Fuji Film, or Fujifilm, is a global Japanese-based company headquartered in Tokyo that supplies photographic film, photo paper, cameras, and other imaging equipment; and that has established its business in Saudi Arabia through a new distributor, EMDICO ("International Marketing," 2007). The Saudi Arabian government is striving to "attract foreign investment and diversify the economy;" consequently, the branching out of Fuji into the Saudi Arabian market was beneficial for the economy of Saudi Arabia("The World Factbook," 2007).
Fujifilm's products include Fujicolor cameras, films, and the Minilab printer, "a new digital system for film development" ("Saudi Arabia: Marketing of a Digital System for the Development of Fuji," 2001) - all marketed under the name "Fuji" (Muller, 2005, p. 6). This is a marketing strategy dubbed "family branding" that allows the company to promote a number of products within one campaign and to obtain the benefits of economies of scale (Muller, 2005, p. 6). Using the family branding concept, Fuji can trade on customers' awareness of its brand and can introduce new products that are similar to those with which they are already familiar (Muller, 2005, p. 6). Fuji's films are distinctive; each one has its own special properties that make it suitable for particular shots. The Fujifilm Fujicolor Pro 160S Color Negative Film, ISO 160, for example, "was designed to be optimized for digital scanning and printing systems, resulting in a smooth hybrid film/digital workflow" and while boasting "smooth, natural reproduction of skin tones" as well as excellent gray balance and fine grain ("Fujifilm Fujicolor Pro 160S Color Negative Film, ISO 160, 220 Size USA," 2007).
Promotion of Fuji's film in Saudi Arabia has been mainly through television (since most households within the country own television sets) and the frequent use of satellite television channels was common, especially during ...