SPECIAL INTERNATIONAL CONSIDERATIONS

International advertising, despite its glamorous image, is tough work because it poses formidable challenges. We have already discussed the problems that language creates. Other concerns relate to laws, customs, time, inertia, resistance, rejection, and politics.

Laws and Regulations

International advertisers do not fear actual laws; they fear not knowing those laws. For example, a marketer cannot advertise on television to children under l2 in Swedenor Germany cannot advertise a restaurant chain in France, and cannot advertise at all on Sunday in Austria. In Malaysia jeans are considered to be Western and decadent, and are prohibited. A commercial can be aired in Australia only if it is shot with an Australian crew. A contest or promotion might be successful in one country and illegal in another.

Customs and Culture

Customs can be even stronger than laws. When advertising to children age 12 and over was approved in Germany, local custom was so strong that companies risked customer revolt by continuing to advertise. In many countries, naming a competitor is considered bad form Customs are often more subtle and, as a result, are easier to violate than laws. Quoting an obscure writer or poet would be risky in the United States, whose citizens would not respond to the unknown author. In Japan the audience would respect the advertiser for using the name or become embarrassed at not knowing a name they were expected to recognize. A campaign that made such a reference might irritate U.S. audiences and engage Japanese consumers.

Companies that are starting to do business in the Middle East have to learn new selling methods because the region is so devoutly religious. For example, there are major restrictions on how women are presented in advertising. Many Asian cultures emphasize relationships and context. To be effective, the advertising message must recognize this cultural difference. Many oppose the move to a global perspective because of concerns about the homogenizing of cultural differences. Marketing or cultural imperialism is a term used to describe what happens when Western culture is imposed on others, particularly cultures such as the Middle Eastern, Asian, and African cultures that are considerably different. Countries in Southeast Asia have advertising codes. Singapore has an ad code deter-mined to prevent Western influenced advertising from impairing Asian family values. Malaysia requires that all ads be produced in the country, which cuts back dramatically on the number of foreign ads seen by its public.

Time

Everything takes longer internationally--count on it. The New York business day overlaps for only 3 hours with the business day in London, for 2 hours with most of Europe, and for I hour with Greece. Normal New York business hours do  not overlap at all with those in Japan, Hong Kong, the Middle East, or Australia.

Overnight parcel service is dependable to most of Europe, and other regions, if the planes are able to take off and land. For these reasons e-mail that permits electronic file transfer and telecopy transmission are popular modes for international communication. E-mail and fax numbers have become as universal as telephone numbers on stationery and business cards in international companies.

Time is an enemy in other ways. France and Spain virtually close down in August for vacation. National holidays are also a problem. U.S. Corporation’s average l4 to l5 paid legal holidays a year. The number is more than 20 in Europe, with more than 30 in ltaly.

Inertia, Resistance, Rejection, and Politics

Inertia, resistance, rejection and politics are sometimes lumped together as "not invented here" situations. Advertising is a medium for change, and change may frighten people. Every new campaign is a change. A highly successful campaign from one country might or might not be successful in another country. (Experience suggests that the success rate in moving a winning campaign to another country is about 60 percent.) Creative directors often resist advertising that arrives from a distant headquarters rather than advertising created within the local agency. This resistance is partially the result of a very real problem in local offices of international agencies: an inability to develop a good creative team or a strong creative reputation when most of the advertising emanating from the office originates elsewhere.

Government approval of television commercials can also be difficult to secure in some countries. Standards may seem to be applied more strictly to international than to national products. Flat rejection or rejection by delay or lack of support must be anticipated with every global strategy and global campaign. The best solution is to test two ads that are both based on the global pattern advertising: a locally produced version of the advertising and an original ad. As mentioned, the global strategy usually works 60 percent of the time. If the locally produced advertising of the global strategy wins, the victory must be decisive or the costs of the variation may not be affordable. Global companies must remain flexible enough to adopt the strategy that emerges as the winner.

At times the resistance and rejection are political. These may be the result of office politics or an extension of international politics. Trying to sell a U.S. campaign in a foreign country can be difficult if relations between the two nations are strained. To overcome local resistance and build consensus companies should have frequent regional and world conferences, maintain a constant flow of communication, transfer executives, and keep their executives well informed through travel, videotapes, e-mail, teleconferences and consultation.