Comparing and Contrasting American and Japanese Marketing

Competition in the business world is fierce and in order to survive companies must expand. “With the increasing globalization of markets, companies find they are unavoidably enmeshed with foreign customers, competitors, and suppliers, even within their own borders,” (Cateora-Graham, 2007). One way in which many companies have done this is by going global. International marketing, although more prominent than ever before, is still a difficult arena for marketers to master. Although religion and culture are not immediately brought to mind when business is brought up, marketing is one aspect of business that is highly sensitive to culture. Not only culture, but also politics, the economy and the law effect marketing strategies. This paper will examine the differences between the American and Japanese marketing environments.

CULTURAL INFLUENCES

“It should not be surprising that Japanese marketing practices vary from traditional Western marketing practices because marketing is the process of satisfying wants and needs and these desires vary tremendously among cultures,” (Howard, 1999). The Japanese have been noted as leaders in marketing techniques. However, the Japanese may not be as adept in the marketing field as once thought. The Japanese view the field of marketing much differently than Americans do. The Japanese believe that “if a good, quality, lower-priced product is produced based on consumer information, people should buy it,” (Howard, 1999). The Japanese do not place marketing very high on their list of priorities. This is very different from their American counterparts. American companies value marketing highly. Japanese companies place more emphasis on production and manufacturing.

Cultural differences between Ameri...

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...gies of these marketing giants. As these trends continue to change, expect the marketing to adapt as well.

Works Cited

Howard, Carol. The Future of Japanese Marketing. Business Forum. 1999.

Retrieved Feb 22, 2008 from: http://www.allbusiness.com/management/393253-1.html

Ogden, James R. Reflection on Japan's faltering economic problems: a marketing

management perspective. Global Competitiveness. 2004. Retrieved

January 22, 2008 from: http://www.allbusiness.com/marketing/market-

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