Xculture Project- Disneyland in Dubai - Essay Example

? Xculture Project - Disneyland in Dubai ID Number & Total Number of Words 250 Market Opportunity Analysis For Disneyland to succeed in an entirely new market, it is necessary to identify three significant key market success factors. In this study, political stability, strategic location, and economic stability were chosen as the most important market success factors that can highly affect the success of the proposed international business expansion. First of all, Disneyland can benefit from a stable politics since a government that has good reputation in the world market is one factor that can affect the inflow of foreign investors and tourists. By examining the political stability of each chosen country, it is possible to detect which among the three chosen countries is the best place to expand the business. Strategic location is very important when selecting the best place to expand the business. To benefit from economies of scale, Disneyland should select a country that is located far away from other Disneyland’s existing amusement parks. With the use of effective geographic strategies, the company will benefit from being able to make its products and services readily available to all people around the world. The economic stability of a country also matters when it comes to selecting the best place. In most cases, a stable economy readily invites more people from different countries to visit the country. Aside from having a relatively low crime rate, the presence of an economic stability will also give the tourists more reasons to visit the country. In this study, three countries where Disneyland is not yet operating include Dubai, the Philippines, and India. As compared to India, Dubai and the Philippines have a strong political stability (Biswas, 2012; Government of Dubai, 2012; Morella, 2012). During the past century, Dubai is globally known for having a stable political environment and low crime rate (Government of Dubai, 2012). With regards to fighting graft and corruption, the political stability of the Philippines was recently made possible under the strong leadership of President Benigno Aquino (Morella, 2012). Graft and corruption in India is still very rampant (Biswas, 2012). In terms of having a high inflation rate and economic growth, the economic stability of India is not good (Biswas, 2012). Therefore, it is best to immediately disregard this country in the business expansion plan of Disneyland. Between the Philippines and Dubai, it is important to consider the geographic location and economic stability of these two countries. Specifically the economic stability of Dubai attracts not only new foreign investors but also more tourists (Government of Dubai, 2012). Because of political stability, the Philippines was recently reported to have a 6.1% growth rate as of the first quarter of 2012 (Harjani, 2012). Since the economic status of the Philippines and Dubai are both positive in terms of economic growth rate, it is best on the part of the company to consider the strategic location of these two countries. Aside from being close to the Africa, Dubai is situated between the Far East and Europe (Government of Dubai, 2012). On the other hand, the Philippines is situated close to Taiwan, China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand (Philippine Embassy, 2012). Since Disneyland is already operational in Hong Kong, the best choice for Disneyland’s future expansion plan is in Dubai. (See Table I – Summary of Disneyland’s Key Market Success Factors in Dubai, Philippines and India on page 4) Table I – Summary of Disneyland’s Key Market Success Factors in Dubai, Philippines and India Political and Social Stability Strategic Location Economic Stability Dubai Other than politically stable, Dubai is a good example of a country that has a very low crime rate (Government of Dubai, 2012). Aside from being close to the Africa, Dubai is situated between the Far East and Europe (Government of Dubai, 2012). The economic stability of Dubai attracts not only new foreign investors but also more tourists (Government of Dubai, 2012). Philippines Under the current leadership of President Benigno Aquino, the Philippines has gained a better political stability in terms of fighting graft and corruption in this country (Morella, 2012). As a southeast Asian country, the Philippines is situated close to Taiwan, China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand (Philippine Embassy, 2012). Considered as one of the Asia’s “rising star”, the Philippines is a service-driven economy that has experienced a growth rate of 6.1% as of the first quarter of 2012 (Harjani, 2012). India Because of heavy corruption practices, the politics in India is not stable (Biswas, 2012). India is situated between the West Asia and the Middle East (Miles, 2012). On top of high inflation rate, the economic situation in India has been stagnant (Biswas, 2012). Summary of Proposed Marketing Strategy During Disneyland’s business expansion in Dubai, the company is expected to encounter a long-list of business problems with regards to the differences in the language spoken and culture, the values and legal issues with regards to marketing practices, effective advertising strategies, and the expected information content of these advertisements. For this reason, the marketing strategies presented in this study aims to address all the identified problems that Disneyland may encounter during the planning and implementation stage of the proposed business expansion project. In general, culture is referring to the “collective mental programming which people in a society have” (Howard & Sheth, 1969, cited in Ekerete, 2001). On the other hand, removing any form of language barrier is important in terms of gaining better understanding about the culture and cultural practices in Dubai. To effectively remove language barriers between the company and the government and business people in Dubai, the top management of Disneyland should consider hiring a local manager in Dubai who could serve not only as an interpreter for the company but also somehow who is capable of leading the entire marketing department of Disneyland in Dubai. It is given that the people in Dubai have an entirely different set of cultural beliefs, values, and attitude when it comes to patronizing a product and services (Enlaso, 2012; Wooten, 2011). Therefore, by getting a local partner to work for Disneyland in Dubai, the company can have a higher chance of being able to design a more effective localized marketing plan and strategies that will effectively communicate Disneyland’s products and services to the people who goes in and out of this country (Enlaso, 2012). The process of hiring a local manager in Dubai can also help the company avoid legal problems and immediately solve problems with regards to advertising and mass communication techniques. By gaining better understanding with regards to the types of marketing communication strategies that can effectively work well for this particular group of target market, Disneyland in Dubai will have a better chance of being able to persuade the local people to visit this particular amusement park. Disneyland should maximize the use of marketing communication “marcom’ techniques as a way to communicate the company’s plan to expand its business in Dubai. For example, after working on the necessary business permit and land acquisition, Disneyland should initially make use of different advertising tools like on-line articles, news prints or television advertisement to inform the general public about the company’s business expansion plan (Kotler & Armstrong, 1997, 428; Pride & Ferrell, 1993, p. 485). Using the combination of these marketing communication tools, the company will not only be able to effectively inform and persuade the people who are currently living in Dubai but also the people in different countries in the Middle East to come and visit the soon-to-open Disneyland in Dubai. Amusement parks like Disneyland often target the entire family and friends to patronize the company’s products and services. For this reason, the company should advertise Disneyland’s plan for business expansion in Dubai using a strong, influential, and highly respectable family in Dubai. By using the family of some famous personalities in this country, Disneyland will be able to effectively encourage families who are living in Middle East to come and support whatever products and services that will be offered by this company. With regards to encouraging more tourists to visit Disneyland in Dubai, it is best for this company to encourage more travel agencies worldwide to support advertising and promoting the presence of this particular amusement park (Disney Travel Agents, 2012; Magical Memories Travel, 2012; mousesavers.com, 2012; mousetrips.com, 2012; The Magic For Less, 2012). Now-a-days, it is common for travel agencies to run their own official websites. Therefore, by working closely with the local and international travel agencies, Disneyland will be able to save a lot of money on expensive advertising costs. On top of using online advertisements, the local and international travel agencies can make use of simply brochures or print ads to advertise the presence of Disneyland in Dubai. Furthermore, the company can also make use of promotional activities and price discounts as part of the company’s marketing introduction plan. References Biswas, S. (2012, March 29). BBC News. Retrieved November 18, 2012, from Is bad politics ruining India?: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-17537615 Disney Travel Agents. (2012). Retrieved November 18, 2012, from Official Website: http://www.disneytravelagents.com/ Enlaso. (2012). Retrieved November 8, 2012, from Marketing Communications, Culture, and Localization: http://www.enlaso.com/Language_Tech_Center/Articles/Marketing_Communications_Culture_and_Localization.aspx Government of Dubai. (2012). Retrieved November 18, 2012, from Official Website: http://dubai.ae/en/aboutdubai/Pages/DubaiEconomy.aspx Harjani, A. (2012, October 8). CNBC. Retrieved November 18, 2012, from Who Is Asia’s New Darling of Investors?: http://www.cnbc.com/id/48839016/Who_Is_Asia_s_New_Darling_of_Investors Howard, J., & Sheth, J. (1969). The Theory of Buyer Behavior. In Ekerete, P.P. (ed) "The effect of culture on marketing strategies of multinational firms: A survey of selected multinational corporations in Nigeria" African Study Monographs. 2001. 22(2), 93-101. Kotler, P., & Armstrong, G. (1997). Marketing: An Introduction. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice Hall. Magical Memories Travel. (2012). Retrieved November 18, 2012, from A VIP Disney vacation as memorable as it is magical!: http://magicalmemoriestravel.com/ Miles, D. (2012, August 14). American Forces Press Service. Retrieved November 18, 2012, from Pacom Works to Advance U.S.-India Strategic Partnership: http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=117484 Morella, C. (2012, June 3). Inquirer News. Retrieved November 18, 2012, from New Philippine ‘maturity’ reaping rewards – analysts: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/205863/new-philippine-maturity-reaping-rewards-%E2%80%93-analysts mousesavers.com. (2012). Retrieved November 18, 2012, from Working with Travel Agents Specializing in Disney Vacations: http://www.mousesavers.com/working-with-a-travel-agent/ mousetrips.com. (2012). Retrieved November 18, 2012, from Mouseketrips – Disney Travel Specialists: http://www.mouseketrips.com/ Philippine Embassy. (2012). Retrieved November 18, 2012, from About the Philippines: http://www.philippineembassy-usa.org/about-the-philippines-dc/#geography Pride, W., & Ferrell, O. (1993). Marketing Concepts and Strategies. 8th Edition. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. The Magic For Less. (2012). Retrieved November 18, 2012, from Official Website: http://themagicforless.com/ Wooten, A. (2011, December 9). Deseret News. Retrieved November 18, 2012, from International Business: International social media marketing is more than just a Facebook page: http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705395524/International-social-media-marketing-is-more-than-just-a-Facebook-page.html?pg=all Read More