Standardized International Advertising: Some Research Issues and Implications

For almost four decades, international marketers, advertising agencies, and academicians have been debating the applicability of standardized international advertising. This paper examines recent evidence that deals with this strategy in an indirect manner. It discusses why the research approaches that have been utilized so far have made it difficult to test the validity of the concept of standardization. The article emphasizes the need to obtain direct and conclusive evidence to establish a cause-and-effect relationship. Toward this end, the paper focuses on the scientific framework and offers some research recommendations concerning the measurement process and hypothesis testing.