Issues influencing marcoms in a global context

The marketing methods, strategies, and tactics deployed by global, multinational, and domestic firms are undergoing rapid and consistent change. The break-up of old style mass markets, new technological developments, international and national economic fluctuation, and the proclaimed emergence of global markets which indicates global competition, are impacting strongly on the ways firms develop and apply marketing and, within the domain of marketing-marketing communications. We have identified seven overarching developments with respect to marketing communications. These developments are discussed in turn in this conceptual paper and are in line with organizational changes typified by writers such as Toffler and Toffler (1990), McKenna (1991), and Hammer and Champy (1995). The discussion then focuses on development of an integrating structure that attempts to draw together the growing caucus of knowledge concerning database marketing, integrated communications strategies, and multinational marketing, illustrating these developments with reference to two case vignettes. The conclusion then links these strands together in considering their impact on global marketing communications: (1) growth in advertising and promotion, (2) emergence of the global consumer; (3) development and importance of integrated communications: (4) direct marketing-a new promotional tool? (5) database marketing-towards coordinated strategy; (6) internet advertising-a form of promotion? and (7) coordination and control-process vs output. In this paper we present and discuss these various issues. Admittedly, while some may be conjectural, it is evident that these are vital developments underpinning the major marketing mix variable-promotion! It is worth mentioning that each of the issues tackled in this paper are being tested empirically with in-depth interviews with multinational fast moving consumer goods firms, with headquarters in the United Kingdom.