NEWSPAPER ADVERTISING PRACTICE IN AN ARABIAN GULF COUNTRY

Advertising is an important marketing activity, perhaps more important in Saudi Arabia than in other international markets. According to one observer of the Saudi market, Arabs are lazy buyers (Sisley, 1980). They need to be pushed into shopping behaviour. In addition, the climatic environment prevailing in the country is not conducive to frequent shopping trips. The high humidity in the air which at times reaches 100 per cent, the frequent sand storms which sometimes last several days, and the scorching hot temperatures which can reach 140 degrees Fahrenheit or more are some of the climatic conditions which force people to abandon shopping plans in favour of staying in the air conditioned atmospheres of their homes. The reluctance on the part of the people in Saudi Arabia toward shopping can be overcome with persuasive and persistent advertising.