Important information about challenges of marketing to diverse countries

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A) Describe in detail challenges of marketing to diverse countries. Discuss what media you will use to get your message across: print, web-based, e-mail, sales calls. Additionally describe how using these techniques differ from marketing to US-based companies.

The challenges are:

1) Vast differences in culture, business practices, customs, languages, custom preferences and tastes, negotiation styles,etc.: The vast differences that exist in all these areas from country to country makes it extremely challenging for marketeers to develop customized and appropriate strategies for each individual country. Marketeers need to take into consideration the peculiar cultural sensitivity issues and other considerations before developing and implementing their marketing strategies in different countries.

2) Differences in promotion and distribution: Vast differences exist between nations in core areas of marketing, such as promotion and distribution. Due to vast differences in cultures and customs, promotion strategies need to be customized for each country as per the liking,tastes and preferences of target customers. Similarly, each country has its own unique method of distribution and the foreign owned companies need to adapt themselves and utilize those distribution channels.

3) There are legal and regulatory challenge with respect to marketing in different countries. A campaign which might be considered appropriate for one nation cannot be replicated in another nation, merely due to legal or regulatory restrictions. Thus, an international marketeer need to be aware of such legal and regulatory restrictions governing marketing.

4) It is much more difficult and challenging to ascertain the competitive environment in different countries as compared to domestic marketing. Local firms in each nation as well as other competing global players will tend to pose stiff competition in each global market.

5) Vast differences exist in terms of infrastructure,technology,etc. in different nations, which also pose difficulties to marketeers in different countries.

In order to effectively market one's product and services in diverse cultures or different countries, first of all a company like Microsoft which plans to market its remote control player to consumers all around the world, should develop an effective international marketing strategy for each nation which it plans to explore. This is necessary because each country offers a different kind of opportunity and is very different from other countries due to differences in culture, business practices, customs, customer tastes, preferences, etc. and one needs to develop customized strategies in order to tackle such challenges. Microsoft needs to develop an international marketing team within the company, possessing of people who have strong experience in working in diverse or multicultural working environment or have worked as expatriates in other countries. Such people will possess all the requisite experience that will enable to them to perform effectively in such multicultural environments in different countries.

Apart from developing an international marketing team which will represent Microsoft in different nations, the company needs to hire local professionals and marketing experts in its subsidiary or marketing offices in each nation in order to bring local marketing experience and knowledge about the local markets to the company's subsidiary in each country. The expatriates from Microsoft's global headquarters who will work in different offices around the world will work closely with their local counterparts to tap the potential of different markets. These local experts will provide a strong understanding of the peculiar characteristics of different markets, marketing strategies to be pursued as per the local trends, cultural sensitivity issues, local contacts,etc.

Further, Microsoft needs to develop a strong understanding of the customer's preferences, needs and wants in order to customize their offering for the local markets. Similarly, it needs to develop an acute understanding of the existing infrastructure, technological facilities,etc. in order to devise suitable ...