Use and Adaptation of International Internet Marketing Communications: A Conceptual Model

Abstract

Internet marketing (IM) provides firms with an inexpensive, global reach, and in the context of international markets it is often called “international Internet marketing” (IIM) (e.g., Eid 2005; Eid and Trueman 2004; Eid, Trueman, and Ahmed 2006; Zugelder, Flaherty, and Johnson 2000). This paper involves the examination of IIM communications use and adaptation by firms to reach and communicate with international markets. Some researchers do not differentiate between IM and IIM because products and services marketed over the Internet can be purchased worldwide (e.g., Quelch and Klein 1996). However, it is suggested in this paper that IM and IIM should be treated separately due to the heterogeneity and diversity of different country markets, which may require some level of adaptation of IIM communications by firms. This paper also explores the impact of firms’ environmental scanning (ES) activities on the relationship between various internal and external characteristics and firms’ use and level of adaptation of IIM communications and IIM performance. Based on the review of the extant literature in the areas of marketing, IM, and strategic management, a conceptual model is proposed to explain the determinants of IIM communications use, strategy, and performance.