International and Domestic Marketing Comparison Paper: India and the United States

International and Domestic Marketing Comparison Paper:

India and the United States

Introduction

Nations, like the people who inhabit them, are all different. Some, like the United States, are at the forefront of technology and development. Others exist as third world nations, where even the most basic necessities are hard to come by. And then there are those which are in the middle, such as India. In the past 20 years, India has grown in the eyes of the global community from a rural, developing nation to a burgeoning global marketing hub. While India had much guidance from the United States and other global powers, the country has still chosen to follow its own path of business and marketing development. This paper is designed to evaluate India’s current marketing environment in comparison with the marketing environment here in the US, citing both nation’s similarities and differences.

India’s Marketing Strategy

India is a nation that is on the move towards becoming one of the leaders in the global economy. While the country still has a long way to go, it is making significant strides towards competition with nations such as the United States and England. Indian leaders have been moving towards “a five-point agenda that includes improving the investment climate; developing a comprehensive WTO strategy; reforming agriculture, food processing, and small-scale industry; eliminating red tape; and instituting better corporate governance” (Cateora & Graham p. 56, 2007). These steps are geared to begin India’s transformation from a third world nation into a global economic leader. The current marketing environment in India is in transition, with both similarities and differences in comparison to the marketing environment in the US.

Culture

The first and likely most complex influence on both nations’ marketing is culture. A country’s culture is a mesh of a people’s beliefs, values, societal institutions, religions, laws, and attitudes, among others. In the United States, culture is quite blended, with a multitude of different races, religions, and values all existing together. The US does not have a deep rooted sense of tradition, likely due to the fact that it is a young nation comparatively, and that it is made up of immigrants from many different nations. What the US does hold at the heart of its culture is capitalism and individualism. Americans tend to reward individual efforts rather than the efforts of a group, which has a significant impact on our society (Cateora & Graham, 2007). This aspect translates into our marketing, and can be seen in advertising and in business practices, where the underlying focus is usually on competition and individualism.

In comparison, India is a nation that is rich in history and culture. Like the US, India has a mesh of different races, languages, and cultural beliefs. Yet unlike the US, India’s people have a long history which influences their culture. The nation has taken full advantage of the technology boom, and has embraced the commercial lifestyle that has taken hold in the 21st century. Yet there is still a divide between the modern urban culture and the rural culture in India, where agricultural dominance is prevalent (Merchant, 1999). The distinguishable thing about India however, is the fact that the younger, up-and-coming generation is embracing consumerism and technological advancement. The willingness for India to become a capitalistic society has helped shoot the nation into the forefront of global commerce. Many American companies, such as IBM and Google, are penetrating the market and enjoying much success (Prasso, 2007). As a result, India has welcomed and embraced many aspects of American business and marketing.

Direct Marketing

Direct marketing in India has been advancing over the past 20 years, due to improvements in custom and import duties, and personal and corporate taxes. Yet the nation has embraced direct marketing in a much different way, compared to the US. In the United States, direct marketing is dominated by TV and radio ads. Yet in India, television ads are virtually nonexistent. Instead, email marketing is becoming much more common. As well, the US relies heavily on mail order catalogues, yet in India, online catalogues are the mainstay, as internet shopping holds a huge part of the market share (Precision Marketing, 2007). Additionally, “the costs of sending an email are miniscule compared to direct mail, so most marketers are spending a lot of time and effort capturing email addresses or directing prospects and customers to their website” (Precision Marketing ¶ 4, 2007). In comparison, some traditional American forms of