Abstract:

The debate on global vs. local marketing (and research) is one of these debates which have been going forever. The basic question is “can you apply the same advertising/packaging/ positioning (fill in the blank) on a global basis or are there local cultural norms that require a more nuanced approach?” To which the answer has been, for as long as I can remember, local culture will always trump standard globalisation. The same goes for research too - you cannot (however much you insist you can) simply apply one standard methodology worldwide to a research survey without taking local culture into account. Another old chestnut is the debate on how to rate the quality of research agencies. A better route down which to go would be to check on the agency’s public credentials: does the agency subscribe to the ICC/ESOMAR Code?