Saudi Arabia: Women oil the wheels of change

Stuart Campbell-Morris

In one year, 1973 – 74, Saudi Arabia persuaded OPEC ( the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries ) to quintuple the price of oil in retaliation for what they saw as American support for the continued Israeli occupation of Arab lands. Unprecedented levels of wealth flowed into the Arabian Gulf. but markets were slow to change.

When TNS ran the first ARAC – the Arab as Consumer – study in 1987 across the GCC States, what we described were very conservative, traditionalist, collectivist societies with women very much restricted to a private world, their homes. Men did the shopping, though most often they were buying to lists prepared by their womenfolk. Brands were only relevant as labels, as a means of recognising a product.

The official policy in Saudi around this period was “progress without change. “

Then, 1996 saw the most significant event for Saudi society in modern times – the advent of satellite TV, which brought an exposure to the outside world to many for the very first time. As a result, by the time of our next ARAC study in 2001 we were able to identify an emergent individualism in Saudi society, one that was already more established in some of the other neighbouring Gulf States. This was evident across both sexes, but other changes were clearly being driven by the women, most notably:

• A move away from extended to nuclear families as new wives resisted the direct influence of their in-laws
• A strong interest in further education, with all kinds of wider social motivations apart from an education or career opportunities.
• Shifting expectations in the husband / wife relationship, in particular for the husband to be more connected with his wife and children than was traditional in this society.

These trends have consolidated since; most notably encouraged by King Abdullah in the reforms he has instigated since he took the Saudi throne in 2005. One of the prime objectives behind this reforms programme is to build a new, modern economy – and Saudi policy now seems to agree with modern economic theory which says that an economy in today’s world can only develop and compete if women are fully integrated. In other words, progress in Saudi now comes with change – and that is official.

A new role for women
This means that women are “coming out “, nowadays, entering the Public world in all kinds of ways. Social issues like domestic abuse, divorce, parenting, husband/wife relationships etc. are all being discussed openly as never before in the media. It is common knowledge that the media in Saudi Arabia is censored and therefore whatever appears is accepted as the view of the authorities, this is passing a very clear message that women’s role in Saudi society is expected to change.

Photographs of women, often unveiled, in their new roles often appear on front pages, accompanied by some member of the government or even the King. Women delegates at local conferences on commercial or social issues are shown and interviewed, women are included in foreign trade missions, women have been elected as serving members of various Boards of the Chambers of Commerce, a woman is now the Under-Secretary at the Ministry of Education, and women are increasingly appearing in everyday commercial life. To cap off this commitment, the Saudi government is currently building what is reckoned to be the largest university campus in the world at a site next to Riyadh airport – a university exclusively for women.

In their own domestic circumstances too, things are changing for Saudi women.

One fundamental however remains – our sample of women, even in the latest ARAC study just completed, it is quite clear that women are not looking to change the traditional roles for the husband as provider for the family, and the wife and mother as the carer and nurturer of the husband and children, as laid out in the Quran. Where the wife is now working and bringing in a second income, this can be tricky and all kinds of compromises are being made so that the husband’s role as provider is not threatened.

Our latest study shows that Saudi female society is now quite evolved, with different degrees of individualism evident, from highly self-actualised and assertive to the more socially affilative and submissive (Western) stereotype – but there is now a widespread expectation of respect and to have a voice when all kinds of family decisions are being taken.

What should marketers understand?
It is clear to us that with Saudi women we are now dealing with a highly developed – ‘mature’ in Hofstede terms – society. Mass marketing, and a one size fits all, brand communications strategy may therefore no longer be the most effective.

In terms of marketing evolution Saudi is an interesting case history; we have gone from an essentially commodity market where brands were only relevant as labels and a means of recognition at the time of the first ARAC in 1987; to brands assuming a new relevance in these consumers’ lives as a badge or means of self-identity – I am what I buy – in the 2001 study; for brands in 2010 to meet the expectation for a relationship, to meet the emotional need as Saudi women take up the opportunities to self-actualise currently on offer.

How can market research help?
Markets are living organisms and like all organisms they evolve. That means that the type of knowledge that is needed also evolves. Marketers need to recognise this. What is needed now would not have been appropriate back in 1987, or even 2001. Yet there is little evidence that the kind of MR knowledge that is being bought is changing with the times.

In my 30 years in the Gulf there are 3 typical complaints:

• From brand owners: Agencies are not creative enough
• From agencies: Brand owners are not adventurous enough
• From both: market research rarely gives meaningful consumer insights.

I think most observers would agree that all 3 are fair comment. We must ask ourselves why?

The evidence is that the regional market research budgets are inadequate and that too often these days it is not being spent on the right kind of market research.

ESOMAR figures, although only estimates, suggest that the spend on market research across the region is well behind what is the norm in a developed market, considering market research as percentage of other marketing support, total advertising spend. I think most market research suppliers in the region would readily agree that the kind of spend behind ARAC type of studies is a miniscule proportion of that inadequate total.

Anyone who thinks the Saudi women’s market – and although I would expect the men’s to have evolved similarly, we have not as yet done the counterpart study on Saudi males – is in any way third world is seriously underestimating what is happening there. It is now a highly developed market, based on a complex society with all degrees of individualism represented. The reality is that opportunities to express this individualism are not yet always to hand, for many reasons, but even if temporarily artificially suppressed these aspirations are real and have validity. As such they deserve to be recognised in brand strategies looking to connect hearts as well as minds.

Stuart Campbell-Morris is a consultant with 35 years of experience in the Middle-East.