The paper traces the development of international marketing research over the years and shows that it has now become an established part of the activities of hundreds of research companies throughout the world. It is argued that an international dimension' pervades most market research these days, particularly under the influence of the major multinational marketing companies that represent the industry's main source of income.
Japanese brand names such as Yamaha, Cannon, Sony, Toyota and a great many more dominate entire product categories in the Rest. Only a few companies and products seem to have been able to reverse the process and to establish themselves as household names in Japan: IBM for Computers, McDonald for Fast Food, Coca Cola for Soft Drinks and NESCAFE for Coffee. Attempt is made to analyze the factors which had led, over a period of 70 years to the solid position that NESTLE holds in Japan today. It is not intended to chart out a "recipe" of how to succeed in this market in fact there is none. However, one main reason why we, together with other companies, have been able to succeed in Japan, was our capability to adapt to the peculiarities of this market, to integrate ourselves into the cultural and economic environment of Japan. How this integrative effort manifests itself in the various aspects of our activities will be the central them
In this paper we argue that for many product fields, if a company wants to have truly international influence, it has to find a way of communicating in recognisably the same terms to all its consumers, and the question is not whether this should happen, but how it can be done in the most effective way. We give examples of two case studies, of companies operating in very different product fields, one a market leader and the other a young innovative company, but both with the determination to find the best strategy to increase their brand share across Europe, and beyond. The two companies were Gillette (for razors) and Apple Computers.
I believe that the changing role of fairs and exhibitions consists in the fundamental help they provide for segmentation. The possibilities of fairs and exhibitions in the sphere of segmentation provide an important input for the development of the complete marketing mix. The role of fairs and exhibitions in East-West relations changed so far, as far as they turned from the shop-windows of international economic relations into the workshops of these relations.
The objective of this paper is to study the nature of the marketing research task in Eastern European countries. The need for this type of analysis steins from the fact that most research procedures, whether for domestic or for international marketing, have been developed in western industrialised markets and do not reflect the distinct needs and unique characteristics of marketing in, and for Eastern Socialist states. The paper consists of an introduction and four main sections. The first section establishes the importance of East-West trade. The second presents a systematic procedure for international marketing research, and highlights some of the main difficulties that are often encountered by researchers in foreign markets. The third section examines the similarities and differences between Eastern and Western marketing systems, points out that the two systems tend to converge in recent years, and discusses in detail the importance of the "shortage economy" concept for marketing in socialist countries. Finally, the fourth section suggests a specific research procedure for Eastern European markets, based on the findings of the preceding discussion.
The trend towards multinational marketing is growing. Fewer companies now dominate fields such as housekeeping products, health and beauty aids, paper products, hot and cold beverages and so on. Increasingly, the potential for international expansion is built into new products from the start, which can lead to lower development and marketing costs and a reduction in the risk of product failure. Clearly this trend creates a need for an international on-line management information system; which is exactly what we have established at Nielsen International in Paris over the past five years.
One of the longest running arguments in international marketing is whether the same product should be marketed in a wide range of countries, or the individual requirements and taste of each country be allowed to predominate. This paper illustrates this argument in the area of fragrance in Western Europe. Fragrance is a market in which strong subjective opinions are held about the 'type' which appeals in France, or Germany or the U.K. Nevertheless there has been an increasing tendency to market 'world' fragrances. Just how possible is this? Avon is well known for its successful world-wide marketing of cosmetics and fragrance. This paper describes the development of a new premium priced men's fragrance by means of extensive simultaneous product testing in three countries. Using Sensory Testing techniques, 21 fragrances were tested in each country, with both men and women. To sharpen understanding of difference in taste, couples were recruited.
Should advertising of various products and services be standardized in the international market, or are there too many cultural obstacles? Should gasoline or petrol products, a hand lotion, clothing, and other products be advertised in essentially the same way in Italy, Germany and Japan ... or should there be variations in the advertising in different countries? At one extreme is the view that one basic advertising theme is desirable because of similarities in points of view about many products among people of different heritages, and also because one theme promotes the development of a consistent and universally recognized company image (Coca-Cola is an example). The opposite view is that more than one theme is desirable, in order to respond effectively to the cultural differences that exist among varying locales.
This paper is an assessment of the state of new product research in Europe seen through the eyes of a director of an agency supplying research services in the European market. The author starts with some qualifying remarks as to the validity of the concept of a "European" research market. Differences in language, in consumer habits and in the range of available advertising media are all forces for the execution of international marketing strategies remaining under local control and subject to local influences and adaptations. It is this situation which is responsible for most decisions regarding market research still being made on a country by country and not on a pan-European basis. The paper then looks at developments in new product research under two basic areas of activity: - Product development research based on consumer opinion; - Test market research based on consumer behaviour.
This treatise concerns the trending European-United States research environment and the inherent opportunity to internationalize marketing research practices. The first half addresses key factors drawing Europe and the United States closer together in the way people live and think. Undercurrent to this description is that our respective cultures are merging in a deceiving way because progress is sometimes discontinuous with notable departures. In response, our options are viewed basically as two: reactive or proactive. The reactive option is rejected because it is a status quo response to a dynamically-changing marketing research environment. Therefore, the second half of the treatise describes specific directives for both U.S. and European researchers to consider in order to assume a proactive approach to internationalising marketing research.
International marketing strategies and styles vary widely from the marketing of almost identical brands through to the meeting of similar consumer needs across several countries via radically differing mixes of product, communication variables and price. Similarly, companies involved in marketing products or services in more than one country take many forms, ranging from home- based exporters through to multi-national concerns with operating subsidiaries in a number of countries. The most significant international businesses tend to be in this latter category and a key factor is the division of the various aspects of marketing policy making between the head or regional offices and the local operations. With such variations in strategy and structure it is not surprising that information needs are similarly diverse. It can be helpful to classify the main areas of research input as contributing to 1) market; 2) strategy or; 3) problem orientation.