Marketing‐Mix Standardisation: An Integrated Approach in Global Marketing

Abstract

This article shows the importance of marketing‐mix standardisation within a global marketing concept. A frame of analysis is described that can aid enterprises to decide whether global marketing can support their company in working out competitive advantages. The first analysis step is concerned with the question of whether marketing‐mix standardisation is important for the branch or the market of the company in question. This is oriented to strategic factors of success. The aim of the second analysis step is to find out in which ways marketing‐mix standardisation can be practised by one specific company. In this context a standardisation‐oriented segmentation concept is discussed.

Global markets: does psychic distance matter?

“…For instance, the availability of refrigerators is essential for the sale of frozen foods. Similarly, the sale of technologically complex products may rest on the availability of back-up service to handle and maintain them (Jain, 1989;Shoham, 1999;Walters, 1989;Baalbaki and Malhotra, 1993;Kreutzer, 1988). Consequently, the degree of product adaptation is expected to be positively related to the manager's perception of the differences that exist between the home and foreign market.…”

Influences of Firm Characteristics and the Host Country Environment on the Degree of Foreign Market Involvement

“…Other 양udi，앓 (e.g. Kreutzer, 1988;Sarniee and Roth, 1992) provide further insi양1tS into the methods of applying the mark>εting mix standardisation strategy to achieve market leadership position in intemational markets. From what could be inf앙Ted from the literature, the following hypothesis is proffered:…”

Global market segmentation: Methodologies and challenges

“…An alternative method suggested is to "directly aggregate individuals in all the qualified countries into segments". Kreutzer (1988) outlines a similar method where country clustering is only the first step in a hierarchical process. This allows for the separation of target markets from all other countries using a number of economic, political, cultural and technological criteria.…”