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.

Marketing in Everyday Life

Over spring break I took time to notice the various forms of marketing that I encounter on an everyday basis. It’s surprising to see how often marketing effects me everyday. I was looking for more than just commercials and billboards, because at this point I think I’m relatively aware of that. This exercise was a good reminder of the important role that marketing plays in all of our lives.

One day over spring break a song came on the radio, and my friends and I all remembered the commercial that the song had played in. We talked about the commercial for a while once we had remembered it, and I realized that this must happen to a lot of people when they hear that song. That’s advertising that the company is not even paying for. Another day over break my friends and I were walking and we saw a man wearing a red shirt and yellow pants, and my friend said “that makes me think of McDonalds,” and we then proceeded to have a short conversation about McDonalds. On another occasion, my sister and I went into a Dunkin Donuts, and she commented on the remodeling of the Dunking Donuts, and how she had liked it. She then proceeded to compare it to Starbucks, saying that she still liked the atmosphere of Starbucks better, and didn’t care that the coffee was a little more expensive there.

One night, one of my friends was using my Essie nail polish and said that the reason she liked that particular brand was because the bottle was square shaped, and that it seemed cooler than the other kinds of nail polish. The company Essie has been very successful with branding and differentiation, and there success can be summed up with what my friend had said about their bottle- they are different, and it does make them seem cooler. Their nail polish does stand out.

One night over break I went out for desert at a place called “Plum Dandy, Cookies and Milk." They sell exactly what their name says they do, cookies and milk.  As my friend Lindsey and I sat there eating cookies, she began a conversation about whether or not the store will be a successful business, and whether or not they have marketed themselves successfully. She said that she thought it was a cool “niche” market, and that in a city like Saratoga Springs they might do well. Plus, Plum Dandy already has a successful frozen yogurt shop to advertise it’s new cookie shop in.

The city of Saratoga Springs is looking to build a 10-mile loop bike path around the entire city called the Greenbelt Trail. I was interested in getting involved with the project, so I went to the informational meeting last week. I spoke with the people working on the project and one of the first things they said they needed help with was marketing the new idea.

It’s clear that marketing is everywhere. In just one week I’ve encountered so many perfect examples of marketing. I couldn't believe how many times the conversations I had with my friends centered around topics that could have been in my marketing text book. 

Uses of Marketing

We often think about marketing as a tool used by large companies and corporations. We think about the companies that spend millions of dollars on market research to figuring out the most effective ways to reach their target audience. But not every marketing campaign needs an advertisement agency behind it. Marketing can be used as a great tool for many grassroots movements, community organizations and non-profits as well. The strategies may be slightly different, but a lot of the same principles apply.

My hometown of Saratoga Springs, New York has been selected as a potential location for one of the Las Vegas style casinos that the state senator has planned to build. With the racetrack already an essential part of Saratoga, and gambling already integrated into the community, it’s more than likely that Saratoga will be chosen as the site for the casino. However, there’s one small problem with this scenario- the majority of the Saratoga Springs residents don’t want the casino.

When I left to go abroad in August of 2013, there wasn’t much talk about the casino. However, when I returned home that December the movement had grown dramatically. The organization opposing the casino is called SAVE Saratoga. My parents have gotten very involved in with SAVE Saratoga. SAVE uses a variety of strategies to get their message out to people. They have signs up around town; we have a sign in our front yard opposing the casino. They have a Facebook page that has 1,052 likes, and they have a twitter account. One of my friend’s parents even wrote a song about the issue. They made a video to go along with the song which they’ve posted on their Facebook page.

Marketing to small communities is different than reaching consumers across the country. It can be much more personal. You’re also reaching out to a much smaller audience. I’ve seen members of the SAVE group walking around downtown Saratoga Springs collecting signatures and informing people about the issues. This is a great way to get your message to people.

SAVE Saratoga has a very strong website. It’s organized and to the point. It gives you the facts, tells you what you can do, and how you can donate. The web page is well designed, and they’ve posted links to their Facebook and twitter accounts on the bottom of the page.

This community organization has clearly been making great use of the marketing tools that are available to them. They have made themselves a very well known presence within the community and have started to receive national attention for their resistance to the casino. In January, an article was published in the New York Times written about the opposition to the casino.

The principles that we learn in marketing can be applied to a variety of issues. As I was searching through internships last week I saw an internship posted about marketing electric cars. The main purpose of the internship was to reach out to the community to raise awareness about electric cars. I love the idea of using the principles that I’m learning in marketing in these ways.

Social Media and Marketing

Social media has revolutionized marketing. It has allowed customers to have a more interactive relationship with their favorite brands. Customer interactions with companies on social media are starting to become more useful for marketers than the traditional form of advertisements. In 2012, 59% of marketers planned to increase their spending on social media marketing.

Social media has changed the way that customers and companies interact with each other. It allows customers to reach out to the brands that they care about and develop a stronger relationship with them. People can like companies on Facebook, or follow them on Instagram and twitter. People feel like they have a much closer connection to the brand; and as a result people generally develop a higher brand loyalty. Social media also presents an opportunity for companies to monitor their popularity, and gives them new ways to market their products.

Companies have begun to take advantage of their followers on social media. It’s a great way for them to promote their company’s values, and position their company however they want. Many companies use social media to strengthen the image that that they’ve created for their company to go along with their products.

I was particularly interested in how companies were using Instagram to market themselves to customers. I only follow one company on Instagram- Patagonia. I never go out of my way to follow companies on social media. Patagonia is the only a company that I’ve ever followed on social media. I’ve never “liked” a company on Facebook before. However, Patagonia made their Instagram page very appealing to me. I already like the Patagonia brand, and I have purchased their products in the past, however I never would have considered myself a “loyal consumer,” until recently. After exploring their Instagram page, I realized that I really enjoyed looking at the images that they posted, and the stories that they post with each image. I don’t feel as though I’m being advertised to when I look at their posts on Instagram, and yet this is exactly what they were doing to me and their 353,000 other followers. I think that that demonstrates a very successful marketing campaign.

Falling victim to the successful marketing strategies of Patagonia prompted me to explore various other companies to see what they were doing on Instagram to get people to follow them.   Starbucks was very active on Instagram- they have 2.1 million followers. They post a lot of images of coffee. Every picture looks very artistic. It fits very well with their brand. Their Instagram allows their loyal customers to feel even closer to the company. Looking at the images makes you want to have the experience that they’re showing. They make the images look cozy, and trendy, and desirable.

Companies aren’t necessarily using Instagram pictures to market their products in the traditional way that we’re used to. They’re marketing an experience, and the lifestyle that comes along with it. Patagonia and Starbucks really stood out to me because as I was scrolling through their images, there was nothing on the pages that appeared to be “traditional” advertising. It was really clever. Patagonia wants to demonstrate the fun outdoor lifestyle that you can have with them. And after looking through Starbuck’s page, I found myself wanting to go to Starbucks to buy a cup of coffee. Which of course, is exactly what they want.

It Pays to Be Green

We’re beginning to see a significant growth in the field of sustainable business practices and corporate social responsibility. We learned that some companies, like Disney, began incorporating a few sustainable business practices many years before they realized they could “market” them in the early 2000s.  However, today businesses are increasing their environmentally friendly practices as a way to enhance their brand reputation.

Companies realized that it does pay to be green. There are 4 forces that make a company go green; regulatory compliance, stakeholder pressure, economic motives, and ethical concerns.  It’s also true now that poor environmental performance can ruin a company’s relationship with its stakeholders. Stakeholders want to see that companies are aware of the importance of climate change. Companies are suggested to measure their carbon footprint in order to send a signal to stakeholder’s that they are very serious about the their environmental performance.

It can be very beneficial for a company to promote itself as an environmental company. Nine years after Disney strengthened their environmental policies; their revenues are continuing to increase. Disney has played a leadership role in the field of sustainability. It has taken on numerous environmental problems throughout many aspects of their business. They have made games into some of their environmental initiatives in order to promote their programs, and have focused on youth education.  They have turned recycling into a competition and they also turned biking to work into a competition.

This creates a new field of marketing. When working in the field of corporate social responsibility, you’re essentially working to market your environmental achievements. This is a great opportunity for environmental change because it comes within the company. Companies are beginning to compete for better environmental policies. There always seems to be a debate about whether or not it’s a good thing that companies doing corporate social responsibility just to enhance their reputation. However, I think that as long as companies are doing positive things in the field of corporate social responsibility it shouldn’t matter whether or not they’re doing it just for the brand enhancement. They are a business, after all, and they are going to do whatever is profitable.

It’s clear that Disney has been able to achieve a lot of good things: they’ve collected cooking oil for biofuel, wasted no food because of their composting efforts, saved millions of gallons of water through water reduction efforts, set up huge recycling initiatives, reduced their energy use, and began promoting cycling. Other companies have made similar accomplishments in the field, though many not as notable. Imagine what it would be like if every company made this much progress in the field of the environment.

Another benefit from this form of marketing is that they’re marketing the environmentally friendly mindset. Especially when you look at Disney’s campaign which focused on an outreach to kids in order to educate them about the issues. Regardless of the strategy, it’s beneficial for people to be constantly reminded of the importance of a more environmentally friendly approach.