The Influence of Marketing through Culture and Tradition in Kuwait - Research Paper Example

The Influence of Marketing through Culture and Tradition in Kuwait (Gulf) Kuwait is small Arab country located in the Middle East. It is on the Persian Gulf bordering Saudi Arabia and Iraq. The country is a desert consisting of very hot summers that are short and cool winters. In order to understand marketing in Kuwait, an understanding of the importance placed on culture, traditions and religion by the people of Kuwait is important. According to history, Kuwait was never a colony and therefore the people of Kuwait have experienced freedom in managing their affairs their way especially their unique cultural characteristics. The origin of Kuwait culture comes from diverse backgrounds and is very rich. In addition, the influences of marketing on customs and traditions of Kuwait is widespread as observed in many firms (Ahmed 16). This calls for conscious marketing especially for the international marketer since what a certain culture accepts may be regarded as a taboo in another. This paper will focus on the influence of marketing on culture and traditions in Kuwait. The importance of culture in marketing cannot be underestimated, the traditions, values, attitudes and religious beliefs of a people can affect greatly the promotion of a product. Most of the marketing mix components can only achieve great outcomes if the culture and traditions of the people is well understood, respected, and tolerated especially that of the target market. For instance, promoting a product is expected to increase customers and consequently the profits, therefore to achieve greater profits through promotion it is imperative that a company puts into consideration a people’s culture and traditions in order to gain a deeper understanding of their needs and be able to produce and market the products that suit their needs. The language of a people is a vehicle of culture and affects the consumer behaviour considerably (Victor 142). One of the marketing strategies is promotion; consumer acceptance of a product requires a language to promote the product. Therefore, promotional methods such as personal selling, advertising, publicity and sales promotion can only be successful through the use of a language. In Kuwait, Islamic is the commonly used language which among the most influential cultural elements (Ahmed 67). Other elements include religious beliefs and ethnic values, all these cultural elements have an effect on the marketing mix, pricing, promotion, product, and price. This requires multinational firms to make their promotions and products adaptable to the environment they exist to ensure persuasive marketing. A cultural bound firm is the one that is consumer-oriented, this is evidenced by cultural groupings, and inclinations that tend to purchase certain products calling for marketers to be responsive on cultural influences on their marketing strategies. In Kuwait, culture is related to all dimensions of the society (Ahmed 23). Therefore, appropriate marketing strategy has gained more focus from marketers who wish to promote their products in an effort to increase their market share. Culture and tradition has become a key component of advertisements for most products and services to attract more customers and retain existing ones. Some of the business that have embraced marketing through culture and traditions include the National Bank of Kuwait, Commercial Bank of Kuwait, and Zain which is one of the best telecommunication companies in the country. The use of cultural strategies to market themselves has not only helped these companies increase their sales but also attract new consumers while at the same time achieving and increasing customer loyalty. Another important aspect on the influence of marketing through culture and traditions in Kuwait observed in organizing employees principles as a national culture in order for them to understand their work and what is expected out of it and the manner in which the expect to be treated. This means firms have to act in accordance with the deeply held values and beliefs of their employees if they have to achieve their marketing expectations and maintain a competitive advantage. According to Berham, culture refers to the complex whole, which constitutes the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, morals, customs, and any other capabilities, or habits that a man acquires as member of a society (24). This implies that, culture is socially learnt and it can be described as a people’s total way of life living in the same environment. Consequently, culture affects the way a particular community behaves, for instance the way they live, eat, talk, dance, dress, and sing. The knowledge about the culture and traditions of a people in terms of cultural values is fundamental to marketing. This is because these values influence the way most people behave in consumption occurrences and environments. Changes in the cultural values of a community lead to change on the motives of purchasing a product. Therefore, if a firm does not put this into consideration it overlooks opportunities to effect new product changes or the changes necessary in the already existing ones. Most of the Kuwaitis practice the Islamic religion, which govern their personal, political, and legal operations (Nydell 82). The Muslim holy day is Friday and everything is usually closed including many companies. This is an important cultural element that many international firms capitalize on in order to gain acceptance and religious tolerance by the Kuwaitis. In addition, Kuwaitis are hospitable people and behaving in accordance with their cultural norms is important. This country offers many business opportunities in one of the world’s fastest growing economy attracting more international companies and investors, however, most of these companies require to adopt new marketing strategies that can fit and influence the major cultural forces to successfully develop marketing strategies that produce returns. Such strategies may include product innovation whereby new products that are designed according to the cultural norms are identified. For example, the attire for both men and women are unique in this Muslim dominated country, therefore, a new attire production firm from a non-Muslim country would require product innovation as a marketing strategy. Other cultural aspects unique to the Kuwaitis include greetings, attire, and dining etiquette among others that also act as their traditional beliefs. These elements must be incorporated in any marketing strategy that is to attain recognition and appeal to these people. Advertising for instance is a central part of culture, and culture is such an important aspect of advertising. The need to understand the norms, beliefs, and practices of a culture is paramount in order to communicate effectively with the people who belong to it. Most advertising messages carry along a culture’s myths, values, and rituals; in some instances, they facilitate the creation of new ones. Because a culture has been described as being so complex, a major strategic question related to marketing is how much campaign needs to be customized to every person in country if it is involved in several different markets that a particular company targets. While the use some regulated approaches can be more successful, overall it is best put into consideration local differences in order to ensure that the meanings and messages the campaign intends to communicate or deliver are what the audience receives and does not deviate. Successful implementation in these situations requires attention to the semiotics, or meanings, of images and words that accurately represent underlying values and properties enjoyed by a particular group of people (Butt 216). The study of culture as it relates to marketing has put emphasis on consumer behavior especially in identifying cultures and sub-cultures to enable market segmentation (Hall 110). This is an important aspect in marketing that enables a firm to understand the customers fully by gaining insights on what their needs are. Technology had become part of our culture and the Kuwaitis have not been left behind. The use of technology in relationship marketing has been effective in acquiring, managing and maintain customers. This is an advanced method of database marketing that improves the relationship between the buyer and the seller through loyalty programs to customers, for instance, telecommunication company’s like Zain employ loyalty programs greatly. In addition, customized services, individualized relationships and strategic are alliances are marketing strategies that have emanated from the use of technology which has become part of the modern culture globally. Globalization is another aspect that has changed and influenced different cultures worldwide, its effects are far reaching and have integrated the global economic system opening more markets and global technologies such as the internet which has improved the efficiency in communication and transportation. Traditions and customs have become part of globalization to allow for market expansion in companies that seek to pursue for higher profits by increasing their market share. On the other hand, differences in societal values embodied in peoples culture and traditions requires companies to vary their practices and become more sensitive in order to reduce their impact on production and marketing of the products or services. Indeed, the national culture of a country affects the way a company operates and this can pose unique problems for firms that are multination in their operations. For instance, a company’s corporate culture cannot be easily accepted in a new country that possesses a different national culture. The national culture and traditions of Kuwait and the organization culture of a company influences the marketing strategies of a country greatly especially in promotional activities of their products (Lamb 212). In conclusion, Kuwait is an Arab country with a very rich culture because of the diverse combination of different people. This culture exerts its influence on the marketing strategies employed by most firms. Company’s use specific strategies for particular situations in order to purposely get a competitive advantage, increase their market share, and improve their sales. The constantly changing trends and consumer behaviour affect culture and so does the marketing of products. It is therefore evident that the influences of marketing through culture and traditions are manifest in Kuwait whereby firms adopt some useful strategies to counter the cultural influences. Some of these marketing strategies include product adaptation, promotional activities, and product innovation on new products. The importance of a company of firm seeing the customer’s point of view and understanding his or her needs enables coming up with promotional strategies that appeal the customer making him or her purchase a particular product. Works Cited Ahmed, Niaz. Cross-Cultural Content Analysis of Advertising from the United States and India. Dessertation.com, May 1996. Web. 12th Novemember, 2011. Berham, Jack. Some Patterns in the Rise of Multinational Enterprises. John Wiley & Sons, New York, 1969. Print. Butt, Gerald. The Arabs: Myth and Reality. New York: St. Martin’s, 1997. Print. Hall, Edward T. The Dance of Life: The Other Dimensions of Time. Garden City, New York: Anchor Press, 1983. Print Lamb, David. The Arabs. New York: Vintage, 1987. Print. Nydell, Margaret. Understanding Arabs: A Guide for Westerners. Yarmouth: Intercultural Press, 1996. Print. Victor, David A. International Business Communication. New York: HarperCollins, 1992. Print. Read More