APPROACHES TO THE INTERNATIONAL ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN

'All business is local." This proverb should be modified to read 'Almost all transactions are local." Although advertising campaigns can be created for worldwide exposure, the advertising is intended to persuade a reader or listeners to do something buy, phone, and order. Even this will change as multi-national directmail campaigns become possible in a unified common market. Some advertisers develop tightly controlled global campaigns with minimum adaptation for local markets. Others develop local campaigns in every major market.

Centrally Controlled Campaigns

International advertising campaigns have two basic starting points: (l ) success in one country and (2) a centrally conceived strategy, a need, a new product, or a directive.

A National Success Story

A successful advertising campaign, conceived for national application, is modified for use in other countries. Wrigley, Marlboro, IBM, Waterman Pen, Seiko Watches, Philips Shavers. Procter & Gamble, Ford, Hasbro and many other companies have taken successful campaigns from one country and transplanted them around the world.

Centrally Conceived Campaign

A centrally conceived campaign was pioneered by Coca-Cola and is now used increasingly in global strategies. Although the concept is simple, the application is difficult. A work team, task force or action group assembles from around the world to present, debate, modify if necessary, and agree on a basic strategy as the foundation for the campaign.

The one word theme replaced one of the most successful ad slogans in aviation history, "Fly the Friendly Skies of united."' Some circumstances require that a central strategy be imposed even if a few countries object. Cost is a huge factor. A centralized campaign could include television, radio, newspaper, magazine, Web, outdoor advertising, and collateral extensions (brochures, mailings, handouts, take-one folders, or whatever is appropriate). The team can stay together to finish the work, or it can ask the writer or campaign developer to finish pervise the completion of the entire project.

Positioning the Global Product

Research must be conducted to identify the problems and opportunities facing the product in each of the international markets to be entered. The normal approach of conducting consumer and market analysis works well for international analysis. Emphasis should be placed on identifying local market differences to which the advertising programs must adjust. The analysis portion of the advertising plan develops the information needed for positioning the product in the foreign markets. Particularly important is a good understanding of consumer buying motives in each market. This is almost impossible to develop without locally based consumer research. If analysis reveals that consumer buying behavior and the competitive environment are the same across international markets, it may be possible to use a standardized positioning in all international markets. In exploring the international marketing opportunity for Gatorade, Quaker discovered that the active, outdoor lifestyle that created demand for sports beverages was an international, not domestic phenomenon. Starbucks' consumer research suggested that perceptions of a store such as Starbucks varied from market to market. In Japan, Starbucks was positioned as a daytime meeting place for business people and an evening place for socializing. The position of Hawaiian gores was as a place to relax, any time of the day or night.

Selecting Media for International Campaigns

Advertising practitioners can debate global theories of advertising, but one fact is inescapable: Global media do not currently exist. Television can transmit the Olympics around the globe, but no one network controls this global transmission. An advertiser seeking global exposure must deal with different networks in different countries.

Media Choices

Once the company has approved the basic global media strategy and plan the central media planner will look for regional or multinational media. If magazines are part of the plan the media buyer may purchase advertising space in Time, Newsweek' The Economist' Reader's Digest, and other magazines with international editions. The International Herald Tribune and the wall street Journal newspapers are published simultaneously in a number of major cities using satellite technology. Magazines published by international airlines for their passengers are another option Multinational satellites, such as British Satellite Broadcasting in Europe and Star in Hong Kong, also provide opportunities to place the same message before a target audience at the same time across national boundaries if the audience is targeted for a consumer product, local planning and purchase are required. This is accomplished through an international advertising agency (or international consortium of agencies) or through an international media-buying service If these two methods are not used, the media executive must execute the plan through a multitude of local, national, or regional media-buying services or advertising agencies. International media-buying services usually work effectively for smaller international companies that do not have well-developed agency relationships in each country in which they operate. Regional media-buying services, such as Carat of France, are gaining great strength in Europe.

The Global Creative Effect

Global campaigns, like domestic campaigns, require ad work that addresses the advertising objectives and reflects the product's positioning. The opportunity for standardizing the campaign exists only if the objectives and strategic position are essentially the same. The creative process requires three steps: to determine copy content, to execute the content through a central idea, and to produce the advertising. Standardizing the copy content by translating the appeal into the language of the foreign market is fraught with possible communication blunders. It is rare to find a copywriter who is fluent in both the domestic and foreign language and familiar with the culture of the foreign market. It is best if the central creative idea is universal across markets, or at least can be converted easily from market to market. Adaptation is especially important if the advertiser wants its products identified with the local market rather than as a foreign import. Advertisements may be produced centrally, in each local market, or a combination of both. With a standardized campaign, production usually is centralized and all advertisements produced simultaneously to reap production cost savings.