Globalization Case Study

With globalization on the rise more companies are spreading their wings and are expanding their business overseas. In order to capture sales in both local and foreign markets a company must market itself and its products and/or services to potential consumers. When choosing a marketing campaign many factors must be considered. On factor that is often overlooked though, is how culture can affect whether or not a marketing campaign will be successful or not. This can be a costly mistake. One must consider not one but all of the different cultural aspects of a nation in order to be successful.

Understanding how different cultures are similar and how they are different can help a company decrease the risk of failure in a given market area.

Many countries, like the United States, have more than one culture. When marketing products through print or television, one must take into consideration what is and is not acceptable in the nation that the advertisement will be shown. An advertisement made for an American audience may be inappropriate for an audience in another country, such as in Saudi Arabia. For instance a commercial in American showing a scantly clad woman advertising a product would not go over well in Saudi Arabia, because woman are not allowed to show their face must less their entire body (James Scriven, “The Impact of Globalization on the Consumer”). A company wanting to advertise in Saudi Arabia would need to change their adverting if they wish to be

The results were astounding. The article showed the how that pictures were altered by each country. Some made her darker, some lighter; they changed her hair, makeup, and the shape of her face. When advertising in different nations one must take into account how each country defines beauty. Using an anorexic female model to advertise a product in foreign nations may not appeal to the companies target audience other than in the United States. In other countries a woman with a fuller figure woman may be what is considered beautiful. By not understanding what a country considers as beautiful can have a negative effect on