One British authority admonishes foreign marketers to study the
world 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), anticipating
the need for protection against high humidity is difficult.
Likewise, someone who has never encountered the difficult problems
caused by dehydration in constant 100-degrees-plus heat in
the Sahara region will find them hard to comprehend. 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, history and geography exert complex influences
on the development of the general economy and society of a
country. In this case, the study of history and geography is needed
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.
