Question

Assume that you are the communications manager for a company that is seeking to begin a communications effort targeting buyers in a foreign market. Which of the steps in the international communications process will probably present you with the greatest challenge? Explain.

Answer 1

1. The step with greatest challenge is "Encoding". It is essential for the organisation to know about the fine aspects of culture of the country and to design the communication by putting the right thoughts into it, in right manner and with right symbolic representations, so as to be perceived in favourable way by the receiver.

This step is the most challeging because the organisation, before encoding, needs to know the people's lives, their cultural heritage, their aspirations in life, the way they interact among themselves, the local customs, norms of acceptable and unacceptable behaviour, family and society, and how they influence an individual's life, and the place of the proposed product / service, and the difference it can make to their lives.

By knowing these fine aspects, a marketing communicator would be able to think from the perspective of the recipient, and be able to design what would appeal the target audience in the most effective manner and fulfil the objectives of communication.