The following are examples of product adaptations in foreign markets:
- Chicken Maharaja Mac
This product was developed by McDonald’s specifically for India because Indians do not eat beef because it is prohibited by their religion, Hinduism. Indians consider cows as sacred. To adapt to this regional belief, McDonald’s developed the Chicken Maharaja Mac, instead of offering the Big Mac, which is made of beef. It is a “double filling of the perfectly browned chicken breast that lightly flirts with a mixture of onions, lettuce, tomato, and gooey cheese or sesame bedecked bread buns”. This adaptation to the culture of India has made McDonald’s more successful in the Indian market.
- Febreze
Febreze is an odor removing fabric spray developed by Proctor & Gamble. This product was successfully marketed in Japan. Instead of changing the product to fit the Japanese market, what P&G did is to adapt its marketing strategy to the Japanese market. The advertisements of Febreze focused on the moldy smell of the laundry during the Japanese rainy season and the smell of sweat during the summer. The change in the advertisement’s focus is based on the culture and climate of Japan. P&G is aware that the Japanese are very sensitive to odors; thus, Febreze was successfully marketed in Japan.
- Red Bull
The distribution strategies along international markets differ depending on the production location, economies of scale, available resources and modes of transportation, legalities and cultural preferences. For example, in the U.S. most consumers prefer to shop at supermarkets for their groceries; however, in India, they prefer to go to local shops called “Kiranas”. In the Philippines, people in rural areas do not go to supermarkets mainly because of its location. They would rather buy their grocery items at the nearby local “sari-sari store” which is more convenient. The low income levels of Filipinos in the provinces prevent them from going to big malls and supermarkets in the city because of the additional transportation cost that they will incur. These are just some of the considerations that international marketers should consider in designing distribution strategies which will be beneficial to them and to the local market they serve.
References
H.R.P.L. (2010). McDonald's menu. Retrieved from mcdonaldsindia.com: http://www.mcdonaldsindia.com/menu.html
Mathur, S. (2012). 9 Examples of firms implementing global strategy by adaptation. Retrieved from slideshare.net: http://www.slideshare.net/ProfessorMathur/9-examples-of-firms-implementing-global-strategy-by-adaptation#btnNext
Noorbakhsh, S. (2008, July 3). Marketing 101. Retrieved from japaninc.com: http://www.japaninc.com/mgz_july_2008_marketing101
