2. Research on international marketing strategy culture

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You're up to something! Sandys. The latest theory of international marketing: integrated network marketing

In foreign countries, generally speaking, the main advertisers of online advertising rank, generally speaking, the first is IT, the second is cars and so on. In China, IT products occupy the top three positions, but there are many cars abroad, because there are many things related to experience. In China, we estimate that it has not reached 10%. In fact, many foreign experiences can also be done at home. Similarly, the biggest difference between foreign countries and China at present, in terms of advertisers, is the understanding of the Internet, that is, the awareness I just mentioned, which is related to the ability of enterprises to deal with Internet-related problems, or the endless opportunities they bring, which is the biggest challenge. For network companies, they have paid great attention to the integration of network marketing, because traditional advertising companies are mainly based on traditional media. Traditional advertising companies are facing new challenges. Unless it is integrated into the international trend of online marketing, life and death are unpredictable! !

From the development of marketing theory, service plays an increasingly prominent role in competition. In 1960s, marketing mix, namely product, price, channel and promotion, was regarded as the classic of marketing theory and became the basic operation method of enterprise marketing. In the history of marketing, nothing is more influential than 4P. Almost every marketing textbook and marketing course takes 4P as the basic content of teaching, and almost every marketing manager consciously or unconsciously considers problems from 4P theory when planning marketing activities. With the increasingly prominent personalization of consumption, coupled with media differentiation and information overload.

In 1980s, Robert Lauterpen of the United States put forward 4Cs marketing theory to solve the problems existing in 4Ps: starting from consumers' wants and needs, considering the costs that consumers are willing to pay and the convenience of consumers' transactions, and integrating the interests of customers and enterprises through consumer communication. 4Cs marketing theory pays attention to consumer demand, but passively adapts to customer demand. With the further development of the market, enterprises need to establish the interactive relationship between enterprises and customers from a higher level in a more effective way in the face of new problems such as intensified competition, unstable customer base, lack of characteristics in enterprise marketing and lack of operability in meeting customer needs.

Besides, it's done. Schultz put forward a new marketing theory 4Rs (Relevance, Reaction, Relationship, Return). Specifically, in the market environment where the relationship between enterprises and customers has changed substantially, the key to seize the market has changed to establish a long-term and stable relationship with customers, from managing marketing mix to managing and interacting with customers. This enterprise will face major changes:

(1) From trade marketing to relationship marketing. Trade marketing, a one-time transaction with a specific customer, rather than intentionally developing any lasting customer relationship. Relationship marketing is a long-term marketing strategy, which is committed to developing and strengthening sustained and lasting customer relationships. In relationship marketing, interactive marketing is the key. Interactive marketing function: the combination of production and consumption represents the interaction between buyers and sellers, in which there will be real moments. Because the influence of these interactions on marketing appears in the process of interaction, this part of marketing is called interactive marketing function.

(2) From focusing on short-term interests to focusing on long-term interests.

(3) From single sales to establishing friendly cooperative relations.

(4) From focusing on product performance to focusing on the benefits that products or services bring to customers.

(5) Never paying attention to customer service turned to high commitment. In the past few years, Integrated Marketing Communication (IMC) has attracted extensive attention from marketers, communication practitioners and experts and scholars all over the world (Kewood, Schultz, Wang,1991; Schultz, Tannenbaum and Lauterborn,1992; Duncan and Everett,1993; Duncan and Moriarty,1997; Hutton,1995; Walters,1993; Novak and Phelps, 1994). Integrated marketing communication (IMC) has been defined, debated and discussed by practitioners of IMC, providers of marketing resources and evaluators of marketing effects in various ways. Many discussions focus on the following topics: How should various organizations implement IMC (for example, 1995 "Integrated Marketing Communication Seminar Based on Advertising Research" held in Arizona). These organizations include advertising agencies, integrated marketing communication companies and marketing companies themselves (Kitchen and Proch Duo,1991; Schultz and the kitchen, 1997). In addition, how to develop IMC has also attracted great attention (Hiccup,1995; Kili,1993; Phelps, prulli and Johnson).

Although there have been a lot of discussions, seminars and understandings on how to implement integrated marketing communication, there is no substantive research or work on the operation or best practice of integrated marketing communication at present. Most studies rely on guesses, anecdotes, personal opinions or single cases based on specific industries and companies. In this paper, we will conduct a comprehensive benchmark study on the best practices of IMC projects implemented in the United States for the first time. It will provide a base line and scale. By comparison, marketing and communication managers, market researchers and experts and scholars will be able to judge their progress in IMC, and they will also be able to test their experience according to IMC's best practices and some future directions.

This paper consists of four parts: (1) Discussion on the definition of integrated marketing communication and related concepts and theories; (b) Description of this study and the integrated four-step approach-all organizations operate through the integrated four-step approach; (c) Twelve findings of the study by the American Center for Productivity and Quality; (4) Some thoughts on the application of integrated marketing communication in current and future management. Before introducing the benchmarking research results of best practices in integrated marketing communication, it is necessary to describe the relevant ideas of integrated marketing communication at present. Since its formation in the late 1980s, the concept and structure of integrated marketing communication have changed greatly.

Integrated marketing communication is due to the needs of the organization to adapt to the changing and ever-changing market environment. The initial focus of integrated marketing communication is how to create a unified organizational image through various communication activities (such as advertising, public relations, direct mail, etc.). ), that is, marketers want to create "an image and a voice" for their organizations and brands. However, with the further development of the theory, the fields involved in integrated marketing communication are more and more extensive and complex. In essence, it has changed from a tactical method of coordinating and unifying various communication elements through communication management to a different benchmarking system, around which organizations can make strategic plans and carry out all market communication activities.

Over the years, integrated marketing communication has formed many clear definitions. However, AGORA, as a subject expert in APQC research, puts forward the following clearer definition of IMC practice: integrated marketing communication is a business strategy process, which is used to plan, formulate, implement and evaluate measurable, coordinated and convincing brand communication schemes; Its targets are consumers, customers, potential customers and other internal and external related targets (APQC Benchmarking Research, 1997). This definition focuses on the current implementation and use of IMC, which will be proved by the following research results. The research on IMC benchmarking was conducted by the American Center for Production and Quality (APQC) on 1997, a non-profit cooperative organization headquartered in Houston, Texas, USA, with about 500 working members, who jointly studied and explored how to improve product quality and productivity in a wide range of fields. Usually, the research method of APQC is to standardize the specific skills of some organizations in a certain field, and at the same time, it will explore and define the "best behavior" of these organizations. The research results will be conveyed to APQC members through various reports, meetings and seminars, and finally to general business groups.

This IMC study originated from researchers of APQC, who listed integrated marketing communication as a priority item in the benchmark research agenda in a survey. During the research, they invited Don Schultz and Heidi Schultz, external discipline experts from AGORA Company, to assist them. These experts use their experience, works and teaching in the field of integrating and integrating marketing communication to accomplish this task.

The whole research process is as follows:

A: AGORA and APQC first put forward the proposal, and then send it to potential sponsors, who will fund the research and participate in every step of the research process.

B: Aroga and "APQC" will use a preliminary questionnaire survey of 30 to 45 minutes to screen possible sponsors. These questionnaires take about 45 minutes to complete, including five questions: (1) the structure and plan of marketing communication; (2) Information and strategies of marketing communication; (3) Integrating customer needs and organizations; (4) Understanding customers with information technology; (5) Integrate finance and strategy. At the same time, through the communication with world-class scholars and practitioners, and based on the written investigation experience of AROGA Company and APQC, a series of expected "best behavior" organizations have been developed.

C: Invite all sponsors to attend the one-day conference in Houston, Texas. At the meeting, the participants received the questionnaire and were asked to state its content and structure. In addition, the discussion of "best behavior" organization is commented. According to the suggestions and opinions of the sponsors, the questionnaire was finally determined and a series of "best behavior" expected organizations were formulated.

D: D: The staff of APQC contacted these "best behavior" expectation organizations and asked them to agree to complete this detailed questionnaire, which aroused their interest in becoming research objects and "places to visit". As a result, 22 organizations completed the questionnaire and obtained 5 "visiting spots". The participating organizations of this study are as follows:

Partners (organizations that agree to complete detailed questionnaires and are used as access points)

* Lawyer title (insurance fund)

*CIGNA (insurance company)

* Dow Jones Chemical Company

* Fidelity Investment Company

* John Nuwin & Company

* United Airlines

* FedEx

* HP

Sponsor (an organization that agrees to complete the detailed questionnaire but does not act as an access point)

* arthur anderson Insurance Company.

* Bayer Company

* General Electric

* Kaiser Permanent Medical Products Co., Ltd.

:: National insurance (national insurance company)

:: Public Service Electric and Power Company; Gas company (public * * * electric gas service company)

* Texas Public Utilities Company

Board of Trustees of Baptist Sunday School

* emst & young LLP

:: General Telephone and Electric Company

* Omaha Mutual Bank

* Prudential Insurance.

* Texas Instruments

* Reciprocal Group

All the above organizations have filled in their integrated marketing communication practices, activities, processes and methods. In this group, in fact, * * * made five field trips. They are CIGNA Insurance Company, Dow Jones Chemical Company, FedEx Company, Fidelity Investment Company and Hewlett-Packard Company. The places visited include APQC, Agora and sponsor program participants.

1. Before the site visit and questionnaire analysis are completed, the managers of APQC and Agora will list the results. These materials were recorded in detail in a document and distributed to each partner and sponsor before the report was held at APQC Houston headquarters.

2. Partners, sponsors and subject experts held a two-day meeting in APQC Houston headquarters, and published the research results for everyone to enjoy. Various institutions, small and medium-sized enterprise teams and APQC personnel conducted in-depth discussions. The final results of these studies have been submitted to partners and sponsors, which are summarized as follows. They describe the current situation of integrated marketing communication in the United States and provide a basis for marketing communication organizations to formulate integrated marketing plans. This provides a way for them to turn to marketing in the 2 1 century. Before the start of the study, the expert group assumed that the communication organization had gone through the following four stages (steps) when making the integrated marketing communication plan, as shown in figure 1.

The four stages of integration are shown in figure 1. These stages have been confirmed by field research. Let's briefly describe it below.

The first stage: tactical coordination: the organization began to coordinate its marketing communication activities. Usually, they will make some brand plans or brand management plans, or, first, they decide to manage their brand and the brand-related information it publishes. This is the concept or definition of "one image, one voice". This means that the organization integrates all aspects of advertising information. At the same time, the company hopes to form a synergistic effect in the process of multimedia and multi-dimensional communication.

The second stage: Redefining the scope of marketing communication: At this stage, the company begins to define new or generalized communication concepts. Organizations try to consider more broadly than just traditional functional advertising activities, promotions, direct marketing and so on.

Usually, a company first determines where and under what circumstances a brand or company establishes contact with customers and potential customers through brand contact and brand communication evaluation. Usually, this means that companies should take action before adopting traditional external communication methods. Usually, these actions include internal marketing or activities related to company employees and sales teams. In some cases, the company began to try to make an integrated marketing communication plan between marketing channels and business partners, hoping for a clear and concise information flow, as well as information about the company's incentives to customers and customer feedback. Usually, these behaviors of companies include the establishment of multi-functional groups, which focus on customers and end users rather than the company's products and services.

The third stage: the application of information technology; At this stage, marketing organizations began to use information technology to integrate various marketing communication forms used in the past. For example, by using various research methods including database technology, organizations began to study the differences of customer attitude and behavior data and how to make them consistent. Using more external customer information, the communication planning team began to distinguish customers' personal standards. In other words, identify customers by identifying their unique needs and desires from a large number of marketing methods. In this way, organizations can conduct customized communication. Through customized communication, enterprises usually begin to use different evaluation tools and technologies in their communication plans. In other words, the company began to pay attention to the customer base and its needs and potential needs, rather than simply focusing on market share. This also includes distinguishing customers and potential customers from economic conditions.

The fourth stage: about the integration of finance and strategy; At this stage, the organization begins to make a plan statement, which is based on the evaluation of customers and their market or financial value and potential value, rather than simply based on the goals that the company wants to achieve. By paying attention to customers, enterprises can usually formulate a "closed-loop system" of marketing communication, which can use better planning and measurement methods. In other words, this understanding of customer value enables companies to invest in marketing communication based on an assessable "return on investment". Usually, companies want to use these methods to measure their return on market investment, because top managers want to know the value that integrated marketing communication can bring to the company. Four. Twelve Important Findings Based on the understanding of the above four stages, we can identify twelve knowledge points (findings)-the results of the above benchmarking research, and these important findings will be described here.

In this study, we used a research method, starting with "research expectation", which formed the basis of the research method and a detailed description of the findings that experts thought might or reasonably be expected to study in this field. These research expectations were either confirmed or denied in the actual research findings. It can also be considered that these expectations are some hypotheses to be tested and accepted or rejected by research findings. For this report, we only list 12 points found in actual research:

1. Important Discovery # 1

It is necessary to carry out highly interpersonal and multifunctional communication within the organization, between cross-business organizations and external suppliers, and integration cannot rely solely on policies and processes.

2. Important discovery #2

Companies must be responsible for the integration process themselves, and don't expect advertising companies or other suppliers to do it.

3. Important discovery #3

Companies should collect external information of customers. Use primary or secondary market research data and actual customer behavior data, and apply this information to planning, developing and evaluating communication activities.

4. Important discovery #4

The company that has done the best in integrating marketing communication practices has established a series of feedback channels to collect customer information and effectively use it throughout the company.

5. Important discovery #5

One of the biggest challenges of integrated marketing communication is to keep internal practices and procedures consistent with external communication.

6. Important discovery #6

The company that has done the best in integrating marketing communication practice not only keeps a lot of data resources, but also the marketing communicators can use these data very effectively to make marketing communication plans.

7. Important discovery #7

In international marketing companies, the best IMC practitioners often maintain a global complete database, rather than an independent incomplete database.

8. Important Discovery #8

In the planning, development and implementation of integrated marketing communication, information technology must be effectively used to transform customer-related information into customer cognition.

9. Important discovery #9

Relatively speaking, few organizations use the existing technology to establish targeted communication plans according to the environment and characteristics of a single customer.

10. Important Discovery # 10

It can be found that the role of the marketing department of the cooperative company is somewhat different from that of the sponsoring company. The responsibilities of communicators in partner companies are often set as a bottom line, and they play a very prominent role in the process of strategic planning and new product development.

1 1. Important Discovery # 1 1

Many organizations use a series of tools to evaluate the effectiveness of marketing communication activities, however, few companies apply financial standards to the evaluation process.

12. Important Discovery # 12

Many organizations claim to be customer-centric, but few people really understand the significance of customer-centric at the strategic and organizational levels.

These findings describe the development of integrated marketing communication in the United States. Based on this situation, we will put forward some managers' views on the future development of integrated marketing communication in the last part. Based on the conclusion of APQC, we can provide some managers' opinions for the practical operation of integrated marketing communication in 2 1 century.

1. Many organizations find that they can use integrated marketing communication tools and technologies to strengthen marketing communication to key customer groups. The basic idea of integrated marketing communication is applicable to many organizations. The basic idea is to provide an organization with a process and a planning platform that can be used in all aspects of the organization.

2. In terms of products and services, more and more organizations begin to use the integrated method, which is called the "total solution sales method". As marketers use a series of targeting and corresponding tools more and more frequently, they must prove that their investment in new media is correct. However, these media have not been widely recognized in the past.

3. In many enterprises, integrated marketing communication is often confused with direct response marketing and database marketing.

However, the latter two are more emphasized in tactics and more one-dimensional in marketing methods. Direct marketing mainly emphasizes the establishment of a feedback closed loop to make it more convenient to accept orders. On the other hand, database marketing mainly emphasizes the use of technical means to accurately determine the target market segments and deliver relevant and customized information and services.

Both direct marketing and database marketing belong to the category of integrated marketing communication, but neither of them can cover all the contents of integrated marketing communication. Each of them provides a special channel for organizations to communicate with customers. However, the real integrated marketing communication attempts to provide a strategic platform on which all the basic activities of the company can be carried out. The study of best practice benchmark reveals the method of studying integrated marketing communication, and the following comments provide a platform and overall framework for understanding this method.

1. Fundamentally speaking, integrated marketing communication is a marketing communication planning system. It is used to help organizations focus their time, energy and financial resources on the best customers and potential customers. It doesn't decide what to say first, and then find the target audience, but starts with customers and potential customers, and then returns to itself.

2. Integrated marketing communication is designed as a model: all marketing and communication elements become credible, convincing, meaningful and measurable processes, and the effectiveness and efficiency of these processes can be judged.

3. Integrated marketing communication depends on the effective use of customer behavior data. Although personal attitude data and demographic data can play an enlightening role, they only play a subordinate role in describing customer groups, and the main role is played by behavioral attributes.

4. Managers of different groups in the organization integrate all communication activities of the organization, thus making the organization a cohesive whole. Integrated marketing communication is planned and implemented through these people. These teams also combine external resources with internal capabilities to maximize results.

5. Evaluate the effect of integrated marketing communication according to the financial returns IMC brings to the organization. In the process of integrated marketing communication, although information and stimulation are a crucial link, they are basically evaluated according to market performance, not according to the costs incurred and the information transmitted.

6. Integrated marketing communication is planned by a process, which provides a framework for all managers in the organization to integrate customer-related work.

We have entered the 2 1 century, and integrated marketing communication, as a new marketing communication paradigm, will be further developed. The research method of APQC best practice benchmarking shows us a brand-new perspective of concept, practice and market execution.