7272 marketing role play

Role play – International marketing faux pas

Role A
You are the Manager of a large Italian company and you are getting ready to launch a new product
into Saudi Arabia.
You have invited some very important Managing Directors from three Arabian companies and the
press to come to a special event and presentation you have organised.
You have decided to give each of the VIP’s a special gift with your company’s name on it. You
decide to use an Italian leather company who have produced Italian wallets with the names of each
of your guests names embossed on the inside. It looks wonderful!
You get a call from your Marketing manager and you tell them what you have organised, they tell
you that you can not give the wallets as a gift as they are made from Pig skin and the pig is
considered unclean in Saudi Arabia. You would be insulting them.
You now have a big problem .. what can you give them? You only have one day to organise
something.
Role B
You are the Manager of a local “Corporate gift” Company and you have just got into the office.
You are just about to have your first coffee when the phone rings.. when you answer it your day
turns into a nightmare.
A manager from a large Italian company is almost begging you to help them. They urgently need
corporate gifts for a Press launch in Saudi Arabia .. and you know that finding gifts for this market is
not easy.
It has to be something that can be ready by the end of the day and must not include leather or
alcohol.. and must be personalised with each of the guests names… but what?
If this is a success there is a strong possibility that this Italian company will use your company
again .. you are a small company and you need this account.