Culture defines the people’s “way of life”, meaning the way they do things. Culture could be related to a specific country, a section of community or within an organization. A people’s culture includes their beliefs, rules of behavior, language, rituals, art, technology, styles of clothing, ways of producing and cooking food, religion, and political and economic systems. Culture is not inherited genetically; it must be learned and acquired. Socialization occurs when a person absorbs or learns the culture in which he or she is raised. Marketing research should take into account the local culture of the country in which you wish to market. How marketing efforts interact with a culture determines the success or failure of a product. Advertising and promotion require special attention because they play a key role in communicating product concepts and benefits to the target customer. Terpstra & Sarathy (2000) stated that Understanding the cultural environment Continue reading
International Marketing
Global Branding – Issues, Challenges and Strategies
A global brand is the product or services that bring along their identity (brand) which is available in many nations and, though it may differ from one country to another, the localized versions have a common goal and a similar identity. In other words, global brands carry one brand name or logo together with it. A global brand can carry one name or logo and thus be recognized worldwide, however, the product may not be of the same standard at all. Global branding can be influenced by some the issues like social and culture, the economics of the country, and political condition in a country. Besides, a lot of the marketers in the world are facing the problem of customizing or standardize their products and services. Marketers tend to influence by major challenges before they went for global branding, at the same time, the marketers should also make decisions to Continue reading
Ethnocentrism in International Marketing
International marketing activities are interlinked with a firm’s corporate goals, objectives and strategy. The overall aims, objectives and strategy of a firm has a great impact on international marketing decisions e.g, whether to enter new uncertain markets and how maximum would be risk that the firm is ready to take or the level of control required over international operations. There is no denying in fact that a person’s self reference criterion (SRC) and an associated ethnocentrism are a two primary obstacles to success in international marketing. Self reference criteria is defined as an unconscious reference to one’s own cultural values, experiences and knowledge as a basis for decisions. Ethnocentrism is closely connected to self reference criterion. Ethnocentrism can be defined as the nations that one’s own culture or company knows best how to do things. Ethnocentrism has been seen particularly a problem in the American managers at the beginning of Continue reading
Challenges Faced by International Advertising
International marketing can be a tricky business. With the increase in global trade, international companies cannot afford to make costly advertising mistakes if they want to be competitive and profitable. Understanding the language and culture of target markets in foreign countries is one of the keys to successful international advertising. Too many companies, however, have jumped into foreign markets with embarrassing results. Out of their blunders, a whole new industry of translation services has emerged. Faulty Translations The value of understanding the language of a country cannot he overestimated. Translation mistakes are at the heart of many blunders in international advertising. Since a language is more than the sum of its words, a literal, word-by-word dictionary translation seldom works. The following examples prove this point. Otis Engineering Company once displayed a poster at a trade show in Moscow that turned heads. Due to a poor translation of its message, the Continue reading
Place Component of the Global Marketing Mix
The American Marketing Association defines channel of distribution as “An organized network of agencies and institutions, which in combination, perform all the activities required to link producers with users to accomplish the marketing task.” Distribution is the physical flow of goods through channels; as suggested by the definition, channels are comprised of a coordinated group of individuals or firms that performs functions adding utility to a product or service. The major types of channel utility are: Place (the availability of a product or service in a location that is convenient to a potential customer); Time (the availability of a product or service when desired by a customer); Form (the product is processed, prepared and ready to use, and in proper condition); and Information (answers to questions and general communication about useful product features and benefits are available). Since these utilities can be a basic source of competitive advantage and product Continue reading
Product Component of the Global Marketing Mix
Product is probably the most crucial element of a marketing program. To a very important degree a company’s products define its business. Pricing, communication, and distribution policies must fit the product. Its research and development requirements will depend upon the technologies of its products. Indeed, every aspect of the enterprise is heavily influenced by the firm’s product offering. In the past, managers have been prone to committing (often simultaneously) two types of errors regarding product decisions in global marketing. One error has been to fall victim to the “Not Invented Here” (NIH) syndrome, ignoring product decisions made by subsidiary or affiliate managers. Managers who behave in this way are essentially abandoning any effort to influence or control product policy outside the home-country market. The other error has been to impose product decisions policy upon all affiliate companies on the assumption that what is right for customers in the home market Continue reading