1. Advertising and Promotion: An
Integrated Marketing
Communications Approach
Chris Hackley
Chapter 7
International Advertising

2. Indicative Chapter 7 content
• The specificity of cultural practices of communication
• Internationalization of marketing
• Standardization and localization of marketing communication
• The economic case for standardization of marketing and advertising
• Protests and controversies surrounding global marketing
• The allure of foreignness and country-of-origin effects
• Advertising in Asian economies

3. The specificity of cultural practices of communication
• Advertising is inherently a cultural product. The managerial problems of
advertising internationally cannot be reduced simply to a matter of
accurately translating the message. Different cultures will interpret
advertising communications through quite different systems of value and
symbolism.
• The task of designing an advertising communication for international
consumption can be thought of in terms of two extremes. On the one
hand, an advertisement which is shown the world over must tap into
meanings which are common to different cultures in order to be
understood. The possibilities for this are rare and difficult to execute, but
there have been some notable successes.
• On the other hand, advertising which is recreated anew in every local
culture must carry some commonality in order to preserve the sense of
brand identity. For example, MacDonald’s advertising is different in many
different countries, but it is also always instantly recognizable as
MacDonald’s.
• Advertising executions for global brands which cross cultural borders have
to achieve this dialectical balancing act, so that the sense of the brand is
preserved in a persuasive way but articulated through local cultural

4. Internationalization of marketing
• The impetus for entering international markets may be competitive, due
to the saturation of domestic markets or because rivals have established
markets abroad
• Another factor in entering international markets is the relative ease of
technology transfer: national boundaries no longer hinder the transfer of
production capability to low-wage economies
• The internationalization of payment systems has created liquidity to
finance foreign ventures
• Finally, there is a latent demand created for many brands by the
international reach of, and increasing access to, cable television, movies
and the internet
• So, while global markets are far from homogeneous (see Levitt, 1980)
there are considerable opportunities for international brand marketing
activity.

5. Standardization and localization of marketing
communication
• The advantages of running the same or similar creative executions all over
the world for a single campaign are cost and control
• The cost of creating localized campaigns through multiple agencies is
avoided
• The control over the way the brand is portrayed internationally is
maximized
• But there are obvious difficulties with creating a single ad which
transcends the cultural boundaries for a given brand

6. Glocalization
• The response favoured by many organizations is to combine global
elements of brand representation with local creative executions
• This is sometimes referred to as ‘glocalization’, inserting global brand
themes into local cultural and competitive contexts

7. Protests and controversies surrounding global
marketing
• Global brands attract criticism
• MacDonald’s has been the focus of protest in France from people who
feel that it clashes with French values of food and corporatism
• Coca-Cola has been involved in controversy in India over its production
methods
• In some cases, protests mobilize a sense that global brands are against
local national interests

8. The allure of ‘foreign-ness’ and country-of-origin
effects
• In spite of resistance in some quarters, the globalization of major brands
seems to gather apace, partly because, for many consumers, foreign
brands have a powerful allure
• In many Asian countries, for example, Western brands are widely
regarded as more desirable and prestigious than local brands
• The inverse effect is seen as, for example, Asian electronic goods and
tourism destinations are seen as highly desirable in Western markets

9. Advertising in Asian economies
• Some Asian economies which are important for Western brands illustrate
well the difficulties of international advertising
• Not only is there a language barrier but also cultural practices, signs,
rituals of interaction and conventions of politeness and etiquette are all
very different, making advertising narratives for Asian audiences difficult
for Western agencies to construct

10. Chapter 7 review questions
1
• In groups, decide upon a local brand that you feel has the potential to be
marketed internationally. Decide on the core brand values that may be
communicated. Devise an outline communications plan with creative
themes and executions using integrated media channels. How will you
ensure that the brand values are interpreted appropriately? What are the
major difficulties of promoting this brand internationally?

11. 2
• Choose six print or TV advertisements that promote internationally
marketed brands. Discuss the need for advertising globally marketed
brands to accommodate cultural differences. Use specific examples of
cultural differences of behaviour, attitude or social practice to inform your
discussion.

12. 3
• Try to find examples of advertisements for the same brand in different
countries. Compare and contrast the respective ads and work out the
possible differences in local segmentation and positioning and
communication issues.

13. 4
• What is glocalization? In what ways is the concept relevant to advertising
internationally? Offer examples to illustrate your points.

14. 5
• Try to think of potential international co-branding opportunities. To
explore the coherence of the respective brands, you will need to list all
the possible associations and connotations of each brand and discuss their
various merits both singly and in conjunction with the co-brand. What
opportunities do you think might arise from such co-branding initiatives?