Lesson 10.

A
Culture and international
marketing management (CH 11)
This chapter focuses on international marketing, which includes the
need to understand cultural differences between countries.
• Concept 11.1: Marketing in a cross-cultural environment
•The question of intercultural marketing and the international consumer i
s discussed, especially in research.
• Concept 11.2: Marketing communication across cultures
•The question of brands is addressed, and how the meaning
of national images is managed, especially in advertising across cultures.
 Marketer within cross-border market

Figure 11.1 Marketing in a cross-cultural environment

Marketing activities: traditional classificatio
n

1. Market analysis:
• Environment analysis
• Buyer behaviour
• Market research
2. Marketing strategy:
• Market segmentation
• Marketing mix
This classification of marketing activities has its critics, es
pecially the ‘marketing mix’ approach.
Modern concept of marketing
Market-driven management should:
•Focus on the consumer:
• Anticipate and respond to consumer needs
• Define and deliver customer value.
• Integrate marketing functions in all parts of a company
.
• Develop relationship marketing: link the company to
the market:
• Create networks
• Connect with customers.
• Social media marketing refers to the process of gaining traffic or attenti
on through social media sites.
• Facebook
• Instagram
• Twitter
• Linkedin
• YouTube
• Xiaohongshu
https://www.talkwalker.com/blog/best-social-media-campaigns
 Social network marketing: Facebook

Figure 11.2 Facebook users versus international spend share

Source: http://searchenginewatch.com/article/2329906/Only-52-of-Facebook-Ad-Spend-is-Outside-the-U.S.-tuy
International marketing
• Definition:
• Marketing activities – in line with the focus of a compan
y’s operations – that cross national borders
• Application:
• Companies have different orientations, such as:
• Sales orientation
• Social marketing orientation
• Change of orientation may be necessary
because of:
• legal, cultural, economic reasons.
Intercultural marketing
Is about adapting products and marketing strategies to c
onsumer preferences.
• Cultural identification with a product
(Usunier and Lee, 2005):
• Notion of identity
• Notion of exoticism
• Consumers share cultural characteristics:
• Geographical cultural affinity zones
• Cultural affinity classes.
Cross-cultural consumer beha
viour
Increasing uniformity in consumer taste and behaviour:
• However:
• behavioural intentions of consumers need to be establis
hed
• different weightings between attitudes and norms.
• Therefore:
• Take into consideration:
• the characteristics of the consumers’ culture;
• their underlying models.
Cross-border market research
Problems for marketers and market researchers:
• Language barriers
• Sensitivity of questioning
• Research techniques
• Cultural differences
• Suspicion
• Statistical comparisons
• Fragmentation.

https://www.quirks.com/articles/how-can-we-ensure-cross-border-resear
ch-is-actionable
Marketing communication
across cultures

Marketing is also a process in which communication plays an impo

rtant role.
•Promoting brands internationally
•What is a brand?
• Identifies a range of products and services.
• Registered brand becomes a trademark
• Multinationals need to use a uniform brand
•Language may be a problem:
• Pronunciation
• Different alphabet.

Example ：
https://ccc.technews.tw/2018/04/21/brand-names-in-china/
Brand and national images
Important is:
•Relationship between the nationality of a product
and the image it evokes
•Elements that contribute to the consumer’s perception of pr
oduct nationality
• Such elements can be related to one country, several countri
es, or a geographical area.
• Role of stereotypes
• Country of origin
• Same product under the same brand worldwide
• Country-of-brand versus country of origin.
Impact of culture on adverti
sing
• Companies websites: online advertising and sales pro
motion worldwide
• Simplest definition: information intended to create a li
nk between the producer and consumer
• Cultural approach in advertising:
• Language and behavioural differences
• Meanings of the consumers
• Advertising adapted to the local market:
• Products/services presented in a symbolic way
• Image of product associated with product concept.
Meaning of brands and messages across cultures

• Companies operating internationally are:

• Building the strength of their brand
• Extending the number of markets
• Companies attempt to adapt to:
• Cultural differences in communication and products
• Companies intent on making sure that:
• Intended meaning of the brand coincides with
• Perceived meaning of the message.
 Effective communication

Figure 11.3 Effective communication

A recent joke abo
ut virus
• 中國： 我們這邊快完了
• 歐洲： 我們這邊快完了
 
• 中國：我們好多了
• 歐洲：我們好多了
Social marketing campaigns
• In non-commercial marketing other techniques need to
be used in advertising or promotion:
• Because it is ‘a holistic approach to behaviour change’ o
f individuals and groups
• Ethical issues must be taken into account
• Message framing is an important aspect
• Advertising across cultural groups: differences
• In perception, interpretation, reaction
• Between collectivist and individualistic cultures.
Conclusion
• In international marketing management and research.
• Focus is more on the consumer than on marketing met
hods
• because the consumer presents the most
important cultural differences.
• Communication: various channels of commercial and s
ocial advertising
• balance between product, message and
perception that people may have about a product.
Case study 1
• MacDonald

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tZ5vQZALCM

• Avoid politics or other disputable issues in business

Case study 2
• DG 「起筷」廣告被指辱華
• https://china.hket.com/article/2213483/DG%E3%80%8C%E8%B5%B7
%E7%AD%B7%E3%80%8D%E5%BB%A3%E5%91%8A%E8%A2%AB%E6
%8C%87%E8%BE%B1%E8%8F%AF%20%E7%AB%A0%E5%AD%90%E6
%80%A1%E7%AD%89%E7%BE%A4%E8%B5%B7%E6%9D%AF%E8%91
%9B%EF%BC%88%E6%9C%89%E7%89%87%EF%BC%89
• ZARA 彩妆广告 华模特有雀斑被指辱华
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttBDMAtia3g

• If you are international brand, how to do marketing in China?

Further reading and watching
• https://philomedium.com/blog/80880
Think about whether cultures change in different times

• https://www.bilibili.com/video/av84522579/
巴依爾的春節 寶馬 2020 春節特別片 甯浩導演
Combine BMW and Chinese tradition festival. A successful marketing campaign!

• https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/LZBAF4fXc0xiOymwBJx0Xg
麦当劳、奥迪、星巴克等各大品牌 LOGO 也“惨遭隔离”了！？