Answer to Question 1D
Answer to Question 2Firms rarely find it feasible or practical to follow a one offering-one world strategy across all dimensions of the marketing program. Automotive companies tried for years to market a world car that meets customer preferences everywhere and complies with various governments' safety specifications. Ambitious experiments such as the Ford Mondeo failed to meet the approval of customers and regulatory bodies around the world. Ford was forced to modify its design to accommodate climate and geography (which affected engine specifications), government emissions standards, gas prices, and customer preferences for frills such as cupholders. As a compromise, some firms pursue standardization as part of a regional strategy, formulating international marketing elements to exploit commonalities across a geographic region instead of the whole world. General Motors (
www.gm.com) markets distinctive car models for China (Buick, HRV), Europe (Opel, Vauxhall), and North America (Cadillac, Chevrolet). Convergence of regional preferences, regional economic integration, harmonization of product standards, and growth of regional media and distribution channels all make regional marketing more feasible than pursuing global marketing approaches.
Culture affects the content of marketing programs because it determines buyer attitudes toward the role and function of advertising, humor content, the depiction of characters (such as the roles of men and women), and decency standards. Advertising conveys a message encoded in language, symbols, colors, and other attributes, each of which may have distinctive meanings. Buyer receptiveness differs as a function of culture and language.