The Roles of Global Marketing Communications

• Presenting and exchanging info with internal

and external, and domestic and international
stakeholders
• Managing the complexity of different
markets, media availability, languages,
cultural sensitivity and regulations
• Not just about conveying product benefits
but a tool to build and maintain relationships
with customers and stakeholders
• Increasingly being used to discharge social
responsibility

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Factors preventing standardization of marketing
communications

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Examples

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Adaptation of Global Communications

• Fundamental cultural differences

• Portrayal of women
• Local regulations preventing standardization
e.g. prohibit comparative advertising,
alcohol, tobacco, products for children,
sexual content etc.
• The name insinuates inappropriate meanings
or less appealing to locals
• Semiotics: symbols, colours, animals or
flowers

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Development of a Creative Plan
Determining What’s Said and How it’s Said
Development of a Creative Plan
Determining Creative ‘Positioning’

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 Development of a Creative Plan : Types of Appeal

Emotional Health Financial

Loving care Natural Ingredients Low Cost

Romance & sex Healthy Value for Money

Nostalgia Escape from stress ‘Special’ or ‘One-off’

Personal Active Lifestyle ‘Economy packs’

Gratification
Social Status Anti-Ageing Loyalty Rewards

Source: Based on Appelbaum and Haliburton (1993)

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Example – pure functional element

Example – 100% emotional

element

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https://www.vappingo.com/word-blog/examples-
of-features-versus-benefits/

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Example – mix of functional and emotional

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Tone: Hard Sell v/s Soft Sell

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Creative Plan The Format

• The way in which it is ‘presented’,

‘structured’ and ‘delivered’
a. Slice of Life
b. Little story around the product
c. Testimonials by experts or
famous personality
d. Talking heads
e. Characters or Animals
Associated with product
f. Demonstration
g. Cartoon
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Examples

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Creative Plan - The Music

• Music generates different kinds of

emotion
• Music travels well between:
– Demographics
– Generations
– Cultures
– languages
• What types of music 'enhance' the
message and/or brand experience?
– Pop – fresh, contemporary (Pepsi –
‘Ask for More’)
– Easy listening – nostalgic, timeless
(Coca-Cola ‘Love’)
– Classical – classy (BA ‘Soft Landing’)
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The Cultural Impact on Public Relations

• Lack of understanding of PR in some cultures may lead to

suspicion of intentions
• Managing relationships of all stakeholders
• Disclosing information, especially in the case of private,
secret or sensitive information
• Developing arguments, some of which cannot be
understood locally because their basic logic clashes with
the host country culture
• Dealing with nationalistic feelings

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Considerations of Public Relations Planning in a Cross-
Cultural Context

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Direct Marketing Methods

• Growing importance of direct marketing

– Escalating costs of above-the-line media
– Availability of good quality lists
– Information technology enables processing of
customer databases
– Interactive media
• Types of Direct Marketing include:
– Telemarketing
– Direct response advertising
– Catalogue marketing
– Inserts
– Door-to-door
– Interactive E-Marketing
• Depends on availability of postal, cable and/or
internet infrastructure 20
Types of Sponsorship and Associated Values

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Planning for a promotional event

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Standardizing Global Communications

• Standardization is viable when:

– Visual messages as the main content
– Well-known celebrities
– Music
– Well-known trademarks or symbols
• It does not travel when:
– Use of spoken and written language
– Humour
– Well-known personality is country
specific
– Context-specific

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