Challenges In Global Marketing

What it takes to a Global Marketing manager

THE ROLES OF A Global Marketing Manager.

CASE OF GENERAL MOTORS

 

Companies that manufacture goods which are sold beyond their local territories are always faced with the challenge of not only sustaining existing markets but also are faced with an even greater challenge of venturing into completely new markets. This new markets at most times already have products from other competitors and have very different demographic factors that differentiate them from where the company already has ventured.

There is even a greater challenge of coordinating the marketing operations of the different areas that the company already has operations and how to capture new markets.   General motors U.S.A is a major manufacturer of automobiles in the world and currently sells its vehicles in most of the countries in the world. In a world with ever changing marketing dynamics it is very important for any company with international operations to have a global marketing manager that coordinates the marketing operations of the company and ensure its survival.

            The company which started in 1908 in Detroit is at the moment ranked 2nd after Toyota in the vehicle manufacturing industry with a workforce of more than 200,000 personnel deployed all over the world.. “It is not a lie to claim that Most of the world renowned brands are GM’s.” (chandler, Alfred. 1964). These brands include Chevrolet, Buick, Holden, Wuling Cadillac, FAW, GMC, Daewoo, Opel, hammer, Vauxhall and Isuzu

With its ever growing and extremely successful expansion into a globally recognized company more so after the 2nd world war, General motors is a good example of how a company can benefit from not only having a global operations unit but also headed by a competent global operations manager to head and coordinate this important unit.

 All the countries that general motors operates in operate as single semi- autonomous units and sell different products based on the demographic qualities of the regions. Therefore being a global marketing manager is a very interesting yet challenging position where one performs different tasks ranging from coordination, supervision, searching for new markets etc. This paper will attempt to discuss the functions, relevant skills and challenges that are faced by an international marketing manager and also how the position of an international marketing manager can benefit a company by assisting it achieve its mission and vision. Aspects that will be examined include what it takes to be the global marketing manager, functions, problems that are tackled by the person holing the position and challenges.

 

Company’s slogan, mission and vision

Slogan

People in motion: the population of the world is constantly moving from one place to another end therefore it is our aspiration to provide transport for them.

MissionStatement

“General motors s a multinational company that is engaged in socially responsible operations in the whole world. We are dedicated in producing automobile products of the highest achievable standards that will ensure that our customers get the best value for their money while at the same time ensuring that our business partners, share holders and employees get perfect returns for their investment”

 Vision Statement:

 To be the global market leader in manufacture and sale of transportation products and their related services via continuous innovation, team work and integrity.

            Over the years the success of general motors has been driven by its slogan, mission and vision statements and as employees we are not only required to master them but also adhere to them at all times during the day to day operations. As a global marketing manager I am not only guided by the slogan, vision and mission but it is also my duty to ensure that all my fellow employees in all the 157 countries that our company operates in are also guided by the same values. This is essential since a company without a slogan, vision and mission lacks values, purpose and goals. 

Organizational structure

            The organizational structure of a company is more or less a framework through which a company performs its day to day functions. It dictates who does what and how. Although all the affiliate companies of general motors do have individual heads of marketing, all of them are supervised by the global marketing manager. The important question is who is the global marketing manager and where does this position fall in the hierarchy of management in this big company?

             General motors U.S.A is run under the overall leadership of a chief executive officer and three vice chairpersons in charge of finance, global product operations and corporate strategy and business development respectively. Under them are twenty two vice presidents stationed in various regions and with various responsibilities. The global marketing department works directly under the office of the vice chairperson in charge of global product operations with the leadership of the global marketing manager that I hold.

            (Willging, 2005) says marketing is a business activity that is concerned with trying to accomplish the objectives of a particular company or organization by getting to know the needs and wants of the customer and therefore trying to produce products, goods and services that will satisfy those needs. It involves several things ranging from market research, communication, delivery of products and follow up.

Functions of the global marketing manager

            As a global marketing manager, you analyze marketing events and conferences, create budgets for the activities, define and manage resources that are required for these events, monitor and finally give a report on how effective the marketing campaigns have been. More so you coordinate the research of target markets before the company starts operations there or introduces a particular product. This is necessary because however close regions may seem to be they are different in their demographic factors.

 (Willging) further argues that the main reason for the failure of most companies is caused by the simple reason that they fail to produce products that satisfy the needs of their potential customers and at times failing to promote the product properly. Factors that separate these markets range from purchasing power of the general population, culture etc. Although all these different markets operate as semi autonomous units as stated earlier, they are all linked to your office whereby you supervise them in order to achieve the possible attainable standards of marketing globally.

            You are also involved in managing the various promotions that the company is engaged in. Since general motors operates in several regions, this job is primarily delegated to marketing managers of these regions and coordinated under your supervision. This includes various aspects such as marketing campaigns, working out market mixes, engaging advertising firms etc.  

Market mix essentially means the tools that a marketer requires in order to carry out a successful marketing campaign. (lancaster & Reynolds, 2002) Say that four P’s are involved in marketing. These include the product, price, packaging and place. As a global marketing manager you are supposed to ensure that all the four P’s are adhered to in the various marketing campaigns carried out by general motors in the different markets that we are involved in. this is quite challenging for instance when you consider something like for example products. One of our products e.g. Cadillac might be famous in theUnited States but it is not the same case in other regions e.g. in the African market where Isuzu is more common. This is affected by several aspects like its pricing. In addition, the prices of our products have to vary in the different various markets without affecting the profits that the company will make from the sale of the products. (Willging, 2005) provides various ways in which a marketer can ensure that their products do well in different markets. These include, providing the same quality of goods at a lower cost than that of your competitors. This can be achieved by operating in a more efficient way that reduces your operating costs or better lowering the cost of your products to conform to the market standards but make more profits by selling more. This in the past has been achieved through constant research of the markets by the Global Marketing Team under my guidance.   

You  also have a great responsibility in managing the relationships with companies that supply marketing communication activities on a global scale to general motors. You  have to always ensure that the marketing requirements of the company are clearly spelt out and carried out by the marketing companies. This includes agreements on matters of costs and what the company expects from the marketing companies at the end of any marketing campaign. Apart from that the marketing campaigns have to be timely and done in a professional way that is acceptable by the management of general motors as a whole. 

What it takes to be a global marketing manager

            Being a global marketing manager for a huge company with a global outreach such as general motors is quite challenging and requires the holder of the position to posses several special qualities. The person should have the ability of being able to identify and determine effective marketing mix. The global marketing manager is responsible for all the marketing activities that the company undertakes in the different markets it operates. Since market mix is the backbone of successful marketing the person should exhibit a lot of dynamism and ability to adapt to the various marketing requirements of any particular region or country. The person should therefore have specialized in international marketing and have a good understanding of the international market

            The marketing manager should also have a strong personality with a good ability in creating good relationships with the different people that he has to work with. This is a huge responsibility that requires one to build relationships with people of different cultures and backgrounds. This is done through thorough consultations and collaborations Products manufactured by general motors are used all over the world and it is up to the global operations manager to find ways on how the products can be adapted to suite the different markets.

            The person should also be able to get the job done as required by the top management of the company. This requires one to a have very superior approaches in the world of business. For instance if G.M wanted to introduce itself into a virgin market, it is the job of the global marketing manager to think of strategies on how this would be done successfully. This requires a lot of traveling and thus it would also be appropriate if you have knowledge of a foreign language preferably French as it is the most commonly used language in the world after English.

             Having excellent communication skills is a must for this top job. Otherwise minus communication no marketing can be done. (Raymond & Marie, 2002) say that any person involved in business must have good skills in communication. This is because communication is an essential part of business and without it no business can be done in the whole world.

             Working as the global marketing manager for general motors can be quite challenging but very interesting at the same time. The best part of it is the feeling of being satisfaction especially after successful marketing campaign. For those who love traveling and meeting new people this is the correct job for you as with operations in 157 countries in the world, traveling is part of the job and you gat to travel for almost the whole year. Coordinating a huge team of a global marketing team can prove quite tricky but good at the same time. However there are times when the company experiences losses like in 2007 and during the global credit crunch where the global marketing team had to work overtime and with few resources thus becoming very difficult. The job is generally good though for those who wan to scale the international arena.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Challenges in the global market

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