Chapter 15

The International Consumer

Key Concepts
Cross-cultural symbols Ethnocentricity and animosity
Introduction

Hall and Hall (1987), Hidden Differences: Doing Business With the Japanese.
New York: Anchor Press/Doubleday, p. 188.
Cross-Cultural Use of
Symbols
International Business
Cultural Factors
Language Social Organization
The East Asian Consumer
How the societies view the individual
The Latin American
Consumer
Object 5

NAFTA has increased U.S.-

The East European Consumer
Western products are in huge demand
The West European
Consumer
The EU contains many nations,
The African Consumer
Cross-Cultural Problem
Areas
Translation Nonverbal Behavior
Translation
Promotional messages must be accurately translated. The method used to avoid
 China, India, and Africa present the greatest linguistic challenges to

National Languages and

Dialects
 Time is precious for Americans : in many other countries, time is

Time perception
Symbols
7 is unlucky in Ghana, Kenya, lucky in India and the Czech Republic.
Friendship
In China & Japan friendship is a substitute for a legal
Etiquette
Non-verbal Behavior
Actions, movements and utterances that communicate.
 Country-of-Origin Issues
 Bi-national products
– “assembled in X using materials from Y.”
– Made in Mexico by a Japanese company.
 Ethnocentrism
– Assumption that own group is center of
universe.
 Match-Up Hypothesis
 Animosity
Ethnocentricity
It is a common tendency for people to:
Binational Products
The current trend is manufacturing product components in one
Matchup Hypothesis
Consumers have preferences for goods that match their notion of the
Animosity
Some people may prefer not to buy products from a certain country
 Adapting or Standardizing
Products and Services
Adapting products to the needs of local consumers is closer to the
Tangible Products vs.
Services

Generally, services and

 A Conclusion to The
Standardization Debate?
Both standardization and adaptation offer customer benefits.
 Research in International
Marketing
To identify taste preferences, companies must engage in marketing
Country vs. Segment
Targets

Two Approaches
to Global
Segmentation:

 Countries

 Market
Segments
 Managers of firms doing business in several countries can choose two

Country vs. Market

Targets
 Positioning. The origin of the product should usually be clear to help

Managerial Implications
 Marketing Mix. Products should be appropriate for local conditions.

Implications continued…