JEDDAH: Said Aghil Baaghil is a marketing strategy consultant, brand activist and author. His dedicated pursuit of innovation and remarkable results has made him one of the most respected strategic marketers in the Gulf region. Based on his track record for creating radical brands in the Gulf market, 19 years of strategic marketing experience, and his uncompromising brand activism, Baaghil has rightly earned a reputation as an indomitable force in the field of marketing. When asked what innovation means to him, Baaghil told Saudi Gazette, “Innovation is a thought or idea. It is the cornerstone of ideas before they are transformed into energy. So an idea that is never shared is not an innovation unless one decides to pursue the thought and implement it.” Baaghil has been invited to speak at a Dec. 2 conference in Jeddah where the movers and shakers of Saudi Arabia have been invited to give a talk on their lives. He'll be one of 20 speakers who will talk on technology, branding and marketing. This event has received tremendous support from the Telecommunications and Information Technology Committee at the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry. At TEDxArabia, Baaghil will talk about his upcoming book, “The Power of Belonging” and the value of a brand marketing strategy. He described his ideology saying, “A brand is supposed to belong in the heart of the audience. I will be focusing primarily on how audiences need to feel that the brand belongs to them. I want the audience at TEDxArabia to know that advertising is a part of marketing, that they are not separate entities and that marketing is not sales. I want people to get a better understanding of the essence of marketing brands, how brands are so powerful. I want them to realize that brands are like human beings, we interact with them, share space with them, have personal associations with them.” “The youth should look forward to events like TEDxArabia as a platform for learning and connecting. I see this event as a place where young minds can unlearn past misconceptions and learn new lessons,” Baaghil said. When asked what he would do if a member of the audience walked up to him with a brilliant idea, he said, “I would like to pursue it with him and find out who could invest in this idea, help him, guide him. Many people approach me with ideas and I try my best to help them. Alaa Al-Mizyen, a student at Dar Al-Hekma started an online organization, istathmir.org which provides investment opportunities for Saudi youth in entrepreneurship and capital markets. She asked me to be an advisor and I readily agreed. It was a great opportunity for her and I stood by her when she needed my insight.” Baaghil's book launches in February next year and is already available online at Amazon.com. He is currently consulting on brands for companies in London and Hong Kong. His best advice to youngsters who want to take up marketing is to be passionate, “You need to have self-confidence, you need to believe in yourself and you need to have passion. These are fundamentals, forget about the knowledge. You can have the best knowledge in marketing but if you don't have the drive and are ridden by fear, you won't get it.” “I've never had student trainees before but I'd be glad to mentor students and guide them. I don't charge for education. It's part of giving back to the community. I'd be glad to speak at colleges and universities in Saudi Arabia,” he concluded. For information on tickets and other speakers at TEDxArabia visit http://www.tedxarabia.com.
