13. How to Carry Out Global Marketing Research

(Textbook Page 501)

Global marketing research (multi-country research outside the country from which it was commissioned) is growing, driven by globalization, growing interest in new markets as established markets mature, and consolidation within the marketing research industry.

How is Global Research Different? (P. 502)

Several factors have implications for how the study is designed:

• Likely to be multiple languages
• Potential cultural differences like gender roles, social norms, social hierarchies
• Technology penetration (e.g. internet, smartphones)
• Political stability, government control of media, hesitancy to express opinions
• Scheduling around public holidays

There are differences for clients and suppliers as well.

• The core project team may have more members - client and supplier stakeholders as well as translators, moderators and interviewers, etc. in each country
• Many of those involved may be working in a language that is not their primary one, requiring attention to very clear communications
• Multiple time zones require efficient and advanced meeting scheduling
• Client expertise and responsibilities may differ between large and small markets, requiring different levels of support from the supplier

 
What Factors Affect Global Research? (P.503)

External factors that need to be considered and accounted for include: 

• Government – Citizens may be fearful of expressing opinions, secondary data may not be available or accurate, public versus private control may create different consumer dynamics
• Legal - Privacy laws can differ between jurisdictions, affecting sample availability, consent, anonymized data, videotaping opt-ins and limitations on remote viewing
• Economic – The economic situation in each country has implications for target group definition, honoraria, demographic classifications, and ease of access to all segments of society
• Structural – The design is impacted by the balance between urban and rural and the ease of moving goods throughout the country (e.g. to get products into the hands of respondents)
• Informational/Technological – Is there equal, private access to the internet, sufficient bandwidth; what is the balance between mobile phones vs. desktops to access the survey
• Socio-cultural – What is appropriate for interactions between gender, age and social status for interviewers and respondents and for qualitative participants? Understand conversational dynamics and what is considered polite / rude
• Marketing – Education levels and experience may mean different levels of familiarity and compfort with rating scales and questionnaires and impact the quality of responses

What should you consider in Global Research Processes?  (P.506)

Some things to consider that have unique or heightened importance: 

• Problem Definition – Are there region-specific differences in how the problem is defined?
• Methodology – Does the preferred method work in all countries?  If not, do you live with it, adapt or can a multi-modal approach work?
• Sampling – Do gender roles, economic power and market structure affecting purchase decision-making require redefining the sample in some countries?  Will there be challenges gaining access to the correct sample?
• Questionnaire Design -Watch for market-specific words or phrases within the same language, the potential for common questions to be offensive in some cultures, for gender, household composition and social roles to be treated differently.  Be aware that some concepts simply don’t exist in all countries (e.g. social class, second homes, etc.)
• Measurement and scaling – Not all respondents are comfortable with numbers and scales; some cultures shy away from negative feedback and use scales differently. 
• Translation/Transcreation – An accurate translation carries the same meaning and the same tone. Tips are provided in this section.
• Data collection – Critical success factors include detailed instructions, country level briefings, employing local moderators and accepting that recruitment methods may vary.
• Analysis – Differences from culturally specific scale usage is often addressed by data translation techniques such as: 
  • Developing norms for different countries
  • Standardizing the data
  • Using a multiple regression model
  • Employing the MaxDiff technique
• Reporting and Presentation – Discuss the reporting format at the design phase and agree if a report is needed for each country or in aggregate.  Someone familiar with each country should vet the report.  If the presentation is to include multiple time zones, consider a series of presentations, and include a regional emphasis. 

Practical Considerations (P. 512)

• Procurement-driven supplier selection is widespread in global research because of the level of investment.  The global footprint of the bidding company can be a deciding factor. 
• Secondary sources include the client’s internal data for each country and external data from government sources (e.g. census), the UN, WTO, WHO and World Bank.  All can help make design and data collection decisions and help frame questions for primary research.
• Marketing Research Associations can be a source of insights into local practices and regulations.