Disney, Benetton, Sony, Heineken and Adidas are examples of international brands that are instantly recognizable in many countries around the world. Products, tastes and markets are becoming increasingly international. In this sense, customer analysis also needs to become more international in its approach.
Probably the most famous article arguing for an international approach to strategy development was that of Theodore Levitt in 1983, entitled “The globalisation of markets”. He acknowledged that there were real differences in taste, culture and language around the world but argued that the pressures for globalisation would more than outweigh them. Everyone was developing global tastes: “Cosmopolitanism is no longer the monopoly of the intellectual and leisured classes; it is becoming the established property and defining characteristic of all sectors everywhere in the world”.
To support his enthusiasm, Levitt quote the evidence of a washing machine manufacturer who had not followed a global approach. He also quotes some brief examples of companies that had successfully internationalized. The most significant point in developing international analysis is that it is far more important to seek the similarities between nations than to analyze the differences, this remains true at the beginning of the twenty-first century. Levitt also lays great emphasis on international economics of scale to deliver really low prices and thus overcome any differences in taste.