Business Explain: Cultural Dynamics in International Marketing

What are cultural exclusives?

Cultural exclusives are those customs or behaviour patterns reserved exclusively for the local people, from which the foreigner is excluded.

What is cultural adiaphora?

Cultural adiaphora refers to areas of behaviour or customs that cultural aliens may wish to conform to or participate in.

What is meant by cultural imperative?

Cultural imperatives are business customs and expectations that must be met and conformed to if relationships are to be successful.

What are the requisites for cultural adaptation?

The requirement for adaptation is mainly to have an awareness of the local customs and be willing to accommodate those differences that can cause misunderstanding. Cultural imperative, communication emphasis and the meaning of time is included here.

As well as high-and low-context culture (low-context means getting down to business quickly, whereas high-context requires more time for conducting business).

How can resistance to cultural change influence product introduction? Similarities to domestic marketing?

Ethnocentrism refers to when we behave in an ethnocentric way, meaning there is an exaggerated tendency to believe our own values/norms/culture are superior to those of others. It is a concept which complicates the process of cultural assimilation.

With the resistance in mind, there are two ways for marketers to introduce an innovation. Either one waits for the right moment, or one enters and causes an immediate change in culture. Cultural change can occur if a innovation has advantages, but requires a culture to learn new ways to benefit from these advantages.

How are cultures dynamic? Is it good or bad?

Culture is dynamic in nature, since it changes over time due to new innovation, changes in life quality and such. However, any change in the currently accepted way of life meets with more initial resistance than acceptance. Many solutions have arisen from accidents, and some from innovation. Many are the result of cultural borrowing, which is common to all cultures.

What is especially troublesome about problems caused by language in foreign marketing?

Written and spoken language is often quite different, and unless a marketer fully masters a language there should be help provided by a national or native speaker.

What is material culture and what are the implications on marketing?

Material culture consist of technology and economics. Technology refers to the technological know-how possessed by a society. Economics refers to the way people employ their capabilities and the resulting benefits, including production of goods and its distribution. Material culture affects demand, quality and what kinds of products are demanded as well as their functional features.

What is the similar-but-different aspect of culture?

Even if cultures borrow from each other, and in fact become more and more alike, It is the unique combination of cultural traits that ultimately makes cultures similar but different at the same time. Important to remember is that although some countries may seem alike, they remain different in many ways. For example, in the USA they speak English, just like in the UK. But the two are very different.

Societies often borrow from other cultures to solve problems, why is this of significance to marketing?

Borrowing from other cultures can have the effect on a culture that if adapted to local needs and if it becomes commonplace, it will be passed on as cultural heritage, thus becoming part of the new culture.

How do the definitions of culture vary between the popular and the one by cultural anthropologists?

By popular definition, culture includes every part of life. It refers to values and beliefs shared by a group of people, something which is learned and shapes the perception of the world and our lives. The scope of the term "culture" to the anthropologist however, includes more, and is illustrated by the elements included within the meaning of the term.

Material culture (technology, economics)

Technology refers to the technological know-how possessed by a society. Economics refers to the way people employ their capabilities and the resulting benefits, including production of goods and its distribution. Material culture affects demand, quality and what kinds of products are demanded as well as their functional features. Disposable income → that proportion of your income that is not already accounted for. Marketing implications are that some products will simply be unwanted and a waste in terms of a population's amount of disposable income.

Social institutions (social organisation, political structures)

These concern how people relate to one another, how they organize their activities to live in harmony and govern themselves. Including here is gender segregation, division between partners as well as families, siblings and friends. Even personal space falls into this category.

Education (literacy rate, role and levels)

Education is an important part of culture for marketers to understand as it influences the marketing strategy and techniques used. Advertising and communication will differ a lot depending on for example the literacy rate in a society.

Belief systems (religion, superstitions, power structure)

Religion has an impact upon people's habits, their outlook on life, the products they buy, the way they buy them, even the newspapers they read. Acceptance can be highly influenced by the religion of the society. Value systems → values that are followed unconsciously.

Aesthetics (graphic and arts, folklore, music, drama, and dance)

These play a great role in interpreting the symbolic meanings of various methods of artistic expression, colour and standards of beauty in each culture. Thus, products must be produced in accordance with the style, symbols and colours that are appealing to the culture in that particular market.

Language (usage of foreign languages, spoken versus written language)

These elements constitute the environment in which marketing efforts interact and so are critical to understanding the character of the marketing system of any society.

Why should a foreign marketer be concerned with the study of culture?

In order to truly understand what it takes to introduce a new product into a market, or a complete business, a marketer must understand the market, which is the people. The people are who they are and want what they want because of their culture.

There is the factual knowledge which is something that is usually obvious but that must be learnt, ie different meaning of colours, tastes and other traits indigenous to a culture. These can be anticipated, studied and absorbed by marketers.

The interpretive knowledge refers to the ability to understand and appreciate fully the nuances of different cultural traits and patterns. Such as the meaning of time, attitudes towards other people, one's role in society and so on.

Ideally, a marketer possesses both these knowledges about the countries she works in. Facts are rather easily accessible these days through internet, but to truly understand a culture most people have to live amongst it for some time. Since this can be hard to achieve, the best solution is often to consult and cooperate with bilingual nationals that have a marketing background.

Is culture pervasive in all marketing activities?

Yes it is, because culture deals with a group's design for living. The scope of the marketing concept is to achieve the satisfaction of consumer needs and wants at a profit, which requires the marketer to understand the culture of its consumers.

One must carefully consider the cultural aspect when a promotional message is written, or using certain symbols as well as in the production of a new product. Thus, culture is pervasive in all marketing activities; pricing, promotion, distribution channels, product, packaging and styling.

What three cultural change strategies can a foreign marketer pursue?

1. Culturally congruent strategy

Involves marketing products similar to ones already on the market in a manner as congruent as possible with existing cultural norms, thereby minimizing resistance.

2. Strategy of unplanned change

The strategy of unplanned change consists of introducing an innovation and then waiting for an eventful cultural change that will permit the culture to accept the innovation. The essence of unplanned change lies in the fact that the marketer does nothing to accelerate help to bring about the necessary change where the marketer deliberately sets about to overcome resistance and to cause change that will accelerate the rate of adoption of his product or innovation.

3.Strategy of planned change

Means deliberately setting out to change those aspects of a culture most likely to offer resistance to predetermined marketing goals.

Which role does the marketer play as a change agent?

A marketer constantly deals with the culture of the people, meaning the market. A marketer's efforts are judged in this cultural context and either accepted, resisted or rejected. Cultural change refers to when the use of something new, e.g a innovative product, is the beginning of change in cultural conditions, e.g Americanisation. If a marketer has the right knowledge and skills, he or she might be able to actually introduce a product that changes a piece of the culture in that country.