Chp. 5 - Developing a Global Vision

Being that acne is a global issue that affects people from all over the world, it is increasingly becoming possible to buy Proactiv solution in other countries. Proactiv can now be accessed in Canada, Asia Pacific and Europe. In terms of global marketing, each of these countries that sell the solution have their own separate website that is linked to the U.S's website. it is located at the bottom page of the site and once you select a country, it redirects you to another page. Each website is customized to match the country that the solution is being sold(e.g language, web setup, graphics etc). However, Guthy-Renker, the direct marketing company that is in charge of the proactiv brand does not directly sell certain proactiv products in any jurisdiction other than the United States of America because they may not be approved for sale in other jurisdictions. 

The sellers of Proactiv have done a great job in reacting to international marketing opportunities. The main reason it has been able to entice business from all over the world has been because of their famous adverts. The sellers of proactive use real celebrities to market and endorse their products both on TV and online. Guthy-Renker expanded into Web, social and mobile marketing. As of 2010, they hit 1.5 million views on its YouTube channel, 41,000 Facebook fans, and 8,700 Twitter followers. However in June of 2012, The advertising standards authority(ASA) in the Uk banned some of Proactiv's celebrity endorsed advertisements from being aired on tv in the Uk. This was after a woman filed a complaint stating that the adverts were misleading. She said the celebrities were likely to have used Proactiv's American brand, which contains an active ingredient not present in the UK version. Issues like these is the reason why it is imperative to have a good global vision. What may be acceptable or over looked in some parts of the world may not be allowed in other parts. It is also important to market a product differently in each geographic area to suit its target market. When global marketing is done the right way, it helps a company stay ahead of its competitors.