Rashid Gargash
For years, brands have competed on the familiar pillars of price, convenience, and product innovation. Today, however, consumers – particularly younger generations – are asking a different question: What does this brand actually stand for?
In an increasingly crowded marketplace, authenticity has become one of the few differentiators that cannot be easily replicated. Yet authenticity is often misunderstood. It is not about wrapping a product in national colors during a holiday campaign or adding traditional motifs to packaging. Nor is it about making vague claims that a product is “locally inspired.”
True cultural authenticity comes from building a brand around a genuine story that reflects where it was created, why it exists, and the community it represents.
Across the Middle East, we are seeing a new generation of brands confidently embracing their regional identity rather than borrowing narratives from elsewhere. Consumers no longer want brands that simply look global, they want brands that feel genuine.
When I began developing Rashtions as a protein-rich snack, the starting point was not to create another snack brand. It was to explore a broader question around food security and the role local resources could play in the future of nutrition. That journey eventually led me to dates and camel milk which form the basis of our products – they both are ingredients that have sustained communities across the region for generations.
The easy marketing route would have been to position those ingredients as unique selling points. But consumers today are increasingly skeptical of product claims in isolation. Instead, we asked a different question: What story do these ingredients allow us to tell?
That distinction fundamentally changed our approach to branding.
Rather than presenting dates and camel milk as only functional ingredients, we positioned them as symbols of heritage meeting innovation. They became part of a broader narrative about how traditional regional resources can be reimagined for modern lifestyles without losing their cultural significance.
In other words, the product became evidence of the brand story – not the story itself.
Too often, heritage is treated as a seasonal campaign or a packaging exercise. It appears during National Day celebrations before quietly disappearing for the rest of the year. Authenticity cannot be switched on for one campaign and forgotten the next.
Instead, heritage should shape every aspect of a brand, from product development and visual identity to partnerships and messaging. It should answer a simple question: why could this brand only have originated here?
This is becoming increasingly relevant across the GCC as more homegrown businesses emerge. The challenge is no longer simply creating a good product, it is creating a distinctive identity in categories filled with similar offerings.
Many of the world’s most admired brands are deeply rooted in the places they come from. Italian luxury is inseparable from craftsmanship. Japanese brands are associated with precision. Scandinavian brands have built global recognition around simplicity and functionality.
Their local identity became their global advantage.
The Middle East has the opportunity to build similar brand equity, but only if businesses embrace their own cultural assets with confidence rather than viewing them as niche or limiting.
For marketers, the question should not be, “How do we make our brand look international?” Instead, ask, “What is uniquely ours that no competitor can replicate?”
Sometimes the answer lies in local ingredients. Sometimes it is craftsmanship, design, language or community. The point is not the asset itself, but the story that surrounds it.
Authenticity, however, must be matched with relevance. Heritage alone is not enough. Consumers expect products and experiences that fit seamlessly into their daily lives while remaining true to their origins.
As competition continues to intensify, competitive advantage will increasingly come from what cannot be easily copied. Features can be replicated, pricing strategies can change, and even innovation eventually catches up.
A brand’s origin story, cultural identity and sense of purpose are far more difficult to imitate.
For CMOs and brand leaders, the opportunity is clear. Heritage should not be treated as a nostalgic reference or a marketing message. It should become a strategic asset that shapes how brands innovate, communicate and grow.
When authenticity moves beyond the label and becomes embedded in the business itself, culture stops being a product claim. It becomes a lasting competitive advantage.
Rashid Gargash is founder of Rashtions
