
THINK FRENCH by Simon Silvester
The United States is the home of marketing -
that’s what all the textbooks say.
The US is where Coca-Cola was invented,
where TV commercials were first seen, and
where modern detergents first promised whiter
whites.
France, on the other hand, is the country of
medieval farmhouses, of foie gras and of four
hundred cheeses.
Few would think of France as the home of
cutting-edge marketing.
But perhaps the world’s marketers ought to look
more closely at France.
The emailable version of this document is at pubs.yr.com/thinkfrench.pdf
And wonder why so many New Yorkers insist on
drinking French mineral water.
Or why the kind of Tokyo woman who would never
buy a foreign food or electrical item always seems to
carry a $2000 French handbag.
Or why hard-nosed Chinese businessmen celebrate
deals with fine French wines and cognac.
French marketing is very different to American
marketing – but it is often more effective.
In the cut-throat world of the 21st Century, every
marketer needs to understand it.
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