Mohamed Osman
DOHA: A ‘cultural marketing day’ was proposed at a seminar last Thursday at Qatar University (QU) to promote the marketing of culture and encourage innovation and creativity.
“We need the Ministry of Arts, Heritage and Culture to identify one day in a year to celebrate cultural marketing, promote marketing, raise awareness and honour outstanding initiatives,” said Dr Abdullah Al Zain Al Hidri, Assistant Professor of Mass Communication, College of Arts and Science, QU.
Speaking at the opening of the seminar on cultural marketing, Al Hidri stressed the importance of focusing on cultural aspects and their promotion and enhancing the dynamic role of media in raising issues related to society.
He said self-respect is essential to get respect from others. “What I am proposing today is changing of ideas into an effective force in society and into tangible products.
“Productions need promotion and marketing. As individuals when we contribute to cultural productions that means we are promoting culture, and under the era of open media, everyone can play a significant role in introducing cultural products,” he said.
Mahmoud Galander, Associate Professor of Mass Communication and Head of the Department, emphasised that the role of university is not only to teach and transfer knowledge but change the knowledge into useful things for society from where students come.
“It is a unique seminar and I expect it will have positive outputs as it is encouraging students and researchers to do more in this regard,” he added.
Cultural marketing needs more attention from researchers, academics, media and policymakers because it is important for any society, said Dr Khalid bin Mubarak Al Shafi, Editor-in-Chief, The Peninsula, who chaired the seminar.
He said the initiative is unique and first-of-its-kind and needs more concerted efforts.
In his presentation, Dr Basyouni Ibrahim Hamada, Professor of Mass Communication, said: “It is difficult to draw a line between cultural works and ideology and it is not fair to talk about cultural invasion at the time we are importing products of others and we have no products to supply our markets.
“Today, there are no translations from Arabic language because they are no valued products which meet global needs,” he added. “Islamic culture and civilisation which is the most precious thing of our possession and even this we could not introduce properly to the world and due to some extremists it is being negatively stereotyped.”
Muhsin Bu Azizi, Associated professor of Mass Media, presented results of a tentative survey he conducted in malls in Qatar to find out marketing connotations being used by Qatari traders.
The survey found that due to the domination of international brands, Arabic language is playing marginal and a complementary role to English.
Local retailers think Arabic is not suitable to promote products and is being used sometimes in cases in a way that gives negative meaning, and cannot be understood unless the reader knows English language.
One of the best examples is the Gulf Mall which has been written in English using Arabic script which gives in Arabic a negative meaning, he said.
Dr Jamal Zran, Associate Professor of Mass Communication, in his presentation, focused on the relation between manufacturing and marketing which exploits sociological and psychological factors for profits. A manufacturer looks for consumers and culture looks for public because it depends on innovations which cannot be marketed.
When people watch a series of TV shows or games they are dealing with lifestyles rather than simple consumable products, he said.
Dr Noureldin Miladi, Associate Professor of Mass Communication, stressed that there is assault against Arabic language as local consumers are passive recipients.
All cultural products such as cartoon films, TV shows and ready food products are not simply products for consumption and entertainment but include marketing of values and lifestyles, he added.
People in today’s world heavily depend on social media which is not only being used for communication but also for information and can be used in counter flow of information, he said. He argued that cultural marketing depends on the ability to influence through innovative woks under free interactive environment.
Salah Ghareeb, In-charge, Culture Section, Al Sharq, said he will, as a representative of the ministry, propose that a cultural marketing day be announced.
In his presentation, he said the use of terms like ‘karwa’; ‘barwa’; and ‘Al Meera’ are an effort to promote Qatari culture in the local trade and industry. This is being done since Qatar was selected as the Capital of Arab Culture in 2010.
The Peninsula
