10.13 Standardisation
Marketing standardisation means using the same marketing mix in all world markets. Marketing adaptation, in contrast, means changing part or all of the marketing mix to fit conditions in various local markets: in brief, local responsiveness.
A globally standardised marketing mix has many advantages for an international company. If the firm has a product or service that is basically the same everywhere and its use is consistent around the world, one advertising message can convey its attributes in spite of cultural and national differences. Also, as Levitt pointed out in 1983, the efficiencies achieved by global marketing can be translated into cost savings that lead to lower prices for customers which, in turn, give the global marketer a competitive advantage.
The following products - steel, chemicals, petroleum, cement, agricultural equipment, computers, electronic instruments, pharmaceuticals and telecommunications equipment - are generally standardised, but standardisation is not confined to raw materials and high-technology products. For example, highly (although not completely) standardised consumer products such as Coca-Cola, McDonald's, Revlon cosmetics, and Levi jeans all appeal to people in widely different cultures and countries.
However, those different cultures and countries have characteristics which make it impractical to use the same marketing mix for other products: some portion of the mix must be adapted to suit local conditions. The logical precursor to adaptation is market segmentation which is discussed in the next section.
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