Belated thanks to Heidi for a great idea for a blog!

Heidi asked me to share a little about my experience being an American marketing manager responsible for planning marketing communications ?worldwide.? I?ll just start by admitting to you here and now: I?m no expert. I was thrown into the position of Worldwide Marketing Manager with little preparation. I?ll also add that ?worldwide,? in my case, doesn?t encompass every part of the world. ;-)

I?ve met lots of students in the IMC Program who are more familiar with this topic than I. And, some of them are familiar with it from the opposite point of view: being a non-American or non-English speaker who sells into the American market. But if you?re still interested, I can give some tips I?ve learned after four years:

Check Your Assumptions
I?ve been surprised ? more like astounded ? at how many of my own personal ideas about foreign countries, cultures, religions, and even languages (like what they sound like as they are spoken) come directly from television. When I think about it, I definitely realize that programs on television present an exaggerated or caricatural view of people and places. But when I don?t think about it, and I can?t compare these images and ideas to actual experience, I am in danger of thinking that all Swedish people shop at IKEA or talk like the Swedish Chef. On the bright side, people from other countries are in the same situation when they think about Americans.

Start Your Work With A Little Historical Research
I don?t mean much! When you approach working on a new culture for the first time ? even if you?re working with people from that culture or others who have plenty of experience ? make sure you have some basic literacy. Visit Wikipedia or the CIA World Factbook to understand the economy, geographic regions, religions, languages, and what?s been happening politically in your target culture over the last few decades. Trade associations offer much more in-depth information, but with even a little information, you can infer a LOT. But you still need to check your assumptions.

Familiarize Yourself with Trade Laws
Terms of Sale, Warranties, Refunds, Contests and Sweepstakes, import and export regulations, taxes, and more vary w-i-d-e-l-y by country. I?ve found that many of my plans simply can?t be exported effectively, even when they are conceived specifically for another country. It can be easy to lose money if your offers are misinterpreted by foreign governments or consumers. Unfortunately, distribution partners are only sometimes helpful in this regard. I find myself wishing that all countries would have the same laws because it would make my life easier. ;-) If your company maintains a legal department, or retains a law firm, they really need to be involved in your development process as you create the terms of a sales promotion, recycling program, or extended warranty, etc. Run it by lawyers even before you show your boss.

Make an Effort to Communicate Neutrally
Although they may not realize it, most people use slang in their daily speech. They also make references to stories, people, and places that are most famous in their own culture. This is to be avoided in cross-cultural settings because it can confuse listeners. When some people in a room do not know why others laugh, they may feel offended. Explanations may create confusion. When you speak during teleconferences and in-person meetings, avoid using uncommon English words that listeners might not know. Avoid complex sentence structure. It’s best to say important things twice. These sentences are examples of neutral communication. (side note: Everyone knows who Britney Spears is, and most people will laugh at jokes about her)

Be Firm About Your Expectations for Funding and Evaluation
Many non-American cultures are unaccustomed to formally evaluating the results of marketing promotion, especially publicly. I can understand why, because disappointing results may affect personal or corporate prestige. Yet, I find it much easier to acquire information from American or Canadian partners. When working with a foreign office of my own company, or a foreign business partner, I explain at the outset that our work will be evaluated using sales and financial data. I ask all to agree as a condition of our program. Being ?up front? is the most successful approach, but it is still sometimes not completely successful in getting me actual data (it?s always easy to get anecdotal information). I have found getting data, even from branches of your own company, is about as easy and pleasant as pulling teeth ? and it?s usually much slower ? unless you are in the same room.

Pack your Bags and Travel!
I?ve never found a better way to soak up understanding of a culture than to be there first-hand. No matter what GotoMeeting.com suggests, when you are working with people of another country, culture, and language, in-person communication (both formal meetings and informal experiences like dining or driving in a car) is a fantastic way of gaining understanding, trust, and more access to information. This is definitely the best way to hammer out agreements.

What?s that you say? Your company won?t pay to send you on fact-finding missions to new markets? LOL That?s just because they have no idea how valuable you are yet! Don?t let that stop you. Scour the web for opportunities to get to other countries (and other parts of the USA for that matter) even on your own dime. No need to stay anywhere fancy ? just get an inexpensive room and enjoy shopping, eating, reading magazines (even if you can?t read the language) and watching TV with subtitles. It?s not hard, but I?ve found it makes a MAJOR difference and it?s fun. The next time you meet a business partner from that country, you?ll be greatly advantaged because, if you?re an American, most would never expect that you?d be familiar with their culture. They?re usually overwhelmed if you can pronounce their name properly.

But Pack Light!
I know this may go without saying, but I wanted to add it anyway. Carrying stuff around makes travel difficult, especially when you need to get off the plane and go directly into a work session. You don?t want to have luggage that doesn?t fit in a taxi, small foreign car, small hotel room, or small office. And you don?t want to be exhausted from lugging it around. This is especially true if you?re going to be gone for a week or more, as is almost always the case when you?re traveling from the USA to China or Australia. Pack clothes that fold into small areas. Bring some Woolite and plan to rinse and re-wear. Empty your purse or wallet of anything extraneous. Have a slimmed-down toiletries bag ready to go at all times. Take photos instead of buying souvenirs for everyone back home. As all you seasoned travelers know, these tips make overseas travel MUCH more comfortable and allow you to soak up more of the experience.

Gender, Race, and Class

Yep, perceptions about gender, race, and class can be an impediment ? anywhere. In my experience, many other cultures are much more overt about these issues that we are in America. Let?s say, for example, you?re an unmarried woman who?s about 5?2? (ahem, that?s 1.58 meters to most people in the world) tall. Some well-intentioned colleagues may stand and kiss your cheeks every time you enter the room. They may not invite you out to certain places after the end of the business day. Some may refuse to accept your authority and seek approval elsewhere, even from your subordinates.

My advice is to take notice of it, be aware, and then get on with your business. The majority of people will come to know you as an individual, or pick up better social cues about how to treat you. Figure out who will treat you fairly and create a network of those allies. In my experience, that?s pretty much how life works in an organization anyway.

I?d really love to hear other students? tips about international/global marketing. I know you all have a lot of insight!
Heidi, was that the kind of info you wanted to hear? ;-)

Also:

?Ask April? (like ?Ask Todd?) is Open! Click ?reply to article? and ask any old thing that comes to your mind about IMC 617 and the IMC program.

– April