Contemporary Issues in International Marketing Communication - Assignment Example

?International Marketing Project 5 Final INTERNATIONAL MARKETING PROJECT 5 FINAL INTERNATIONAL MARKETING COMMUNICATION INTRODUCTION International marketing communication requires that the message and the means of communication used in marketing must be suitably tailored for the target market at any given place in the whole world. The concept almost adopts the element of localization. Some of the components of this process of marketing include advertising, personal selling, trade shows, public relations, and direct selling. All of these cannot be achieved without proper use of effective and understandable language as well as a proper medium of communication. Of course there is no marketing without brands being in place. In the context of international marketing communication, brand communication refers to the initiative adopted by organizations to popularize their goods and services among the final users. All these aspects work hand in hand to achieve maximum cost effectiveness and increase sells. In the current competitive economic globe, development and survival of the companies depends on the existence of detailed and real information about the potential consumers. This topic of international marketing communication will therefore show that there is a big need for having sufficient and basic information about the consumer culture, attitudes, motivation, and action anywhere in the world before engaging in selling or promoting any product. In the modern time, it is almost globally acceptable that the main aim of marketing is not to find and persuade the public to buy company products, but rather to satisfy consumer needs as an essence of consumer orientation. Creating efficient ways through which consumer wants could be met is one of the central objectives. In this sense therefore, the paper in its intensity shows that recognizing the communication pathways that are influential to consumer behavior is a significant marketing communication task, the final goal being the development of marketing messages to get to the target audience by use of the most suitable channel. CONTEMPORARY ISSUES IN INTERNATIONAL MARKETING COMMUNICATION In an international market characterized by a lot of fierce competition and dynamism, firms try to find their word out so that consumers get the knowledge of the advantages that can be accrued by use or consumptions of products and services. As a result, international marketing communication has become an essential principle of marketing, a vision of many businesses, and a vital factor in the successful business operations. Its use has increased considerably in recent decades, putting in mind that one cannot separate communication from marketing. The concept is therefore viewed as having a highly complex content, in terms of both objectives and scope pursued and on the tools and methods for action. Some of the contemporary issues include the following: The perspective of international marketing communication All business ventures in the whole world using diverse forms of marketing communication in order meet to non-profit targets or meet financial targets have their own experiences and perspectives on the same. Due to the believe that the basic purpose of marketing communication is to construct and strengthen the company brand, many views of experts agree to the idea that in the contemporary times, marketing communication globally will be the sole way to initiate and sustain competitive advantage (Belch, Kerr & Powell, 2008). Strategic duties of promotions mix aspects Communication or promotion mixes consist of a number of disciples or tools that can be utilized in different combinations and various degrees of intensity to communicate with a given target audience. For instance, advertising can be international to promote global brands, but should be undertaken on a common platform where adaptation and execution is needed for diverse country environments such as culture, laws, and language. Public relations are also important for developing positive image of the unfamiliar firm. In addition to these mentioned tools, there are also media, that is the means by which the messages are conveyed. There have been some key changes in the business setting and in the way different companies communicate with their target consumers. New technology has enabled the availability of a variety of media, and people have also improvised ways of spending their leisure time. The idea is called media and audience fragmentation, and firms have generated new combinations of such promotional mixes in order to effectively reach their potential audiences. For example, there has been a recognizable rise in the utilization of direct-response media due to the adoption of direct marketing as part of the marketing schedule for most of the products. Digital technologies and the internet have enabled new interactive means of communication. This entails receivers having a greater obligation for their part during the communication process. Many businesses are using public relations in communicating both messages regarding themselves; company public relations, and also messages regarding their products; marketing public relations. The significance of international marketing communication It is important to note that international marketing communication serves a vital role both regionally and internationally. It encourages the promotion of both the products and the company producing them at a broader view. It identifies the increasing role that a company plays in the process of marketing, and the impact that the corporate factors can have on the audience’s minds. A view that is spreading widely is that many organizations spot out the importance and usefulness of good public relations (Belch, Kerr & Powell, 2008). The idea is due to the high credibility related to the messages received and the moderately low operational costs. Consequently, the adoption of corporate advertizing has grown rapidly. Most importantly, international marketing communications realize the growth of trade or channels of communication across the world. Because of the interaction between the promoters and the diverse global communities, many organizations have shifted from traditional power of a brand manager to a structure that focuses on needs of intermediaries and distributors in the channel. There is increased cooperation among intermediaries from different countries who join to satisfy their collective and individual objectives. However, the level of cooperation and conflict in the networking of channels depend on the quality and form of the communications among member countries and organizations. The concept here implies that for international marketing communication to be significant, the process must address the specified needs of communication of distribution network members and of the other stakeholders who influence network performance. Factors that account for dissimilarities between nations in international marketing communication This includes factors such as exposure to dissimilar media, cultural implications, communication structure, government legislation and policies, buyer behavior, and language implications. For instance, communication structure should be considered in marketing. There are dissimilarities between low-level communication and high-level communication. In connection to these differences are the way different people from different nations process information as well as their expectations of the purpose, role, and effect of the communication. An understanding of the way advertising works across cultural backgrounds is of great value to international corporations Ways of standardizing international marketing communication According to Craig & Douglas, 2005, standardizing is practical when communication involves visual messages as the key content. Creative work can be advertized using popular musicians, symbols, trademarks, use of humor, and written language. When marketers go to a certain country to promote their products, they can use well known personalities, who are country-specific to give customers some perceived added value. This corporate identity will create a sense of loyalty, confidence, and trust in the brand by the target consumers of a certain country. Adaptations of international communications patterns While marketing internationally, there is a need to adapt to the beliefs of the communities in a given region. For example, the way women are portrayed vary from one culture and country to the other. It is therefore important for marketers to know what an audience likes and what it hates. However, some are global and should be considered too, such as selling some products to an underage group, advertizing tobacco, and advertising sexual content. This should be avoided in the contemporary world because the name implies inappropriate meanings or may not be appealing to the local community. Selecting the right media for each country Standard media means such as print media, TV, billboards, and radio are well known in most countries. Nevertheless, some media such as Satellite TVs, cables, the internet, and pay TV are new in the market and thus using them should be in specific circumstances only. The international marketer should never assume that such media has reached every market place. A media plan should be adapted to suit various markets phase of social and economic development. Further, factors such as the cost of media, its availability, advertising objectives, audience media habits and profiles should be a first priority and should match with the product or service. In fact there are other media that are regional while others are international, such as CNN and BBC, so the marketers can use either of them depending on the vastness of the audience they wish to reach. Major trends in current international marketing landscape The world of business changes daily and new trends come up as time goes. Some of the trends support international direct marketing to ease communication across countries. Improvements in postal services in most nations offer full range of services that support international marketing communication. Time has also seen many local and international firms building huge customer data bases that facilitate telecom, CRM TV, and other technological advancements. Online buying and selling is now growing and customers can use cross border DM Credit cards to purchase goods and services (Hamill, 2007) HOW CURRENT INTERNATIONAL MARKETING COMMUNICATION ASPECT AFFECT FIRMS AND THE INDUSTRY AT LARGE This aspect has been there for a long time and its effect on the marketing industry has been felt consistently. The main aim of these activities or strategies is to lessen exchange uncertainties and create customer union as well as commitment through slow developments and continuous adjustments of shared routines and mutual norms. Due to the advancements of the methods used to uncover barriers among countries in terms of consumption patterns, both firms and potential customers have made profit from the experiences of previous transactions. Development of supplier-customer relationships have shown a set of cumulative stages, thus leading to trustworthiness of supplier firms and a better understanding of mutual norms governing business activities throughout the world. HOW FIRMS IN THE INDUSTRY ARE ADDRESSING THE COMMUNICATION MATTER Different firms make a choice depending on the policies of the country and the cultural values. For example, firms in western countries emphasize on the idea of adaptation compared to those in China. American franchisers are using flexibility and adaptability in dealing with communication to achieve cultural sensitivity. In some countries, firms have made a move to become supplementary and interdependent, thus marketers get to be aware of sensitive cultural dissimilarities (Hamill, 2007) RECOMMENDATIONS ON HOW TO ADDRESS THE COMMUNICATION ISSUE IN INTERNATIONAL MARKETING To address this challenge of international market communication, firms should discover if the particular markets they visit are viable by incorporating in their marketing and business plans, the cultural setting in which they intend to establish business operations. This may entail spotting out cultural features that can be put in place to support marketing communication in potential markets. For ease of communication, the business should use pre-existing features and create new ones suitable for the situation. According to the classic anthropological theory, though all human traits inclusive of market behaviors occur in a cultural context, individuals are capable of influencing and even changing, through their behaviors, the context of culture within which they experience behaviors. (Cateora & Graham, 2005). Marketers should ensure that marketing match with consumer purchasing behavior, preferences, and product-use patterns. Most importantly, firms should not only focus on the cultural diversities, but also on the similarities so that they can discover opportunities and adjust standard marketing strategies founded on marketing communication theory. IDENTIFICATION AND DESCRIPTION OF THE QUALITATIVE AND QUANTITATIVE DATA USED TO RESEARCH THE TOPIC QUALITATIVE AND QUANTITATIVE DATA YOU NEED FOR YOUR PAPER. The mot preferred qualitative methods were the selective survey, semi-structured detailed interview, and explorative interrogation. The hypothesis was on companies that attract consumer communication but still maintain a harmonious relationship with current clients. Interviews were carried out on 20 representatives of tourism firms, 15 from restaurant, 10 to represent travel agencies, and 5 from the transportation organizations. These firms have accessible headquarters and an updated website. The interview lasted for about forty minutes as the answers were registered on a writing tape. The working tools utilized in analyzing the data as well as interpreting it were Likert scale, content analysis and semantic differentiation. These were the quantitative data. In the results, most respondents had different views. All the sampled representatives of tourism companies responded that they have a website where they take their offers, where the details consisted of the touristic services they offer, a website that is greatly considered importing in international market communication. Other means of communicating to customers internationally as stated by the interviewees included the business messages sent via email to the database with clients, the sponsored links, company newsletters, and the use of social networks by companies (Baker & Hart, 2008). One communication tool mentioned in common during the interviews was the use of letters, which are used to attract and maintain the existing customers through informing them on promotions, offers, surveys, contests, projects, or events of a given company at a given time. SOURCES OF INFORMATION FOR QUALITATIVE AND QUANTITATIVE DATA Primary sources This is generally understood as information gathered from the data source and which has not been analyzed prior to being classified as part of the needs assessment. It is collected directly from the concerned group by the team carrying out assessment through field work. It is mostly gathered using face to face interviews or dialogues with members of the concerned population, but phone interviews, email exchanges, radio communication, and direct observations can also be used. For the context of international marketing communication, the primary source of information used is face to face interviews and email exchanges. Secondary sources This is information that has usually been collected by researchers who were not involved in the assessment at hand and has gone through at least a single layer of analysis before including it in the needs assessment. It can comprise published research, cleaned data, media reports, internet research, or data that has been gathered and analyzed for a reason apart from the needs assessment, like academic research or a sector or agency that specifically checks reports. For m topic, the secondary source of data will make use of media reports and internet materials to give a synopsis of how different companies in the world practice the issue of communication at an international level. Simple surveys Here, a proportion of a certain population is sampled systematically or censuses of the populace taken. In this context, my statistics will be generated through the use of questionnaires and related surveys, where the company representatives will be required to give information for the purpose of data collection. Focus groups A qualitative research strategy entails use of interviews on a chosen topic over a small group of individuals. The source will be effective in my topic because it will enable researchers to collect data about several companies in a single session. In fact, the source is practical because the company representatives form a homogenous group that has related responses on the topic being handled. No researcher will try to convince the group to reach a certain consensus (Buttle, 1996). CONCLUSION The research on international marketing communication is a complex activity that calls for in-depth analysis of the various aspects of marketing such as its components and determining factors. While international businesses are conducted through a number of means from culture to culture, communication can be improved when managers are trained cross-culturally to have knowledge of the regions that are likely to bring communication conflicts and roadblocks. Moreover, it is desirable for business leaders globally to understand each other’s business partners thoroughly to prevent barriers to efficient communication. It is logical therefore to suggest that this topic need recognition, evaluation of alternatives, information search, and sound decisions to adopt the best marketing communication processes. References Belch, G. E., Belch, M. A., Kerr, G. F., & Powell, I. (2008). Advertising and promotion: An integrated marketing communications perspective. mcgraw-hill. Cateora, P. R., & Graham, J. L. (2005). International marketing. McGraw-Hill/Irwin. Craig, C. S., & Douglas, S. P. (2005). International marketing research. John Wiley & Sons. Hamill, J. (2007). The Internet and international marketing. International Marketing Review, 14(5), 300-323. Read More