local and international markets. Those who are health conscious customers will find what they want and those who look for full heavy meals will get them.
The three hard working founders had carefully chosen the brand name suitable to the Egyptian Market where they first started. The name Mo'men translates into "faithful" worked very well in Arab and Muslim countries; however, it may be a challenge in some markets. Non Arabic speaking countries may find it difficult to pronounce and some may find it meaningless which may affect the power of the brand itself.
Before entering a new market, Mo'men studied it thoroughly by conducting market research, situation analysis and developing a rigorous marketing plan accordingly. It is therefore important to understand that domestic marketing differs from international marketing in many aspects.
When the three brothers market their restaurants here in Egypt they may use different marketing strategy than when they market them internationally. Also, the expansion method differs from one country to the other. In some cases, Mo'men chose to enter the international market through existing players. For instance, in 2007 in UAE, it had a point venture with Al Islam' food and in Malayasia, it expanded through acquisition of an already existing chain of 20 restaurants.
Questions
1. Why did an organization like Mo'men decide to expand overseas?
2. Evaluate the reasons behind the success of Mo'men locally and internationally?
3. What challenges would Mo'men face if they decided to expand in western countries?
4. What can Mo'men do with its brand name to be accepted by the west?