The global language of marketing
Not so for McDonald's. Order a Big Mac at a restaurant in Israel, and the chances are it will be served without cheese – a practice that allows for the separation of meat and dairy products in kosher restaurants. Purchase Procter & Gamble's Rejoice shampoo in Japan, and you will find showu root extract as a main ingredient, renowned locally for keeping black hair shiny.
What these examples demonstrate is that when marketing a brand globally, there are two vitally important issues to consider – culture and local sentiment. Or, as stated in the McDonald's marketing philosophy, "think global, act local".
Being a culturally aware organisation means respecting the fact that not everyone everywhere thinks alike. While a brand might claim to be global, the public's perception of that brand is affected by the local context. A British brand may look Western and aspirational in India, but from an American perspective it could look old and out-dated. Every culture responds to different stimuli.
Targeting a marketing budget at several different markets across the world requires a level of cross-cultural awareness. To maximise the impact of the brand, companies must not only negotiate trade restrictions and economic issues, they must also pay close attention to local situations and ensure the product suits local sentiment. For that reason, when you watch MTV in Asia, Argentina or the United States, you will find a modified version of the same content in each location.…
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