Core Concepts of Marketing by John Burnett - HTML preview

CHAPTER 6

MARKETING IN GLOBAL MARKETS

TABLE 6.1

Illustrations of Potential Areas of Misunderstanding D ue to Diffe rences in Cultura l Norms

In Ireland, the evening meal is called tea, not dinner.

In Asia, when a person bows to you, bow your head forward equal or lower than theirs.

A nod means "no" in Bulgaria and shaking the head side-to-side means "yes:'

The number 7 is considered bad luck in Kenya, good luck in the Czech Republic, and has magical connotations in Pepsodent toothpaste was unsuccessful in Southeast Asia because it promised white teeth to a culture where black or yellow teeth are symbols of prestige.

In Quebec, a canned fish manufacturer tried to promote a product by showing a woman dressed in shorts, golfing with her husband, and planning to serve canned fish for dinner. These activities violated cultural norms.

Maxwell House advertised itself as the " great American coffee" in Germany. It found out that Germans have little respect for American coffee.

General Motors' "Body by Fisher" slogan became "Corpse by Fisher" when translated into Japanese.

In German, "Let Hertz Put You in the Driver's Seat" means "Let

MakeYou a Chauffeur:'

In Cantonese, the Philip Morris name sounded the same as a phrase meaning no luck.

In Hong Kong, Korea, andTaiwan, triangular shapes have a negative connotation.

In Thailand, it is considered unacceptable to touch a person's head, or pass something over it.

Red is a positive color in Denmark, but represents witchcraft and death in many African countries.

Americans usua lly smile as they shake hands . But some Germans consider smiles overly familiar from new business acquaintances. Americans shouldn't say" Wie gehts?" ("How goes it?") . It's also too informal for first meetings.

If you offer a compliment to a Chinese-speaking person, he or she will decline

because disagreeing is the polite way to

accept praise.

Don't say "Merci" ("Thanks") to a French person's compliment. You might be misinterpreted as making fun.

Italians wave goodbye as Americans beckon someone-with palm up and fingers moving back and forth; but in Oriental areas, waving with the palm down is not interpreted as goodbye, but rather,

here:'

Offering gifts when you visit a home is expected in Japan, but in the Soviet Union it may be considered a bribe.

In Brazil and Portugal , businesspeople like to entertain foreigners in their homes. When it's time to go, the host may fee l constrained to insist that the foreigner stay. Foreigners should politely take their leave .

is not for their marketing programs. Consider

the following examples could be used

in development of international marketing programs:

• In Russia, it is acceptable for men to greet each other with a kiss, but this custom

is not acceptable in the U.S.

• Germans prefer their salad dressing in a tube, while Americans prefer it in a bottle.

• In France, wine is served with most meals , but in America, milk, tea, water, and

soft drinks are popular.

McDonalds 's Corporation has opened 20 restaurants in India. Since 80% of

are Hindu, McDonald's will use a nonbeef meat substitute for its traditional hamburger.

The likely beef substitute will be lamb,

very popular meat in India. In anticipation of its

restaurant

McDonald's conducted extensive market research, site selection stud-

ies, and developed a relationship with India's largest chicken supplier. McDonald's has opted

to market its product in India, largely because India's population of more than 900 million

represents one sixth of the world's population.

Values

An individual's values arise from hislher moral or religious beliefs and are learned through

experiences For example, in America we place a very high value on material well-being,

and are much more likely to purchase status symbols than people in India. Similarly, in

THE INTERNATIONAL MARKETING ENVIRONMENT

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India, the Hindu religion forbids the cons umption of beef, and fast-food restaurants such

as McDonald's and Burger

would encounter tremendous difficulties without product

modification. Americans spend large amounts of money on soap, deodorant, and mouth-

wash because of the value placed on personal cleanliness. In Italy, salespeople call on women

only if their husbands are at home .

Aesthetics

The term aesthetics is used to refer to the concepts of beauty and good taste. The phrase,

"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder" is a very appropriate description for the differences in aesthetics that exist between cultures. For example, Americans believe that suntans are

attractive, youthful, and healthy. However, the Japanese do not.

Time

Americans seem to be fanatical about time when compared to other cultures. Punctuality

and deadlines are routine business practices in the U.S . However, salespeople who set def-

inite appointments for sales calls in the Middle East and Latin America will have a lot

time on their hands, as business people from both of these cultures are far less bound by

time constraints . To many of these cultures, setting a deadline such as

have to know next

week" is considered pushy and rude.

Business Norms

The norms of conciucting business also vary from one country to the next. Here are several

examples of foreign business behavior that differ from U.S. business behavior:

1. In France, wholesalers do not like to promote products. They are mainly inter-

ested in supplying retailers with the products they need.

2. In Russia, plans of any kind must be approved by a seemingly endless string of

committees. As a result, business negotiations may take years .

3. South Americans like to talk business "nose to nose." This desire for close physical proximity causes American business people to back away from the constantly

forward-moving South Americans.

4. In Japan, businesspeople have mastered the tactic of silence in negotiations. Amer-

icans are not prepared for this, and they panic because they think something has

gone wrong. The result is that Americans become impatient, push for a closure,

and often make business concessions they later regret.

These norms are reflected in the difficulty of introducing the Web into Europe (see the nex t

Integrated Marketing box) .

Religious Beliefs

A person's religious beliefs can affect shopping patterns and products purchased in addi-

tion to his/her values, as discussed earlier. In the United States and other Christian nations,

Christmastime is a major sales period. But for other religions, religious holidays do not serve

as popular times for purchasing products. Women do not participate in household buying

decisions in countries in which religion serves as opposition to women's rights movemen ts.

Every culture has a social structure, but some seem less widely defined than others.

That is, it is more difficult to move upward in a social stmcture that is rigid . For example,

in the U.S., the two-wage earner family has led to the development of a more affluent set

of consumers. But in other cultures, it is considered unacceptable for women to work out-

side the home.

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