In Your Face

Globalization, commercialization and Americanization are changing the lives of almost everybody on the planet. The uniqueness of this book is that it tackles these trends together, and head-on. The balance of knowledge and feeling makes it an important book in a field plagued by one-sided pro- and anti- pieces.—David Arnold, author of The Mirage of Global Markets Millions of people around the world have come to despise the United States. One of the biggest reasons is American "in-your-face" marketing, which treats people everywhere as 24 × 7 consumers, drives U.S. free market materialism at the expense of local values, and seeks to "McDonaldize" the entire globe. In this book, one of the world's leading experts on global marketing steps back to see its true impact. Johny K. Johansson looks at American marketing from the perspective of the non-U.S. consumer: as the first wave of a cultural assault by an arrogant, wasteful society of overfed, gas-guzzling, SUV-driving bullies. Johansson considers the Bush administration's "repositioning" of America and the post-9/11 collapse of American popularity from the perspective of a professional global marketer. He then offers practical guidance for marketers who wish to succeed in global markets without becoming "ugly Americans." Meet the new "ugly American"—American marketers abroad: loud, short-sighted, and ineffective Live by the brand, die by the brand—Why American brands are the #1 targets of the anti-globalization movement One size does not fit all—No matter how much global marketers say it does After 9/11: The disastrous "repositioning" of America—Bush unilateralism versus traditional American values Toward a more humane global marketing—Local awareness and respect and the long-term route to sustainable profit The new global rebellion against American marketing "In-your-face" American marketing—the not-so-hidden cause of global anti-Americanism. The "repositioning" of America and why American popularity overseas has collapsed How to profitably market internationally, without promoting anti-Americanism A desperately needed wake-up call for American companies in global markets In Your Face reveals the new worldwide rebellion that's brewing against American marketing. Renowned international marketing expert Johny K. Johansson explains why global customers will no longer put up with the traditional tactics of western companies. Most important, he offers a new path to sustainable profits—a path based on respect, not domination. Along the way, Johansson shows why American brands are especially susceptible to attack, how global politics is reshaping the playing field for U.S. companies, and how to overcome the hidden "one-size-fits-all" ethnocentrism that's fatal to marketers abroad.