Word: marketed
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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Dubai's rise had been decades in the making, but the property market really exploded following a 2003 law change that made it easier for foreigners to own land. With credit cheap and readily available, no income tax, and many more sunshine hours than Britain or Russia, Dubai attracted a new wave of Europeans, who arrived with big hopes and little understanding of Muslim values. In one infamous culture clash, two Britons were imprisoned for having sex on a public beach and insulting police officers after a drunken Friday brunch...
There was just one problem. Though prices rose by as much as 400% during the boom years, few people wanted the finished properties they had purchased - usually off plan, and often well before the first spadeful of earth had been turned. The market was driven by speculators, interested only in trading - or "flipping" - incomplete units, which often sold for more than completed buildings, and might get flipped 10 times before construction finished. "You can't believe how crazy this was," says Robert McKinnon, head of real estate research at Al Mal Capital, a local investment firm. "Everyone knew...
Used Car, Low Miles Rather than fight the system, many foreigners are fleeing the country. Used-car dealerships have been bombarded by departing foreigners trying to sell their vehicles, but dealers have stopped buying because there's no longer a resale market. "I've got no space; no one has any money; and no one's buying," says one. A government-run auction is doing a brisk business selling vehicles that have either been repossessed or been abandoned by their debt-ridden owners at the airport. Local website classified sections are filled with desperate ads offering entire household furnishings - often...
...question now for companies is: What products and services are you going to provide to help Muslims lead the lifestyle they want to lead?" asks the Halal Journal's Abdullah. It's a code worth cracking. A 2007 report from the global ad agency JWT describes the Muslim market thus: "It's young, it's big, and it's getting bigger." Parts of it are well-educated and wealthy. The buying power of American Muslims alone is estimated at a hefty $170 billion annually. But with few exceptions, American marketers ignore them, says Ann Mack, JWT's director of trendspotting...
...phone giant Nokia, targeting Muslims is also big business. LG offers an application to help users find the direction of Mecca, while Nokia has free downloadable recitations from the Koran and maps showing the locations of major mosques in the Middle East. Such offerings increase brand loyalty, according to market research by the Finland-based Muslim lifestyle portal Muxlim.com. "There's a lot of room out there for mainstream brands to appeal to Muslims without making changes to their products," says Muxlim.com's CEO Mohamed El-Fatatry. "It's just about their marketing messages, about showing that this brand...