Instant responses are key to success in regional marketing

Barry Gray, publisher of the region's only dedicated marketing magazine Gulf Marketing Review (GMR), said: "In these days of e-marketing and online news sites, companies can react to market changes within minutes - and companies are being forced to adopt a more flexible marketing strategy to deal with this.

"The careful, slow and successful uptake of e-business is probably the single biggest change in the Arabian business world over the last decade. As marketeers, we can harness the power of the internet to our own end, and the companies that are e-savvy will be the ones that will succeed in the long term."

Gray was speaking in the build-up to the GMR 10th Anniversary, Gulf Brands of the Decade Awards in November. The awards will recognise the success of home-grown brands - many of whom have had to start up and evolve in challenging political conditions.

"There has never been a more critical time to ensure that marketing activities - and organisations - can be swift to adapt to an evolving marketplace. As we have seen in the last 12 months, the world can change significantly and we, as marketeers, need to be flexible to change," he added.

He claimed that e-business strategies could benefit regional brands on many different levels, from allowing companies to speak directly to their consumer via e-marketing, through to streamlining a company's operational procedures and costs.

Gray added: "Intelligent executives have seen that e-business is the way forward to cutting cost, improving efficiencies, and building lasting customer and supplier relationships.

"Organisations have realised that the internet is not a business or a strategy, but is a set of the most powerful tools that can help companies build stakeholder value and wealth.

"In marketing terms, the internet is an opportunity for those who can see it and a threat for those who prefer to ignore it."

The GMR 10th Anniversary, Gulf Brands of the Decade Awards are solely the domain of brands that have their origins in the region. The awards cover 10 categories including finance, FMCG, shopping malls, duty free, e-commerce, tourism, and media and advertising. The gala dinner will take place at Madinat Jumeirah in Dubai on November 30.