Global versus Adapted Products - A Vital Decision for International Marketers

There is a great difference between globally and adapted products. However, before going on to the differences between them and the issue that they pose for the international marketer, there are three phrases that we have to define; what global-, and adapted products are and who an international marketer is.

Global products are simply standardized products that are sold globally, or in most of the countries of the world. Given the fact that these kinds of products look the same all over the world, their promotion and advertising can be quite the same with maybe some minor changes on them.

Adapted products are products that although they have some level of standardization, they are greatly altered according to the local needs of the specific markets. Since the products themselves are differently, the promotion has to bee different also.

International marketers are simply marketing practitioners operating in different countries and at different parts of the world. It is not just the product and promotion that they might have to change, but the two other parts of the marketing mix. For instance, place, that is, distribution, is largely dependant on the development of the infrastructure. Price also has to be changed according to the disposable income of the people in the country.