Global And Domestic Marketing Require Different Strategies
The world is a small place thanks to the Internet, but there are still plenty of differences between people by nations. Those differences often translate into global and domestic marketing problems.
Some companies use a one-size-fits-all marketing approach. This approach is doomed to fail because what people in one culture like, another those in another nation abhor.
To market globally well, you must learn characteristics of the people in each nation and culture. The best way is through market segmentation.
Global and Domestic Marketing: Consider Differences In People By Nations
Different cultures within the USA, and across the world, are going to have different buying habits. This presents a problem when you are trying to sell a product across nations.
It’s difficult enough to market across cultures within the USA, but the difficulty intensifies when marketing across nations.
Global and Domestic Marketing: Demographics Change Across Borders
Demographic segments vary across the world. For example, some characteristics for Generation Y in the USA may be similar worldwide, but most will be quite different.
Generation X, young adults in the USA, were deeply influenced by the 9-11 terrorists attacks. Because of global mass media, that event was somewhat experienced by young people across the globe. But young people in other countries experienced it differently. Some even celebrated it.
So you can’t take characteristics that best define a USA generation and transfer those characteristics world wide.
Global and Domestic Marketing: USA Psychographic Characteristics Don’t Cross Borders
Psychographic characteristics also differ by nations. For one reason, culture, morals, values and attitudes are learned within a society. Different nations develop different social pressures and expectations. They teach different values and attitudes within families and schools.
What is considered “good” in one nation may be considered “bad” in another.
Consider a change within USA attitudes. Not that long ago a man’s wife and children were considered his property, and he had the right to abuse them in anyway that he saw fit. The USA and state governments didn’t interfere. But that is not the case today. A man can be convicted for raping his wife, and children are frequently taken away from parents who abuse or even neglect them. But in some nations, a man still has the right to abuse his wife and children. Even murdering them is socially acceptable and legal in some nations.
This illustrates that many nationally specific events, beliefs and culture form the personalities of people. So personality characteristics must differ nation to nation.
Global and Domestic Marketing: Buying Behaviors Differ
Because each nation’s economy is based and distributed differently, what people can afford and what they value enough to spend their money on changes across nations.
What people choose to buy results from many factors that are tied to their national experiences and culture.
For example, people buy even the most basic needs according to buying habits within their nations. Many buy groceries daily from local “farmer’s markets.”
But in the USA, we buy from large chains that freeze, can, dehydrate and process in other ways so that food lasts for a long time. Then we buy at least enough for a week at a time, and some people buy for a month at a time. We think shopping everyday would be a terrible inconvenience and that we are just too busy with our careers and family to spend that much time buying groceries.
People in some nations probably think that USA residents have their priorities messed up to avoid spending their time buying and preparing fresh, healthy foods.
So if we differ so much on something as basic as food, just think how our other buying habits differ.
Global and Domestic Marketing: Summary
No business can design one marketing campaign and successfully use it across nations.
To effectively market internationally, unique marketing campaigns must be developed for each nation. But first marketers and business owners must learn about the people in the targeted nation.
Unfortunately, there is little systematic research being accumulated and shared with business owners about people in other nations. As the world gets smaller and the Internet gets larger, that has to change. We must do a better job of global and domestic marketing.
