International advertising strategies of multinational enterprises in the Middle East

This study examines the degree of standardisation of advertising strategies for a sample of multinational enterprises in Middle Eastern markets. To date, very little has been researched or written about advertising standardisation in this region, despite the growth of the advertising industry and the emergence of many new pan-Arab media opportunities. The results suggest that in most markets studied, the majority of companies follow their home market's advertising strategy. For some decisions such as positioning and main theme, the responsibility lies with the headquarters. Target segment and media strategy decisions are made predominantly by the local office. In addition, the findings show the importance of consistent corporate image as a major advantage and government regulations and controls as a primary disadvantage in pursuing a standardised strategy.