Where a new brand is trying to advertise in a market in which that product category is undeveloped, the advertising task is all about creating a need. Where an established brand is trying to advertise in an underdeveloped market, the task is to sustain loyalty by reinforcing what the brand is about. If a market for a product is developed, then advertising for new brands must create a unique reason to believe, whilst for established brands in developed markets, the task is to sustain loyalty via emotional reinforcement. The Millward Brown data shows that advertising created to meet the needs of one of these 4 situations described above might have difficulty moving into a country whose market context or brand life-stage is not the same.

There are some true cultural differences which cause ads to fail when they try to cross borders, but these differences are less than usually imagined, and usually fall into one of two categories:

• Where the creative idea is culturally specific. For example, a recent execution copy-tested by MB was designed to convey refreshment using a divining rod as the creative device. It worked in many countries, but not in Thailand where divining rods do not exist.
  
• Where the society as a whole reacts differently. For example, an emotional ad for Lycra showing sexy underwear worked very well in Italy, but failed to strike any resonance with UK audiences.