Often times in Business, you must market your product to a wide array of people, all of which probably don't share the same backgrounds and beliefs as others. So, as a company, you must figure out how to market your product in the "global marketplace". This entails crossing many language barriers and other obstacles which arise in Intercultural Communications. "We cannot separate culture from communication , for as soon as we start to talk about one we are almost inevitably talking about the other, too" (J.C. 1975). .
How you "encode" your message and how the consumer "decodes" it may differ by geographical region and that must be taken into consideration. "An advertising message encoded in one culture has to be decoded in another culture in the case of standardized marketing. This process may be subject to severe distortions, as the receiver will decode the message in his/her own cultural context. A standardized approach could hence run into the danger, that the message will be unconvincing, as it does not meet the psychological "triggers" required to evoke a purchase decision with the consumer."(S.D. 2000).
Often time's companies may run into these barriers in communication and fail in the international market after being very successful in their own country. This is because we share different ideas about why we should buy something. Our buying drive is different from that of someone who lives in a third world country because we have more disposable income here to spend on things where as they are just developing and have no need for frivolous products.
"In order to understand the decoding process in the target market, it will be essential to study the product perceptions and reasons for purchase, as well as the product's place in the target culture." (S. D. 2000) This is key to making your product sell in various markets. "Each cultural setting has a 'signature' - - a specific ambiance, REQUIRING definition, respect, and attention.
