Today, since the business environment is getting globalized, more and more brands and products are aiming at the global market. It it argued that if a company wants to sell products in another country, changes should be made to their marketing strategy. Adjusting the marketing of their brand will help them to suit the local market and achieve good business.
Cultural differences lead to various values, which may affect the cross-cultural brands' marketing. Different cultures may cause a series of issues when transferring products oversea. Vrontis and Vronti (2004) point out that Levi-strauss jeans could not be sold in Islamic countries because females scarcely wear tight fitting attire. This concludes that adjustments should be made due to religious factors. Also, the consumer decision-making styles can vary based on culture. It is mentioned (Leo, Bennett and Härtel, 2005) that people in Australia buy symbolic good that are expensive and reputable to show their self-concept, more often than Singaporean people. Vrontis and Vronti (2004, p.389) claim 'differences in cultural attitudes lead to enormous variations in product and advertising standards and expectations.' This supports the argument that marketing should be changed if the products are sold to another place. Thus, cultural factors need to be taken into account in the global marketing of brands.
On the other hand, economic factors should also be considered in brand marketing oversea. For example, prices may vary because of the different economic development in each country. Vrontis and Vronti (2004) set an example of the jeans price of Levi-Strauss, which is £46 in UK but only £20 in certain US states. This suggests that marketing may include price adjustment. They also point out that affluent society pay more attention to the ideas of lifestyle, which poor countries would focus on the function and value of a product. Therefore, economic factors may have impact on brand marketing to another place.
It is true that companies could benefit from standardization. However, ‘a complete degree of standardization is impossible to achieve in the market for jeans’, noted by Vronts and Vronti (2004, p.389). Companies still need to make adequate adaptation to local market conditions.
In conclusion, reasons such as cultural differences and economic development may affect the selling of products in different countries. To achieve successful business, adjustments need to be made in brands’ marketing strategies.
written by Candice Li
18th Jan, 2019
scored and corrected by Anna Kathryn Attard, University of Sydney
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