Problem:
XYZ, Inc.'s executive management team has decided to market the organization's top-selling product to the country that you selected for your Environmental Influences Paper in Week One. As the marketing manager for XYZ, Inc., prepare a 1,050-1,400-word paper in which you analyze the various international marketing research methodologies and resources available to you for your selected country. In your analysis be sure to address the following:
Q1. State the objectives of your research.
Q2. Select the appropriate international marketing research methodologies (e.g., surveys, focus groups, existing databases) and resources that you would use in creating a marketing campaign for XYZ, Inc. in your selected country.
Justify your selections.
Marketing Comparison:
In today’s business world marketers are faced with the challenges of competing in what it can be said the whole world. To introduce a product in an international country it is like visiting a planet, that one has not have the chance to explore and study. There are political issues, money exchange, ethical, religion and cultural. International marketing is just that is marketing different from the domestic market, one that a marketer is not used or accustomed to. In this paper is going to be discussed the comparison and contrast with Japan and the United States.
In analyzing the cultural influences, these present many opportunities for the marketers and have their market segmented to offer their products. Although with the American culture it is different among the social and economic classes. Many trends that marketers have used to help them with their segment involved culture and environment. In the American culture exists many different nationalities, within these they’re different customs? The American family living in the United States love watching television. This is a very strong factor in favor to the marketers, this is seen as an advertising strategy.
The music is great influence on the Americans. One of its strongest influences is by the African American music. The American music has been strongly influenced by the African American music. This has made it different from European music. The Western culture has been derived from Western European migrants. Strong cultural trends from the Native American tradition and their cultural features have also been absorbed into the American culture. Each of these characteristics provides excellent opportunities for the marketer.
Japan’s major economy wealth is derived mostly from technology. It is best recognized by autos, cameras and many electronic goods such as computers etc. The majority of the Japanese spend their free time watching television in the same amount of time as the American people. This is a strong factor for a marketer to analyze the product or service to offer.
Japan's culture which can be termed as a collectivist culture displays strong ties to family and country. Groups proceed over individual and self is defined in terms of others and behavior is ruled by group norms. For Collectivists, superiority of the group precedes over the individual. They sacrifice their personal goals to further the group interest (Lin, 1993; Belch, 1998). Japanese are considered to be more positive and receptive towards advertising (Crowe, 1997).
US culture is an Individualistic cultures displaying flexible ties to group and self interest governs the behavior of the individual. Personal goals proceed in a situation where conflict occurs between individual goals and group goals. Americans believe that the ideal person is one who is autonomous and self-reliant; thus they see themselves as individuals not representatives of their respective families or communities (Lin, 1993; Belch, 1998). This behavior or attitude among Americans is often considered as selfish by people from other cultures. Americans are negative towards advertising and have view advertisements with skepticism and disbelief. This phenomenon is observed in American kids as well who are also suspicious of ads. One study rightly says, "American children, as young as four, are unimpressed with most advertisements' overall appeal" (Belch, 1998).
Japanese marketers and 'westerners' marketing to the Japanese typically use emotional rather than informational appeals. This does not mean that Japanese ads do not provide product information; it just implies that such ads avoid mentioning benefits of the product and other features such as guarantees and safety. (Ramaprasad and Hasegawa, 1990). Japanese marketers believe that it is much more effective to stress company's image, goodwill and reputation for transferring feelings to Japanese consumers and thus, win their confidence and gain preference. It is an insult to Japanese customer's intelligence if someone tries to stress or highlight product benefits and detail product attributes.
Therefore, a company's image is the key to Japanese advertisements and such imagery is communicated through a 'soft sell' that, in a dignified way, wins trust and respect of the customers. American marketers tend to be more logical, scientific, and systems or procedure-oriented. Individualism and direct speech is more visible in American advertisements (Tansey, Hyman, and Zinkhan, 1990). It is not uncommon to see an American ad feature the product, while describing the price, a special offer, performance, the warranty/guarantee, all components, independent research, and safety cues in one ad; thus being extremely info-rich.
The consumer market of the Japanese is converting to be alike of the US market. This is where the goods are similar and the make are being created in the procedure as well, containing the tactics and strategies to compete in the market. The Japanese have one thing in its mind to study the consumer’s behavior. In Japan, luxury to them it is all derived from branding, paying a high cost to obtain a product. The products form an alliance with the supplier and customer. It contributes to the decision the item the client will purchase. Most of the customers usually purchase one same product, if the client does not know or recognize he or she will not take the risk of purchasing the product. For example the food change industry has a variety to choose from due to the maker of the product. The majority of the clients when shopping are needed to be made; the shopping is made by the look of an eye. In Japan the people normally do not make a shopping list. It is amazing how consumers of today shop by known brand names. The marketer should keep in mind how the effects of branding do on a consumer. In the USA, clients have greater opportunities of obtaining better information than the consumers of Japan.
The recognition of a name of a brand is used in many markets. This is how the American consumers are familiar with the variety of brands. The Japanese consumers will need to seek the possibility of getting away from high price buying and adopt some to the behaviors the Americans have in regards to shopping. In other words is not always in the name brand. With the society and economy surroundings marketing should be more aggressive.
To conclude the Japanese and United States are similar when it comes to the consumer purchasing of products. They both seek name branding. To market a product or service internationally consists of many steps of evaluation and research. A study of culture, religion, politics and many customs is very important in order to become successful in the market.