Observations: Advertising Localization Overshadows Standardization

Richard Alan Nelson and Dr Ali Kanso

The controversy over the use of standardized advertising campaigns has not been settled. Very little research has examined the role of American and non-American subsidiaries in designing and implementing campaigns for nondomestic markets.

Advertising Localization Overshadows Standardization

Ali KansoUniversity of TexasandRichard Alan NelsonLouisiana State University

The Controversy continues to rage over the use of standardized (universal) versus localized (customized) advertising approaches. International advertisers are often faced with the issue of whether, and to what extent, they should change their advertising messages from one country to another. Message development can be a highly complex problem for multinational companies that market their products and services on a global scale.

A review of the literature reveals a split – in both academic and corporate...

WARC subscribers can sign in to keep reading

Not a subscriber?

Schedule your live demo with our team today

WARC helps you to plan, create and deliver more effective marketing

  • Prove your case and back-up your idea

  • Get expert guidance on strategic challenges

  • Tackle current and emerging marketing themes

We’re long-term subscribers to WARC and it’s a tool we use extensively. We use it to source case studies and best practice for the purposes of internal training, as well as for putting persuasive cases to clients. In compiling a recent case for long-term, sustained investment in brand, we were able to support key marketing principles with numerous case studies sourced from WARC. It helped bring what could have been a relatively dry deck to life with recognisable brand successes from across a broad number of categories. It’s incredibly efficient to have such a wealth of insight in one place.

Insights Team
Bray Leino

You’re in good company

We work with 80% of Forbes' most valuable brands* and 80% of the world's top top-of-the-class agencies.

* Top 10 brands