A Survey of Korean Advertisers Using Standardization and Localization Global Advertising Campaigns

Abstract

The purpose of this paper was to review the previous published research on standardized and localized approaches and to study the possibility of using the two approaches in a survey of international advertisers. Samples for this survey were drawn from the Korean economic yearbook and data were gathered through a mailed self-administered questionnaire. The questionnaire was composed of three sections: description of the sample company, international advertising strategies used in a global market, and difficulties using a standardized international advertising strategy. The survey was conducted between December 2016 and March 2017. The findings of this study showed that a majority of the Korean international companies use combined campaigns, integrating standardization and localization campaigns. The results indicated that Korean international advertisers do not rely on extreme approaches of international advertising, not engaging in a fully standardized or localized approach. The other important finding of this study showed that barriers to employ standardization strategies in global persuasive campaigns included cultural differences in global markets, differences in economic situations, language diversity, differences in consumer and market data, government regulations, and the availability of media. Based on these results, practical implications are discussed, along with several directions for future research.