Bianca Tan

McMennamy
Capstone-5
21 September 2016
The Standard: Mass Standardization
There are many factors that go into deciding whether or not a business should get
involved in the global market. They must decide whether to use a business model that targets a
wide range of people or one that is targeted towards a certain audience. Mass standardization is
the abundant production and constant regulation of the same or similar products. It also includes
the utilization of consistent marketing techniques used by a business to target its audience. Some
businesses that are involved in the global market use mass standardization as a means to get
through to a diverse market without having to create a variety of different products adjusted to
each diverse group of consumers. Mass standardization allows for businesses to successfully
reach their target market efficiently and at low cost; however, depending on what a business is
trying to achieve, the mass standardization model could be a hindrance instead of a beneficial
asset.
Corporate businesses spend a lot of time making decisions regarding whether or not to
extend their company to a global market; as a result, different companies may take different
approaches. Some companies turn to mass standardization when choosing to take part in the
global market. Enterprises turn to this model as a means of trying to create products that do not
have to be dependent on the preferences of a single country (Begley). The first step in deciding
the effectiveness of the mass standardization model on a company is to consider if the product
has an international market. The business must decide the target market they want to approach

and if the product they are trying to sell is of interest to various regions. The product must be
universal in that it is something that everyone would want to buy, and not just people from, for
example, the United States or the UK. Then, based on that product, the business must see if they
are able to make profit by selling one item to consumers belonging to a diverse set of
backgrounds and spending behaviors. For example, Coca-Cola is such a prosperous company
because it has beverages that are made to be catered towards a wide range of consumers.
Consuming items or drinking them, in this case, is something that everyone does, regardless of
gender, age, or cultural background (Kotler 17). This will then lead to the approach of
developing marketing strategies adapted to the certain route the company has chosen to take. If
the firm decides to take a regional approach, it could be more time consuming, considering that
they would have to invest in different advertisements specialized for a specific target
market/region. With the standardization of marketing, it allows for a company to apply the same
techniques used to advertise to one area of the world in another.
Mass standardization is the model that companies use to reach a wide target market
without having to exhaust their productivity through customization. There are many beneficial
aspects that come with the mass standardization model. When it comes to abiding by policies in
world trade, it is easier to mass standardize so that a company does not have to continue
changing their product or the way they ship it when it goes to different parts of the world.
Companies would not have to spend as much time trying to figure out and make sure that the
policies and processes aspect of international participation are well-received (Begley).
Standardization of both a companys product and its marketing, allows for the company to
achieve a consistent image, which is important to have as a means of increasing sales. It takes a
strong corporate structure in order for companies to achieve such a presence in the international

business world, so having a consistent, strong corporate identity can be promoted through the
standardization of their marketing policies and techniques (Melewar 291). It is time efficient for
a business to have this business model because it does not have to spend so much effort on
making sure that their product is specialized to each individual need of its target market. This
model does a good job in offering the same product to its consumers without having to exhaust
production costs (Kotler 134). It can be very pricey when a company creates products that are
altered for each specific region that they are trying to sell in because of a plethora of added costs
from extra parts or attention needed to make a specific amount of inventory.
Although there are positive aspects to it, the use of mass standardization has its
drawbacks as well; companies will have a harder time catering to their consumers if there were
to be a huge change in policy or demand for the product they are selling. Mass standardization
focuses on streamlining a companys products by keeping them all fairly similar and producing
them in large quantities. Businesses utilizing this model are not able to adjust their products
specifically for a certain target market as quickly as one that is focused on customization. If
standardization is the concentration of a company, it is not well-suited to making unique
adjustments to products because they are so used to a uniform system (Melewar 297). It is
difficult for an enterprise to introduce a product to a market with a lot of criteria/judgements
because standard products tend to be more successful if introduced into target markets that have
the least psychic distance from the source market (Kotler 20). In the consumer culture of our
society today, customized products are becoming more in demand with the advancement of
technology. In addition, the success a company has in a certain region or country depends on the
strength of the countrys culture and spending behavior as well. A country that has people that
strongly believe in their own specific set of beliefs and values may not react well to a product

that is made for everyone because there could be some implications with their set of ideas. In
that case, that country would not spend as much on a certain product and as a result will
contribute to loss in revenue for the business (Begley). A company must cater to their consumers
in order to achieve success and sometimes, mass standardization has its drawbacks because it
cannot apply to this.
The mass standardization business model is a way for enterprises to reach a market with
different kinds of people without having to sacrifice production costs and a variety of policy
adjustments. This model offers businesses the opportunity to provide a consistent image of their
product/brand through having the same kind of marketing throughout the different regions they
are targeting. There are several factors, however, that must be taken into consideration when
deciding whether or not to get into the international market because of possible setbacks.
Depending on the circumstances, the mass standardization model can be an advantage or a
detriment to a business.

Works Cited
Begley, Thomas M., and David Boyd P. "The Need for a Corporate Global Mind-Set."MIT Sloan
Management Review RSS. N.p., 15 Jan. 2003. Web. 12 Sept. 2016.
Kotler, Philip. "Global StandardizationCourting Danger." Journal of Consumer Marketing 3.2
(1986): 13-28. Emerald Insight. Emerald Group Publishing. Web. 13 Sept. 2016.
Kotler, Philip. "Mass Customization." Marketing-Trends (2007): 133-143.Emerald Insight. MCB
UP Ltd. Web. 12 Sept. 2016.
Melewar, T.C., and John Saunders. "Global Corporate Visual Identity Systems."International
Marketing Review 15.4 (1998): 291-308. Emerald Insight. MCB UP Ltd, Apr.
1998.Web.13 Sept. 2016.