You will choose a product or service, either from the U.S., another country or part of
another country, and justify/develop and implement a marketing plan. It is your task
to fully understand this product/service and market it to a country, part of a country
(market segment), or a geographical region that may consist of many countries or
parts thereof.
The intended audience of your International Marketing Plan are the top decisionmakers at the hypothetical client company that has requested your team's
international marketing expertise. Think in terms of providing consulting services to
assist the firm in entering or expanding their business/product/service in a foreign
market.
In your target market section, please include a Business Environment Analysis,
Nature and Extent of Demand, PLC stage, and Structure of the industry in the
destination market, etc. Your analysis should be ‘analytical’ rather than purely
descriptive. In writing your international marketing plan be sure to discuss how each
of the sections is relevant to your product. For example, per capita GNP, how is that
relevant to your product? Diffuse population how does that impact your product?
High inflation how does that affect your plan? How does an urban based population
affect your product strategy? When you recommend strategies (including entry
strategy, objectives, STP, and 4Ps) they should be actionable and feasible rather
than pie-in-the-sky ideas. Justifications should be given. In your projected results
please address your budget, Implementation, and control. This section should
contain assumptions, a realistic forecast (including at minimum the target market in #
of customers, dollar (or other currency) amount sold, gross profit, and units sold)
based on research, and a basic break-even analysis.
The following is a basic skeleton for your written project:
I Introduction
a. Purpose
b. Explanation of project
II. Proposed Target Market (Country or Region)
a. Political Environment
b. Legal Environment
c. Culture
d. Target Market (people, institutions, etc.)
III. The Four P’s *
a. Product/Service
1. Product
2. Branding
3. Packaging
b. Price
1. Currencies and Foreign Exchange
2. Counter trade, etc.
c. Promotion
1. Personal Selling
2. Advertising
3. Sales Promotions
4. Public Relations
d. Place/Distribution
1. Channel Members
i. Selection
ii. Securing
2. Logistics
i. Import/export documentation
IV. Projected Results **
a. Market Share
b. Profitability
c. Product/Service Awareness
Notes:
* If some of these items are not relevant than your paper must explain why.
Justification for what you say is paramount. All materials and conversations
must be referenced with dates, times, as well as e-mail and phone numbers.
Please use the style sheet for referencing from the Journal of Marketing.
** The majority of your report should be weighted here. Remember that the
paper must have goals or objectives and you need to convince the client
firm decision-makers that you can make an adequate ROI (See current
interests rates and add at least 5%) in some time period.
This outline should only be used as a guide and will change depending upon the
problems you encounter with your product. However, you should incorporate the
headings as much as possible in your paper. Remember that this project should be
treated as reality. In other words, the expectation would be for the client company to
be able to actually implement your strategy. In addition, no minimum page limit is set
on this project. The use of diagrams, charts, graphs, etc., is encouraged; however,
under no circumstances will cut and paste graphs, charts, etc., be acceptable. Read
that last sentence again! Students must adapt published charts and graphs to their
own purposes and draft them up for themselves to fit the needs of the specific
project.
To help you understand the grading procedures for the project, the following will be
used:
Grammar and sentence structure: 1 letter grade.
Poorly referenced works: 1 letter grade.
Any type of plagiarism (i.e., copying text without proper referencing of origin):
automatic F.
Boiler plate and padding of reports with unnecessary or inconsequential
material. For example, including the history of the founder or company in 30
pages with the remaining 15 explaining the rest of the project: 1 letter grade.
Useful web sites include:
http://globaledge.msu.edu/index.asp
www.export.gov
http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/index.html
http://www.ibrc.business.ku.edu/
www.eiu.com
www.beri.com
www.prsgroup.com
http://www.imf.org
Africa Links
http://www.anth.ucalgary.ca/afstgp/Links.html
The University of Calgary Anthropology Department offers various links to websites
that provide information and maps of Africa.
Culture Canada http://www.culturecanada.gc.ca/index_e.cfm
This is a collection of information on history, language, music, media, people and
many other aspects of Canadian culture.
Adminet Resource on Western Europe
http://www.adminet.com/westeur/
This site contains links on the various countries of Western Europe on topics that
range from art to business.
New American Studies Web
http://www.treas.gov/offices/enforcement/ofac/map/eolinks.shtml
This site is a comprehensive resource for researching culture in the United States.
World Values Survey http://wvs.isr.umich.edu/
This site provides a description of the cross-national World Values Survey, summary
tables of findings, and references to more in-depth country- or regional-specific
papers.
UNESCO Cultural Policy Resources
http://www.unesco.org/culture/worldreport/html_eng/tables2.shtml
This site includes information on languages, religions, media usage and cultural
trade.
Infonation
http://www.unesco.org/culture/worldreport/html_eng/tables2.shtml
This United Nations site has information on urbanization and technology.
UNESCO World Education Indicators
http://www.uis.unesco.org/en/stats/statistics/indicators/indic0.htm
Law Library of Congress
http://www.loc.gov/law/guide/guideindex.html --> This site has links to information
about different national laws that are organized by country.
Export.gov's Trade Development Web Site
http://www.ita.doc.gov/td/td_home/tdhome.html
Choosing your assigned industry on this web site will lead you to links to government
reports and other research pertinent to your product's industry.
PriceWaterhouseCoopers Industry Reports
http://www.pwcglobal.com/gx/eng/about/ind/index.html
This site provides analyst reports on a wide variety of industrial sectors. Select your
industry at the left; this will generate a list of pertinent reports.
Hoover's Online http://www.hoovers.com/
Hoover's provides company overviews and analyst reports on specific companies.
Analyst reports are available for a fee. Check with your librarian to see if your library
subscribes to this service
Kompass
http://www1.kompass.com/kinl/index.html
Kompass provides product, contact and other information for 1.8 million companies
worldwide, representing more than 52,000 products and services. Partial listings are
available for free and will give you some company names to search further for on the
Internet.
Wright Investors' Service Corporate Information
http://www.corporateinformation.com/
This site provides company and industry profiles and reports; it is especially strong in
international company information. Free registration allows access to more detailed
reports.
European Business Directory
http://www.europages.net/
The European Business Directory database includes over 500,000 European
companies in 30 European countries. Searches yield basic profile information, web
site links and other contact information for each company.
Canada's Business and Consumer Site
http://strategis.ic.gc.ca/sc_coinf/engdoc/homepage.html
This site offers detailed information on Canada's business environment and
Canadian companies and includes searchable business directories, industry reports,
and trade, investment and other economic data. Under "trade and investment" you
can also select a foreign country and create a customized market report.
Amazon.com http://www.amazon.com
Using search terms like "international marketing research" and "cross-cultural
marketing", identify print resources that might be useful for understanding countryand culture-specific issues for marketing research in your target country.
Amazon.com often offers a short description of each resource - in some cases you
can even peruse the table of contents, the front cover flap text and/or the back cover
text. You can also peruse reviews posted by people who have read the resource. If
you find resources that look useful you can purchase the item on the web site or take
the reference and search for the resource in your library catalog.
Survey Sampling International's World Opinion Web Site
http://www.worldopinion.com/
This information-packed web site is a great introduction to the market research
industry. On this site, you can read breaking news pertinent to the industry and
browse through the classified ads to learn about open marketing research positions.
The directory of market research suppliers is strong for identifying local and global
market research companies. Under the "talk" section, you can search the archives of
the chat room for postings related to your country and/or product. You can also post
an entry yourself! The "periodicals" section provides numerous links to market
research materials on the Internet. Under "reference", the "World Opinion Bookstore"
link allows you to search for market research-related print sources. In the "index"
portion of the "references" section, you can also select "research profiles" and
"interviews with leading researchers" to learn more about market research
companies of interest.
World Values Survey http://wvs.isr.umich.edu/
This site provides a description of the cross-national World Values Survey, summary
tables of findings, and references to more in-depth country- or regional-specific
papers.
World Trade Organization - Regional Trade Associations
http://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/region_e/region_e.htm
International Marketing Plan Outline
IMPORTANT NOTE: this is a "generic" suggestion and not dedigned to fit any
specific company, situation, product, market, etc.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY — prepare a single-spaced, 2-page (maximum) summary of
the major points of your marketing plan and place it at the front of the document
I.
INTRODUCTION — introduce the product to be marketed in your country and
briefly explain your rationale for choosing this product
II.
CULTURAL ANALYSIS — thoroughly describe the country in which your
product is to be marketed, selecting pieces of information that show how or
why your product is suitable to the country’s culture.
You may or may NOT include all of the following pieces of information:
Geographical Setting
Location
Climate
Typography
Country’s relevant history and/or recent events
Description of Political System
Political Structure and Parties
Stability of Government
Population and Demographics
Total Population Size
Growth rate
Birthrates
Distribution of Population (by)
Age
Sex
Races or Ethnicities
Geographic locale (urban, rural)
Economic Statistics and Descriptions
Gross National Product (GNP)
Total
Rate of Growth in real GNP
Personal Income Per Capita
Average Family Income
Distribution of income (by)
Income or Social classes
Proportion of population in each class
Is the distribution distorted?
Inflation Rate
Government Social Programs
Social Security
Health Care
Labor Force
Size
Unemployment Rate
Typical Working Conditions
Principal Industries
Portion of GNP contributed by various major industries
Ratio of private to publicly-owned businesses
Foreign Investment
Rate of
Which industries?
Types of Minerals and Resources
Transportation — Modes and Availability
Communication Systems —Modes, Availability, and Usage Rates
International Trade Statistics
Major Exports — Dollar Value and Trends
Major Imports — Dollar Values and Trends
Balance-of-Payments (Surplus or Deficit?)
Currency strength and stability and current rate of exchange
General Trade Restrictions and discussion of trade environment
Tariffs, Quotas, License Fees, Import Taxes, etc.
Memberships (WTO, Trade blocs, NATO, UN, etc.)
Description of Religion and Its Impact on Daily Life
Prominent religions
Membership size and power
Language
Official languages
Dialects
Description of Daily Life and Lifestyles
Male/Female Roles in Society
Typical and popular foods available and meat/vegetable consumption rates
Types of housing available (single-family, multi-family, etc.)
Do most people own or rent?
Recreation/sports/and leisure activities
Types available and in demand
Percent of income spent on such activities
Impact of Technology (Available technologies and skill level of the general
population and labor force)
Availability and Impact of Media —
within a country.
this section reports data on all media available
Later you will select specific media from among these as part of the
promotional mix strategy for your product.
Availability of Media
Availability of agency assistance
Percentage of population reached by each medium
Availability of Channels of Distribution —
this section reports data on all channel
middlemen available within the country. Later you will select specific
channels as part of your distribution strategy.
Retailers — number and typical size (small or large) of retail outlets/role of
chain stores, department stores, and specialty stores
Wholesalers — number and typical size/cash or credit operators?
Other types of available agents or intermediaries
III. COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS — this section describes the competitive situation
facing you in your focal country.
Compare and contrast your product with competitors’ products
Competitive brands available in the market
Features
Packaging
Pricing
Promotion and advertising methods used
Relative market shares and strengths enjoyed in the market
Estimated industry-wide sales (or volume) for year—all brands
Market Conditions Faced
Forms of available transportation and communication in the region
Consumer buying habits — product feature preferences, use patterns, and
shopping patterns
Distribution of similar or competitive products—typical retail outlets used and
sales by other middlemen
Advertising and Promotion
Media that can be used to reach target market
Sales promotions customarily used in this product category (samples,
coupons, etc.)
Pricing — customary markups and types of discounts available for this kind of
product
IV.
MARKETING PLAN
Describe the target market(s) in which the product is to be sold
Geographic region(s); demographics, lifestyles, etc.
Your Product
Brand Name — origin and significance
Positioning Strategy
Evaluate the product as an innovation as it is perceived by the intended
market
Discuss also major product problems and resistances based on the preceding
evaluation
Your Marketing Objectives
Target market (specific description of the market)
Expected market share or market penetration rate
Expected sales in dollar volume
Your Product Strategy
Product differentiators or competitive advantage
Packaging
Support Services
Your Promotion Strategy
Major message thrust
Advertising — media mix, reach, costs
Sales Promotion — forms, objectives, and costs
Personal Selling
Miscellaneous promotional methods
Your Distribution Strategy (Macro)
Port Selection
Origin Port
Destination Port
Mode Selection — Specify your mode of choice and discuss the
advantages/disadvantages of each mode for reaching your country (Railroad,
Air carrier, Ocean carrier, Motor carrier)
Documentation Required
Bill of Lading
Dock Receipt or Air Bill
Commercial Invoice
Shipper’s export declaration
Statement of Origin
Your Distribution Strategy (Micro)
Warehousing Needs
Retailers — Type of retail stores, scale of operation (large or small), and retail
markup
Wholesalers — Type of wholesalers, scale of operation, and wholesale
markups
Import/Export Agents
Your Pricing Strategy
Handling Expenses (pier charges, wharfage fees, loading/unloading charges)
Customs duties
Import taxes
Wholesale and Retail Markups
Company’s gross margin
Retail price
Methods of Payment (cash in advance, open account, consignment,
sight/time/date draft, letter of credit, etc.)
Government Participation
Agencies that can help you
Regulations you must follow
Budgets and Profitability Analysis
Marketing Budget
Product Cost
Distribution expense
Selling expenses
Advertising and promotion expenses
Other Costs
Annual profit and loss statement (first and fifth years)
V. REFERENCES/SOURCES OF INFORMATION
VI. APPENDICES (as needed)
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