What Is Global Marketing and why is it important?

The term global marketing stands for a continuous effort leading to adjustment
one’s products or services so that they can be accepted on the international market.
Let’s say you’ve been selling a type of shoes locally. You know your customers,
you know how to communicate with them, you know their preferences and their
price sensitivity. But how will that all work in a global scale? Will people from
China, so much used to scrolling down, appreciate your web design? Are you
environment-friendly enough to impress a Swedish customer?

Although there are some differences between global marketing for a small business
and huge corporations, there are at least four things that these two share. The four
things that marketing always comes down to. The 4 Ps of global marketing. Let’s
break it down into more details now.

Different people need different…mayos

As a global company, you need to figure out a way to make your product appeal to
customers across all markets. One of the attitudes is, you create a product that is
acceptable throughout the whole world. You can then make only small changes
regarding the packaging (Coca Cola uses different kinds of packaging depending
on what country they want to sell the batch in) or ingredients (Hellman’s mayo,
sold west of Rocky Mountains as Best Food mayo, is described as more “tangy“).

In order to win local consumers, however, it never hurts to prepare a specialized,

localized product. Learn about the people of the country you’re targeting. Get to
know their habits and customs. And then come up with a perfect match. Just check
what KFC came up with when they penetrated Chinese market full busy people
used to breaking their fast in fast foods
Price’s always matters. But not always the same one.
It’s all very well to have the right product, but without the interest of your
customers, it’ll just stay rotting in the back of your store. You need to take into
consideration several aspect to make your global pricing strategy a success.

Currency. Do your research, find out how the currency works and what amounts of
money are perceived as “too much” for a product of your kind. Also, check for
other possible payments methods, such as cryptocurrencies.
Price sensitivity. This goes all the way into Hofstede’s theory of cultural
dimensions, more specifically to the dimension called masculinity. Some cultures,
such as Russia, simply care about prices less than other.
Payment methods. An extremely important aspect, yet somehow ignored by a lot
of marketers. For example, did you know that in Germany, credit card won’t be
much use to you?
Inflation. Always remember to count that one in.
Make sure your customers find what you offer
We have the what and the how much. The where (or how for that matter) should
help your new customers get your perfectly designed, precisely-priced product the
way they’re used to getting it. Are you entering a market with high smartphone
penetration? Be sure to have an app prepared for your customers. Do people in the
new country prefer shopping offline? Be sure to have better prices at your online
store so that your customers have a reason to shop there.

Also, get acquainted with what kind of delivery your customers prefer. Each
market offers a unique set of logistic companies, pick-up points and post services.
Be sure to know what choices are the best ones for your customers.

Don’t be afraid to show what you got

Promotion is arguably the central focus of marketing mix. Having a perfect product
just doesn’t do the trick unless you know how to advertise it properly (just as no
matter how hard you promote, lousy product will simply stay lousy). Again, a few
tips.

Don’t just copy-paste your web. Find out everything there is to be found out about
your future audience. Know their relationship towards risking, their approach to
hierarchical order, find their preferred tone of communication. That’ll help you
come up with tailor-made web design.
Meet not only the people, but also the habits. That’ll help you understand the
mentality of your customers and give you inspiration for special seasonal
campaigns. Also, it’ll help you avoid unpleasant culture-related faux-pas.
Always, always, always consult with a specialist. Otherwise you might end up
accidentally calling your new product a wanker.

The Keys to H&M’s International Marketing Success

Spend some time in many of the world’s major cities, and it won’t be along until
you stumble across an H&M outlet. Thanks to its canny international expansion
strategy, the Swedish fast-fashion brand has grown to become one of the world’s
largest clothing retailers. H&M’s steady march towards global domination has
been shaped by its efficient and flexible marketing approach. From savvy
production models to forward-thinking advertising and partnerships, H&M is a
dominant force at the intersection of fashion, quality and price.

Walmart Takes the Lead in the Fight Over Flipkart in India.

Two giants battling it out for the right to rule over one of the most populous
countries in the world. No, it’s not the plot to the latest CGI-filled Hollywood
blockbuster. The two giants in question are Walmart and Amazon, and the prize at
stake? Access to the hundreds of millions of online shoppers in India.

How KFC Became China’s Fast Food of Choice

With its original restaurant located just a stone’s throw from Tiananmen Square in
Beijing, KFC became the first American fast-food to set foot in China, all the way
back in 1987. The three-story branch, with room for up to 500 diners, was KFC’s
largest at the time, and the grandiosity of this move set the tone for the success the
chain would find in China over the next few decades.

As the first window into American-style dining for many, KFC was an immediate
hit, with lines stretching for blocks even months after the branch opened its doors.
A year later, the […] Read more
Walmart & International Marketing Strategy: What NOT to Do

If one were to nominate a poster child for international marketing failures, one
would be hard-pressed to identify a candidate more ideal than Walmart. In so many
cases over the past several decades, Walmart consistently made the wrong choices
when making an entrance into a new market. Walmart’s journeys abroad, whether
to China, Germany, Brazil or elsewhere, seem to be met with stumbles at every
step — though in many cases, the company has learned and adapted over time.

Why Is KFC’s International Marketing So Unstoppable?

KFC has made wave after wave in the marketing community due to its resounding
success in China. Far and away the country’s most popular American fast food
chain, the company is seemingly bulletproof when it comes to its performance with
Chinese consumers. KFC became the first American fast food chain to enter the
Chinese market when it opened its first restaurant just a short walk from Beijing’s
famous Tiananmen Square in 1987. At the time, the three-story branch was KFC’s
largest in the world — an impressive start which set the tone for the chain’s
continued triumphs in the country.

Where in the World is Bitcoin Trending Right Now

Bitcoin (₿) is a cryptocurrency and worldwide payment system.[9] It is the first
decentralized digital currency, as the system works without a central bank or single
administrator.[9][10] The network is peer-to-peer and transactions take place
between users directly, without an intermediary.
Place Your Bets! Which E-commerce Markets Are on the Rise in 2018
The best way to predict what global e-commerce in 2018 has installed for us, is by
checking e-commerce growth rates in 2017. Is Europe’s e-commerce really as
gloomy as online retail experts predicted? What’s going on with South America
and who will win the China vs. USA e-commerce rivalry?

We know … It’s been a while since our last blog post roundup. But we went totally
crazy in November and filled our site with lovely and entertaining international
SEO knowledge. If you missed out on the action (Shame on you!) we’ve prepared
for your attention (Unless, you were too busy, which we understand.) our favorite
blog post picks from the previous month:

The .EU Domain – A Perfect Opportunity to Target English Speakers in EU?

To create a strong regional digital market the European Union (EU) created the
country code top level domain named “.EU”.  To kick-off your marketing
campaign in the region an English language website is a good start as many EU
countries score high in English proficiency. But does it also mean that a .EU
domain is the best choice for your website

Why Sentimental Marketing Campaigns in the USA Don’t Work?

Did you know that US consumers prefer images of strong women in Mother’s Day
campaigns? We’ve analyzed the recent and last year’s campaign from the popular
US florist shop Telefora. One was a great success, while the other failed terribly.
To explain why, we dug into marketing research on what Mother’s Day means to
Americans from a cultural perceptive.