Second Chances

Dear Reader,

I am giving blogger a second chance. I wrote this amazing marketing entry and the jerks somehow posted a ‘blank’ post.

Let me just say that this post will not be as eloquent as my first attempt. (I was so contemplating becoming an academic writer after that entry, I could visualise writing my thesis)

But, before I forget!!
***
Happy Birthday Chris!! Thanks so much for the bracelet! (He bought me a bracelet on his bday! So selfless!) I had lunch with the bday boy, studied in the library. After I went to dinner with Yeen, Gin Nah, and Gin Nah’s sister Lin Dah. Lots of laughter. A much needed break.
***

In marketing we are always taught, Think Global Act Local. Implying that we think big, do business globally, when we go global, we localise our product/service offerings, localise our brand image and personality. It is a conflicting objective. Think global – to achieve economies of scale and be more cost competitive. Act local – tweak products as a response to local tastes.

In Bangkok, on a huge yellow board (outside Chula U), in strong black font, there is a sign “THINK LOCAL ACT GLOBAL”

I saw this sign 2 years back, sighed, and made a mental note. T-I-T. (This – Is- Thailand)

Today, I came across an excellent piece of marketing literature.
Global Marketing and Advertising: Understanding Cultural Paradoxes. By M. Mooji.
This woman is an amazing writer, with amazing insight.

Marketers are humans. And humans’ ideas, actions, motivations, beliefs, are all culturally bound. Therefore, marketers will think local, because cultural values determine the way humans think and behave. Therefore, it goes against our natural way of life to think global. We think local. We can act global, through our strategies and implementation of those strategies.

(Wow that was so crass. My other article was much better…I’m bitter)

Now, we are taught that the global village is shrinking, our tastes, expectations are all converging. Thus, as marketers, our job is to find commonalities that transcend borders. Global marketing implies thinking of an idea that will be accepted globally, and using one standardise marketing campaign to get the product/service sold.

The problem is, this one standardised campaign is based on your culture. (as it is your idea, and your ideas are affected by your culture). Often marketers are only concerned about standardising the stimulus, and they often neglect to understand the response.

In today’s world, we consumers face information overload. Our selecting mechanisms are working overdrive. Thus, we tend to notice marketing campaigns that we can identify ourselves with, that adhere to our values. The result is the overall decline in advertising effectiveness.

Think of Starbucks, and google. Have they built their brands based on advertising? Close your eyes, can you remember a Starbucks commercial? Ad? These companies are turning to other promotional tools such as Public Relations, the Internet, and social marketing tools (blogs!!!)

The often quoted ‘converging’ segments are the global teens and global elitist. Today, teenagers are listening to the same music (I think Emo and Hiphop are in right?), and they are buying into the same fashion trends. Elitist demand high-end brands, they want top quality and will pay top dollar for it.

The global teen segment implies that a Singaporean teen has more in common with an American teen than s/he has with a Singaporean adult. Similarly, the global elitist segment implies that a rich Indonesian has more in common with a rich Dane than s/he does with a middle-class Indonesian. Is this really the case?

Teenage years, in general are the most rebellious years (believe me, I’ve gone through it. 8 ear piercings.), teenagers grow into adults and then fall back into the culture-line. Commonalities may exist, i.e. commonalities in terms of demands. But the motivations for buying, the usage of the product, and the value systems of the customers differ.

Two teenagers living in their respective countries, one American and one Jap, both buy a Gwen Stefani CD. There is your commonality. Do they have anything else in common? How about the reason they like Gwen Stefani? The American may like her because No Doubt was awesome. The Jap may like her because Stefani is deeply in love with Japanese culture. (Or…they can like her because her music is good…but common…it’s not that spectacular)

If you and I both are Harry Potter fans, if we have the same cellphone (God help anyone who still is using K500i Sony.), and/or we both drive Hondas, does that imply that we share the same value system?
Needs may be universal, but attitudes, motivations and expressions of these needs vary.

This is a much shittier entry.
I am still bitter.
Your resident insomniac,
Stacy

PS. I came back to write this again, partially because there would be no point to ever rewrite this entry after tonight because TOMORROW IS MY LAST EXAM!!!!! (Means I am a degree holder!! 7 bloody years!!) And partially for Maurice. Denise asks me why I do so much for him. I have no idea. Going to miss studying with him as it’s the only time he talks to me. Like I tell everyone, when it comes to Maurice, I take whatever I can. (very unlike me). And yes you are reading, and yes you are right. Superguilt trip. But I’m not lying, I don’t lie. And I don’t like to be wrong. The questions will come up. We’ll do fine.