QU students' study underlines qualitative transformation of Gulf Times, Arrayah

The College of Business and Economics at Qatar University (QU), in co-operation with the Gulf Publishing and Printing Company (GPPC), on Thursday hosted a graduation project presentation by students.

The session underlined the transformation of Gulf Times and its sister Arabic daily Arrayah in line with the market trends and suggested ways to expedite the growth of the two publications.

Attended by GPPC's Administration Affairs, Human Resources and Public Relations manager Abdulaziz Faraj al-Ansari, human resources specialist Hazem Hassan Mansour, and administrative affairs officer Naser Ali, the session was led by Dr Dalia Farrag, Professor of Marketing and Supervisor of Student Projects at the QU College of Business and Economics.

The main objective of the research was to design an impactful campaign for Gulf Times and Arrayah while helping them utilise the opportunities in the Qatari market. The session had two presentations about Gulf Times. The first was prepared by a group of students ‘Brand Builders’ that included Aljazi al-Mansoori, Bothayna al-Khater, Haya al-Mansoori, Haya Bukashisha and Noor al-Motawaa. The second group ‘Innohub’ had Alae Ahmaine, Kaouther Gastli, Shaima Sheriff and Shamma al-Kuwari.

The first research presentation analysed the readership of the newspaper while looking into the reading habits and preferences through multiple research methods. Also, it had a Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) analysis that was carried out by the students to deeply look into the possibilities, readers’ engagement, challenges and further growth of Gulf Times.

The second presentation shared the students’ insights about the innovative integrated marketing campaign that will result in the growth of Gulf Times’ presence in the Qatari market. The study analysed the target markets, the existing and arising opportunities and trends and the ways to utilise the opportunities. The study also suggested a campaign strategy with techniques that make Gulf Times part of Qatar’s daily lives while serving as a source of entertainment and business insights.

Al-Ansari, while addressing the session, appreciated the students while exuding his confidence in the research being helpful for Gulf Times and Arrayah to put innovative strategies in place, improve the presence of the two newspapers and attract more readers while engaging them.

“The research provides comprehensive explanations and these benefit both the researchers and GPPC. We pay great attention to co-operation in the future with QU College of Business and Economics to develop the performance of the newspapers in terms of their presence on digital platforms in line with the trends and market requirements,” al-Ansari said, noting that media institutions need to search for alternative sources and to devise marketing plans that rely on social media platforms.

Dr Dalia expressed her gratitude for the co-operation of GPPC. She explained the experiential learning method used in the academic programme for integrated marketing communications, noting that this relies on integrating labour market experiences with the academic curriculum. She pointed out that the students conducted marketing research throughout the semester to evaluate and analyse the strengths, weaknesses, challenges and opportunities in the Qatari market.