International Consumers

Question 1

What are some factors that could affect new products and marketing them to international consumers?

Answer 1

• Technological Factors
• Political Legal Factors
• International Effects on Product
• International Packaging
• Cultures

Question 2

Explain Technological Factors in relation to marketing products to international consumers:

Answer 2

• The extent to which technology is available
• Affects the media that can be used to communicate with international audiences
• Affects the types of products and services that are actually needed by a country

Question 3

Explain Political Legal Factors in relation to marketing products to international consumers:

Answer 3

• The international governments may be protective of their countries and therefore there may be heavy duties and legislations
• Political stability of a country can also be an issue, is it safe?
• General laws, may not allow certain ingredients etc

Question 4

Explain International Effects on Product in relation to marketing products to international consumers:

Answer 4

• The product may not actually be suitable for the market:
  e. g. Nestle milk for babies was exported to 3rd world countries, but they had to mix it with dirty water, which killed many children
• Language as an issue: translations of instruction, TV programmes etv
• Traditions/tastes/the way things are done: e.g. American TV series are longer than UK ones

Question 5

Explain International Packaging in relation to marketing products to international consumers:

Answer 5

• National culture affects packaging in terms of both colour, shape and language
• Weight units and how ingredients/nutritional values are presented to the consumer vary

Question 6

What is a society’s culture?

Answer 6

It includes its values, ethics and the material objects produced by its people

Question 7

What are the 3 functional areas of culture?

Answer 7

• Ecology: The way the system is adapted to its habitat by the technology used to obtain and distribute resources
• Social Structure: The way orderly social life is maintained including domestic and political groups
• Ideology: The mental characteristics of the people and the way they relate to their environment

Question 8

What are the 2 types of cultures?

Answer 8

• Collectivist Cultures: Where group importance is highly prevelant
• Individualistic Cultures: where we are more interested in our own personal goals

Question 9

What are the categories of rules for behaviour?

Answer 9

• Enacted norms: Explicitly decided upon, e.g. green light mean go
• Crescive norms: Embedded in a culture and a discovered through interaction with other members of that culture

Question 10

What is magic in a culture?

Answer 10

• ‘Primitive’ belief system which some people may consider irrational or superstitious but continue to influence society

Question 11

What are Myths in a culture?

Answer 11

• Stories containing symbolic elements that express the shared emotions and ideals of a culture
  e. g. brands can play off of this, German things are well made

Question 12

What is a ritual in a culture?

Answer 12

• Set of multiple, symbolic behaviours which occur in a fixed sequence that tend to be repeated periodically

Question 13

What is a rite of passage?

Answer 13

• Special kind of ritual that involves a transition from one role to another