Americanization

Have you even traveled abroad and noticed which brands you see in other countries? Some companies have taken advantage of the global marketplace by entering the foreign market. Once these companies leave the domestic market they become known as global firms. There are many advantages of entering the global marketing place, however not all companies are able to do this.

A company needs to be very careful about entering an international market. There are things they must think about. They need to look at the global marketplace as a whole, then they need to think about which markets to enter, they need to decide on a marketing program, and they need to decide on a marketing organization. They also need to evaluate the economic environment of the market they are about to enter. Some economies are sustenance economies, others are raw materials exporting economies, emerging economies, and emerging economies.

Companies also need to think about the political and cultural environment of the country they are planning to enter. The company may not be prepared to work with the cultural differences that they are met with and must therefore learn to adapt to those differences.  In some cultures it is custom to bring a gift to a business meeting, and a businessperson would need to know this.

Not all companies need to enter the foreign market to survive, but some do. One reason that a company might need to enter an international market is if global competitors attack the companies home market by offering lower prices, or better products. However, some might just enter the international market because it’s an opportunity for growth.

When I think about the American companies that I’ve see abroad, I immediately think about coca cola, McDonald’s, and Starbucks. I’ve seen these stores everywhere that I’ve traveled, and I usually try to avoid them because I know that I wouldn’t have needed to leave the U.S to get a coffee from Starbucks or French fries from McDonalds. 

I know that companies are supposed to be operating in a global marketplace, but it’s interesting to think about how “Americanized” the world has become. You don’t see too many companies from other countries in the U.S, and their influence over our culture is definitely not as strong as the American influence is over other cultures. I wonder what people from other counties think about this?  Do they like to see McDonalds stores on the corner on the streets in Rome, London and Paris? I also wonder how the U.S was able to be so successful in the global marketplace. It would seem that certain U.S companies have been incredibly successful since they are recognized worldwide.

I wonder if this success is only temporary success for U.S companies. Will another county begin to show more success in the global marketplace? Will we become more familiar with Chinese brands in 20 years? There is a lot of potential for change in the global marketplace because new companies always have the potential to enter.