Culture Plays A Significant Role In International Marketing

Cultural awareness is a foundational concept within the context of international marketing. Companies transmit ideas and feelings about something that want to be communicated. International marketing create strategies around the world. There are certain factors that should be taken in mind before entering and competing in a foreign market; such as the meaning of words, different consumption across cultures, religion and values, social class, segmentation and linguistics expression. The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the importance of cultural awareness within the context of international marketing.

When a brand is created in the original language, some of the words definition maybe affects negatively to people in a totally different culture. Unfortunately, direct translations in many cases are difficult, because words have more than one meaning. For better understanding the following example: “Arrecha or Arrecho in Guatemala is used as a compliment, meaning “courageous, brave”. In Honduras, applied to females, the same word means a “loose woman”, Some of the Spanish-speaking island of the Caribbean, arrecha means “mad or angry” but if a woman used this expression in Honduras probably be propositioned immediately”. “In central America breasts are known vulgarly as tetas and chiches, but in Chile chiches are “charms” or “pendants”, as worn on bracelets or necklaces”.(Bennaton ,CA. 2000).

Every symbol takes on significance because of our past experience with it. Sometimes People get confused at the moment to understand gestures and symbols. “In The United States Round sign "O" made by the thumb and index finger means "okay" while the same sign in Mediterranean countries represents "zero" or "worst". In Tunisia it is understood “I’ll kill you”, and in Japan that gesture means money” (Kurtz, 2009, p. 494).

Consciously or subconsciously many of our movements relate to an attitude that culture has. In The United States also waving hand and arm up and down is a symbol for goodbye or farewell but in other countries this gesture means comes. To communicate is important to know the meaning of words, gestures and symbols. Different consumption across cultures difficult the understanding of the idea, every idea should be aimed at specific target.

According to Gabriela Duke´s Blog “When international companies break cultural barriers by expanding into new markets with their products, people begin to see threatening it to their society's cultural complex, and this is where the problems begin to develop.”. International brands leave their own essence to satisfy consumer needs according to other cultures. McDonalds in Arabian countries change completely the position of Ronald McDonalds clown. For Arabs the soles of shoes are the dirtiest and lowest part of the body what is considered rude to show it to a person. To protests, Arabs show the sole of shoes in public. Probably Products and services are not offensive, unlawful or distasteful to local nation. This includes marketing promotion and branding.

This essay argues about the influence of culture in marketing, but culture is not just about language, argots and non-verbal communication. Culture is the way of perception, beliefs and behaviors that people have in society.

The influence

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