Earlier this year, CNN commissioned its most extensive qualitative and quantitative research in the Middle East through research agency Ipsos Stat. The results claim to confirm that it is the leading international channel in the region, outstripping its perceived competitors to such a degree that locally the points of comparison are made with Al Jazeera and Al Arabiyah rather than with the international channels themselves. CNN’s blend of authoritative reports from around the world, extensive newsgathering capabilities, broad reach, and access to the powerful and influential, proves a winning formula. It outperforms all other international channels on nearly every measure of performance and perception. CNN commissioned the survey to fill the perceived gap in knowledge about viewing habits in the Middle East. The key research surveys that are currently available such as EMS, Europe series and EOLS - cover Europe alone, with the result that there is very little information and statistics available about the Middle East.
TATA MOTORS
Mohammed A. Alhamrani Inter Trade Co. claims to have achieved commendable progress within 18 months of its take over of Tata Motors dealership in Saudi Arabia. The company has seen its one ton diesel pickup occupying number four position after Isuzu, Toyota and Mitsubishi pickups and its 3.5 ton Load Star truck placed in the third position after Isuzu’s Elf and Mitsubishi’s Canter. With its continuous plans of outlets and dealership expansion and commitment to give the best after-sales service facilities, the company is expected to attain a market share of four percent by the end of the fiscal year 2004-05 in the total diesel market of commercial vehicles. Also in the pipeline are plans for the introduction of some other Tata models like Sumo diesel version, in the SUV segment, plus the Marina, Indigo and Indica in the small-size diesel passenger car segment. “With this range of diesel vehicles entering the market, Alhamrani Inter Trade Company will be ready to cater to all cross-sections of the local market,” a company spokesman said.
NCB
The National Commercial Bank (NCB), which recently provided financial assistance worth SR200,000 to the Al-Bir Foundation in Jeddah in support of its charitable activities, on Saturday sponsored the chemotherapy awareness day for affected children and their families, organized by the National King Fahd Tumor Center with the cooperation of the King Faisal Specialist and Research Center in Riyadh. NCB DGM Abdulkareem Abu Alnasr said sponsoring such activities was inspired by the bank’s sense of social duty and concern for humanitarian causes and health awareness efforts. “NCB is more than an entity for accounting and banking transactions. It is also a national and financial entity that interacts with its community and invests as much as it can to support, social, community and family activities,” Alnasr said.
JUFFALI/MERCEDES-BENZ
The new groundbreaking Mercedes-Benz CLS Class four-door coupe was launched in Saudi Arabia yesterday. Present at the Jeddah event were Mercedes-Benz Regional Sales Manager Chris Vallance, and Juffali Automotive Company-Mercedes-Benz’s National Sales Manager Farouk Sughayyar and Marketing Manager Chenghez Ahmed Khan. “As a unique synthesis of a coupe and a saloon, the new CLS-Class offers a great deal of more added value than other coupes,” Khan said. “The sophisticated aesthetics of this coupe design, the exclusive appointments and the trailblazing technology are particularly aimed at people who have a passion for motor cars and motoring.” The new CLS combines the elegance and dynamism of a coupe with the comfort and practicality of a saloon. Spaciousness, luggage capacity and day-to-day practicality are at the level of a saloon, while the design lines possess the emotionally charged character of a coupe. The four-door coupe concept allows rear seat passengers convenient access and egress. They have the benefits of two comfortable single seats and enjoy generous freedom of movement. With 829 mm between the front and rear seats and rear compartment shoulder- and elbow-level width of 1,422 and 1,464 mm respectively, the CLS-Class is firmly in saloon territory. The CLS 350 is equipped with a newly developed V6 engine. With the 5.0 liter V8 engine, the new CLS 500 need fear no performance comparison with thoroughbred sports cars.
PHILIPS
Philips Electronics has launched the Pixel Plus 2 TV with Ambilight technology, which offers consumers a TV viewing experience that is better in every way. Clearer pictures, better contrast, richer and more intense colors, technology smart enough to remove blur from high-speed action shots and enhance even the most detailed DVD are among its highlights. This combination comes with additional technology that makes watching TV not just fun, but actually relaxing for the eyes. “The phrase ‘see it to believe it’ has been redefined by Philips in its 2004 range of Philips Flat TVs. Equipped with Pixel Plus 2, the latest version of Philips’ award-winning image enhancement technology, as well as Ambilight, an ambient lighting technology, viewers will experience a totally new way of watching TV - one that might even keep them glued to their TV sets,” said Khalid Tuer, Philips regional GM Middle East and Africa. An improvement on its acclaimed predecessor, Pixel Plus 2 creates even sharper, more detailed pictures with a greater impression of depth than any other image enhancement technology. Pixel Plus 2 takes a signal from anywhere - terrestrial television, cable, DVD, digital TV - and applies one of the most advanced digital processors available in the consumer market with a suite of 17 different image processing improvements. Movies appear crisper and sharper with the 3D Digital Combfilter and 3D Digital Noise Reduction, which make images brighter and improve colors while retaining sharpness.
AL SHOBILY GROUP
Leading regional real estate investments group Khaled Saud Al Shobily, platinum sponsor of Cityscape 2004, the region’s premier property investment and development event, has announced an SR6 billion real estate investment project in Alkhobar.
The 7 million sq m development, known as Al Shobily Port project, will encompass luxurious residential towers, high-class retail, tourism and entertainment facilities, spanning some 7 km of the Gulf coastline. The development will be showcased at Cityscape 2004. Phase one of the project is already complete, at an investment of SR4 billion. Stage two of the project revolves around 12 mega investment projects, covering trading, tourism, entertainment and residential development. Group Chairman Khaled ibn Saud Al Shobily said sponsorship of Cityscape 2004 underlines the group’s commitment to sustainable regional investment, and to support the overall development of such events. The annual Cityscape event opened yesterday and concludes tomorrow at Dubai’s International Exhibition Center. With more than 150 exhibitors attending from 40 countries, alongside thousands of regional and international visitors, Cityscape 2004 is described as the ideal venue for the Al Shobily Group to showcase its world-class expertise, projects and future vision to a highly targeted, relevant audience.
RED SEA PAINTS
Red Sea Paints’ “Discover and win” campaign, which is running since October, ends on Dec. 9. The campaign targets painters, contractors and others who buy from color processing centers and local dealers across the Kingdom. The campaign has instant prizes in addition to a raffle draw that offers 30 flat screen TV sets. “The campaign aims to encourage and reward our customers during the festive season,” Marketing Manager Deepak Pai said. Red Sea Paints is described as a local brand with international appeal and standard. Painters can create decorative techniques with the “Lovely Glaze,” which is mainly used for interiors, and Weather Cover Smooth. Its products have been used from small-scale residential houses to big industrial projects. The locally produced brand with technical inputs form international companies has a variety of decorative paints like emulsion, textured and enamel. On the industrial side, it manufactures a complete range of industrial coatings like nitrocellulose, and acid-, thermo- and chemically-cured coatings and automotive finishes. “With its state-of-the-art production facility in Jeddah, Red Sea has edged well past its competitors not just in sales but also in terms of quality and durability,” Sales Manager Chito Onglacto said.
