Global Marketing

Semester Project

Strategic Market Assessment, Analysis and Marketing

Gul Ahmed launch in Abu Dhabi

Presented by:

Rohan Ahmed

Numair Imran

Junaid Ahmed

Asker Zaidi

Tauqeer Qaiser

Mehdi Jawa

ContentsIntroduction.................................................................................................................................................4

Product& Market.........................................................................................................................................4

Financial and Economic Screening..............................................................................................................5

Political and legal screening........................................................................................................................7

Type of government in U.A.E.................................................................................................................7

Entry barriers...........................................................................................................................................7

Profit transfer barriers..............................................................................................................................7

Political risk.............................................................................................................................................8

Socio-cultural Screening............................................................................................................................10

Demographic data.................................................................................................................................10

Religion and Social Structure................................................................................................................10

Product relevance..................................................................................................................................10

Competitive Screening..............................................................................................................................12

Competitors Introduction.......................................................................................................................12

Nishat................................................................................................................................................12

Bareeze/Kayseria...............................................................................................................................12

Sana Safinaz......................................................................................................................................13

Seasonal exhibitions of Designer fabric.............................................................................................13

Others................................................................................................................................................14

Marketing strategies of the competitors.................................................................................................14

Marketing:.................................................................................................................................................16

Integrated Solutions:..................................................................................................................................16

2

Deepening the Relationships.....................................................................................................................16

Controlling the Budget..............................................................................................................................17

PROMOTION...........................................................................................................................................17

Major newspapers:....................................................................................................................................17

TV channels:.............................................................................................................................................17

Radio channels:.........................................................................................................................................18

Outdoor Advertising:.................................................................................................................................18

Outdoor advertising media:.......................................................................................................................18

Mobile billboard advertising:....................................................................................................................19

Advertising by Dubai city guide (a cyber gear e-channel):........................................................................20

Vital Statistics - Date range: October 2010...............................................................................................21

Banner Advertising....................................................................................................................................22

CPM (Cost per thousand impressions) rates for Banners......................................................................22

CPM (Cost per thousand impressions) rates for Email Campaigns........................................................22

Strategy.....................................................................................................................................................23

Conclusion.................................................................................................................................................24

References.................................................................................................................................................25

3

Introduction

The story of textiles in the subcontinent is the story of Gul Ahmed. The group began trading in

textiles in the early 1900’s. With all its know-how and experience, the group decided to enter the

field of manufacturing and Gul Ahmed Textile Mills Ltd. was incorporated as a private limited

company, in the year 1953. In 1972 it was subsequently listed on the Karachi Stock Exchange.

Since then the company has been making rapid progress and is one of the best composite textile

houses in the world. The mill is presently a composite unit with an installed capacity of 130,296

spindles, 223 wide width air jet looms, and a state of the art processing and finishing unit.

Product& Market

Unstitched fabrics are what we will be exporting to Abu Dhabi and our clients will initially

consist of end consumers. We hope to reach our target market through direct representation

which will be accomplished by opening a franchise of Gul Ahmed Exclusive Store in the Abu

Dhabi Mall which is one of the largest malls in Abu Dhabi. The Abu Dhabi Mall's shops include

children's, women's and men's fashion stores, make-up and perfume, music, soft-furnishings,

household furniture, electrical goods, gifts, health-food, pharmacies, confectionery, dates,

sportswear, books and stationery including the grocer Abu Dhabi Co-op.

Since the weather in Abu Dhabi is mostly hot and arid, with very short periods of cool weather,

our range of unstitched fabrics has the potential to become quite successful in this market.

Moreover, the majority of the inhabitants of Abu Dhabi are expatriate workers from countries

like Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka among others, for whom unstitched fabric (lawn,

cotton), and especially by a renowned brand such as Gul Ahmed would be nothing less than a

treat.

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As the proceeding data and research will show, taking Gul Ahmed to Abu Dhabi, will prove to

be quite beneficial for the brand in terms of sales and expansion.

Financial and Economic Screening

Abu Dhabi experiences a rapidly growing economy with a high GDP and per capita income. It is

not only the wealthiest emirate of UAE but also qualifies as one of the wealthiest cities in the

world.Abu Dhabi’s GDP per capita income also nearly touched the $70,000 mark which is far

above the average income of the United Arab Emirates itself and it ranks third in the world after

Luxembourg and Norway.

The apparel industry in Abu Dhabi mushroomed during the second half of 1980’s. There was no

appreciable increase in 1990’s. In fact some countries closed down due to the quota exhaustion.

By the time the quota system was abolished in 2005, this is industry is too well established now.

It is considered to be the second largest manufacturing industry in UAE and constitutes about

155 of the non-oil industrial exports. The banks are usually happy to provide this industry with

finances

The key growth drivers of this industry are mainly corporate efforts, government support, and

recognition of foreign and local designers and lastly the awareness of fashion brands. The

government supports the apparel industry by organizing fashion events to promote tourism.

Large events, such as DSS Dubai Fashion Fiesta, DSS Kids Fashion Week, etc., were part of the

government supported large tourist programs in 2008. The Dubai Chamber of Commerce and

Industry also supports the fashion industry and has brought many leading international fashion

houses to Dubai. The Dubai and Sharjah governments are assisting this sector by sponsoring

exhibitions, which attract many international textile and apparel manufacturers. The Middle East

Fashion Textile, Leather and Accessories Exhibition (MOTEXHA 2006), the Middle East

region's largest trade show for garments, textiles, leather and fashion accessories was inaugurated

in April 2006.

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There are several underlying factors behind the Emirate’s attractive investment climate in the

apparel industry, including a strategic geographic location, highly developed infrastructure, the

miscellaneous facilities offered by the Emirate’s free zones and industrial cities, very low tax,

easy access to energy sources and credit facilities etc. Investment statistics for 2010 show that

the total number of registered textile business reached 96,381, of which 10.4% were newly

licensed businesses, compared with 86,402 businesses in 2009 of which 14.7% were licensed

during the same year. There are huge opportunities for Abu Dhabi to enhance the industry by

attracting more foreign investments, improve the value added in the local economy and increase

non-oil exports.

Based on analysis of Central Bank information, the textile and apparel sector comprised an

estimated 5.73 billion USD, which makes up 6 percent of the UAE non-oil economy. In 2009,

the total industrial production in the UAE was 75.6 billion USD. The total manufacturing

industrial production was 16.6 billion USD, which comprised 21.96 percent of the total industrial

sector, according to the Ministry of Economy's statistics. In 2010, textiles and apparel comprised

5.6 percent of the UAE's imports, 5 percent of its non-oil exports, and 7.3 percent of the

country's re-exports, based on estimated data by the UAE Central Bank. In 2010, the UAE

exports in textile and apparel to the U.S. comprised 67.86 million USD, according to the Dubai

Chamber of Commerce's economic bulletin published in May 2010.

Officials from textile factories noted that they are optimistic about the future of the textile

industry in the UAE. They said the UAE textile industry is able to compete with US and Europe

because of a lower cost of inputs in the UAE in comparison with these countries, particularly the

cost of labor, electricity, water and oil.

6

Political and legal screening

Type of government in U.A.E

The government of U.A.E is constitutional and Emirate in nature. Emirate is similar to a

monarchy or sultanate. The emir may be an absolute overlord or a sovereign with

constitutionally limited authority. Administratively, U.A.E. is a loose federation of seven

emirates, each with its own ruler. The UAE constitution established a government that includes a

President, Vice President, Council of Ministers, Federal Supreme Council, and a 40-member

Federal National Council.

Entry barriers

Amount of foreign ownership: Under UAE law, foreign investors are allowed to own up to 49

percent of a company. Companies in free zones can have up to 100% foreign ownership.

Technological transfer requirements: Abu Dhabi will focus on developing technology transfer

between the regions and leading global educational institutions for the next 5+ years.

Profit transfer barriers

Limitation of foreign investments: Currently, there are four major laws affecting foreign

investment in the UAE: the Federal Companies Law, the Commercial Agencies Law, the Federal

Industry Law, and the Government Tenders Law. These laws, especially the Federal Companies

Law, are seen as the largest obstacles to foreign direct investment in the UAE.

Repatriation of profit: U.A.E laws place no restriction on repatriation of capital and profits.

Availability of foreign exchange: The UAE’s monetary is the dirham (AED), which is divided

into 100 fils. Dirham notes come in 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, 500, and 1000 denominations, while

coins come in AED 1, 0.5, 0.25, 0.10 and 0.05. The dirham is pegged to the US Dollar at the

official exchange rate of AED 3.6725 to every US Dollar. Money exchanges (bureau de changes)

are all over Abu Dhabi and offer rates that are often better than the banks. Many hotels will also

exchange money and travelers’ cheques at standard (non-competitive) rates.

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Political risk

Stability of country and government: The U.A.E. has no political parties. The rulers hold power

on the basis of their dynastic position and their legitimacy in a system of tribal consensus.

Rivalries exist amongst emirates and within ruling families. There have been no instances in

recent memory involving politically motivated damage to projects, or insurgencies that have

impacted the investment environment.

Role of armed forces: The UAE's armed forces organization in turn reflects the political structure

of the federation itself, where each emirate retains broad autonomy from the central government

in Abu Dhabi.

Public unrest: The UAE has not experienced political violence in the past year.  Political

demonstrations are rare and must have prior approval from the UAE government.  The

demonstrations which occurred previously were short in duration and peaceful.

Taxation laws: Personal income tax, capital gain tax, value-added tax, withholding tax, and

corporate tax are not applicable in the United Arab Emirates. The only companies that are

required to pay taxes are of oil, gas, petrochemical, and branches of foreign banks.

Safety conditions: Compared to similarly sized cities worldwide, Abu Dhabi’s crime rate appears

to be significantly lower.  

Environmental factors: The UAE is subject to frequent sand and dust storms, which can severely

reduce visibility. The smaller islands in the Persian Gulf, as well as many coral reefs and shifting

sandbars, are a menace to navigation. Strong tides and occasional windstorms further complicate

ship movements near the shore.

Price controls: They were recently introduced on food items but not on textiles. This information

would be useful to us as using it we can evaluate law and order situation in Abu Dhabi and in

what ways they will impact our business. It also helps us in evaluating whether Abu Dhabi is a

feasible city for exports or not. For example entry barriers such as amount of ownership helps us

in evaluating that if in future we want to establish a factory or retail outlet in Abu Dhabi to what

extent would we be able to exercise our control over the business. Then technological transfer’s

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situation would help us in planning how to take advantage of technology to make our product

better, to reduce our costs by taking advantage of efficient machinery. Profit transfer barriers

help us in evaluating how much we would be able to retain, distribute and reinvest to improve

our business further. Political risks evaluation helps us by letting us know about the stability in

the country because instability in any country means lower profits. Moreover the taxation laws

help us in deciding whether to invest or not as they directly affect the amount of returns we are

left with.

9

Socio-cultural Screening

Demographic data

Abu Dhabi is the largest and most inhabited region of United Arab Emirates with around 80% of

its landmass. The population of emirates as of now is approximately 1.6 million in which the

Emirati citizens make up almost 20% of the total population and rest of the 80% are expatriates

from around the world. About two-thirds of the immigrants are Asians, mostly from Pakistan,

India, Bangladesh, Iran, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and the Philippines. The rest of them are from other

Arabian, European, and American regions.

Abu Dhabi has a diverse and multicultural society. The official language is Arabic but more than

a few languages are also spoken among the expatriate community. It includes a variety of

dialects of Urdu, Hindi, Persian, French and Filipino. English is also widely spoken and is

considered the language of commerce.

Religion and Social Structure

In Abu Dhabi, Islam widely dominates all aspects of life. About three fourth of the population is

Muslim where the rest of the population comprises of non-Muslims. Emirates are liberal towards

other religion but the cultural traditions are deeply rooted in Islam.

Abu Dhabi caters to the ostentatiously wealthy individuals therefore the concept of social

stratification does exist. More than a few residents of Abu Dhabi are rich and snobbish in nature.

In such a society it is easy for Gul Ahmed to enter and target this upper class segment in which

there is a constant need to puff up egos by spending on fashionable, exclusive and classy stuff.

Product relevance

Abu Dhabi has a hot arid climate where the inclination of people is more towards wearing

lightweight summer clothes. Mostly the individuals prefer to be dressed in comfortable outfits as

the climatic conditions of the city are hot and humid all over the year. Usually the dresses worn

by the majority of women and men are of material such as cotton, lawn and other similar comfy

fabrics. Gul Ahmed’s lawn is also in synchronization with the socio-cultural aspect of the region.

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Its fabric suites the climatic conditions and due to the high incomes of the individuals and heavy

spending nature it provides a large customer base in this region. In view of that, there is a great

potential for Gul Ahmed to enter into this market and captivate this upper class segment with its

exclusive branded lawn.

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Competitive Screening

Competitors Introduction

The following competitors of Gul Ahmed have been chosen based on brand perception, image

and similar marketing strategies. They compete for the same share of limited customers.

Nishat

For years, the Nishat Group has been a leading business entity in South Asia. Highly diversified,

the group has made inroads into the fields of textiles, cement and financial services, showcasing

its varied expertise and acumen in every facet of its operations. Nishat Linen is a concern of

Nishat Mills, the textile and home fashion retail chain that has redefined the industry with acute

attention paid to quality, design and affordability. Nishat Linen prides itself on being the brand

of preference for discerning customers who are in search of things, unique and chic without

compromising on aesthetics or price. Unsurpassed customer service, including tailor-made

orders, ensures our clientele remains loyal to the Nishat family. It has three exclusive outlets in

Dubai.

There has been a significant increase in sales in 2010 by 32.11% over 2009; it is in line with the

Company’s commitment to year on year growth trend in sale quantities together with the

significant increase in sale prices. It is worth mentioning here that the garment sector has shown

more than 100% increase in sales in 2010 over 2009. The investments in the garments segment

have started showing positive results in the current year and it has shown a growth in revenue

and gross margin of 107% and 335% respectively.

Bareeze/Kayseria

With over three decades of commitment to quality, Bareeze is today, a recognized brand for

quality products in the domestic and international markets. It is owned by sefam (Pvt.) Ltd., a

sister concern of Sarena Industries and Ali Embroidery Mills (Pvt) Ltd.

The Bareeze range includes crisp cottons, luxurious silks, sheer organza, chic chiffons and an

ever-developing range of innovative products. Textile embroidery is an art-rooted tradition. The

use of only the best materials and unflinching resolve not to compromise on quality, coupled

with the use of the best Swiss textile machinery enables us to produce embroidered fabrics which

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compare favorably with the best in the world. We have more than 50 outlets nationwide, and

already well-established setups in Dubai, Sharjah, Abu Dhabi, Delhi and London.

Kayseria is a sub brand of Bareeze that deals in seasonal loose fabrics. Their mission is to

provide beautiful and unique fabrics of the highest quality with good value for money to the

world market. They are dedicated to providing designs that are exclusive and original that

embraces a beautiful fusion of colors and creativity inspired by ethnic genius and rooted in

spirituality. It has an exclusive store in Abu Dhabi. Bareeze is a well-established brand in

Pakistan and also oversees. It has tremendous brand awareness and people hold positive brand

associations with it; worldwide. The financial strength of Bareeze is evident from the chain of

outlets it maintains and the number of brands operational. Its strong financial position,

competitive strategy and advantage coupled with years of experience makes it a tough

competitor of Gul Ahmed.

Sana Safinaz

The label of the designer duo have formed a forte for themselves in the designer industry for

their clothes ranging from intricately embellished bridals to refreshingly cool lawn prints for

summers. Today, in collaboration with a textile mill, they produce a retail line that allows the

brand to reach every home. The Sana Safinaz lawn collection mingles together with the richness

of pattern and design with the softness of the purest and the lightest fabric.

Sana Safinaz is operating in Pakistan and oversees for many years now and has established a

reputation reflected through a huge customer base. They display their brands strength through

conducting fashion shows worldwide and attracting customers. The profitable venture of

seasonal clothes and demand potential is evident from perfect sale out at exhibitions and

unavailability of prints on stores even at the very start of every season.

Seasonal exhibitions of Designer fabric

The hot humid climate in summers and the cool winters provide great opportunities for selling

seasonal fabrics. In addition to this, the Muslim community and sub-continental settlement

further glorifies business opportunities for designer fabrics. A lot of designers especially from

Pakistan and India hold their exhibitions at least once every season and have a huge customer

base. The designers from Pakistan include; SobiaNazir, YahsirWaheed, AsimJofa, Omer Saeed,

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Nomi Ansari, HSY etc. All of these are very famous designers and customers have strong

associations with these brands.

They have advantages of low operating costs, high demand and positive sales trends. These

exhibitions add value to both the customers and the designers as they operate on mutually

beneficial trade arrangements.

Others

This category includes all the non-branded competitors that are operating in Abu Dhabi from all

around the world. This includes loose fabric coming in bulk form especially from India,

Bangladesh and Pakistan.

Low operating costs and minimum investment capital make these small businesses into profit

centers that have an ability to even threaten the big brands. The low prices prevalent in this

category increase their demand and customer base by providing economical alternatives and

offering variety.

Marketing strategies of the competitorsNishat

Pricing policy:

Nishat follows a premium pricing policy; it is also called skim pricing as it is an attempt to “skim

the cream” off the top of the market. It is used to maximize profit in areas where customers are

happy to pay more. It is used to improve brand identity in a particular market. This is called

price-quality signaling, because the high price signals to consumers that the product is high in

quality.

Distribution policy:

Nishat Textile Mills, the group’s 60-year-old flagship company founded in 1951, retail is a

logical vehicle for the company’s textile operations and the Dubai opening underlines its

intentions of becoming a leading player in the global textile industry.

The company has been exploring effective ways to expand their international presence for some

time now and this is a landmark achievement for the group. After Dubai, Abu Dhabi is seen as a

potential that will create more openings. The group plans to open 25 Nishat Linen outlets in

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GCC countries over next two years to market its famous brand, beginning with Oman and Qatar

once it covers the rest of the UAE emirates. Distribution through exclusive retail store system

gives them a chance to fully control their distribution and manage the brand image.

Bareeze/Kayseria:

Pricing policy:

Pricing is a major element of marketing any product, and it is vitally important to set the right

price.  Elements such as target market, profit margin needed growth strategy for the company

and market share all play a role in what pricing strategy is used. Bareeze is a high end brand that

is in business since decades. In order to uphold their brand image they have to follow a premium

pricing policy to give it snob appeal through an aura of 'exclusivity.' At every step of fabric

processing they add a certain percentage profit to the cost and then the fabric is passed onto the

next stage. This makes their product very expensive and highly priced.

Distribution policy:

Exclusivity, uniqueness and maintenance of high quality are amongst the most precious business

values of Bareeze. In order to fully exercise their control and command over these business

values Bareeze operates through a retail distribution network worldwide. They have their own

signature outlets around the world and there are no intermediaries involved.

Sana Safinaz

Pricing policy:

The designer duo has established strong brand associations of quality, comfort and luxury with

their brand through years of hard work. They too follow a prestige pricing strategy used to

enhance and reinforce their product's luxury image. Pricing for Sana Safinaz is an indication of

good quality; people believe it to be a sign of self-worth it authenticates the buyer's success and

status; it is a signal to others that the owner is a member of an exclusive group.

Distribution policy:

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The marketing team at Sana Safinaz explores various ways in order to make sure that their

product is available to the maximum number of customers. Exclusive retail outlets, exhibitions

and distribution at multi-brands store ensure maximum reach and market coverage for the brand.

Designer exhibitions:

The seasonal exhibitions that take place in Abu Dhabi rely on three models of pricing. Firstly, at

the start of the exhibition a blend between premium and line pricing is maintained. They use a

limited number of prices for all product offerings and the prices are set high in order to signal

quality, luxury and exclusivity. Secondly, if the response rate for a particular exhibition is low;

Demand-based pricing may be used. It is a pricing method that uses consumer demand - based

on perceived value - as the central element of pricing.

Our Marketing Strategy

Marketing:In order to reach our particular market we can make a page on Facebook and allocate budget to

Facebook advertisement. This would reduce our hassle. They would charge us on per-click basis.

Integrated Solutions:Facebook offers relevant and integrated advertising opportunities to engage the target audience.

They help in developing the ideal Facebook advertising solution. To determine the most relevant

opportunities they have given option of selecting our estimated monthly budget which ranges

from < 10,000$ to 1, 00,000$ +. We would target our relevant audience in accordance to

relevant key words.

Deepening the Relationships

We will promote our Facebook Page or website.

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We can use the "Like" button to increase the ad's influence.

We can build a community around our business.

Controlling the Budget

We can set the daily budget we are comfortable with

We can adjust our daily budget at anytime

We can choose to pay only when people click (CPC) or see our ad (CPM)

PROMOTIONThe Medias that we can consider for the promotion of our product, which are present in the UAE

include the following:

Major newspapers:The following is the complete list of newspapers which are published in UAE which are mostly

available in Dubai: 7Days, AL Alam Newspaper, Al Bayan, Al-Ittiha, Al-Khaleej Newspaper Al

Mal, Al-reyadhawa Al-shabab, Al-Shindagah, Akhbar Al Arab, Arabian Business,

BushraKhalid, Economic Bulletin, Daily Ash-Sharq, DPM News Agency, Dubai Chronicle,

EmaratAlyoum, Emarat Business Review, Emirates Today, Gulf News, Gulf Today, Khaleej

Times, The National, ProbaserProhor, Shonglap, Sound of Malaieen, Sport 360. Many of the

above even have an online version available of their publishing.

TV channels:Cable TV is available in Dubai via E-Vision or directly through satellite from providers like

OSN, Star TV and ART. Dubai One, MBC 4, MBC Action, MBC 2 and City 7 TV are the main

to air channels.

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Radio channels:Dubai offers a wide variety of radio channels; both AM & FM in languages spoken commonly in

the city such as Arabic, English, Hindi, Urdu, Malayalam and Filipino. It serves the main

purpose of keeping travelers updated on the current traffic scenario.

Outdoor Advertising: Out-of-home advertising also referred to as Outdoor Advertising, is essentially any type of

advertising that reaches the consumer and delivers the message while they are outside their home

or office.

Now days, consumers spend most of their time traveling in their vehicles than ever before and

that makes outdoor advertising a more powerful tool than ever before. In the past 25 years, the

number of vehicles on the road has increased 128%. It is a great proportion of people we can

reach over and over with outdoor advertising.

Outdoor advertising is often considered as the final reminder of a brand name, product or a

service just before the point of purchase. It is the most noticeable media being exposed to

everyone who leaves their home to work, shop or play. As compared to other media’s, it is a very

effective mode. No other advertising medium reaches this amount of audience at such a low cost.

When considering repeat exposure to an audience, outdoor advertising is the most cost effective

per 1000 viewers. There is a lot of scope for creativity and there are no viewership barriers. It has

a high reach, frequency, and retention.

Outdoor advertising media: Billboard advertising

Mobile Billboards

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Street furniture

Interactive outdoor signage

Taxi / Taxi top advertising

Mall displays

Truck advertising

Mass transit advertising

LED Electronic Billboards

Mupis ( specially designed outdoor media that are structured to engage

pedestrians and drivers alike)

Airport displays

Outdoor laser advertising

Bus and rail advertising

Park advertising

Bus shelter and bus bench advertising

Pyro advertising (fireworks shows)

Out of these we would be using the following:

Mobile billboard advertising:It would be very feasible and the reach as well as frequency would also be immense. For our

lawn, we would be consulting the company “Image matters”.

We can even register online as they have a form there in which we can fill out all the details i.e.

the country, dates, times, location, etc. They are providing very affordable packages.

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Image Matters Mobile Billboards, parked on numerous streets and highways offer visibility to

over thousands of people a day. They cost a fraction of the conventional advertising mediums

including other outdoor mediums in Dubai. This makes them cost effective and viable, at the

same time, offering a wider viewable audience.

 Advertising by Dubai city guide (a cyber gear e-channel): Since 1996, DubaiCityGuide.com, a Dubai-friendly e-portal owned by Cyber Gear, has been an

effective on-line guide for the residents and tourists of Dubai. Bringing forth Latest news, City

happenings, F&B promos, Sales, Art events, Dubai Images and Videos, Movie timings and much

more; DubaiCityGuide.com is very popular for its up-to-date and neatly classified information.

The user friendly website and the fresh look on each page make it as vibrant as the city itself.

Constantly updating information on Dubai's happenings, DubaiCityGuide.com also guides

people by providing information like tourist information, things to do, essential guides,

automobile guide, shopping malls, souks guide, hotel and restaurant information and contacts,

leisure & travel information, education guide, employment guide etc.

'Dubai Times', a weekly newsletter from DubaiCityGuide.com, reaches out to more than 80,000

subscribers. Latest happenings and latest news are delivered into the mail boxes of the users. The

mobile version acts as a pocket guide to tourists and residents alike.

With over one million visitors every month to the website, it is surely an advertiser's haven.

Also, advertisers can choose which page they would like to target according to their products or

the site statistics. www.DIYadsOnline.com (another e-portal of Cyber Gear) serves banner

advertising on Dubai City Guide with a Do-it-Yourself approach for advertisers.

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Vital Statistics - Date range: October 2010

Total Hits 16,203,092

Total Visits 111,533

Total Page views 279,046

New Visits 71.91%

Dubai Times subscribers 82,000

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Advertising Mediums available with them:

Banner Advertising

Skyscraper banner 468x60,– US$ 1,000/month

Standard banner 468x60, Fixed on home page – US$

1,000/month

Skyscraper banner 120x600,– US$ 2,000/month

Leader board banner 728x90,– US$ 2,000/month

Large rectangle banner 336x280,– US$ 2,000/month

Leader Board banner on Dubai City Guide News Alerts – US$ 1000 per issue

CPM (Cost per thousand impressions) rates for Banners

Standard Banner US$ 25 CPM

Leader board Banner US$ 40 CPM

Skyscraper Banner US$ 35 CPM

Space Banner US$ 50 CPM

CPM (Cost per thousand impressions) rates for Email Campaigns

Email campaigns - US$ 150 CPM

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Strategy

Our strategy should be focused more on the price and quality side of our lawn. We shall be providing

them premium products at a reasonable cost that will suite their lifestyle as well as their social standing in

the society. Consumers in UAE usually have a very heavy spending nature so that’s why we are catering

to the upper middleclass there. Another reason behind the reasonable pricing is based on the fact that

UAE have an emerging market which is rapidly growing these days. So in order to provide them a

premium product at a reasonable price would give us a competitive edge over other competitors and helps

in gaining more market share for the long run. Our second main target would be on the quality and the

texture of the lawn. The climatic conditions over UAE are hot and humid, so we shall try to focus more

on the designing of the lawn in a way which suites the consumers and help us in increasing the sales.

If we talk about the entry barriers, those are quite negligible and have no impact over our strategy.

Likewise other factors, such as political risks also have no influence on our strategy. So we are only

focusing more on price and quality only.

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Conclusion

After analyzing the various aspects of our product and our proposed market, we`ve been able to

come up with the following findings which support our decision to enter Abu Dhabi:

The barriers to entry are minimal and Abu Dhabi is a place where foreign investments are

encouraged.

Gul Ahmed’s lawn is also in synchronization with the socio-cultural aspect of the region.

Its fabric suites the climatic conditions and due to the high incomes of the individuals and

heavy spending nature it provides a large customer base in this region. In view of that,

there is a great potential for Gul Ahmed to enter into this market and captivate this upper

class segment with its exclusive branded lawn.

The textile and apparel industry in the Emirates is growing by leaps and bounds. The

major growth drivers of this industry are mainly corporate efforts, government support,

and recognition of foreign and local designers and lastly the awareness of fashion brands.

Though Gul Ahmed has a number of competitors both national and international, but Gul

Ahmed has a price advantage i.e. it offers the same quality at a lower price than most of

its competitors, hence people would be attracted towards it, more than the competitors.

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References

(http://www.gulahmed.com/html/sec_1024/corp.html, Company profile)(http://www.uaeinteract.com/uaeint_misc/pdf/perspectives/13.pdf)(http://grailresearch.com/pdf/ContenPodsPdf/Global_Fashion_Industry_Growth_in_Emerging_Markets.pdf)

(www.DIYadsOnline.com)(http://www.scad.ae/en/media/pages/mediadetail.aspx?MediaID=84)(http://www.cablegatesearch.net/cable.php?id=06ABUDHABI3820)(http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/5444.htm#gov)(http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d08320.pdf)(http://www.state.gov/e/eeb/rls/othr/ics/2009/117175.htm)(http://www.state.gov/e/eeb/rls/othr/ics/2009/117175.htm)(http://internationalbusiness.wikia.com/wiki/U.A.E._Tax_Laws)(http://www.visitabudhabi.ae/en/plan.your.visit/important.info/money.exchange.aspx)(http://www3.ambest.com/ratings/cr/reports/UnitedArabEmirates.pdf)(http://meria.idc.ac.il/journal/1999/issue1/jv3n1a3.html)(https://www.osac.gov/Pages/ContentReportDetails.aspx?cid=10880)(http://www.zu.ac.ae/library/html/uaeinfo/documents/uaetaxationlaw.pdf)(Country Profile: United Arab Emirates.pdf)(http://www.visitabudhabi.ae/en/about.abudhabi/population.aspx)(http://www.international-travel-tours.com/dubai/culture.html)(http://www.nishatlinen.com/?page_id=4)(http://www.nishatmillsltd.com/nishat/pdf/annual10.pdf)(http://bareeze.com/corporate_profile.html)(http://www.kayseriapk.com/#/shop_locator/latest_news_00)(http://www.sanasafinaz.pk/)(http://www.indexexhibition.com/files/images_retailme_2.pdf)

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