Incorporating cultural influences into our marketing strategy will be critical moving forward in the global market. To have an effective global marketing strategy, we must consider these cultural influences in the country where the new product is being advertised and it must be understood that their citizens’ choices about purchasing the product is based on these cultural stimuli (Hunt 2016).
The first cultural influence to be considered is the Values associated within that society. This is among the top influences to be considered and determines what behavior is suitable and what type is unacceptable (Hunt 2016). There are societies that are more personal, or individual focused, in their decision making process versus other countries that
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For example, in the cultures of Asia, Mediterranean, Middle East, and South America prefer to conduct business with people they already have a strong relationship with. For current and future business, the marketing strategy must include a unique approach of networking and establishing a bond with the people in that culture. It is imperative that a part of this effort focus on learning certain words, phrases or clichés that are used on a routine basis in that country to help connect to the target market desired (Iler, …show more content…
However, one small but significant aspect to the design of website involves color. This is very important when advertising in the international arena. The company will need to do accurate research to determine what colors to use based on the target audience. For example, the color white does not have the same overall meaning in other countries like in the west. White normally signifies pureness and virtue but in many Asian societies it is connected with death and lamentation. Thus, very little, if any, color of white should be used in website. Another important step in setting up the website is the process by which the information is presented. This can heavily affect the outcome of a business deal. For example, there are cultures that consider that the importance of the individual presides over that of a group, and the opposite view in others. This outlook can be reflected in the web content’s style. The remaining factors include: language selection, images, numbers, symbols, three-dimensional orientation, and navigation (Iler,
In life there are several factors that influence us. May it be with whom we surround ourselves with. But what we may not realize is that our culture or environment may influence us.
Geert Hofstede, Culture’s Consequences: Comparing Values, Behaviors, Institutions, and Organizations Across Nations. Second Edition, Thousand Oaks CA: Sage Publications, 2001
However, entering into a market as different as Japan is not without its risks, and must be ensured to be successful, with the help of market research, marketing, and operational theories, lest the new venture become a very costly mistake. Target Consumer Market When moving to a market with a consumer culture so different from the home market, a company must be careful to analyse its target audience in detail, to avoid costly cultural faux pas. To get a good feel for the Japanese culture, a good place to start would be the experts in the cultural studies field. Hofstede’s cultural dimensions, created during his in-depth GLOBE study of the cultures of the world, gives a good comparison between the priority differences between Japanese and English culture. A detailed analysis of the cultural differences will be given in the ‘Marketing Issues’ section of the report.
Culture becomes our guidelines sometimes blinding us. A person acts the way they do, because they were raised that way. This is especial true in Robert Lake's letter "An Indian father's plea". In the letter he informs his son's teacher how his classmates are treating him due to him being cultural different. The classmates act in this way due to their culture, and the values they have inheritance from their ancestors.
Webster, C. (1991). Attitudes towards marketing practices: the effects of ethnic identification. The Journal of Applied Business Research, 7(2), 107-116.
Today, you can observe someone and see how much of their cultural background influences them when deciding or they are acting on morals. Culture is made up of many aspects such as knowledge, beliefs, morals, law and habit. Culture is not an innate ability rather, it’s something people learned. In “Being Weird: How Culture Shapes the Mind” Ethan Watters explores a work of an anthropologist Joe Henrich, who uses a game called “ultimatum game” with small communities to tell whether they have the same universal human behavior. The way people learn their culture is through observing. Culture defines people’s world, it is how they should act, guide their behavior and perceptions throughout their lives.
The authors identify that there are three main factors that effect how people act, think, and make decisions. The first is religion, in some countries faith plays an important role in all areas of life in the culture of the country and can influence many of their customs and behavior. The second factor is that of fact. In many countries their greatest desire is to find the best deal and the best product or services. The final factor is feeling, if a culture is based on feelings the people will conduct business accordingly. For example it would be essential to make a personal connection with this type of individual.
Assuming a country had a favorable political, legal and economic environment; its cultural environment was evaluated. Culture impacts demand and the marketing mix; therefore, if a country's culture was deemed unfavorable, it was not included in the top ten ranking. Similarly, if a country's culture seemed especially favorable, that aspect is denoted later in the analysis. Cultural factors considered in this analysis:
Mooij,M de.2004.Consumer Behavior and Culture: Consequences for Global Marketing and Advertising. Sage, Thousand Oaks, CA.
Our economic development will forever be defined as our ability to succeed internationally. PwC forecasts India’s real annual GDP growth until 2050 at 8.9 percent, Vietnam’s at 8.8 percent, and China’s at 5.9 percent. The list of fast-growing emerging markets goes on and on. The U.S. forecast is a meager 2.4 percent, comparable with most Western economies. The domestic companies that are likely to see incremental growth in the coming decades are those that are not only doing business internationally, but that are developing the strategic skill set to master doing business across cultures. Cross-cultural core competence is at the crux of today’s sustainable competitive advantage. For example, political environment will tell us, as to how and why political leaders control, whether and how of international business. Legal environment, both national and international will tell us about many kinds of laws by which business firms must work. The cultural environment will tell us about attitudes, beliefs and opinions important to business people. Economic environment will tell us about the economic system being followed by the host country, which may or may not be different from home country. It will also explain the variables such as level of development, human resources, Gross Domestic Per Capita and consumption patterns that determine a firm’s ability to do business. Geography will tell us about location, quantity, and quality of the world’s resources.
Culture can be defined by one’s family history. Without a doubt, the way a person a raised has a huge impact on their life. Parents teach their children how to be a good person based on their own beliefs. If a parent grew up from a poor background, then that parent may instill the importance of education and hard work. If a parent grew up being overweight, then that parent may instill the importance of eating healthy and exercising. In other words, the next generation is learning behavior patterns to hopefully better themselves as a whole.
There are many who underestimate the importance of proper color choice within web design. For those who delve deeper into this art, however, will quickly realize that it is incredibly essential to the successful construction of a website. Every color has attributes associated with it, and depending on which part of the world you’re in, different meanings. An entire category of science has been dedicated to analyzing colors, their effects on those who view them, and how various colors interact with each other. In web design, understanding the various effects and meanings of different colors and how they can influence your target audience is crucial.
In explaining Cultural Relativism, it is useful to compare and contrast it with Ethical Relativism. Cultural Relativism is a theory about morality focused on the concept that matters of custom and ethics are not universal in nature but rather are culture specific. Each culture evolves its own unique moral code, separate and apart from any other. Ethical Relativism is also a theory of morality with a view of ethics similarly engaged in understanding how morality comes to be culturally defined. However, the formulation is quite different in that from a wide range of human habits, individual opinions drive the culture toward distinguishing normal “good” habits from abnormal “bad” habits. The takeaway is that both theories share the guiding principle that morality is bounded by culture or society.
Culture is characterized by language, religion, food, music, arts and social norms (Zimmermann, 2012). Just from that definition, this characterizes diversity from a standpoint of cultural value, consumer behavior, and market environment. South Africa is the epitome of diversity. It is made up of a variety of other cultures that are all housed on one country. This country has 11 different ways to communicate, which is a great reason why South Africa is important in the global market. With many avenues of trade and a big sample size to trade with, this leads to unlimited resources and a booming global market. (Introduction: Describe research purpose and address the reasons why the selected country is important in global markets.)
How do personal values shape culture, and how does culture affect our understanding and interpretation of seemingly ordinary things?