Costco
The practice of buying in bulk at low prices is something that is common to American's, but is still a relatively new idea for other cultures. The presentation and content of Costco's various websites around the globe demonstrates how they need to adapt their website to the local cultures familiarity with their brand.
Costco's website for the United States is all about selling. As soon as you log onto the home page you are presented with several different items that are on sale that week and there are over twenty different tabs you can choose to select what category of goods you want to view, these are the most prominent tabs on the site. The second most prominent tabs are for the various services you can procure through Costco. If you want to find company information, job opportunities or contact information it is all less obviously displayed and you need to look around a bit for it. The assumption behind this type of layout is that the consumer visiting the site is very familiar with Costco's business and that they are coming to the site to shop. While this approach is fine for the United States, it is not the strategy taken for their foreign sites.
When you visit sites for Costco in other countries you will notice that their website is a very different experience. While it still has a similar layout and feel there is far less on the websites and the immediate message you receive is different. For example if you view Costco's sites for the United Kingdom (www.costco.co.uk/) or Australia (www.costco.com.au/) you will notice that instead of over 20 tabs for viewing goods to purchase there are none; you can't purchase from their website. The information is all about what Costco is, why it is beneficial to you and where you can find their store. The pictures and messages have also been adapted for the local culture. For example, the home page of Costco's Australian site shows people with a cart overflowing with products which are familiar to the local people, such as Vegemite and Omo.
The reason that Costco has to make their websites around the world so different is because they currently have different goals for their websites. In the United States the website is an inexpensive distribution channel and a place where Costco can offer products that would be inconvenient to carry in their stores (furniture, spas, home-remodeling supplies, etc). However, in other parts of the world, Costco's website is a tool that they can use to educate people about what their store sells, how the customer will benefit from membership and draw people into their stores. Their main need is to spread the word about Costco as opposed to selling specific products and a website is an efficient tool for this purpose.
Mc Donald's
McDonald's is a globally known product, so unlike Costco people all over the world will know their business and they don't have to educate people on what they do. Everyone knows that McDonald's is a fast food restaurant. The difference between McDonald's marketing in different countries appears to focus more on attracting customers to their restaurant based upon differences in local values. For example, the McDonald's website for the United States (www.mcdonalds.com) has a large advertisement for their new fruit smoothie and is attempting to convey to the consumer that their meals are healthy. However, when you look at the McDonald's website for India (http://www.mcdonaldsindia.com/mc.html) not only are some of their product offerings different due to the culture, so is their main message. In India, where the cow is sacred, you will notice that there is not a single beef item on the menu. They also are stressing the convenience and enjoyment of having a McDonald's meal, as opposed to their message of health in the United States. In Australia (http://mcdonalds.com.au/#/home), their marketing message is that the meal is satisfying and filling. So while all three websites are marketing the same restaurant, they are all selling it as a different experience based upon what they determined the local market desires.
Wrangler
When most American's think of Wrangler they probably think of the classic blue-collar American worker on a farm or in a factory. Wrangler however portrays their product in a wide variety of ways depending upon the audience, while still centering the idea around the rugged American vision. If you visit Wrangler's website for the United States (http://www.wrangler.com/home) you see how they play up the country-western angle and picture several American celebrities that are involved in classic American celebrity circles such as Nascar or country music. They portray their product as very down-to-earth, high-quality and durable. However, if you visit one of their international sites you will get a very different image of the blue-collar American. Wrangler has a common site for all of the Asia-Pacific region (http://www.wrangler-ap.com/main.aspx?countryId=68&cc=SG) that makes their product appear blue-collar, but a more sexy version than on their US site. Who knew that you could give Wranglers sex appeal?! The Asia-Pacific website has a much more artistic styling to it and some interactive features that you don't see on the US site. You will get yet another completely different view of Wrangler if you visit their European website (http://www.wrangler-europe.com/en/bluebell#/slide2). This site portrays the same blue-collar American type of character, but instead of being a sexy image, it is more of a rebellious/dangerous portrayal of the character. The site is a lot more interactive with videos that you click on to initiate actions of the character. While both the Asia-Pacific and European websites will show you the Wrangler collection, only the US site will allow you to purchase their product through the site.
While Wrangler is selling the same pair of jeans to people in all three of these regions, the people are buying them for different reasons, which is why they have to portray their brand differently in each area. When Americans buy Wrangler, they are buying them for the perceived quality and durability of the product as well as the value. However, when customers in foreign markets buy Wrangler, they are buying the product because they want to own a piece of the American lifestyle. Wrangler has to play to the image that various regions of the world have of the classic American lifestyle in order for their product to appeal to international customers.
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