In the rapidly evolving marketing environment in the Middle East, the communication process is becoming increasingly important and hence so is the need to evaluate the efficiency of an organisation's communication activities. The BUY TEST is an advertising pre-testing technique which is widely used in developing countries for evaluating advertising effectiveness and has been used in the Middle East region for the past 3 years. The paper first briefly describes the BUY TEST approach to advertising pre-testing and examines some of the issues relating to its implementation in Arab countries. It illustrates some of the practical problems faced and the measures which have been adopted to ensure successful and valid data collection, and assesses how the distribution of responses among Arab consumers differs from those in Western countries.
This paper will demonstrate how research was used to solve one of Egypt's most serious problems "Infant Mortality Resulting from Dehydration". Today, four years later, we are, indeed happy and proud, to state that as a result of the advertising campaigns, the mortality rate has dropped. In the next few minutes, we will demonstrate, how research was used undertaken, to develop this most successful public service advertising campaign. The research was carried out, in four stages, to develop 3 advertising campaigns.
MEMRB has pioneered the introduction of retail audits to the Middle East. The first panels were established in 1971â 1972 and since then retail audit panels have been operating continuously in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the DAE. The first tasks that had to be undertaken, as is the case with the establishment of any audit panel, were the following: 1. The enumeration of the universe E. The selection of the panel 3. The operation of the panel.
We take great pleasure in attending this ESOMAR seminar, which gives us the opportunity of bringing to Arab Countries the experience gained by RAI (Radio Televisione Italiana) in facing up to the rapid and tumultuous development undergone by television broadcasting in our country. We are convinced that major changes are in the making, changes that will require the commitment and dedicated effort of marketing experts and pollsters in the wide television scenario. The new developments to watch are: 1) Satellite television is now the new worldwide broadcasting medium; 2) Cable TV is with us, and allows for specialisation in television broadcasting; 3) Videotape recorders, which allow users to replay the television programmes of their choice without any commercial spots; 4) High definition TV as the new production technology.
This study, the first of its kind in the area, provides a model and basis for future studies in order to monitor changes in the moral and social values system overtime, and gives a useful tool for institutions to assess their current policies in the light of value, beliefs and behavioral characteristics of the public with which they are most intimately concerned and to adopt the relevant aspects of their policy accordingly.
In this paper I identify three factors that I believe are responsible for the past lack of quality in much of the research in the Arabian peninsula. Of the three factors I propose that the differences between the value systems of the Middle East and the European research industries will be the most difficult to reconcile. The industries in both regions have much to learn from each other but it is important for buyers to understand the assumptions that each works from. Moreover, as ESOMAR expands its influence and authority beyond Europe, it must address the question of which values should prevail and how they can be integrated into an overall code of ethics.
This paper presents the broad data requirements and the concomitant research tools needed for spatial and economic planning in the context of an Arab metropolis. It then stresses the need for creating a programme of research which continually updates the information base in accordance with the new conception of planning as a continuous process as opposed to a static blueprint. Finally, the paper examines the necessity for adjusting research methods and definitions (in procedural as well as substantive terms) so as to reflect the cultural and environmental context of the project area.
This paper describes the experience of AMER in setting up and running retail audits in the region. This is confined to our experience because this is the first open discussion on the subject and we cannot, therefore, refer to the experience of our colleagues. The paper will show firstly the ways in which retail audits in the Middle East are different from those in western Europe. Major areas of difference in data collection are the records of purchases, the use of storage areas and the nationalities of shopkeepers. Major differences in the market structures are the rapid universe and structural changes, large personal export market, significant retail sales by wholesalers in souks, significant sales to other regions or countries by wholesalers, significant institutional sales of consumer packed products, grey imports and handling of new products. Certain measures taken by AMER have contributed to the amelioration of most problems. There still remains the problem of obtaining accurate purchases however, in the instances when the product list is far too long. Our only solution currently is to run parallel panels.
Within the last 5 years a whole range of research methods, data processing systems and communication techniques, available from various sources and countries, have been designed or duly acquired, and carefully Implemented in the Arab World, bringing-up the state of Media Research in many aspects to comparable levels in the West. The most important aspects and tools are: 1. improved research procedures from questionnaire design, through fieldwork and final reporting; 2. the introduction of calibration models for the audience of periodicals; 3. the introduction of completely new Media Services: TV Panels; 4. the implementation and full use of comprehensive Advertising Media Planning Systems. This paper will review the most recent developments In media research which is considered as the main source of information on the classification and ranking of media in the region.
The main purpose of this paper is to review the current status of qualitative research in the Arab world. The survey first considers the meaning and significance of qualitative research as well as its specific importance to the Arab world. Thereafter, it proceeds to highlight the major challenges that could be counted as impeding the full use of research generally and qualitative research in particular in this area. The paper ends by offering suggestions about what could be done to overcome such challenges, relying mainly on the findings of a survey among research organisations and consumers in Egypt, as well as the experience of developed countries in conducting qualitative research among consumers.
This paper sets out to demonstrate that effective product testing can be and is carried out in Arab countries, employing basically the same techniques as in Europe or elsewhere. As the title implies, the paper argues that there is no significant difference between product testing methodology in the Arab countries and elsewhere. The paper further argues that, although local culture and habits do enforce restrictions on what can and cannot be done, these do not necessitate departure from accepted methods, but call for rethinking of approach. Examples of such restrictions and problems are given in the paper, together with suggestions as to how they may be successfully overcome.
The aim of this paper is to examine some of the methodological problems associated with multidisciplinary research in international construction firms and to make recommendations about how such problems can be alleviated. This paper gives an insight into the Middle East and describes the universal definition of it, which has been widely accepted. It outlines the nature of the construction industries and illustrates the distinction between features of the construction and manufacturing industries. This paper investigates common research techniques, namely Interviews, Questionnaires and Case Studies, which can be employed In multidisciplinary research, and delineates the strengths and limitations of each approach. It deals with the development of data collection instruments and data analysis. Some of the practical and cultural problems which have faced the researchers during the field study are highlighted and discussed. Then, the paper outlines the scope of my research concerning the multinational construction industries operating in the Middle East, and explains how the sample has been selected. It gives also an explicit description of how I dealt with the methodological problems associated with multidisciplinary research.