I was checking youtube again for this weeks blog post on international advertising and came across this one commercial by Virgin Mobile in India. I am always looking for a good laugh, and this one is funny, but It definitely goes to far for advertising on network TV. I don’t know what the response to this add has been in India, but I strongly doubt it would be aired in the US.

Virgin Mobile is currently available in Australia, Chile, Canada, Columbia, France, India, Poland, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and United States. Virgin Mobile was launched in India in 2011. I am not surprised by Virgin Mobile’s decision to expand their products and services to India, which in recent years has been experiencing an emerging middle class and younger demographic. The always interesting founder of Virgin Mobile, Sir Richard Branson, thrill-seeker adventurer philanthropist billionaire, who has the ability to turn ideas into reality. Richard Branson is a business tycoon of the Virgin group.

Companies are aware of the opportunities that exist in foreign markets to market their brand internationally and grow sales. US companies must analyze the foreign market before even deciding to compete in that market. Factors such as: the economic environment, the demographic environment, the cultural environment, and the political environment.
Their are many advantages for companies to develop a global marketing strategy, and they are:1)economies of scale in production and distribution, 2)lower marketing and advertising costs,3)lower advertising production costs,4) Ability to capitalize on good ideas on a worldwide basis, 5) a consistent international brand, and 6) simplification of coordination and control of marketing and promotional programs.

This Virgin Mobile ad leads me to believe that that specific commercial was chosen for India, possibly because that was determined to be appropriate to their target market, in terms of demographic and cultural environment? I do understand the need to do that for marketing purposes, but at what point does it go from being appropriate for that group to being just too risqué? I was curious so I checked other Virgin Mobile ads in India, and they all are fairly similar as far as being borderline inappropriate.

Who knows…maybe this is their strategy of getting attention in a very competitive market?