Case 18: Sun Care in the UAE: Can a Late Entrant Brand Compete Effectively?

This teaching case presents a real situation about the complexity of a small geographic market with high consumer heterogeneity and fragmented market share of fiercely competitive brands. The case setting is the sun care products market in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The case poses a challenge for students to determine how a late-entrant foreign brand can develop an effective value proposition to compete in such a market and the required marketing mix decisions. The case can be used for undergraduate, MBA, or executive education courses on marketing strategy, brand management, and consumer behaviour. The case is also suitable for a course on doing business in the Middle East. It will help future managers to contextualize the geography and develop a nuanced understanding of the UAE as a geographically small, but highly multi-cultural market with diverse consumer groups. Rich case exhibits provide detailed information about product category and brand portfolios, data on category sales and forecast sales, brand market shares, pricing, and shares of offline and online retail sales that will enable students to develop market understanding and deepen analysis.