Advertising in international markets is a difficult task for marketing groups across the globe. The simple reason being that, it's almost an alien planet to be explored before we land our shuttle. This article briefly touches upon the issues related to international communication strategies.

Advertising in a different country or continent can be viewed as a communication process that takes place in multiple cultures differing in terms of social values, languages spoken, literacy levels and consumption pattern. For any advertiser, whether domestic or international, the fundamentals will remain the same. There are 5 basic rules (5 Ws) of the game that they are expected to follow as commandments, before they initiate.

Culture can be defined as a set of values and beliefs that we share within a particular group, society, organization, locality or a nation. Each culture has its own identity that is unique and reflects a `way of living'-the manner in which people behave, communicate and respond to stimuli. It also showcases the way they think and perceive reality. All of which gives them a sense of belonging. Different cultures exhibit different value systems.

While communicating with the target audience, we must keep this fact in our mind that they differ from country to country in terms of how they perceive the information and interpret symbols or stimuli in the way an advertiser wants them to be. Otherwise, it will create an unwarranted humorous situation that becomes horrible at times. The history of international advertising is replete with numerous such cases, appropriately termed as `Advertising or Communication Blunders.'

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