Mobile phone makers use Arab singers to push deeper into the UAE

Nancy Ajram is the latest of many popular Arab singers used by major mobile phone makers to push deeper into the UAE and other regional markets. According to Business 24-7, the trend gained momentum after the global financial crisis and concerns that it could reverse years of steady local growth.

Sony Ericsson's archrival, Samsung, has also enlisted popular singers from Lebanon and other Arab countries to expand its market share. LG, another major mobile phone producer, has introduced several new models carrying portraits of singers while Nokia, the world's largest mobile handset maker, has just marketed a phone uploaded with scores of Arab songs with the help of Rotana Music.

Sony Ericsson, the largest investor in promotional campaigns in the UAE, has backed up its Nancy phone with a real-life portrait of the singer, distributed to all shops on Defence Road, the main mobile phone shopping centre in the capital. The portrait is placed at the entrance of the shops and is done in a way that Nancy's eyes follow the onlookers wherever they move.

emily | 7:18 PM | Music Phones |
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