Characteristics of International Fashion Marketing - Essay Example

International fashion marketing Rath et al defined marketing as the process of communicating values of services and products to s with the purpose of selling to gain maximum profits. Top Shop is multinational retailer enterprise that deals with selling of products such as shoes, accessories, clothing, and makeup to the people in various countries. Top shop’s headquarters is in London, United Kingdom but their operations are famous in other 47 countries such as China, Japan, and United States among others. Top shop has to make their products in a unique way so that they attract as many people as possible to buy their products. Top shop has an international marketing department that is in charge of advertising the products in their areas of interest. I am part of the international marketing department for Top shop and our role is to make individuals aware of the products we sell, doing research on how to make more sales, identifying with the culture of the people in different countries, and using efficient advertisement means such as online operations to ensure that we reach all kinds of customers. This paper is going to discuss the benefits and cultural norms that need to be considered by Top shop when advertising in China, Japan, and United States of America. I will compare and contrast the requirements needed to establish successful markets in the three countries by discussing their cultural norms and beliefs that need to be considered when advertising different fashion commodities. Cultural norms in China, Japan, and USA The international marketing department for Top Shop is required to approach people with the respect they deserve to gain their attention. For instance, the when advertising in different countries, their cultural values and norms need to be considered in order to make them learn how to use the products and buy them. China Choi (2012) stated that Chinese people have strict rules regarding their cultural values and their behavior and clothing depict their ancient traditional culture depending with the time and region. Advertising fashion products in China requires an individual to address the people with etiquette. Choi (2012) stated that family, social, and professional titles follow the name always rather than preceding it. It is discourteous to call people by their last names and first names, unless they are on familiar terms with you and when asked. The advertisers only need to use the surname followed by the title of the Chinese associates or friends when trying to introduce a product the customers. The Chinese people use handshakes as a form of greeting and they show respect. Zou and Fu (2011) stated that Chinese people prefer firm brief handshakes and the senior officials and elders should be greeted with a gentler handshake, accompanied with a slight nod. To show warmth and a welcoming gesture, the Chinese culture requires that an individual cover the handshake with the left hand and eyes slightly lowered when interacting with others. When marketing products in China, the advertisers need to be conscious of their body movements and language since the Chinese Culture requires individuals to be collected, calm and controlled (Zou and Fu, 2011). The individual advertising Top Shop products need to ensure that their body postures are formal, attentive, portraying respectability and self-control. It is considered a taboo in China to enter in any home while wearing your shoes, and the advertisers China should therefore be sensitive to this fact when displaying various advertisements on the media and when dealing with customers one on one. When the marketers are interacting with individuals in China, they need to learn to sit with their legs tucked underneath them so that they avoid pointing the bottoms of their feet to people because it is a taboo (Dawson and Lee, 2005). Japan The Japanese people value their cultural aspects that are structured around white and black norms to facilitate harmony, respect, self-discipline, and tough interpersonal relations. The marketers for Top Shop in Japan need to be polite and have good personal relations because the Japanese people are sensitive to non-verbal communication as they rely on voice tone, postures, and facial expressions to show their feelings. To make more sales in Japan the marketers need to interact with the customers by showing that they understand and respect their norms and values. Grose (2012) stated that the marketers should greet people in Japan by bowing and then followed by a handshake and note that bowing is a sign of respect and gratitude and the lower the bow the greater the respect conveyed. The female marketers in Top Shop need to know that in the Japanese culture they are supposed to bow with their hands in front while men bow with their hands at their side. Jones (2005) stated that the Japanese people always prefer to do their business operations based on a personal relationship. The marketers should therefore strive to form positive attitudes towards the cultural values of the Japanese people in order to advertise their commodities appropriately. The Japanese are conservative in their mode of dressing and wear their traditional garments during special events and ceremonies. While advertising in Japan, the marketers for Top Shop should avoid wearing shoes indoors, touching people, eating in public, making noise in the subways and blowing the noses in publics since they are taboos (Oelkers, 2004). USA Bertoli and Resciniti (2012) stated that the United States is westernized and is influenced by cultures from Africa, Asia, Native America, Latin America, and Polynesian. It is easier for marketers to advertise in the US because they do not have strict cultural values and people are from different diverse cultures. The greetings in America are informal, not with an intention to show the lack of respect but to manifest the fact that everyone in America has equal rights (Bye, 2010). The marketers can therefore advertise freely on the media without following various cultural aspects because of the westernized culture in America. The people in America are fashionable and as different types of dressing styles are introduced in the market, many people are willing to buy the products to show they are upgrading with the fashion trend. Bye (2010) stated that the people in America reflect the diverse nature of their cultural roots through their unique clothing. Most people in America use the media for entertainment hence Top Shop can easily advertise their products online and on different television channels with models displaying their variety of fashionable products. Contrast and comparison The mode of advertising in various countries is different depending with the cultural values that exist in the region. Advertising in China and Japan is similar as they both have strict cultural values that need to be considered when advertising in the areas. The marketers in Japan and China need to learn the formal ways of greeting the people in order to advertise their commodities. This is different in America, as they have no strict cultural values concerning how to approach people when advertising fashion products because the people are from diverse cultures. There are taboos concerning how to approach customers in China and Japan, for instance the general appearance and behaviors of individuals while the US has no taboos based on how to approach individuals to market commodities in the markets. My best option to advertise is in the USA because their markets are flexible and have no strict cultural values on advertising of the fashion products. Textile and fashion industry characteristics Labour intensive The textile and fashion industry requires a lot of labour to produce enough products to supply to the all the countries that require clothing. Women who are experts in designing different styles dominate the industry because they are fashionable. The role of the international fashion supply chain is to ensure that they have enough labour in their industries to supply the products when the demand is high. Requires low capital requirements Muhlbacher et al (2006) stated that textiles and fashion industries require low capital requirements to start the business since it depends on the expertise of individuals to come up with unique designs to attract customers. The demand for clothing materials is also high since clothing is a basic need. The role of the international fashion on supply chain is to find out and react to the fashion products that individuals need and provide so that they can have more capital to produce the clothes. Mobility of machines The textile and fashion industry have machineries that are mobile and can be relocated easily from one region to another. The role of the international fashion on supply chain is to supply machinery to be used in the industries in order to open more businesses enterprises in other locations in the world. Barriers to entry The textile and fashion industry have low barriers to entry and exit because the business depends on the knowledge and skills of an individual to come up with a unique item. The individual is therefore free to continue with the business or change to other types of enterprises he/she wishes. The role of the international fashion supply chain to act as intermediaries between the customers and the manufacturers. Conclusion Top Shop is multinational retailer enterprise that deals with selling of products such as shoes, accessories, clothing, and makeup to the people in various countries. Top Shop has outlets in many other countries and has online operations. The department of marketing has a responsibility to advertise Top Shop’s products in China, Japan and US among other countries. China and Japan have various cultural values that need to be considered when advertising in their regions. The US is the best to advertise products since their market is flexible because of the diverse cultures and individuals enjoy fashionable trends. The textile and fashion industry is characterized by low capital requirements and low barriers to entry and exit which makes it easy to make the business successful. References Bertoli, G., and Resciniti, R. (2012). International marketing and the country of origin effect: the global impact of made in Italy. Cheltenham, Edward Elgar. Bye, E. (2010). Fashion design. Oxford, Berg. Choi, T.-M. (2012). Fashion supply chain management: industry and business analysis. Hershey, PA, Business Science Reference. Dawson, A., and Lee, J.-H. (2005). International retailing plans and strategies in Asia. Binghamton, N.Y., International Business Press. Grose, V. (2012). Fashion merchandising. Lausanne, Switzerland, AVA Academia. Jones, J. (2005). Fashion design. London, Laurence King. Mühlbacher, H., Dahringer, L., and Leihs, H. (2006). International marketing: a global perspective. London, Thomson Learning. Oelkers, B. (2004). Fashion marketing. Mason, Ohio, South-Western. Rath, M., Petrizzi, R., and Gill, P. (2012). Marketing fashion: a global perspective. New York, Fairchild Books. Zou, S., and Fu, H. (2011). International marketing: emerging markets. Bingley, Emerald Jai. Read More