Etnomarketing in the Middle East

Marketing according to ethnicity is a technique often used in case of large cultural differences within a country. However, it can also be applied to cater to the specific needs of an entire region, if that region does not show large differences in culture or religion. In the case of the Middle East, most people share both religion and culture, as the Islam often dictates lifestyle too.

This proved to be a challenge for many a marketeer. Obviously, there was no way of marketing a western brand the way they usually would. And with so many cultural differences, they often felt out of depth trying to market a western brand to an eastern target audience. However, there are examples one can follow, examples of western brands that have successfully marketed their brand in a middle eastern country.

One notable example of such a brand would be McDonald's. As fast food became more popular throughout the world, they decided it was time to expand towards the Middle East. As a first effort to market the brand, which was generally conceived badly, this US burger chain appealed to the Arab tradition and the importance of family in Arab society by broadcasting a series of commercials called 'Family Time'.

These commercials seem to have a positive effect on the general opinion of McDonald's, as they continue to grow in the aforementioned regions.
The 10-15% growth was considered to be so substantial that they decided to open more than 100 stores in the Middle East, increasing the number of stores in Saudi Arabia by 20%.

McDonald’s has also made some changes to the menu, as to adapt it to the local culture and habits. In Arab countries, they serve a McArabia, a shawarma lookalike consisting of two chicken or beef patties in pita bread with lettuce, tomato, onion and garlic sauce or tahini sauce (a sauce made of sesame seeds).

All by all, McDonald’s has successfully penetrated the food branch of the Islamic market, thereby proving that it is most definitely not impossible to market a culture wholly different from your own.

Sources:
http://www.yourmiddleeast.com/features/mcdonalds-co-expand-in-the-middle-east_7021
http://www.albawaba.com/business/mcdonalds-reports-growth-middle-east-despite-anti-us-sentiment