One British authority admonishes foreign marketers to study world geography until "the mere mention of a town, country, or river enables it to be picked out immediately on the map." Although it may not be necessary for the student of foreign marketing to memorize the world map to that extent, a prospective international marketer should be reasonably familiar with the world, its climate, and topographic differences. Otherwise, the important marketing characteristics of geography could be completely overlooked when marketing in another country. The need for geographical and historical knowledge goes deeper than being able to locate continents and their countries. Geographic hurdles must be recognized as having a direct effect on marketing and the related activities of communications and distribution. For someone who has never been in a tropical rain forest with an annual rainfall of at least 60 inches (and sometimes more than 200 inches), it is difficult to anticipate the need for protection against high humidity. Likewise, it is hard to comprehend the difficult problems caused by dehydration in constant 100-degrees-plus heat in the Sahara region. Indirect effects from the geographical ramifications of a society and culture may be ultimately reflected in marketing activities. Many of the peculiarities of a country (i.e., peculiar to the foreigner) would be better understood and anticipated if its history and geography were studied more closely. Without a historical understanding of a culture, the attitudes within the marketplace may not be fully understood.
Aside from the simpler and more obvious ramifications of climate and topography, there are complex historical and geographical influences on the development of the general economy and society of a country. In this case, the need for studying history and geography is to provide the marketer with an understanding of why a country has developed as it has rather than as a guide for adapting marketing plans. History and geography are two of the environments of foreign marketing that should be thoroughly understood and that must be included in foreign marketing plans to a degree commensurate with their influence on marketing effort.
