Marketing
& Culture
by
Christina Johansson Robinowitz
February 12, 2002
The
saying, "If you want to sell what Jim Brown buys, you
have to see things through Jim Brown's eyes," is good
advice for anyone who wants to sell a product or service
in a foreign market. This may seem obvious, but many
companies have made costly mistakes by underestimating
the impact of culture on marketing. Market research
lets you know whether there is a need and interest in
your product, but does not necessarily address the how-to
of marketing in another culture. To assume that an approach
that has worked at home will work in another culture
can be costly.
The
examples of overlooked cultural cues are many. IKEA
originally tried to sell sheets in Swedish sizes to
their U.S. customers. Unfortunately they did not fit
the thick American mattresses. The introduction of the
Chevy Nova in Mexico is a classic example of lack of
information -"no va" means "it doesn't go" in Spanish!
A German food manufacturer wanted to sell potato salad
made with sliced potatoes in Canada. It met with little
success because the Canadians expected potato salad
to be made with cubed potatoes. All these could have
been avoided by checking with (and listening to) those
with a thorough understanding of the culture.
In
a recent seminar for a group of Swedes and Americans,
I asked, "what do you think is most important when buying
a car?" To last a long time, be safe and good gas mileage
were the top concerns for the Swedes. Not so for the
Americans. They chose appearance, a good deal, comfort
&"extras" as their top three. If we are going to sell
cars in the U.S., we obviously will need a different
approach than we would in Sweden.
A
few suggestions for successful marketing in the United
States: ·
- Don't
assume that you know the best way because you have
been successful in other markets. ·
- Get
expert advice from someone who understands the culture
and the market from the inside. ·
-
Remember the size and diversity of the U.S. What works
in California may not work in Texas or New York. ·
- Think
of marketing as an investment, not an expense. ·
-
If you get an unexpectedly big order, be sure that
you have the staff and resources available to fill
it on time. ·
- The
"customer is king" and expects to get what he wants
when he wants it.
|