Saturday, June 10, 2006

Cultural Influence

When the Barbie Dolls were showed up in the market at the beginning, the selling number in Asian countries was not impressive. Since most of the Asian girls are black hair and brown eyes, they felt that the dolls with blond hair, big blue eyes and long legs were weird in some way. They prefer the dolls are more familiar with them. After the complements of their looks and patterns, the market of Barbie Dolls is getting bigger and bigger.
Many fast food restaurants, such as Mcdonald’s, KFC, are managed in China. They try to make different kinds of breakfasts. However, Chinese people have their own traditional breakfast, such as soybean milk and stuff like that. Most of the people are used to having traditional doughnut as breakfast instead of fries or coke. Fast food for breakfasts attracts many teenagers who are in a big consumer group. Do the companies need to fix their ways in eastern countries to attract more people in different ages or just try to fit teenagers’ appetites?

1 comment:

Greg Delemeester said...

One concern of some opponents of globalization is the Americanization of local cultures. Some countries fear that increased global trade will result in a loss of national identity as the Golden Arches, Coca-Cola, and Barbie are spread around the world. Such brands, though, will only catch on if they cater to local customs and preferences. A similar problem occurs within the United States. As regional American brands attempt to enter different parts of the US, they must adapt to local preferences also. When I was living in Texas, most hamburger restaurants would offer jalapenos as part of their regular offerings. But when I came to Ohio, I didn't find any jalapenos on the menus of such restaurants (much to my displeasure!). On a related note, the whole immigration issue has riled some Americans who fear that the Hispanic influence is growing too much within US borders. Globalization is a force to reckon with inside and outside of the US.