Archive for December, 2009
The social-cultural context often exerts a more pronounced influence on marketing decision making in the international sphere than in the domestic arena. Learning about cultural and societal differences among countries is paramount to a firm’s success abroad. Marketing strategies that work in the United States often fail when directly applied in other countries. In many cases, marketers must redesign packages and modify products and advertising messages to suit the tastes and preferences of different cultures.
Even a seemingly simple marketing strategy, like that for Ben & Jerry’s Homemade, Inc. in the United Kingdom may yield surprising results. in the U.S. market, the premium ice-cream company implemented an unconventional, limited-marketing strategy and a business philosophy of “caring capitalism.” Its genuine image; all-natural, high-quality product; playful attitude; social consciousness;
and low-key founders appealed to the American public. This approach, however, did not travel well across the Atlantic. Haagen-Dazs preceded Ben & Jerry’s by five years in the U.K. market, effectively using high-profile advertising to promote the brand as the ultimate super-premium ice cream. Although Ben & Jerry’s marketers hoped to capitalize on their U.S. counterculture image, they discovered that British consumers were largely unaware of their existence. This problem was compounded by their late arrival in the British Isles. The firm originally had planned an inexpensive product launch, but it found itself funding a high-priced venture based on product sampling to improve brand awareness. Costs increased further when the company had to expand the number of “scoop shops” and “scoop carts” dispensing Ben & Jerry’s ice cream to British buyers.