Q 1: Discuss and evaluate the differences and distinctions which maybe activated or applied when considering cultures and marketing in a variety of differing cultures intentionally?

Answer 1)

Globalization is a term which is being used to describe the complete process of the global companies deciding to become local. In a particular way, globalization is a kind of an act of the global brands which are developing different services and products that appeals the local consumers through the agreement of cultural differences. Keeping a word globalization in the mind, the companies that employ the strategies related to marketing appeal number of large group of different people.

 All should work on the tailoring of such strategies to be relevant culturally. Specifically for the business that are being operated in more than one areas, considering the different implications of marketing movements is very important for the success, for the sake of getting profit and satisfaction of the user.

Know about your audience

Audience plays a big major role through their comments. Any of the organization can know from the response of people that what part they are playing in a society and whether that part is a positive one or a negative one. Always make sure that your audience is satisfied only then any of the organization becomes successful. Know about your audience not just in the term of histories but also in traditions and beliefs and all such things can influence the strategy of marketing and they all should be kept in the mind while going global. [1]

Giving attention to all the details

Did you ever hear a sentence which says “It is all about the details” well in the case of marketing campaigns this couldn’t be true? Cultural considerations are something that need to be applied in all the aspects of business. Things like branding, slogans and labelling are also needed to be tailored to suit the specific people out there. Customer service is something that plays a big major role in the communication related to cross culture at a single level. There is a way to bridge the boundaries related to customer service is the designing of a website.

Keeping of a current

This world is a place which is moving constantly, issues which are current becomes a part of past in no time. All of the issues change daily. Among all these issues, there are many which are not even in the control of a man and there are many about which nothing can be predicted. So in such state, marketers need to be alert and quick to adapt all of the changes and then respond timely.

For a successful marketing strategy one should consider the cultural influences. Before any kind of campaign an intensive research is a must thing. Accepting of the cultural diversity and then using them for one’s advantage is one of the ways for the business in such an interconnected world.  It is of importance to recognize the diverse nature of the market that the brand looks to operate in as it will help in it to equip it with the right expertise and plan to penetrate the market to expand consumer base. [2]

Q 2: Critically examine and discuss how and why your chosen market organization needs to strategically plan and manage its relationship strategies as a key external critical success factor in the context of potetional success/failure of its future market Development planning? 10-marks.

Answer 2)

Companies driven by the force of marketing and brand name continuously require adapting and responding to the macro environment. Unilever is such an example of an organization that utilized marketing and has its own marketing team & organization. Unilever houses different brands with distribution all around the world. Not only this, but its production is as widely spread as its distribution. Unilever is the paramount of success given the amount of revenue and product diversification it deals with. Unilever over the years have gained competitive advantage and has been able to add value to its operation and different businesses.

The success of Unilever can be attributed to its marketing and supply chain mainly. It has successfully tapped into different markets and made an impression there. What is important for Unilever is to work on its relationship strategies with the macro environment and the customer base. Unilever should work on it strategically to garner success. The need for strategic relationship lies in the fact that Unilever is more than a brand and has become a personality of its own. To survive in this competitive time the organization needs to manage its marketing and operations in a way that leaves the impact on the other.

Strategic planning concerning the relationship management with the key stakeholders and the customers will provide the point to company to improve and excel as a marketing organization and brand overall. Relationship management is of main importance for any company in today’s time. It is of core importance to maintain a CRM system to monitor sales and the customer. It will help the firm understand the marketing dynamics and closely monitor sales. By maintaining customer profiles Unilever can provide and target the specific audience to market products based on need and preferences of the customer profiles. This can be a great use when looking to expand business via market expansion or product expansion.

The CRM system helps the company understand large data of information from customers to turn into useful information which adds to the overall operations of the company. A company as large as Unilever always places relationship strategy at the center of decision making. For a marketing based organization it is true that customer is king but it has to take in account concern of all the major stake holders such as the supplier and the distributors. Unilever has to maintain cordial relationship towards the supplier for uninterrupted supply of resources and the distributors to maintain a smooth supply chain of the good.

Basically it comes down to the point that it is imperative for the company to have relationship strategy as a big brand and marketing organization. It adds to the critical external factors if success for the company. Strategic management of the CRM system and the brand equity is the sole responsibility of the marketing organization. There is no use of a marketing organization which cannot maintain good relations with its suppliers and woe the customers in the right way. Marketing is a science which requires strategic management.        

Q 3: Evaluate the major trends in contemporary marketing strategy within international business? – 10 marks

Answer 3)

There is no thumb rule when it comes to global marketing strategies as all of them are according to the brand. But however there is a certain approach to the affairs of global marketing that many keep in mind whilst developing a marketing strategy for their organization. Few trends in the global marketing strategy within international business are:

The organizations may have the same PR approach but on the larger scale they adapt to the different countries and culture. Localized content and approach is the way forward for a global marketing plan. Localization and translation both are the essential parts in the upbringing of the marketing to the new people or audience in the market. No matter which type of action of plan is being introduced, platform plays a major role and without it no one can know anything.

Knowing the market before moving in and launching a marketing plan is essential for any company and for this reason research is needed. Market research is another important strategy which is very important to help a person in the better understanding of the target markets. Still, conducting of the market research overseas can be a bit challenging regarding logistically. With many of the new digital tools which have been introduced and used by the common people especially the mobile phones companies these days are accessing many of the international survey plans.

No matter which group of buyers you are targeting, online market is a kind of research which is helping the companies make investments related to overseas. The legal approach towards marketing is another trend in the spheres of marketing. The trend is to know the legal environment and equip the brand or company with the right knowledge to launch global marketing plan. If we look at past, many different laws have been passed with the passing days. All such laws are making it an important thing for the marketers to be informed about the entire legal environment and how such laws can shape the campaigns.

 For example marketers living in different countries must know about the laws which are being used in another country related to business. Innovation is the world leader of success and let it be in any field it is ensuring success to many. Relying on ICT is the modern trend in marketing of international businesses. Being adaptive to technology for marketing is the approach of many for a global marketing plan. Change in the technologies is taking place day after day.

Many of the new technologies are getting famous among the people. No matter what technology it is, starting from a mobile phone to all the existing networks. One should learn about all the talents no matter from what field they are linked to. Spend most of the time in learning how to effectively recruit in all the international markets. Different platforms like local chambers, business schools, job boards and all of the networking groups are considered to be great places for all the start.  

Q 4: Critically evaluate the international marketing strategy of a company of your choice. It is expected that your company will be a major multi-national company operating in most of the major markets of the world.?  15 marks.

Answer 4)

The bigger brands in play in today’s era invest heavily in marketing and brand management of the company. The reasons vary from streamlining the customer support to brand identity or CRM systems. Marketing has the interest of many stakeholders and is a pillar for business organizations. Starbucks is one such company with a market strategy like no other and has its presence globally. Starbucks have been able to associate itself with premium feel and coffee worldwide. The brand resonance for Starbucks is so great that many people would say they will be grabbing “Starbucks” on their way to work referring to Starbucks as coffee. It was tested with people that ordinary coffee was given to them; one in plain cup and the other in Starbucks cup. People found the coffee in Starbucks’s cup tastier.

This reflects the brand management and equity of the brand. The marketing strategy of Starbucks is fairly simple. They are not running fancy and call themselves natural. Their aim is to be convenient and be in the place where people are and they can capitalize on their sales. Starbucks logo has developed over time and is itself a success story for many to follow in the future. Starbucks has an in-house team creative team known as the Global creative team that works in the branding and marketing of the company.

They worked with Lippincott in redesigning the brand elements. Starbucks relies much on its brand elements when marketing. It operates in 55 countries and has a diverse clientele to keep in mind before branding. Starbucks is going with a uniform approach and same trends in every market. They want to give the Starbucks feel to the customers and that is the idea. You walk into a coffee house in London or Barcelona if it is Starbucks you will find it the same. They have been able to become the premium brand and that is the strategy to live up to the premium standards of the brand.

Their marketing strategy is based on four touch points:

         Convenience

         Uniformity

         Brand identity

         Customer Relationship Management

 Starbucks have been able to successfully create coherence in its global market and develop a uniform marketing plan. Unlike many others Starbucks do not have a local approach but a global approach however the customer relationship management is localized to the needs of people.

Starbucks have kept itself convenient and they use brand elements to register in the minds of consumer. The latest branding of cups do not have the name of Starbucks but just the logo and it has resonated well with the customers. This shows that they have confidence in what they are doing. They are not targeting anyone they are not going fancy. Starbucks do not offend anyone and keeps it simple. They have relied on their brand and services to earn a big name. Not be a part of any controversy seems their strategy. The marketing strategy of Starbucks may seem simple but effective in making the brand a global leader in the industry. There is a lot to learn from it. 

References of International Marketing