TV Advertisements in a Conservative Society Saudi Arabia

Advertising in a Conservative Society

Advertising has been a powerful marketing tool for very long. However, it can only be effective if the message is allowed to be conveyed without many legal restrictions. In societies where marketing has to be subtle because of religious or cultural restrictions, it is difficult to get the message across to the consumers in the least. Moreover advertising may not have the desired impact because of the subtlety that has to be practiced. As a result, organizations may have to turn to other means or count less on advertising as a means to selling their products. This paper discusses the culture and society of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and how they influence media especially advertising.

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is located in the southwest of Asia. The Kingdom has a high dependence on its oil-generated revenues, which has brought the Kingdom, its riches. Saudi Arabia covers a vast territory but has a very small population. Moreover the country can be described as a closed society. Since the Kingdom houses the two holiest cities of the Muslim World, Medina and Mecca, which is not accessible to non-Muslims, it welcomes primarily the Islamic pilgrims or religious tourists and business travelers. Other than these two categories, no other kinds of tourists are allowed free access. Moreover there are considerable restrictions on women in Saudi Arabia, which not only restricts their mobility, but also their men's who have to accompany their female relatives outside of their homes. As a result, the society has little connections with the world at large. However the two most important factors that have bearing upon the societal pattern of the country remain the religion and the economic development.

Religion remains the top most influencing factor that shapes the Saudi society as it has been for centuries. For instance, once the call for prayer has been given, no business can be continued. Shops and offices close down temporarily for five times a day where shop owners and businessmen run to a nearby mosque to offer their prayers. Moreover a large amount is invested to receive, accommodate, and care for the more than two million tourists who perform the Haj and other pilgrimages annually, in Jeddah and Mecca (Cuddihy, 1990). These investments are divided among establishing adequate infrastructure, training locals to enable them to work with these visitors and catering to their other needs. In addition to this, since the country views itself as caretaker of Islam, religion permeates all aspects of Saudi life and society. Extensive efforts are made to keep the society segregated so that no mingling or socializing for the two is possible. As a result, educational institutes are segregated and the workplace does not employ women much. There are strict laws regarding women covering themselves, traveling with a male relative and driving. Moreover, media, along with the Internet, is heavily censored for any trace of irreligious content. However counteracting this heavy religious influence is the compulsory economic development that Saudi Arabia cannot avoid or stop.

Since the country possesses the largest oil reserves, its economy is structured largely around its export. However since even slight fluctuations in oil prices leave the economy highly vulnerable, the Saudi government has to look for economic development and income generation through other ways. Until now, the country depended on foreign labor to do most of its jobs since Saudis were either not willing to do the menial jobs or were not educated or skilled to perform the task. However since the country is looking for development, it wants to minimize foreign labor and replace it with locals. As a result of this, educational institutes have been developed which have produced the required labor and the management. Moreover this has also led to a drastic rise in female education which is no more content with sitting at home. These women have found outlets to work and even invest their own money through business ownership. It is these last two factors that have contributed to opening up the society a little. Beginning in 1975, scholarship programs have educated a major portion of Saudi population (Wiley, 1999). Not only have these scholarships provided some connection with the outside world but also the local education which has modernized the country and its people. It is this educated class in Saudi Arabia that is bringing all sorts of changes. For instance, a certain Faisaliah Center in Riyadh aimed to keep itself open during prayer times and provide room for socializing through theme restaurants (Schneider, 2001). However this shopping center was soon visited by religious police and forced to operate according to Saudi laws. Though such radical steps do not stand a chance of being successful, slow and subtle changes have been taking place in the Saudi society as a whole. For instance, women have begun to venture out into retailing, marketing, banking and industry to seek employment or own businesses (Powell, 1998). It cannot be however ignored that media is still largely restricted and monitored by the Saudi Government. Saudi Arabia has the most sophisticated but most restricted media scenes in the Middle East. The state Broadcasting Service of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (BSKSA) broadcasts all programs under direct control of the Ministry of Information. Satellite dishes are banned though some households do possess them and watch more liberal TV channels from the neighboring countries such as Al-Jazeera from Qatar (BBC News, 2002). Officials have tried to counter the influence of satellite TV by encouraging the development of homegrown stations such as Iqra TV, banning satellite dishes and developing a wireless cable system, which gives the government control over which channels can be viewed. Internet was only made available in 1998 where the government invested heavily in security systems to block access to sites it deems offensive or irreligious. All Saudi newspapers are created by royal decree. Foreign papers are available but censored by the government, which includes coloring the exposed arms and legs of women in newspapers with black ink. Moreover Saudi women are not allowed to appear on TV without their black robe and scarf. It is this kind of a societal set-up that an organization has to do any selling.