Where Have all the Borders Gone?

The key issues facing marketers in their search for globalisation are discussed in the latest edition of MarketLoop from Through the Loop Consulting.

However much international marketing has been portrayed as the new imperialism, the fact remains that there is an inevitability about globalisation. The key question is how international marketing strategies can be optimised within this scenario. For example, there are now many indications that going international is about being a "local" marketer but in a large number of countries.

Within all this, an intimate understanding of the consumer is crucial. In the global economy there are no borders, so the focus of "local" activity should perhaps be towards the identification of global consumer groups that share common values, beliefs and product usage patterns, not just marketing in one country. For example, consumers living in major urban areas may have more in common with each other than those living elsewhere in the same country.

New distribution and communications channels have already removed many traditional world borders for consumers, making it increasingly difficult for marketers to maintain purely local brands. A launch in one country is instantly visible - and accessible - from another. But this can also be seen to offer huge opportunities.

For further information contact Martin Payne at Through the Loop Consulting on +44 20 8334 6300 or email martin@throughtheloop.com

All articles 2006-22 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas unless otherwise stated.

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