Media Selection

One of the most challenging areas for international marketers is media strategy and selection. Companies generally find major differences in the media available outside their home markets, and media conditions may vary considerably from one country to another. In less developed countries such as Vietnam, Kenya, and Egypt, most consumers do not have contact with a marketer's advertising and promotion efforts until they enter a store. Packaging and other point-of-purchase elements, rather than media advertising, will have the greatest impact on purchase decisions. On the other hand, advertising bombards consumers in the more affluent countries of Europe, the Pacific Rim, and North America through a variety of print and broadcast as well as interactive media. Media planners face a number of problems in attempting to communicate advertising and promotional messages to consumers in various countries. First, the types of media available are different in different countries. Many homes in developing countries do not have TV sets. For example, in many South and Central African nations (such as Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya, and Zimbabwe), radio is the dominant medium and access to TV sets is very limited.85 Vietnam's 71 million people own an estimated 7 million radios and 2.5 million television sets, and reported newspaper circulation is only 1.2 million copies. Outdoor advertising reaches the most Vietnamese, followed by point-of-purchase material.86 Only one in three of the 151 million Russians has access to a television or radio, although Russians are better-educated than people in less developed nations and 26 million newspapers circulate throughout the country each day.

In some countries, TV advertising is not accepted or the amount of commercial time is severely limited. For example, in Germany, TV advertising is limited to 20 minutes a day on each of the government-owned channels (four 5-minute breaks) and banned on Sundays and holidays. Germany's privately-owned television stations, however, are permitted to devote up to 20 percent of their airtime to commercials. In the Netherlands, TV spots are limited to 5 percent of airtime and must be booked up to a year in advance. Programs also do not have fixed time slots for ads, making it impossible to plan commercial buys around desired programs. In some countries the limited number of channels and demand for commercial time result in extremely high levels of advertising clutter.

The number of TV sets is increasing tremendously in India, but there is still controversy over TV advertising. Commercials are restricted to only 10 percent of programming time and must appear at the beginning or end of a program.87 Australia lifted a ban on cable TV advertising in 1997. However, some cable channels won't accept any advertising, and Australian consumers will not tolerate as much advertising on cable channels as on free TV networks.88

The characteristics of media differ from country to country in terms of coverage, cost, quality of reproduction, restrictions, and the like. In some countries, media rates are negotiable or may fluctuate owing to unstable currencies, economic conditions, or government regulations. For example, in China TV stations charge a local rate for Chinese advertisers, a foreign rate, and a joint venture rate.89 Although its 900 million TV viewers make China the world's largest television market, the medium is strictly controlled by the Communist Party. State-owned China Central Television (CCTV) controls the national networks. Politics frequently intrude into program selection and scheduling: A show might be delayed for several months to coincide with a key political event, or programs from foreign countries may be pulled off the air.90

Another problem international advertisers face is obtaining reliable media information such as circulation figures, audience profiles, and costs. Many countries that had only state-owned TV channels are now experiencing a rapid growth in commercial channels, which is providing more market segmentation opportunities. However, reliable audience measurement data are not available, and media buyers often rely on their instincts when purchasing TV time. A number of research companies are developing audience measurement systems for countries in Eastern Europe, Russia, and China. In China, A. C. Nielsen began using PeopleMeters in urban areas such as Shanghai and the southern city of Guangzhou. Television research also is available from China Sofres Media, a joint venture formed by the French company Sofres and the state-owned China Viewers Survey & Consulting Centre. International advertising and television trade groups are also working to develop standardized measurement principles for global TV advertising.91

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