My name is Marissa and this is my blog devoted to all things global marketing! Since this is my first blog post, I figured I would get down to the basics of what I’m all about. I’m a student with a passion for marketing. I’ve always been interested in consumer behavior and working internationally so I figured global marketing might just be the thing for me.
What is global marketing? The Oxford University Press defines global marketing as “marketing on a worldwide scale reconciling or taking commercial advantage of global operational differences, similarities and opportunities in order to meet global objectives.” Although a great explanation, it is basically figuring out how you can promote and sell your products or services to a different target market than what you have been focusing on locally. I like to simply describe it as the balance between businesses and consumers at an international level.
To me, the most appealing aspect of global marketing is just taking the opportunity to uncover all of the possibilities that lie within another country. My sister once told me that there is not a lack of money to be made, but you must go out, find it, and work for it. I feel the same way about marketing and business in general.
While some smaller businesses may feel as though they have reached their highest potential, chances are they haven’t looked into focusing their efforts past the country that they are currently in. It’s necessary to always keep looking for that next breakthrough and that next customer. Global marketing focuses on just that.
Understanding the culture and the behavior of the consumer is huge. If you don’t understand these, then how are you supposed to market to them effectively? You can’t take a standardized marketing plan that you might use in the Midwest and expect it to work the same for customers living in Asia.
The biggest suggestion that I can give someone when working in international business and/or global marketing is that you have to forget all stereotypes and see the consumers as the whole person and do your homework in order to fully understand what types of marketing will appeal to a certain target market.
These may seem like simple tips, but it is easy to forget the importance of all of the underlying factors that promote a consumer’s buying patterns. Global marketing is a very important tool that can take a business to the next level! As a marketer, you have to be willing to put in the work and figure out how your customers’ respond to marketing.
These were just a few thoughts I had on global marketing and I’m very excited to continue to share more in the future.
The aim of marketing is to know and understand the customer so well the product or service fits him and sells itself.” –Peter F. Drucker
Beyond My Borders 