As you read in the chapter-opening vignette, many multinational corporations are consolidating their global marketing by choosing one agency to handle all ( or most) of their consumer and business advertising. We can see this trend in action by visiting the Website for Grey Communications of Canada.
Once you have accessed this site, follow the Grey Worldwide link choose Worldwide Clients to see an annotated list of this agency’s primary global accounts. Choose two of these companies and locate their independent Websites. As you explore these sites, answer the following questions with regard to both clients.
Identify and describe all of the globally oriented marketing elements you can find. Do these elements promote a unified, consistent product image to an international audience? If so, how? If not, how do you account for any message variation you found? Can you find any potential pitfalls in these Web-based global marketing efforts? If so, explain.
What are the major strategic advantages for both companies in selecting one agency for all of their global advertising efforts? Is there anything about their products that makes this choice especially apt?
Finally, why is it particularly important for Website advertisers to be sensitive to international marketing issues?