Global Marketing Mix

The 4Ps (also known as the marketing mix) represent the most basic of marketing concepts. The individual elements – Product, Price, Place, and Promotion – must all work together to ensure success in a global market. But, when the differences between the home country and the international market are greater, creating an effective marketing mix becomes more difficult. While some companies like Coca-Cola and Visa take a global approach to branding, they must still consider the impact of language, color, values, and norms when appealing to consumers in international markets. Read this chapter for more insight into creating an integrated marketing communications strategy.

The Relationship Between Product and Promotion

Product and promotion in global marketing can work together effectively with proper market research and communication techniques.

Learning Objectives

Illustrate the relationship between product and promotion from a global marketing perspective


Key Takeaways

Key Points

  • The "Four P's" of marketing - product, price, placement, and promotion - are all affected as a company moves through the different phases to become and maintain dominance as a global company.
  • It is the job of global marketers to create and place product advertisements in settings where local consumers will be most receptive to receiving and acting on those messages.
  • Promotion is one crucial component of the global marketing mix that enables a global company to send the same message worldwide using relevant, engaging, and cost-effective techniques.


Key Terms

  • integrated marketing communications: an approach to brand communications where the different modes work together to create a seamless experience for the customer and are presented with a similar tone and style that reinforces the brand's core message.


The Relationship Between Product and Promotion

With the rapidly emerging force of globalization, the distinction between marketing within an organization's home country and marketing within external markets is disappearing very quickly. With this in mind, organizations are modifying their marketing strategies to meet the challenges of the global marketplace in addition to sustaining their competitiveness within home markets. These changes also have prompted brands to customize their global marketing mix for different markets, based on local languages, needs, wants, and values.


The Marketing Mix in Global Marketing

The "Four P's" of marketing - product, price, placement, and promotion - are all affected as a company moves through the different phases to become and maintain dominance as a global company. Promotion becomes particularly important for positioning the company in such a way that a single product can be tweaked instead of revamped for different markets. Coca-Cola is one strong example of global marketing. The drink brand uses two formulas (one with sugar and one with corn syrup) for all markets. The product packaging in every country incorporates Coca-Cola's contour bottle design and signature ribbon in some shape or form. However, the bottle can also include the country's native language and appear in identical sizes as other beverage bottles or cans in that country's market.


Promotion and Product

Before launching promotional programs, global companies must first define their target markets and determine the products that will resonate most with those consumers and businesses. In addition to pinpointing which price point and distribution channels would best serve those country markets, global marketers must decide how to introduce their products. Promotional tactics for global audiences can range from television commercials to social media marketing on Facebook or YouTube. It is the job of global marketers to create and place product advertisements in settings where local consumers will be most receptive to receiving and acting on those messages.

After product research, development, and creation, promotion is generally the largest line item in a global company's marketing budget. Integrated marketing communications can significantly increase efficiency and reduce promotional costs. Moreover, promotion is one crucial component of the mix that enables a global company to send the same message worldwide using relevant, engaging, and cost-effective techniques.

While global promotion enables global brands to engage in uniform marketing practices and promote a consistent brand and image, marketers also face the challenge of responding to differences in consumer response to marketing mix elements. Promotional and product marketing challenges also come into play when dealing with differences in brand and product development and fending off local or global competition.

Source: Boundless.com, https://courses.lumenlearning.com/boundless-marketing/chapter/global-marketing-mix/
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