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Part Seven Special Topics and Perspectives
Belch: Advertising and
Promotion, Sixth Edition
VII. Special Topics and
Perspectives
20. International
Advertising and Promotion
The Roles of Other Promotional Mix
Elements in International Marketing
Exhibit 20-19 WD-40 uses
product samples in various
countries to encourage trial
© The McGraw−Hill
Companies, 2003
This chapter has focused on advertising,
since it is usually the primary element
in the promotional mix of the
international marketer. However, as in
domestic marketing, promotional programs
for foreign markets generally include such other elements as sales promotion,
personal selling, public relations, and websites on the Internet. The roles of these other
promotional mix elements vary depending on the firm’s marketing and promotional
strategy in foreign markets.
Sales promotion and public relations can support and enhance advertising efforts;
the latter may also be used to create or maintain favorable images for companies in
foreign markets. For some firms, personal selling may be the most important promotional
element and advertising may play a support role. This final section considers the
roles of some of these other promotional mix elements in the international marketing
program.
Sales Promotion
Sales promotion activity in international markets is growing due in part to the transfer
of promotion concepts and techniques from country to country and in part to the proliferation
of media. The growth also stems from the liberalization of trade, the rise of
global brands, the spread of cable and satellite TV, and the deregulation and/or privatization
of media. Sales promotion and direct-response agencies have been becoming
more common, particularly in Europe and more recently in South American, Asian,
and Middle Eastern countries. In many less developed countries, spending on sales
promotion often exceeds media spending on TV, radio, and print ads. 96
As we saw in Chapter 16, sales promotion is one of the fastest-growing areas of
marketing in the United States. Companies increasingly rely on consumer- and tradeoriented
sales promotion to help sell their products in foreign markets as well. Many
of the promotional tools that are effective in the United States, such as free samples,
premiums, event sponsorships, contests, coupons, and trade promotions, are also used
in foreign markets. For example, Häagen-Dazs estimates it gave out more than 5 million
free tastings of its ice cream as part of its successful strategy for entering the
European market. Since taste is the major benefit of this premium product, sampling
was an appropriate sales promotion tool for entering foreign markets. The WD-40
Company uses samples in the United States as well as foreign markets to educate consumers
about the versatility of the product and encourage trial. The sample shown in
Exhibit 20-19, which uses the front headline “One Can. One Thousand Uses,” was
translated into 20 different languages. This makes it possible for the distributors in different
countries to use a sampling tool in their local languages.
A type of promotion that has become very popular in
foreign markets is event sponsorship. Many companies
sponsor sporting events, concerts, and other activities in
foreign countries to promote their products and enhance
corporate image. Sponsorship of sporting events has
become a cornerstone of the Coca-Cola Company’s promotional
efforts. The company is now the largest corporate
sports sponsor in the world, spending nearly $1
billion a year on global sports sponsorships. Its programs
pervade several different levels, from grassroots sponsorship
of youth sports programs to global sponsorship of
major sporting events such as the Olympic Games and
World Cup soccer. 97 A number of other multinational
companies are also involved with sponsorship of sporting
events in foreign markets. MasterCard, Canon, and
Gillette sponsor Asian soccer teams and tournaments,
while Nike sponsors the Brazilian national soccer team
that won the 2002 World Cup. Visa was an official sponsor
of the Rugby World Cup 2003 in Australia, which is one
of the world’s most popular sporting events, attracting