Introduction
International marketing is simply marketing around the globe and eliminating obstacles and meeting the needs of various customers. It is crucial to note that global companies started as small entities in their own regions and then ultimately attained successful international implementation. In the modern society, there are various tools and techniques that help in attaining international status; e-commerce and the Internet.
The Importance of the Marketing Department in the Company
It is crucial for every company to have a marketing department that ensures that the company is known locally and internationally. Marketing includes creating a link with other nations through execution, planning and distribution of products and services to various markets. Games Workshop PLC is a firm that does both domestic and global marketing. It has its headquarters in Nottingham, United Kingdom. Games Workshop PLC does business activities in various regions in the United States namely Maryland and Glen Burnie. It has a manufacturing facility in Memphis, Tennessee (Games Workshop Group PLC, 2005).
Games Workshop PLC Helps to Enter the International Market
It is important for Games Workshop PLC to address the various factors affecting its marketing plans. The location of Games Workshop PLC has helped it to have direct sales activities in Italy, Japan, Spain, United Kingdom, Germany and Canada. It was necessary for Games Workshop PLC to create a base in the United States to reduce the cost of shipping from its main facility. In addition, the setting up of operations in the United States has helped to lessen the cost of international shipping due to the changes in the currency exchange rates. This helped in eliminating the tariffs experienced during importation in the United States. It is critical for Games Workshop PLC to concentrate on a particular marketplace because it assists in saving time and avoiding language issues (Laws of New York, 2010).
It is critical for Games Workshop PLC to identify the market segmentation purchasing its products and services. This is the section that deals with the company’s location and demographics. It helps in establishing and regulating the marketing strategy, which in turn strengthens the firm’s target objectives. With this kind of information a company can venture into new emerging markets easily. Games Workshop PLC has its facility in America and Europe, thus experiencing negligible cultural difference. The main challenge is the language subject; this makes it necessary for all the written information on products to be translated into the various languages found in a particular region (Workshop Group PLC, 2005). Cultural ignorance prevents companies from venturing into worldwide marketing. The best method to sort out this problem is to develop products and services in the nation that are based on the needs of the domestic consumers. The development of local marketing is called polycentric. Games Workshop PLC had to identify that each country has different needs and that is why it had to develop a facility in the United States. In addition, Games Workshop PLC uses various modes of advertisements in every region to satisfy its customers.
Lead is a very dangerous metal and Games Workshop PLC had to change it from being a raw material to produce miniatures. Therefore, it is clear that the resolution was made by the company’s stakeholders; showing that they are socially and ethically responsible for the issues affecting the company. This is in spite of the fact that the New York law allowed such companies to use lead (Laws of New York, 2010).
The United States Congress passed a law in 1977; the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. It bars United States Companies from giving bribes to foreign officers. Since Games Workshop PLC is a company that has a base in the United States, it shows that it is subjected to both the U.S. and British laws. Therefore, the employees of Games Workshop PLC in the U.S. follow the laws found there (Laws of New York, 2010).
The presence of the Internet has boosted globalization. Therefore, with the presence of the modern technology Games Workshop PLC has been able to reach various marketplaces with ease. The World Web has made buying of products easier. Before the innovation of the Internet, customers were unable to access various products. Since the Internet a worldwide thing, businesses created in any part of the globe can easily be accessed by consumers in any region. Therefore, customers can emerge from anywhere. Games Workshop PLC is technology-driven company making it easier to reach international scale because technology is not limited by culture (Laws of New York, 2010).
According to Workshop Group PLC (2005) the company used the four marketing elements namely price, place, promotion and product to become a successful global marketing company. It has used the same product with very few changes on the packaging by altering the design and the language on the package. It is also clear that the pricing in each region is different, due to several variables. Creating a link between domestic and global companies helps to create a better understanding on market research.
Conclusion
For a company to achieve global marketing, there are various things that need to be addressed. International marketing is considered as a process, which starts with getting the local market and then later expanding globally, starting with a small export base. Worldwide marketing is not just exporting products and services to other regions; it is also considered as successful realization of a product or a service into an overseas marketplace. It is also critical to note that the overseas consumer is always different from the local consumer. Subjects like currency rates, language barrier, shipping and custom usually prevent most firms from becoming international entities. The main objective of international marketing is to sell the same product and service to worldwide markets with just a few changes to the product or service to satisfy consumers with different tastes.
There are various legal obligations that are supposed to be observed when dealing with global marketing. Placement and development of products are two important factors that need to be taken into consideration by marketing department before launching global marketing. Games Workshop PLC developed a web site that helped its customers before launching other things like billboards in other foreign marketplaces. Various modes of advertisement are important for the establishment of a company; a billboard in United States can be quite offensive in Japan. Games Workshop PLC has distributed its products differently in each region to lower the cost and still reach the expected market. This shows that Games Workshop PLC has known and tackled, the environmental factors affecting its local and international marketing strategies. These factors include the impact of technology, effects of Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, international relations, international legislation, business demographics, cultural differences and importance of social and ethical responsibility.
References
Games Workshop Group PLC (2005). Investor Relations Brochure. Web.
Laws of New York (2010). § 1376-a. Web.