INTERNATONAL MAKETING COMMUNICATION:

Communication with Foreign Buyers, Planning and

Preparing International Promotional Programmes

By:
Priyanka Kisku
Roll-12
MBA(IB)
Definition:

 “Communication is a process of passing information and

understanding from one person to another.”
- Keith Davis

“Communication is any behavior that result in an exchange of

meaning”.
-The American  Management Association
THE COMMUNICATION PROCESS

Noise

Home Country Foreign Country

Context Context

Encoding Decoding

Medium
SSender Receiver
(Firm) Message (Customer)

Feedback
SENDER: It refers to the marketing firm which is conveying the message.

ENCODING: Putting thoughts ideas or information into a symbolic form is

termed as encoding. Firms often use symbols for encoding messages
that have a universal meaning. Languages and cultural issues need to
be taken care of while encoding the message.

MESSAGE: it is the content of the communication. It may be verbal, non-

verbal, oral, symbolic or written.

MEDIUM: the channel used to convey the encoded message to the

intended receiver is termed as medium.
DECODING: it is the process of transforming the sender’s message back
into thought.

RECEIVER: it is the target audience or customers who receive the message.

A number of factors influence how the message is received like clarity
of the message, translation, the visuals used.

NOISE: the unplanned distortion or interference of the message is termed

as noise. The competitors promotional activities often create confusion
in the minds of the customers and are major source of noise.

FEEDBACK: in order to assess the effectiveness of the marketing

communication process, feedback from the customer is crucial.
COMMUNICATION WITH FOREIGN BUYERS

It is not enough to produce and make available a product or service in

International market, but it is also necessary to provide information that
buyers need to make purchasing decision. International marketing
communication is cross cultural communication.

Some of the Communication Barriers

Language( spoken, non verbal)

Exporter's Government Regulations, Foreign
message Buyers
Media availability
(message
(encode) Economic Differences, decoded)
Buying process
The Communication Barriers

Language(Verbal)- there are some countries where government regulations prohibit the use of
foreign language in promotion activities.
eg- In Germany an advertisement of UK cab be run in English, but not
for one made in Germany.

Non-Verbal- non verbal communication exist in many forms

Appearance: physical attire and grooming.

Kinesics: movement of part of body to communicate

eg- French and Italian people use their hands more than Americans do.

Proxemics: the use of space in communication.

e.g. South Americans and Greeks feel more comfortable when standing or
sitting closer to others than do people from other culture and nationalities.
 Government regulations- e.g. in 2006, in the UK the government regulators
of television advertising banned the use of the word ‘bloody’ in a tourism
Australia campaign.
In South Korea comparing two different products in advertising is Illegal.
Planning and Preparing International Promotional Programmes

• SETTING PROMOTIONAL OBJECTIVES

• DECIDING ON THE TYPES OF ADVERTISING AND PROMOTIONS

• SELECTING MEDIA

• DETERMINING HOW MUCH TIME,EFFORT AND MONEY TO SPEND

• CONVINCING BUYERS OF THE DURABILITY OF A PRODUCT

• CREATING AN IMAGE OF THE COMPANY

 Setting promotional objectives- typical goals like increase awareness,
enhance image, improve market share.

 Selecting media- major factors determining choice of media are media

availability, product influences, audience characteristics, global media.
THE VARIOUS FORMS OF MARKETING PROMOTION
PERSONAL
ADVERTISING
SELLING

SALES
PUBLICITY
PROMOTION
PERSONAL SELLING
 Personal selling is where businesses use people (the "sales force") to
sell the product after meeting face-to-face with the customer.
 The sellers communication effort is focused on informing and
persuading, with the goal of making a sale.
 The personal selling process is divided into several stages- prospecting,
pre-approach, problem solving, approaching, presenting, handling
objectives, closing the sale, and follow up.
 It is a popular communication tool in countries with restrictions on
advertising.
SALES PROMOTION
 Sales promotions are marketing activities that simulate consumer
purchases and improve retailer or middlemen effectiveness and
cooperation.
 Cents off in store, demonstrations, samples, coupons, gifts, product tie
ins, contests, are the various forms of sales promotion.
 Some sales promotions may not work in foreign markets because of
host country differences.

E.g. the Brooke Bond tea promotional policies. In the UK Brooke Bond
PG tips is marketed, in Scotland this product is called Scottish Blend.
There are types of sales promotional materials for ultimate consumers
that international marketer must be concerned about.
 Foreign Catalogs
 Samples
 House Organ and Company-Published magazines
 Films, slides
 Trade fairs and Exhibitions
 Point of purchase material
Discount

Trade Shows
PUBLICITY
 Type of promotion that relies on public relations effect of a news story
carried usually free by mass media.
 The main objective of publicity is not sales promotion, but creation of
an image through nonpaid news or editorial or commentary.
 The main purpose of public relations activities is to achieve objectives
that cannot be achieved by other means or achieved as cheaply as other
means.
ADVERTISING
 Advertising is defined as any paid message placed in a medium.
 The activity or profession of producing information for promoting the
sale of commercial products or services.
 International advertising entails dissemination of a commercial
message to target audiences in more than one country.
 International campaigns not only spur short-term sales but also help
build long-term product identities.
 An interesting form of advertising is through sponsorship of sports and
sports teams.
E.g. Adidas along with FIFA sponsored the World Cup soccer
tournament held in South Africa 2010.
International Advertising depends upon:
 Climate for Advertising
 International Media
 Foreign Media
 Online Advertising
Climate for Advertising

This includes the economic, social, cultural, demographic, legal and

political factors.

E.g.
 Japanese consumer often buy designer-brand products to make a
statement. Product image is far more important than those of American
consumers.
 Sweden bans on advertising to children under age 12
 Greece bans televisions ads of toys.
International Media
 Those media that circulate or are heard or seen in two or more nations.
 It is used in reference to business and consumer magazines and
newspapers.
e.g.
Foreign Media

 It includes local, domestic media because the availability and

suitability of local advertising media vary considerably from country to
country.

E.g. Bus advertising in Sydney, Australia

Advertising on Tram in Hong Kong

Truck art in Germany

Online Advertising
Advertising on the web is a growing business With the help of online
marketing a marketer can easily get an idea about the consumer
perception, feelings towards the brand. To get the attention of the
customers large companies have built popular communities around
associated interests.

E.g..-
MARKETING COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES

 PUSH STRATEGY
 PULL STRATEGY
PUSH STRATEGY

Marketing Marketing

Communication Channel Communication

Firm End
Intermediary Customer
Product Product
Push Push

A push strategy is defined as working with resellers or assisting them in selling the
product at the point of sale.
E.g.-personal selling
PULL STRATEGY

Product Channel Product End

Firm
Intermediary Customer
request request

Marketing Communication

It is defined as preselling the product so that buyers seek it out or ask for
it at the point of purchase.
E.g.-Advertising, Sales promotion