In order to market effectively in other countries, businesses must overcome ethnocentrism.
This is the tendency of people to view their own culture, ethics and norms as superior.
Each culture has its own set of values.
For an international business to succeed each step in conducting business needs careful preparation.
Unintended meanings:
Gestures common in one region may have differing meanings in other regions and cultures.
Differing tastes:
Depending on the product and country, there there may be the need for more or fewer adaptations.
Coca Cola tastes slightly differently depending on the country where it was bottled.
Other differences can based on religious beliefs.
Some adaptations to products are based on legal requirements.
Inappropriate branding and promotion:
There are many accounts of mistakes involving language, mistranslations and unintended meanings when businesses operate abroad.
Why did this image cause minimal sales of a baby food in some African countries?
