Abstract
The primary goal of this paper is to draw attention to aspects that are related to culture that should be considered by international companies during the development of marketing strategies. It is imperative to note that the influence of such factors as traditions and beliefs is significant in most cases and should not be overlooked.
Introduction
It is necessary to say the role of culture in marketing has been actively discussed by economists over the last few years. The importance of such aspects should be taken into account by enterprises, but the resources that are spent on research should be reasonable, and it is necessary to invest in activities that have potential (Fields, 2014).
Culture is Not Inherited
It is paramount to understand that traditions and the way the world is perceived by an individual are formed over the years, and the impact of surrounding and environment is tremendous. It is imperative to note that it is quite evident that the behavior of customers is influenced by traditions of a particular region. For example, the aspects that are valued by people of different cultures in a product or an advertisement are dramatically different most of the time (LaPlante, 2005).
Culture is Static
It is imperative to say that the understanding of this aspect is essential for every single international company because it should be noted that the culture cannot be affected by external forces (Gaspar, Arreola-Risa, Bierman, Hise, & Kolari, 2013).
Corporations should accept this situation and take necessary measures to make sure that the needs of a particular market are considered during the development of strategies. The fact that culture does not change frequently is quite important. For example, an enterprise may understand that it is not necessary to make additional investments, and the similar approaches can be applied in different situations.
Importance of Various Aspects of Culture
The issue is that some symbols or behavior may be perceived as inappropriate by many individuals, and it may hurt the image of the company. It needs to be said that the levels of importance of some factors that are related to culture differ from one region to another. For example, religion is viewed as the most significant factor in some parts of the world, and moral aspects are dominating in others. Some companies may have to develop a new advertisement that is aimed at a particular culture because of differences in culture and traditions.
Cultural Environment in Foreign Markets
It needs to be said that language should be viewed as one of the core elements during the development of a business strategy. The company that takes cultural aspects into consideration may gain significant advantages over the competitors in most cases, and long-term relationships with customers also may be established.
Another aspect that should not be disregarded is that it is entirely possible that the competition in a particular segment may be significant. Local companies have several advantages because they do not have to deal with the lack of information. It is imperative to say that marketing for several cultures that have various similarities at once can be viewed as extremely efficient because resources are used efficiently. For example, same advertisements can be used in countries that share the same language.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is paramount to say that the role of culture in marketing should not be overlooked. It can be seen that enterprises that take aspects that are related to culture are incredibly profitable in most cases.
References
Fields, R. (2014). Culture as competitive advantage for marketers. Web.
Gaspar, J., Arreola-Risa, A., Bierman, L., Hise, R., & Kolari, J. (2013). Introduction to global business: understanding the international environment & global business functions. Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.
LaPlante, A. (2005). When does culture matter in marketing?. Web.