International publicity: concepts and applications

This article examines the issue of publicity within an international context. The tools and processes for a publicity campaign are similar for the domestic and foreign market, although the task of international publicity is more complex, given the various constraints posed by different foreign environments, notably cultural differences, language barriers, media availability and differing regulatory frameworks. The “standardisation” versus “adaptation” debate will be applied, albeit sparingly, to international publicity planning, bearing in mind that, as with all other communication tools, successful international publicity campaigns are largely dependent on the consideration of the peculiarities of foreign environments. The impact of these constraints in terms of strategy and planning are also considered and further areas for research identified.