Page 181 - Aamir Rehman - Dubai & Co Global Strategies for Doing Business in the Gulf States-McGraw-Hill (2007)

Making Your Pitch: Marketing to GCC Buyers 165

therefore their language proficiency is a threshold requirement for
being hired. Marketing materials—and even government forms
and applications—are usually in both Arabic and English. When
dealing with expatriates and foreigners, salespeople and even gov-
ernment officials expect to use English. In fact, I once had an amus-
ing experience with a Saudi customs officer as I entered the country
on business. I had filled out the landing card in Arabic, but because
I was traveling on a US passport he insisted I complete a new one
in English. Go figure.
Some goods, such as foods and restaurants, having a special
appeal to certain ethnic groups may be marketed in other lan-
guages, but only when the target audience is fairly narrow and/or
lower income. Many working-class people in GCC countries do not
speak English fluently, but can read basic signs and communicate in
English if necessary. This demographic also has limited disposable
income and often remits the bulk of this income to the home coun-
try. Multinational firms, therefore, can reach nearly all their relevant
expatriate customers through English.
Institutional sales are another area in which a noncustomiza-
tion strategy may be optimal. Institutional buyers tend to be sophis-
ticated purchasers intent on global credibility and world-class
performance. Purchasers of software and technology systems, for
example, will almost certainly be English readers and will generally
look for products and services that have been tried and tested in
other markets. They will therefore expect the pitch to be in English
and to reflect the global track record of the firm and its products.
Some customization for individual users may be considered later
on, but for the firm to prove itself as credible it needs not to stray
from its global messages and branding materials. Trade shows and
conventions for specialized goods are typically conducted in
English, and Arabic speakers have become accustomed to the bilin-
gual environment. In fact, Arabic speeches are typically translated
into English at major conferences.

CHRISTMAS IN DUBAI: SERVING
EXPATRIATES AND TOURISTS
Dubai’s Deira City Centre shopping mall, perhaps the city’s most
popular attraction, is a place where one sees a whole spectrum of