Cross Cultural Marketing

Introduction
Trade today is becoming increasingly global with its outlook today. One of the main reasons for this is technological improvements in transport and communication. Consumers and businesses have access to the best products from different countries. This has also led to increased competition between multinational firms and countries. In part to accommodate these realities, countries in the last several decades have taken increasing steps to promote global trade through agreements such as the General Treaty on Trade and Tariffs, and trade organizations such as the World Trade Organization (WTO), North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), and the European Union (EU). Today almost all major corporations are actively involved in marketing their products beyond their original homeland borders. The main challenge involved in the cross cultural marketing is HOW to do it. Corporations today are developing strategies to take advantage of the above emerging economic opportunities. The 2 main reasons for going multinational are

1. Increasing demand of goods and services of one country in another country. 2. Overseas markets represent best opportunity for future growth.

Literature Review

Marketers at the end of the twentieth century are confronted with increasingly multicultural marketplaces. Globalization of markets and international competition are requiring firms to operate in a multicultural environment. In addition, migration patterns and transnational communication media like satellite television are creating multicultural populations in domestic markets and exposing consumers to alternative behaviours and wants (Douglas and Craig, 1997). Cross-cultural management researchers have traditionally used Hofstede's (1980, 1997) definition of culture, which equates culture to ``the collective programming of the mind which

distinguishes the members of one group or category of people from another'' (Hofstede, 1997, p. 5). The focus of this definition is the comparison of one culture with another. An alternative approach is the emic methodology, which focuses upon understanding issues from the viewpoint of the subjects being studied. Culture is defined emically as ``the `lens' through which all phenomena are seen. It determines how these phenomena are apprehended and assimilated. Second, culture is the `blueprint' of human activity. It determines the coordinates of social action and productive activity, specifying the behaviours and objects that issue from both'' (McCracken, 1988, p. 73). Emic approaches to culture do not intend to directly compare two or more differing cultures, but promote a complete understanding of the culture of study through ``thick description'' (Geertz, 1973). Culture influences behavior through its manifestations: values, heroes, rituals, and symbols (Hofstede, 1997). These are the forms in which culturally-determined knowledge is stored and expressed. Thus, each cultural group possesses different cultural manifestations. We utilize these manifestations, as they encompass most elements of culture described by other authors (e.g. Sojka and Tansuhaj, 1995). We will now describe the four manifestations in detail. Values-Historically, consumer researchers have often cited Rokeach (1968, p. 161), who viewed ``a value as a centrally held, enduring belief which guides actions and judgments across specific situations and beyond immediate goals to more ultimate end-states of existence''. There are different taxonomies of values. For example, Rokeach's view of values implies a differentiation between preferred end states of being (terminal values) and preferred modes of behavior or means to achieve end states (instrumental values). Other authors divide values into the desirable and the desired (Hofstede, 1980). Yet other authors classify values into global values, domainspecific values, and evaluations of product attributes (Vinson et al., 1977). Heroes-The term heroes refers to ``persons, alive or dead, real or imaginary, who possess characteristics which are highly prized in a culture, and who thus serve as models for behavior'' (Hofstede, 1997, p. 8). This concept will be extended in the present article to include reference groups and opinion leaders (McCracken, 1986, 1989). Heroes may influence consumer behavior through their association with certain products and brands (e.g. Michael Jordan and Nike sports apparel). Rituals-The concept of rituals is often erroneously interpreted as behavior of religious or mystical significance. While religious rituals are indeed an important type of ritual, Rook's

(1985, p. 252) definition of rituals is much broader:- The term ritual refers to a type of expressive, symbolic activity constructed of multiple behaviours that occur in a fixed, episodic sequence, and that tend to be repeated over time. Ritual behaviour is dramatically scripted and acted out and is performed with formality, seriousness, and inner intensity. McCracken (1988, p. 84) adds that a ritual is ``a social action devoted to the manipulation of the cultural meaning for purposes of collective and individual communication and categorization. Ritual is an opportunity to affirm, evoke, assign, or revise the conventional symbols and meanings of the cultural order''. While Rook's (1985) definition focuses on the form that rituals take, McCracken's emphasizes the goal of ritual behaviour. Consumer products play a significant role in ritualistic behavior. Products can be employed in their symbolic capacity to operationalize the ritual (Solomon and Anand, 1985). Products can be considered, therefore, as ritual artefacts and their consumption as part of a ritual. Symbols-Symbols are a broad category of processes and objects that carry a meaning that is unique to a particular group of people (Geertz, 1973, p. 89). Hence, a society's symbols may not exist in different cultures, or their meaning may be different. Language is a set of symbols, as are different gestures, pictures, or objects. The symbols most frequently studied by consumer researchers are language (Sherry and Camargo, 1987) and consumer products.

We can infer from previous research (e.g. Belk, 1985; Hofstede, 1997) that values have a central role amongst the other manifestations of culture and that the relationship between these and values is characterized by a mutual influence. The nature of the relationship between languageas-a-symbol and values has been subject to debate (e.g. Pinker, 1994). Some authors suggest that language influences values, and others propose that cultural values determine the form of languages. It is possible that the relationship is bidirectional. Heroes are chosen because they are individuals or groups that represent what members of a cultural group believe in. The relationship between values and heroes can also be bidirectional. As described by McCracken (1986, p. 76), new cultural meanings can be invented ``in a modest way. This invention is undertaken by opinion leaders who help shape and refine existing cultural meaning, encouraging the reform of cultural categories and principles''. Some studies have explored the effects of culture on cognitive processes like perception of time (e.g. Bergadaa, 1990). Similarly, Aaker and Schmitt (1997) examined the effect of cultural

orientation, operationalized along the individualism-collectivism dimension, on self-construal. In a controlled experiment, Aaker and Schmitt (1997) found that both individualist and collectivist consumers use brands for self-expressive purposes (as in McCracken, 1988). They use brands, however, in different ways: collectivist consumers use brands to reassert their similarity with members of their reference group, while individualist consumers use brands to differentiate themselves from referent others. Consumer ethnocentrism is a construct often studied by cross-cultural researchers. The construct, as operationalized by Shimp and Sharma (1987), could be viewed as an instrumental value (Rokeach, 1973). In their study, Shimp and Sharma (1987) found that consumers' ethnocentrism determines their perceptions of domestic versus foreign products (cognition), as well as their attitudes and behaviour.

What is Cross Cultural Marketing?

Cross-cultural marketing is defined as the strategic process of marketing among consumers whose culture differs from that of the marketer's own culture at least in one of the fundamental cultural aspects, such as language, religion, social norms and values, education, and the living style. Cross-cultural marketing demands marketers to be aware of and sensitive to the cultural differences; to respect the right to culture by the consumers in various cultures and marketplaces, marketers should understand that they deserved the right to their cultures. If the marketers want to be the winners in the cross-cultural marketing they must create the marketing mix that meets the consumer's values on a right to their culture. It involves recognizing that people all over the world have different needs

Why Cross Cultural Marketing?

From the anthropological perspective all market behaviors are culture-bound. Both consumer behavior and business practices are performed to a large extent by the culture within which they take place. Therefore, in order to match the marketing mix with consumer preferences, purchasing behavior, and product-use patterns in a potential market, marketers must have a thorough understanding of the cultural environment of that market, i.e., marketing crossculturally. However, this is by no means to suggest that in the 21st century all marketers should

focus on cultural differences only to adjust marketing programs to make them accepted by the consumers in various markets. In contrast, it is suggested that successful marketers should also seek out cultural similarities, in order to identify opportunities to implement a modified standardized marketing mix. To be able to skillfully manipulate these similarities and differences in the worldwide marketplaces is one of the most important marketing strategies for businesses in the 21st Century.

7 tips to successful Cross Cultural Marketing Know Your Own Cultural Background
When we learn about other cultures we often think about it as "us understanding "them". But when developing a deep understanding about cross-cultural issues, we must first start with understanding ourselves or "us" understanding "us". Take a moment and think about how you see the world. How have your education, traveling, gender, faith, children, sexual orientation, hobbies, and/or recreational interests shaped who you are? What celebrations and rituals are important to you? These elements collectively form your unique cultural identity, the lens through which you see the world. In this sense, every encounter we have with another person is essentially a cultural exchange, not just those with someone who obviously speaks, eats, dresses or appears differently. The next time you interact across cultures, share who you are, too. This will help us to learn from each other and not just about each other.

Know Your Expertise

There are numerous challenges when going overseas. It is vital to understand what your expertise is, and to then find the other expertise that you need to be successful. Dont be afraid to bring in marketing experts for your target countries.

Do Your Homework
Spend time researching the culture of the target countries. Learn about communication, negotiation and work styles. Is your target market a high context (for example Latin America) or low context market (US)? What do you need to know about non-verbal communication?

Cross Cultural Meetings

We all know communication is the key to ensuring good relationships, no matter who we are communicating with. But, when communicating across cultures, it is even more important. If you are having meetings with participants from different cultures, put more of your communication in writing than you normally would. Under each agenda item, put bullet points of topics to covered and key issues that need discussion. This ensures that everyone (even those with more limited English skills) can feel confident that they understand what is being presented.

Ask Open Ended Questions

When we function in a foreign language, we have a tendency to say yes when we are asked a question, even if we don't understand what was asked. This is even true when we are asked "Do you understand?" The next time you are interacting cross culturally, ask an open-ended question such as "Can you tell me what we need to do next?" instead of "Do you understand?" If the person is unable to answer what needs to happen next, then you know that you need to explain further.

Always Use Professional Translators

Translating materials into foreign languages is always a challenge, even more so when you are trying to convey a concept in a way that is appealing to foreign cultures. Ensure that the translation firm that you are using has the ability to use native speakers for the translation. Ask if they also do a secondary translation check with another native speaker to act as a back-up. It is better to be more careful up front, then to try and correct mistakes later.

Know the National Holidays and Religion

If you are working overseas, make sure that you learn about local holidays and how they might impact campaigns and other business projects. The month of Ramadan is important in many parts of the world, and having critical deadlines during this month are challenging. So it is important to make sure about religious facts while going cross-cultural.

Gillette Introduction
Gillette is a business unit of Procter & Gambl and successor of The Gillette Company, which was founded by King C. Gillette in 1901 as a safety razor manufacturer. On October 1, 2005, The Gillette Company finalized its purchase by Procter & Gamble. As a result of this merger, the Gillette Company no longer exists. The merger created the world's largest personal care and household products company. Before the merger, Gillette had grown to become a leading global supplier of products under a variety of brands. In addition to Gillette, the company marketed under Braun, Duracell and Oral-B, among others.

Marketing
The strategy used in marketing of Gillette products worldwide is that of Product Extension and Marketing Extension where the firm uses the same policy of marketing it has used in its home market. Gillette is mainly a manufacturer of personal care products for men and thus worldwide the advertising concentrates on the using sports celebrities and models for their advertisements. The Gillette strategy is a global strategy, which aims to foresee the future (notably by the Committee horizon) and concerns the world which is beside went up to one nation. That is clearly evoked in the formulation strategy. By its long experience, Gillette could achieve its global strategy with safety. The shaving system does not require a local adaptation of products. Moreover, consumption becomes increasingly homogeneous around the world by a convergence of needs. This peculiarity of the market shaving system enhances the hypothesis of

standardization of production and of the marketing variables. The advertising used stresses on the fact that the safety razor (i.e. Mach3, Vector Plus etc) are safe to use, do not give you an itch after shaving and does not leave cuts giving you a smooth shave. The advertising is more or less standard over the world. Gillette sponsored the World up in 2006, Rugby Nations league as well as other sports events across the Globe. Sports like soccer have a universal appeal and therefore have an impact on consumers from all 4 markets. There is not much of a prevalence of sales promotions in developed markets of Europe and USA. With a view to realizing higher unit sales in the developing and untapped economies of East Asia and India where there is not much awareness about usage of safety and disposable razors. These are in terms of clubbing 2 Gillette personal products together and offering a discount. Personal selling is also taken up in Asian markets. For all the focus on razors and blades, it is worth noting that Gillette has diversified products in its portfolio. In the writing instruments category, it now has the Parker Pen brand in addition to the Paper Mate and Waterman brands it acquired earlier. It also acquired Duracell in a much-publicized takeover in 1996. It has the Oral-B toothbrush and a slew of other products in toiletries. What sets Gillette apart from most other companies that also have a continuous stream of new products is that Gillette seeks worldwide leadership for all its new products. Gillette's success in achieving its new product goals is reflected by the fact that in 1996, 41% of Gillette's sales came from products introduced in the past 5 years, up from 30% in 1990

Coca Cola
The Coca-Cola Company was organized in 1886 and engages in the manufacturing, distribution and marketing of non-alcoholic beverage concentrates and syrups. The company also produces, markets, and distributes juices, water products, sports drinks, teas, coffees, and other beverage products.

Marketing Strategies
Continuous improvement in the packaging and brand positioning resulted in the success of this company. Since its inception the company is closely aligning the product with the dynamics of consumer sophistication and acceptability of innovation. The company does not miss any opportunity to associate its brand with mega global celebrations and events. For example in 2010, at FIFA World Cup, Coke launched a new version of SomaliCanadian KNaans Waving Flag song. An event which according to FIFA, the International Association of Football Association was cumulatively watched by 26 billion people (64 matches). That was the largest activation in Cokes history. The song went viral through social media, TV commercials and was linked by the common thread of celebration. Common factors in Coke Branding has always been associated with the feeling of togetherness and joy. The company focuses on events such that connect people mainly by the following means: Happiness, Family, Culture, Sports and Music Since the company philosophy is to meet the level of sophistication of its consumers, Coca Cola has gone viral on social media as well. It has over 35 million fans on facebook (Pepsi with 6 million fans) and has over 405,000 Twitter followers

(Pepsi 150,000 followers). According to recent statistics, Coke videos have been viewed over 34 million times. Talking about engaging with social media community, Wendy Clark, Cokes senior vice president of integrated marketing who also oversees the social-media side of business, says that

having all those fans respond to Coke is meaningful because fans are twice as likely to consume and 10 times more likely to purchase than non-fans. Recently Coca-Cola has pledged to recycle all clear plastic bottles collected at the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympics Games into 80 million new Coke bottles within six weeks of the closing ceremony. The company estimates that the recycling plan will account for one-fifth of all consumer waste produced at game venues. Additionally and the company has also introduced a special white Coke can featuring images of polar bears and is touting it on Facebook. Proceeds from sales help protect the Arctic habitat.

Coca Cola in India

With the advent of non-governmental organizations, awareness of environmental and societal equity issues increased as well as pressure on businesses to be equitable, yet Coke failed to realize this threat. However, when the Center for Science and Environment published a study in August 2003 alleging that Coke (and other soft drink products) contained pesticides, Coke took notice. In typical big, superior corporation style, Coke and Pepsi united and attacked the

credibility of the Center for Science and Environment. That only made a bad situation worse, causing people to believe the local organization and not the foreign company. The locals were furious as they believed their local resources (such as water) were being exploited, resulting in little left over for their own individual use. They did not feel respected nor did they see themselves as stakeholders, as Coca-Cola hadnt built relationships that would make the locals trust it. In sum, Coke had entered the local market using practices that would be frowned upon in the U.S. and in Europe. It was only a matter of time before they would be found out. Even though subsequent tests by the Indian government found toxic levels of pesticides including DDT Coke refused to acknowledge the validity of these tests and apologize for its actions. They treated the issue as a public relations issue and handled it as such. Coke watched in horror as the stories escalated. Headlines screamed: Farmers in India are delighted that they have finally found a use for Coca-Colaas pesticide;

Coca-Cola was distributing its solid waste to farmers in the area as "fertilizer"; There are four main grievances against Coca-Cola which it has failed to address: Selling beverages that contain pesticides (up to 30 times what the U.S. and E.U. allow) Causing water shortage to nearby villages Contaminating water supplies Passing on toxic sludge to farmers to use as fertilizer

The campaign against Cokes practices did not start as a massive organized effortwhich led to Cokes inability to see the threat. Communities near Cokes bottling plants began to agitate when they started experiencing water shortages. As the campaign against Coke developed, the

communities began protesting for Coke to close down multiple factories, offer compensation to affected farmers and re-train/relocate workers affected by the plant shutdown. With so much negative backlash, Cokes shareholders are still not enlightened to the developments. Coca-Cola initially entered India using methods already proven successful in the United States. They focused on the power of the brand appealing to the mass market. This strategy failed. Annual per capita consumption was 6 bottles vs. 800 bottles in the U.S. Simply importing the American way of life and planting it in another market would not work, and Coke had to be innovative and devise strategies that would enable it to compete more effectively in the marketplace. Coke revamped its strategy when it realized that it was leaving a large market untapped. It segmented its market and reached the rural areas with smaller packages that were cheap enough for the 96% who lived in rural areas to afford. Those in the urban areas who cared about differentiation and drinking the product as a lifestyle choice were targeted with separate marketing campaigns. Cokes financials improved substantially.

Coca Cola in China

The name Coca-Cola in China was first rendered as Ke-kou-ke-la. Unfortunately, the Coke company did not discover until after thousands of signs had been printed that the phrase means bite the wax tadpole or female horse stuffed with wax depending on the dialect. Coke then

researched 40,000 Chinese characters and found a close phonetic equivalent, kokou-ko-le, which can be loosely translated as happiness in the mouth.

Israel and the Middle East controversies

Coca-Cola has become an international symbol of American culture, and especially of American consumerism. While the company still enjoys widespread popularity, some backlash has occurred, mostly in the form of boycotts in the Middle East. One such instance in 2000 saw a claim that the Coca-Cola label, created in 1886, actually contained hidden anti-Islamic phrases in its mirror image in Arabic. The Coca-Cola Company claimed sales dropped 10 to 15% in Egypt after the rumour began spreading in 2000. The controversy became so widespread that the Grand Mufti of Egypt who has proudly admitted in related interviews that he himself indulges in at least one Coke daily publicly addressed it, declaring that the logo "does not injure Islam or Muslims."

Corporate Communications at Coca-Cola

Corporate Communications was a critical function at the Coca-Cola corporation given the number of constituencies both internal and external to the company. In addition, the complexity and global reach of the Company's operations could not be centrally managed and instead demanded a matrixed team organization. The senior communications position at the company, Senior Vice President, Worldwide Public Affairs & Communication, sat on the company's executive committee and reported to the Chairman& CEO at the time of the crisis in India. Director-level corporate communication functions included: Media Relations, Nutrition Communications, Financial Communications, and Marketing Communications, but the geographic diversity of the company's businesses required regionally-based communication leaders in addition to the corporate resources in place. As a result, five regional communications directors serviced North America, Latin America, Asia, Europe, and Africa with their own teams of communications professionals.

A Cross Cultural Marketing Perspective - KFC Moves into China

History and Introduction

Beginning with the food service to hungry travelers, Colonel Harland D Sanders, the founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC), devised his recipe for the fried chicken by using a secret blend of eleven herbs and spices. Several years after the success in his own state, using his late 105 dollar social security check, the colonel built up the KFC Company into his own chicken franchising business. By the 1950s, the sales strategy for the colonel was personal promotion. He traveled across the country, from restaurant to restaurant, to cook chicken for the owners and their employees. With the approval of the owner, the colonel provided the chicken for the restaurant regularly. Since then, KFC has grown at a remarkable pace, from one small roadside restaurant, to an internationally renowned restaurant chain, the largest chain of chicken restaurants in the world. (www.kfc.com) KFC started its international business in 1960s, and now it offers great tasty chicken meal and snacks in over 30,000 restaurants around the world. Every day nearly 8 million people make KFC a part of their lives. Laid head to claw, KFC chickens consumed worldwide would stretch 458,065 kilometers and would circle the earth at the equator 11 times.

The popularity and novelty of KFC have led to the general formula of the fried chicken fast-food restaurant being copied by restaurant owners worldwide. KFC is part of Yum Brand, Inc., the worlds biggest restaurant chain. Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, and Long John Silvers are members in this chain. In addition, as a member of Yum, KFC develops its restaurants all over the world by franchising. Yum group has a value network in which the proven process would support the new franchisees every step of the way with development experts, business coaches and a peer network of more than 1200 experienced franchisees. KFC is constantly seeking operators with the vision and capability to open a new restaurant. (www.yumfranchises.com)

KFCs overall marketing strategies

The main products of KFC are chicken with home style side dishes, wraps, salads and burgers.

While its primary focus is fried chicken, KFC also offers roasted chicken products, side dishes and desserts. Outside of North America, KFC offers beef based products, such as burgers or kebabs, as well as pork based products, such as ribs and other regional fare. Moreover, KFC and Pepsi-Cola have entered into a strategic alliance. Most KFC restaurants offer Pepsis carbonated drinks, except in some countries, such as Japan and South Korea which are selling Coca -Cola instead. At the same time, there is a most wide range items in the KFC USA. In the fast food industry, KFC faces the fierce competition with McDonald's and Wendys. However, KFC has its own advantages, such as its slogan, we do chicken right.

KFC In China
KFC entered Chinese market in 1987, and it opened its first restaurant in Beijing. It then started development in this country which has the biggest population in the world. On 25th June in 1996, the one hundredth restaurant was opened in Beijing which has the remarkable meaning of KFCs Chinese market development. According to the report from AC Nielsen Company in 1999, KFC was the top one among all the foreign companies in China (www.hislife.com.cn). During the year 2001 to 2005, KFC set up about 100 restaurants in China every year, said one of the marketing managers in Shanghai, and by the early February of 2009, KFC had already set up more than 2500 restaurants in mainland of China. (Marketing manager of headquarter in Shanghai, 2009) At the time when its sales in the home market in the USA are struggling, the Chinese market has become the second largest market for KFC.

Product and Position

Below is the description of KFCs core product and the products which were adapted to suit the Chinese tastes.

Menu:

Chicken

Burger

Side dish

Others

Chicken Loaf

Hot and Spicy Drumstick

Corn salad

Sundae

Original chicken

Triple Sandwich

Crunch

Zinger Porridge

Pastries

Roast Chicken Wing

Crispy chicken pastoral burger

Soup

Mashed Potatoes

Chicken Strips

Cheese egg burger

Fried stick

bread Black Tea

Chicken Popcorn

Beef burger

Desert

Egg Tart

Besides what is mentioned in the table above, there are also some new products that are sold in the Chinese market, and some of them have special recipes for Chinese people. For instance, original chicken in China involves mixing all the ingredients and dig chicken pieces in beaten eggs, then turning them over in regular bread crumbs, finally plunging them into the secret spices and heating them in the oven at 350 degrees. The ingredients include chicken, flour, bread crumbs and secret recipe. Moreover, Chicken Roll of Old Beijing is chicken rolled in a thin pancake with green onions, cucumber and hosing sauce, and made into a wrap which is modeled after the way Peking duck is served, but with fried chicken inside. It is flavored, not only with hamburger sauce, but also a sweet sauce made of fermented flour, which is a condiment for the famous Beijing dish. When the Chicken Roll of Old Beijing was first presented to the customers in February, 2003, the product was introduced with a play of Beijing Opera, and then it became more and more popular. It would not be easy for KFC to succeed worldwide, if it only supplied the American tastes without giving any consideration to the diversified cultures and customs of local consumers in other countries. In addition, KFC also offered

the seasonal vegetables in their restaurants, in spring, they offer the bamboo shoots, and in summer, the customer can buy the lotus roots. Besides this, some of the dishes are cooked by adding Chinese spices, such as aniseed, Chinese cinnamon and sesame oil.

The main target group of KFC in China is Chinese families. They focus on the young people especially, who can easily and quickly adopt foreign cultures and new ideas. At the same time, every KFC restaurants has a special area for children and the decorations in those areas are jolly and colorful. In some festivals, KFC would prepare some toys and presents for young customers.

Price In the Chinese market, consumers can seldom hear the information about reducing the price of KFC. On the contrary, KFC sometimes raises the price of its products in the recent years. In the beginning of the year 2005, KFC raised the price of some products. However, it did not cut down the amount of consumers coming to KFC. And in the January and June last year, KFC raised the price again. Because we have no choice, noted by the marketing manager, the cost of labor, material, and rent have raised, we must adapt to the change of market condition. In addition, KFC did not think this activity would reduce the loyalty of their consumer. However, because of the worldwide financial crisis happened in the end of 2008, many consumer products had a lower price from then on and KFC confronted with the same situation as well. Finally, KFC reduced the price of some products and carry out some promotion strategies to attract the customers.

Moreover, if you are a student and have a student ID card in mainland China, you can go to the KFC restaurant to apply for a student sunshine card. After getting this card, the owner can have a discount when buying some products during the valid period of the card.

KFC develops their business by cooperating with some Chinese brand also. For instance, in the

summer of 2006, KFC put out four kinds of drinks and did promotion by cooperating with QQ (a famous brand in China, especially well-known in young people) in order to meet the needs of young people.

Advertisement In recent years, KFC has shown several TV advertisements especially for the Chinese market. The majority of these TV advertisements reveal the background of common Chinese families without the famous super stars or unconventional words. One of the TV advertisements tells a story about an employee of a KFC restaurant who was taken care of by her grandmother when she was young. After she grows up, she carefully helps another grandmother, to persuade her granddaughter who was choosy about food to have more vegetables in order to keep healthy. Besides, stories like three generations within one family, story about the days before the university entrance examination, looking for girlfriend in Li Jiang and so on. In the Spring Festival of the year 2003, more than 800 KFC restaurants in 170 cities changed the traditional Chinese Tang dress for Colonel Harland D Sanders to attract more customers in the Chinese market. 24-Hour Operating and Take Away There is only a few of KFC restaurants which operate for 24 hours a day nowadays. Although some KFC restaurants have the ability to operate for 24 hours in some special days, such as spring festival of China, Valentines Day and so on, they do not have the plan of 24-hour operating with a large scale till now, because the cost for 24-hour operating is really high, and during the evening, the amount of customers can not be controlled easily. However, with the development of economy and the change of peoples life style in China, maybe in the future, KFC will change the present strategy and supply more operating services to meet the demands.

In some big cities of China, like Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjing and Shenzhen, KFC restaurants supply take-away service so that the customers can get their food and take away immediately. Moreover, customers in 16 cities of China can book food on-line or by telephone. Then the order will be answered soon and the food will be sent to the pointed place in a short time.

Analysis on Strategies Reflecting Cross Cultural Attributes

Product Strategy
Law and politics, values and attitudes, religion and language are some important components of the national culture. The differences between these elements make a national culture distinct from others. Chinese culture is a high-context culture. Thus, in China, people often do the same things as others did, especially as those around them. For most families in China, members share the similar values with each other, and people have a high sense of identity to the traditional culture and food. The main target group is Chinese family. KFC considered that the collectivism buyer behavior of Chinese market, so they put out the product like the bucket for the whole family and win the praise of the customers.

From the perspective of cross-culture, people in China are generally curious about new things. In order to meet this curiosity to new products, KFC always launch new products quickly and thus win a lot of new customers in China. By wrapping the core of Chinese traditional dining culture with the appearance of the western food, KFC has gained the success of carrying out the new product strategy in cross-culture marketing. KFC always launch new taste of products in different seasons to cater to the needs of Chinese customers. The Chicken Roll of Old Beijing which was mentioned by one of the marketing managers in Beijing and the beef wrap, for instance, demonstrate the innovation and creation of products in KFC combined with the characteristics of Chinese culture providing more choices to the customers.

It would not be easy for KFC to succeed worldwide, if it only supplied the American tastes without giving any consideration to the diversified cultures and customs of local consumers in other countries. Obviously, the product strategies implemented by KFC in Chinese market, including the season of launching new products, the tastes of the food, the package style of chicken wings, are all deeply influenced by the local culture of China.

Price Strategy
Price is the amount of money a customer pays for the product. Pricing decisions in international markets can be very complex. It is determined by a number of factors, including market share, competition, material costs, product identity and the customers perceived value of the product. Especially, market factors like consumers perceptions, expectations and ability to pay, need for product adaptation and market servicing, market structure, distribution channels, discounting pressures, market growth, competition objectives, strategies and strength can also affect the pricing strategy of a company.

From the perspective of cross-culture, many people in China emphasize the relationship between the prices of consumer products and the personal status seriously. KFC scarcely reduces the price of its products. Sometimes, KFC even raises the price of its products in the recent years. However, because of the worldwide financial crisis which happened in the end of 2008, many consumer products in China had a lower price from then on and KFC confronted with the same situation. Finally, KFC reduced the price of some products and carried out some promotion strategies to attract the customers. As a western fast food, KFC takes the collectivism buyer behavior of Chinese market into the consideration. Sometimes, customers can get a lower price if two or more than two meals are bought at the same time.

Moreover, the young people in China often accept new things more quickly and easily, they are also the important target group of KFC. Students sometimes can get a lower price in some KFC restaurants. It can also reflect that the price strategy of KFC in China is affected by the buying behavior of Chinese consumers.

Place Strategy
To the fast-food industry, place strategy means where to sell the products and services to customers. Similarly, place strategy can be influenced by both internal factors and external

factors. Social culture factors such as local law and government policy, religion, language, customer buying behavior do affect this strategy obviously in different ways. Since the first KFC restaurant was started in Beijing in 1987, KFC has opened many restaurants in different cities of China during these decades. Some information was collected from the interview that the process of choosing place is really cautiously taken by KFC in every city. KFC has its own standard when choosing the suitable place to open the restaurants. During this process, the political risk, the financial condition, the amount of population and the specific culture of some certain areas are all the considerations to KFC. In addition, in the middle and south-west of China, people of some minority nationalities often live together in certain areas. They share the same language or specific dialect and the similar value and customs, eat the food with same taste and keep the similar habits. To meet these peoples demands, KFC opens several restaurants in this kind of places. The menu of products and decoration of these restaurants are different from others. Therefore, we can see that the Chinese political risk and the financial condition, the degree of concentration and the minority nationalities specific dialect and customs can influence the place strategy of KFC well and truly.

Promotion Strategy
Promotion represents all of the communications that a marketer may use in the marketplace. It often includes several distinct elements, such as advertising, public relations, word of mouth and point of sale. KFC also implements some specific promotion strategies according to Chinese culture in order to do the business well, including advertising, take-away service and the strategy of choosing cooperate partner in China.

Advertising
Advertising covers any communication that is paid for, from cinema commercials, radio and Internet adverts through print media and billboards. It has been the most popular way to carry out the promotion strategy in the recent years. Customer values of a specific culture often play an important role when the marketers try to make decisions, which help to enter a foreign

market. Customer values can influence the style and appearance of the advertisement. As mentioned above, China is a society with relatively high collectivism, where people have a high sense of identity to the traditional culture and traditional food. Since the family members in China often share the similar value and most Chinese people consider that it is necessary to keep on the wonderful family traditions, such as respecting, loving and supporting the elderly, helping others, friendship between individuals and so on. Thus, many advertisements of KFC in recent years try to reveal the background of common Chinese families. In the year 2003, KFC even changed the traditional Chinese Tang dress for Colonel Harland D Sanders in order to attract more customers in the spring festival. KFC chooses the localization of advertisement by considering the language, value of Chinese customers carefully. Evidently, the advertisement strategy of KFC is affected by the language, customer values in Chinese cultural environment.

Services
Promotion contains the point of sale, including both products and services. It is affected not only by the language and customer behavior, but also by some other components of culture, such as peoples life style and attitudes. In recent years, most of the transnational corporations supply more and more services for the different markets in order to meet the distinct needs from all kinds of customers. With the development of economy, the pace of peoples work and life becomes faster and faster. In some big cities of China, KFC restaurants supply take-away service so that the customers can get their food and take away immediately. Moreover, customers in 16 cities of China can book food on-line or by telephone. Then the order will be answered soon, food will be delivered to the appointed place in a short time. Besides, some KFC restaurants operate for 24 hours a day. Thus, the 24-hour-operated and take-away services which are carried out in China are also influenced by the local cultural environment. Peoples life styles and attitudes play the most important role in affecting this strategy.