Happy Holidays! PITAPOLICY is tracking product names in Lebanon and the Arab Gulf Countries. Which brandnames experience the most success in the Lebanese marketplace? Which brandnames experience the most success in Arab Gulf countries, like Kuwait?
Is product success in the Lebanese market tied to the origin of the brandname? Is it true that European sounding names for products do better in Lebanon? Or is this only true because European brand names invested more in drawing in Lebanese consumers?
Similarly, is it true that European sounding names for products do better in the Arab Gulf countries? We would like to hear your thoughts and consumer experiences!
Non Sequitur: TAXES
Oil markets do not revolve around branding. Regardless of brand names, oil consumers worry more about price than quality. While oil (and pita) consumers enjoy low gas prices, oil suppliers in the Gulf Cooperation Council and Iran must adjust their spending and review their subsidies policies.
It is an alert, not an alarm, because all these countries, including Saudi Arabia, are starting from a position of strength where they have significant buffers accumulated over the last few years… But if countries do nothing and assuming the price of oil was to stay at the level where it is, then certainly reserves would be depleted promptly, and more promptly than one would imagine. ~Christine Lagarde, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund
IMF Managing Director warns that if they do not consider the “sharp decline” in oil prices, countries like Saudi Arabia could run out of wiggle room in their oil reserve accounts to balance spending after five years.
How to deal with this: Impose taxes, argues Lagarde to Finance Ministers. Last month she traveled to the Gulf to deliver this message in person. Check out Lagarde’s interview as she discusses the impact for GCC countries. http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/talktojazeera/2015/11/lagarde-call-action-oil-taxes-gcc-challenges-151113094249193.html
