Influence of culture on international marketing

Culture is the integrated sum total of learned behavior traits that are shared by the members of a society- Hoeble Culture is the way that we do things around here. Culture could relate to a country (national culture), a distinct section of the community (sub-culture), or an organization (cor orate culture). !ou are not born with a culture, and that it is learned. "o, culture includes all that we have learned in relation to values and norms, customs and traditions, beliefs and religions and rituals. International marketing needs to ta#e into account the local culture of the country in which you wish to mar#et.

$%&' ()*(*"&+&*' %,*-+ C-.+-)/ - Culture is learned - Culture is structured - &t is divided into as ects - Culture is dynamic - Culture derives from the biological, environmental, sychological, and historical com onents of human e0istence - Culture is variable - Culture e0hibits regularities that ermits its scientific analysis

Cultural Framework
&t uses eight categories in its analysis. +he /ight categories are .anguage, )eligion, 1alues and %ttitudes, /ducation, "ocial *rganizations, +echnology and $aterial Culture, .aw and (olitics and %esthetics. Language 2ith language one should consider whether or not the national culture is redominantly a high conte0t culture or a low conte0t culture (Hall and Hall 3456). +he conce t relates to the balance between the verbal and the non-verbal communication. &n a low conte0t culture s o#en language carries the em hasis of the communication i.e. what is said is what is meant. /0am les include %ustralia and the 'etherlands. &n a high conte0t culture verbal communications tend not to carry a direct message i.e. what is said may not be what is meant. "o with a high conte0t culture hidden cultural meaning needs to be considered, as does body language. /0am les of a high conte0t cultures include 7a an and some %rabic nations. Religion +he nature and com le0ity of the different religions an international mar#eter could encounter is retty diverse. +he organization needs to ma#e sure that their roducts and services are not offensive, unlawful or distasteful to the local nation. +his includes mar#eting romotion and branding. &n China in 899: (which was the year of the ig) all advertising which included ictures of igs was banned. +his was to maintain harmony with the country;s $uslim o ulation of around 8<. +he ban included ictures of sausages that contained or#, and even advertising that included an animated (cartoon) ig. &n 899= >rance;s Catholic Church won a court in?unction to ban a clothing advertisement (by clothing designers $arithe and >rancois @irbaud) based u on .eonardo da 1inci;s Christ;s .ast "u er.

Values and Attitudes 1alues and attitudes vary between nations, and even vary within nations. "o if you are lanning to ta#e a roduct or service overseas ma#e sure that you have a good gras the locality before you enter the mar#et. +his could mean altering romotional material or subtle branding messages. +here may also be an issue when managing local em loyees. >or e0am le, in >rance wor#ers tend to ta#e vacations for the whole of %ugust, whilst in the -nited "tates em loyees may only ta#e a cou le of wee#;s vacation in an entire year. &n 899A, China banned a 'i#e television commercial showing -.". bas#etball star .e,ron 7ames in a battle with animated cartoon #ung fu masters and two dragons, because it was argued that the ad insults Chinese national dignity. &n 8996, +ourism %ustralian launched its ad cam aign entitled "So where the bloody hell are you?" in ,ritain. +he B3C9 million (-") cam aign was banned by

the ,ritish %dvertising "tandards %uthority from the -nited Dingdom. +he cam aign featured all the standard icons of %ustralia such as beaches, deserts, and coral reefs, as well as traditional symbols li#e the * era House and the "ydney Harbour ,ridge. +he commentary ranE "We've poured you a beer and we've had the camels shampooed, we've saved you a spot on the beach. We've even got the sharks out of the pool,". +hen, from a bi#ini-clad blonde, come the tag lineE "So where the bloody hell are you?" Education +he level and nature of education in each international mar#et will vary. +his may im act the ty e of message or even the medium that you em loy. >or e0am le, in countries with low literacy levels, advertisers would avoid communications which de ended u on written co y, and would favour radio advertising with an audio message or visual media such as billboards. +he labelling of roducts may also be an issue. &n the (eo le;s )e ublic of China a nationwide system of ublic education is in lace, which includes rimary schools, middle schools (lower and u er), and universities. 'ine years of education is com ulsory for all Chinese students. &n >inland school attendance is com ulsory between the ages of : and 36, the first nine years of education ( rimary and secondary school) are com ulsory, and the u ils go to their local school. +he education after rimary school is divided to the vocational and academic systems, according to the old @erman model. &n -ganda schooling includes : years of rimary education, 6 years of secondary education (divided into A years of lower secondary and 8 years of u er secondary school), and C to = years of ost-secondary education.

Social Organizations +his as ect of Cultural >ramewor# relates to how a national society is organized. >or e0am le, what is the role of women in a societyF How is the country governed centralized or devolvedF +he level influence of class or casts u on a society needs to be considered. >or e0am le, &ndia has an established caste system - and many 2estern countries still have an embedded class system. "o social mobility could be restricted where caste and class systems are in lace. 2hether or not there are strong trade unions will im act u on management decisions if you em loy local wor#ers. Technolog and !aterial Culture +echnology is a term that includes many other elements. &t includes Guestions such as is there energy to ower our roductsF &s there a trans ort infrastructure to distribute our goods to consumersF Hoes the local ort have large enough cranes to offload

containers from shi sF How Guic#ly does innovation diffuseF %lso of #ey im ortance, do consumers actually buy material goods i.e. are they materialisticF +revor ,aylis launched the cloc#wor# radio u on the %frican mar#et. "ince batteries were e0 ensive in %frica and ower su lies in rural areas are none0istent. +he cloc#wor# radio innovation was a huge success. China;s car mar#et grew 8=< in 8996 and it has overta#en 7a an to be the secondlargest car mar#et in the world with sales of 5 million vehicles. 2ith ?ust si0 car owners er 399 eo le (6<), com ared with 49< car ownershi in the -" and 59< in the -D, the otential for growth in the Chinese mar#et is immense. Law and "olitics %s with many as ects of +er stra and "arathy;s Cultural >ramewor#, the under inning social culture will drive the olitical and legal landsca e. +he olitical ideology on which the society is based will im act u on your decision to mar#et there. >or e0am le, the -nited Dingdom has a largely mar#et-driven, democratic society with laws based u on recedent and legislation, whilst &ran has a olitical and legal system based u on the teachings and rinci les &slam and a "haria tradition. Aesthetics %esthetics relate to your senses, and the a reciation of the artistic nature of something, including its smell, taste or ambience. >or e0am le, is something beautifulF Hoes it have a fashionable designF 2as an advert delivered in good tasteF Ho you find the color, music or architecture relating to an e0 erience leasingF &s everything relating to branding aesthetically leasingF

,-"&'/"" C-.+-)/ *> &'H&% @reetings and Courtesies &ndians greet each other (and say good-bye) with the namaste, which is formed by ressing the alms together (fingers u ) below the chin and nodding the head. 2hen greeting su eriors or to show res ect, a slight bow is added. 2hen meeting foreigners, &ndian men will sha#e hands. &ndian men do not generally sha#e hands with or otherwise touch women. #ecision !aking Hecisions are made slowly. &ndians reGuire time to discuss every as ect of a deal, and then usually ta#e more time before giving a final answer.

+o ics *f Conversation +al#ing about your friends and family is an im ortant art of establishing a relationshi with those involved in the negotiating rocess. &ndians tend to be enthusiastic about discussing olitics and religion. !eetings &ndians value unctuality in others, but will often be late themselves. %lso, traffic is e0tremely heavy in &ndian cities and sometimes revents eo le from getting to an a ointment at all.

,-"&'/"" C-.+-)/ &' 7%(%' -7a anese culture is structured around blac# and white norms for acce table (harmony- roducing) grou behavior. (eo le who donIt function by these norms are viewed as outsiders who lac# legitimate status. - +rust is earned through continuous conformity. -Harmony is the number one riority in 7a anese culture. -&nter ersonal and social behavior ta#ing riority over fran#ness and honesty. -,ehavioral s#ills in the wor# lace are more im ortant to success than analytical s#ills. Correct etiGuette ( rocesses) is more im ortant than ersonal erformance. -%ccountability is to the grou , not the individual. -% glorious defeat is better than victory achieved with the wrong (nonconforming) attitude. -+he correct behavior of the em loyee (#ohai, #o-hee) comes from following the well-defined model of a senior mentor (sem ai, sim- ie) in the wor# lace.

,-"&'/"" C-.+-)/ 2&+H -'&+/H "+%+/" *> %$/)&C% J (unctuality is very im ortant for business occasions. J &f you are invited for a meal, you should arrive rom tly. J &n -.". business culture, dress tends to vary. &n some arts of the countryKthe east in articularKmost eo le wear business suits. &n other areas, such as the west coast, a more rela0ed a roach to dressing is the norm in many wor# laces

J ,usiness suits or dresses are often the standard attire for women. (antsuits, in classic styles, are also acce table. J %lmost all business is conducted in /nglish in the -nited "tates. J (rior a ointments are necessary. J$elcome To%ics of Con&ersation L % ersonIs ?obMwor#-related matters L " orts L +ravel L >ood L $usic L $ovies Cultural Attitude and International 'usiness
Dressing habits, living styles, eating habits and other consumption patterns, priority of needs are dictated/influenced by culture. Some Thai and Chinese and most of the Indians do not consume beef. Thailand Chinese believe that consumption of beef is improper and Indians (particularly Hindus believe that eating beef is a sin as they believe co! is sacred. The eating habits vary !idely. Chinese cat fish stomachs, and bird"s nest soup, #apanese eat uncoo$ed sea food, Ira%is eat dried, salted locusts and sna$es !hile drin$ing. The &rench eat snails, 'mericans and (uropeans eat mostly nonvegetarian food. Indians eat mostly vegetarian food. It !as surprising to the rest of the !orld to $no! that there !ere pure vegetarians in India. Similarly, dressing habits also vary from country to country based oil their culture. )e observe different dress styles of )est, *iddle (ast, India, and +acific etc. )earing ,saree" by Indian !omen is a peculiar dressing habit, !hich is influenced by the culture. Similarly, !earing ,bur$a/ parcia" by the !omen of *iddle (ast is another e-ample for the influence of culture on the dressing