Effects of Saudi Arabian Culture in Translating Marketing Communication

Statistics from most of those researches have consistently revealed that communication is the basic tool in not only expressing but also understanding the culture of a given society. The aspect of intercultural communication, which is a major area of concern in communication and culture, is explored in varieties of social contexts ranging from business to religion to politics among others. Intercultural communication mainly concerns itself with how cultural values affect communication for instance, how people communicate in higher and lower cultural contexts. One example of difference in intercultural communication is when some societies put emphasis in their cultural communication whereas others do not. In the Saudi Arabian society, fatalism is treated as a vital cultural value that everybody should pay attention to.

This research is going to use Saudi Arabian culture to explore how culture translates marketing communication at the global level. Hofstede (1980) defines culture as being complex but clear collective programming that members of a given society subscribe to and use to distinguish themselves from other members of different societies. According to Hollensen (2001), culture consists of: language of a people, their manners and beliefs, values and attitudes, religion and aesthetics. To attain sustainable growth and competitive market shares, global markets is becoming the force behind individuals and companies in the business world. It is vital for these individuals and companies to understand the complex and diverse nature of global marketing. According to the country’s culture, showing one’s soles of feet is an insult.

Customers and prospects are different in each country with the differences arising from spending, values culture among other factors. Cultural values have for a long time played a significant role in influencing customer choice, lifestyle and preferences in the marketing world. Ricks (1983), notes that culture influences what the consumers purchase, how, why and when they should purchase it. Culture according to Jain (1989), therefore impacts every strategy in marketing including communication. Most Arabs do not speak in English and this means that everything needs to be translated to Arabic so as to reach a wide audience. Albers (1999), acknowledges that companies have experienced difficult times trying to appeal consumers in different cultures of the global market. The rise in globalization which has seen more businesses taking their investments beyond borders has encountered cultural barriers that threaten to sink their desire to venture into foreign lands.

Theoretical framework The main goal of marketing is to generate revenues from the satisfaction of varied human wants. With the target of convincing consumers to purchase the goods and services that a company offers, understanding their culture becomes a necessary step (Gallespie, 2004). For successful marketing communication, a company should be ready to translate its marketing messages into Arabic to facilitate communication with the clients and prospects in the Saudi Arabian market. • Manners and customs: this element is among the most critical because it is not only sensitive but also varies across different cultures. For example in Saudi Arabia’s Islam culture, showing one’s soles is considered an insult. Companies that seek to advertise their products and services should restrain from anything that seems to violate the Arab culture’s morals lest they will use their marketing stabilities.

• Technology: technological advancement seeks to bring global convergence of cultures. Unlike countries that have several religions, most members of Saudi Arabia share cultural similarities when it comes to religion creating a nearly uniform culture. Important religious events such as holidays, for example the Holy month of Ramadhan are celebrated across the country. Businesses need to understand these important religious events in order to market what is needed at this time. Due to religious ties, the role of women in advertisement varies across different religions. Muslim faithful need more time to pray when they are fasting during the Holy Month of Ramadhan. Pragmatism enables the researcher to come up with answers for the research questions. The research’s main focus is to establish how Arab culture translates marketing communication; realism philosophy is the most effective in the study.

Deductive and inductive approaches Most studies utilize deductive and inductive approaches in their research approaches. The deductive approach is paramount in advancing a theory and hypotheses as well as strategies that can be used in testing the hypothesis. Inductive process is important in aiding data collection and availing it for analysis. Descriptive study: Saunders et al (1999) regard this approach as an extension of exploratory study. It requires the researcher to possess a good understanding of the phenomena prior to collecting data. III. Explanatory study: involves intensive analysis of a given problem to advance explanations between variables. The research will utilize both explanatory and descriptive approaches because sufficient will be available for each topic while at the same time the research need distinct goals on how Arabian culture is translating marketing communication in the Saudi Arabia.

For the sake of availing data for empirical purposes, the interviewers will conduct oral interviews through phone calls, skype or physically meeting the interviewees. Where necessary, researches will administer the structured questionnaires to the marketing department of companies as well as the members of the public in the Saudi Arabia. To make the process of data collection a success, the researchers have prepared questionnaires in advance to aid the process. The structured question are not lead type that will suggest what the interviewee will say but are instead open and gives a lot of room for the interviewees to express their own views and perspectives. This will ensure that the data collected is based on facts and not on the interviewer’s own biasness.

Company Question: are the specific guidelines that companies need to consider when carrying out marketing in the Arab world? Saudi Printing and Packaging There are several regulations which are in line with Islam culture. For example, the use of women in advertisements is not taken well. The regulations slightly differ with some countries being stricter than others. Coca cola Holdings We follow strict guidelines when we are marketing our alcoholic products. Since alcohol is only for successful men, we tend to accompany advertisements with symbols of social status. Company Question: what are the key factors impacting marketing communication and strategies in the Arab world? Saudi Printing and Packaging Technological advancement is one major factor that is redefining marketing in the Arab world.

Customers and prospects are beginning to embrace technology encouraging organizations to utilize technological tools in their marketing communication and strategies. Coca cola Holdings Consumer motivation is the major factor affecting our marketing in the Arab world. We cannot work in isolation with our clients, thus we always consider their tastes when carrying out our marketing strategies. Flyadeal Airlines Cultural values and use of women in marketing are the main factors influencing marketing strategies and communication in the Arab world. The five global companies that participated in the interviews include the giant Flyadeal Airlines, Saudi Printing and Packaging, Coca cola Holdings,Deef Pharmaceuticals and Al Kholi Group. According to the obtained data, most of the companies agree that culture is a vital tool affecting how they carry out their marketing in Saudi Arabia.

They all noted the role of regulations in restricting what they should communicate to the clients in Arab society. Regulations rise from perspectives that the society holds about particular phenomenon in accordance to their norms and beliefs. For instance, most companies noted that the unlike in the western world where women freely feature in advertisements, the Saudi Arabia restricts the use of women in marketing especially advertisements. The study revealed that culture is an important aspect influencing global marketing communication in the Saudi Arabia. The Islam religion is at the core of culture in the Saudi Arabia because nearly all the beliefs, norms and regulations rise as a result of the values that the society holds about Islam religion. With reference to the data obtained, for companies to successfully carry out their marketing strategies and communication in Saudi Arabia, they need to consider the values of Islam religion in the decisions that they make.