META International Marketing Strategy Analysis: Asphalte ‘s International Marketing
Strategy and Competitor Analysis
1. Introduction
Meta Platforms, Inc which was formerly known as Facebook, Inc. is a global technology
company based in Menlo Park, California. Over time, Facebook has rapidly evolved, starting
as a platform created by Mark Zuckerberg and other co-founders in 2004. The company was
established with a purpose of “giving people the power to build community and bring the
world closer together” and currently serves as the parent organization of major products
like Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Oculus VR. Meta earns substantial revenue from
ad services and its virtual reality environment since the company has over 3 billion users on
its different platforms.
Meta’s switch to the metaverse in 2021 can be considered one of the most crucial changes in
the company’s strategic development. The idea is to create a virtual world that is
additionally a physical space and a digital one as well. Its investments in AR/VR
technologies like Oculus headsets and Horizon Worlds define its focus on spearheading the
next day internet.
2. Internationalization
Meta’s international operations were initiated in the late 2000s since it targeted to expand
its operations across various countries. Key milestones in its internationalization process
include:
- **2008:** Facebook extended beyond English and added multiple languages to its UI/IX
which enhanced its growth in Europe & Latin America.
- **2009:** Expansion to India and other Asian countries with the growing use of
smartphones.
- **2010:** Facebook Ads becomes available to the public for all countries, enabling
companies to market to a worldwide audience.
- **2012:** Facebook’s IPO facilitated global expansion efforts with vast expenditures in
infrastructure and content that were localised.
- **2014:** The purchase of WhatsApp expands Meta’s presence in emerging markets such
as Brazil, India, and Indonesia.
- **2016:** Launch of Messenger as a separate application in response to people’s need for
messaging services worldwide.
- **2021:** Changing its name to Meta and hinting at the focus on advanced technologies
and the metaverse.
The company is currently located in more than 190 countries with great influence in areas
such as North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Latin America. One of the biggest strengths
of the company has been the skillful management in adapting its strategies to local markets.
3. Markets
United States
- **Entry Strategy:** Organic growth through innovation and early adoption of spaces such
as social media.
- **Reason for Strategy:** As its native market, Meta capitalized on a first-mover advantage
and network effects to reign supreme. This helped the company to improve its position in
the advertising and content creation markets through better data collection and creative
partnership models.
- **Success Evaluation:** Extraordinarily successful, where the United States alone
contributes more than 40% towards Meta’s total revenue owing to the well-developed
advertising market and strong user presence. It must be noted that by 2023, the market size
of ads in the United States was more than $50 billion per year across sectors like e-
commerce, entertainment, and technology.
India
- **Entry Strategy:** Specific regional alliances and acquisitions like the Reliance Jio and
astute mobile-centric approach.
- **Reason for Strategy:** To tackle both affordability and language diversity issues while
targeting mobile-first customers. The country’s expanding middle class and the growing use
of the Internet made it an ideal market.
- **Success Evaluation:** Outstanding: with the number of Indian users, Meta has become
the largest company in the country, with over 500 million users across all its platforms by
2023. However, monetization continues to be a key issue given that the average revenue per
user (ARPU) is currently at $2 as compared to the $50 seen for the same in the USA.
Brazil
- **Entry Strategy:** Acquisition of WHSAPP to address high mobile usage and reliance on
Instant messaging application.
- **Reason for Strategy:Thus, the use of WhatsApp corresponded with the increased
demand for cheap communication among users in Brazil. Meta also relied on word-of-
mouth and created strong ties with local merchants and service providers.
- **Success Evaluation:** Moderate since WhatsApp claims that four of the five most active
messaging app users are in Brazil and there are over 150 million active users. Nonetheless,
fluctuating economic trends, uncertain policies, and deregulation have slowed the growth in
ad revenues, which currently are estimated to be around $1.5 billion in 2023.
4. Customers
United States
- **Cultural Factors:** Individualism and Innovation is significantly high that is apparent
with participation on Facebook and Instagram. Customers appreciate being treated as
unique individuals, as well as the incorporation of state-of-the-art solutions.
- **Social Factors:** This trend benefits content creation, e-commerce, and influencer
marketing. Overall, close to 7 out of 10 small businesses in the United States leverage Meta’s
applications for advertising.
- **Behavioral Factors:** High purchasing power strengthens Meta’s ad-based revenue
streams. Monthly active users engage with Meta’s apps for approximately 2 hours daily.
- **Adjustments:** Implementation of advanced ad targeting techniques and Augmented
Reality/Virtual Reality adaptations applicable to the sophisticated markets. Innovations like
Reels for Instagram target the young population.
India
- **Cultural Factors:** This has an implication on the need to have localized content due to
language diversity and a collectivist culture. Out of all these languages, it supports more
than 20 Indian languages on its website and digital properties.
- **Social Factors:** Dependence on mobile internet in areas of social and economic
interaction. India also has over 700 million smartphone users, which indicates that it is a
mobile-first country.
- **Behavioral Factors:** Absence of specific brand preferences for products and services,
and inclination towards free services and social platforms. WhatsApp has become essential
in people’s communication needs with 80% of the users using it to communicate with
families and groups.
- **Adjustments:** Support for regional languages, existence of lightweight applications (for
instance, Facebook Lite), and cooperation with telecommunication companies. Increasing
the adoption of Digital payment through the Integration of UPI on WhatsApp.
Brazil
- **Cultural Factors:Provider and seeker both place a high value on social relationships and
entertainment. Brazil is among the leading countries when it comes to social media usage,
with 3.5 hours spent online daily.
- **Social Factors:** The economic status affects the use of digital media with the tendency
of using products that are free of charge. WhatsApp plays a significant role as a
communication platform for the informal economy sectors.
- **Behavioral Factors:Looking at the uses and trends in mobile messaging, one can note the
following: A survey of 1000 small enterprises in Brazil showed that more than 80% of the
respondents admitted to using WhatsApp with clients.
- **Adjustments:** Launching of WhatsApp Pay and marketing strategies that involve
communities. As for local campaigns, they often reflect the values and messages associated
with family and community.
5. Products
Facebook
- **United States:** It is standardized and has additional features including an enhanced set
of ads and compatibility with e-commerce platforms. Services such as the Marketplace and
Facebook Shop are designed to support online buying.
- **India:** Through the availability of lighter versions of the app, such as Facebook Lite,
and through the app supporting regional languages. This social networking site relies on the
use of video content which is aggressively marketed to attract the users.
- **Brazil:** Overreliance on community engagement tools as the main strategy for
retaining users. Facebook Groups are often used for advertising local businesses.
- **Success:** This strategy has performed well on a universal level, yet younger generation
is moving more towards platforms like TikTok. Facebook active users, by that time, were
2.9 billion, while the U.S. and India led in terms of ad revenue generation.
WhatsApp
- **United States:** iMessage as a messaging tool due to its narrow adoption as compared to
SMS and normal text messaging. It includes products that are business-oriented like the
WhatsApp Business API for example.
- **India:** Relatively short ranged with additional attributes such as UPI-based payment
and business API connections. More than 100 million users actively use WhatsApp Pay
every month.
- **Brazil:** Integration of WhatsApp Pay to address the informal economy business needs.
It is evident that WhatsApp is a crucial tool for about 5 million companies globally.
- **Success:** WhatsApp is the most popular messaging app in India and Brazil but is less
effective in selling in the U.S. It had surpassed the 2.7 billion mark in terms of users by the
year 2023 thus pointing to the importance of the platform as a communication channel.
Conclusion
In particular, the specific example of Meta’s marketing across international markets
showcases the opportunities for the company to preserve its strengths and optimize them
for markets that differ notably from the domestic one. Thus, through complete
standardization strategies coupled with adequate localization plans, the company has
introduced and sustained its competitive stronghold in the most crucial markets. The
introduction of advanced features, strategic partnerships, and culturally sensitive
approaches has been pivotal. In the future, strategies like monetization in emergent
markets and the competition with new platforms will define how the company maintains its
leadership around the world. Emphasizing the metaverse as a growth area is prudent;
however, reaching critical mass will demand both capital and ingenuity.
Case Study Analysis: Asphalte ‘s International Marketing Strategy and Competitor Analysis
Executive Summary
Asphalte is a French slow fashion clothing brand that is famous for selling long-lasting,
cruelty-free garments directly to customers. In this assessment, we critically review
Asphalte’s international marketing plan and market positioning. Based on the article by
Pawel Lawrowsk entitled “The Onsite Marketing Strategy That Brings Asphalte 4,000+
Leads Every Month”, the report identifies the brand’s strengths, analyzes consumers’
behaviours, and provides recommendations on data gathering and offline marketing.
Specific measures are recommended to expand and strengthen its position in the
international market and challenge competitors such as TenderSign.
1. Company Background and Asphalte’s USP is a concept used in the marketing realm where
a business aims at establishing a sole reason why customers should buy its products in
preference to those of competitors.
Company Background
Asphalte was launched in 2016 as a direct-to-consumer menswear brand based in France
with an emphasis on sustainability and craftsmanship. The brand stands for exclusivity and
uniqueness in terms of production, which leads to less waste material and therefore less
harm to the environment. Asphalte’s main purpose is to produce long-lasting clothing items
that reflect customer preferences by conducting surveys and asking for their input.
As pointed out by Pawel Lawrowsk in his article, one of the ways through which Asphalte
has managed to develop a strong customer base is through its marketing strategy. This
volume of leads is owed to their solid digital outreach and commitment to creating quality
material that is relevant to their audience. The approaches that the brand has adopted
include allowing the customers to be part of the design process and this makes every
product that is developed to suit the market needs.
USP is a concept used in the marketing realm where a business aims at establishing a sole
reason why customers should buy its products in preference to those of competitors.
- **Sustainability**: Sustainable manufacturing technologies and materials.
- **Customer Co-Creation**: Products which are developed are based on consumer feedback
hence are relevant and have market demand.
- **Made-to-Order Model**: Minimizes the problem of overproduction and accumulation of
stocks that may become unsalable.
- **Transparency**: Transparency in discussing the price, material used, and manufacturing
process is beneficial to build trust.
- **Digital Engagement**: This focus on creating a large flow of quality leads using
techniques such as onsite surveys, emails, and advertising connects it uniquely in the
fashion business.
2. Consumer Behaviour and Psychological Attributes
Basic and Derived Characteristics
Asphalte’s brand resonates with:
- **Eco-Conscious Consumers**: Specific audience could be people who care about the
environment and animal rights and decide to buy only vegan and eco-friendly products.
- **Minimalists**: Minimalists and people who want high-quality, classic pieces that can be
easily incorporated in a variety of settings with less emphasis on trends or elaborate
designs.
- **Tech-Savvy Shoppers**: Online consumers with positive attitude towards online
purchase, utilization of technology and willingness to participate in surveys.
- **Quality-Driven Buyers**: Consumers who appreciate quality and traditional aesthetics
over the constantly revolving trends and production.
- **Middle-to-Upper-Class Professionals**: Young adults and middle-aged consumers who
have disposable income and wish to invest in quality, sustainable clothing.
As mentioned in the article, consumers buying Asphalte’s products are happy that the brand
takes its time to consider their needs by conducting polls before a product’s release. It is not
only about the acquisition of information about certain features of products but also about
the customer involvement and his or her feeling of being special.
Psychographics
- **Values**: Sustainability, quality, and authenticity are elements that should be taken into
consideration when considering what is right.
- **Interests**: Sustainable and ethical fashion, post-industrial consumption, utilitarian
aesthetics.
- **Buying Motivations**: As such, some of the primary reasons behind people’s desire to
build bespoke homes include exclusivity, mitigating the effects of environmental
degradation, and individuality.
- **Habits**: Managing your online presence, key opinion leaders, word of mouth
enthusiasts.
3. Techniques of Gathering and Analyzing Information about Consumers
Data Collection Strategies
1. **Surveys and Feedback Forms**:
– Keep using Asphalte’s successful pre-order surveys for capturing product preferences as
before.
- Use additional questions that address psychographic factors in order to get more insights
on customer values.
Do not simply rely on surveys to gain feedback of the product being sold but also to obtain
other information that may be relevant to marketing strategies.
2. **Website Analytics**:
- Monitor the user activity such as bounce rate, product page views, and cart abandonment
details.
– Enhance heat mapping and navigation evaluation to gauge site effectiveness and
effective product categories.
Regarding this, as acknowledged in the article, the attention to the specific details of
experience on Asphalte’s website has been critical in capturing leads and converting them
into customers.
3. **Social Media Monitoring**:
Use Engagement Data (likes, Shares, Comments) to determine the frequently discussed
topics and the general sentiment towards them.
Use analytical tools to monitor the mentions of customers, hashtags, and feedback given.
– Run polls and quizzes through Instagram and Facebook to entertain the audience while
collecting the necessary information.
4. **Email Campaign Analysis**:
Statistics such as the open rates, click through rates, and the convergence rates of the
targeted emails must be kept.
–Mailing list segmentation according to the purchase behavior and interaction level.
As specified by Lawrowsk, Asphalte utilizes carefully selected e-mail marketing to nurture
the leads, inform potential customers, and prepare for the new product releases.
5. **Third-Party Market Research**:
- Collaborate with external agencies for capturing wider market and competition
intelligence.
Some examples include Nielsen for demographic and psychographic market segmentation.
6. **Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Systems**:
Maintain a centralized database that will allow to monitor customer’s purchase history,
level of engagement and loyalty.
- Incorporate the use of the artificial intelligence-driven predictive analytics of trends and
behaviors.
Data Analysis Techniques
- **Cluster Analysis**: Categorize customers into different segments depending on the
features that they possess.
- **Sentiment Analysis**: Analyze the reviews and feedback to determine that they share a
pattern.
- **Cohort Analysis**: Analyse how the customer segments engage with the brand at
different stages.
- **Predictive Modeling**: Apply historical data to forecast further customer actions.
- **Cross-Channel Attribution**: Establish which marketing channels are most effective
driving traffic and converting individuals.
As mentioned in the article, Asphalte’s capacity to leverage data for successive
enhancements—concerning either its products or its promotional campaign—has been a
crucial factor in keeping up with competition.
4. Offline Presence: Strategic Evaluation
It is also important to consider the possible advantages of owning offline stores as part of
multichannel retailing.
1.**EnhancedCustomer Experience**:
A physical store also engages the senses of the customers by allowing them to touch the
products, making trust and customer loyalty stronger.
Additional touches such as consultations or customization within the store could enrich
the customer experience.
2. **Increased Brand Visibility**:
Offline presence increases brand salience and helps to establish dominance in new
markets.
Prominent examples of flagship stores include using them as marketing venues for events
and narratives.
3. **Data Collection Opportunities**:
Collect information on overall satisfaction directly from buyers/ consumers during their
interactions into the store.
- Invest in more sophisticated tools such as beacons and foot traffic analysis for better
consumer understanding.
4. **Broadened Demographic Reach**:
Based on this, we can deduce that offline stores can attract the less informed and the older
generation of shoppers who prefer the traditional way of shopping.
It is with these backgrounds that the following challenges of offline expansion can be
pursued:
1. **Operational Costs**:
High costs, including rent for the store space, wages for the employees, and costs
associated with product acquisition and stocking.
Potentially increasing pressure on Asphalte’s slim, eco-friendly company structure.
2. **Sustainability Concerns**:
Offline operations may represent an apparent disconnection to the company’s green
initiative.
- Mitigation: Design stores that are friendly to the environment through the use of
appropriate resources like natural building material and green power.
3. **Brand Consistency**:
Another risk is that it might be difficult to maintain continuity from the online page into
the offline space.
- Mitigation: Work on the omnichannel plan to have the right convergence plan in place.
4. **Inventory Management**:
This means that, the coordination of made-to-order production with physical retail could
in fact upend current paradigms.
- Mitigation: Establish JIT inventory systems that can effectively help in balancing the
demand and supply of the products.
Strategic Recommendations
- **Pop-Up Stores**:
Experiment with offline presence in crucial locations using ‘snapshots’ of stores that only
operate for a short duration.
These locations should be used to highlight the company’s sustainability programs as well
as gather feedback from the customers.
- **Hybrid Retail Model**:
- To complement the online ordering system, install kiosks, which will enable customers to
order physically from the store environment while utilizing the online system behind the
scenes.
- **Localized Marketing**:
– Offline advertising should also be localized to capture the cultural aspects and
demographics of the targeted regions.
5. Competitive Analysis
Key Competitors
- **Everlane** (USA): Concerned with ethical production and social accountability.
- **Patagonia** (USA): Carrier in sustainable clothing and outdoor gears.
- **Sezane** (France): Provides stylish, classic pieces with an emphasis on the brand’s
narrative.
- **Allbirds** (USA): Specializes in sustainable footwear with a broad representation in the
global market.
Competitive Positioning
1. **Strengths**:
The co-creation approach is unique and Asphalte has a competitive advantage in terms of
individualisation.
- Both the principles of transparency and sustainability appeal to consumers who are
increasingly aware of the environmental impact.
Direct to consumer marketing is cost effective and also creates good relation with the
consumers.
2. **Weaknesses**:
A weakness that may affect the company is its low offline visibility that can be detrimental
when penetrating markets with low online purchasing trends.
This could cause longer product delivery times than its made-to-stock competition, an
indication of trade-off from relying solely on made-to-order.
3. **Opportunities**:
– Spread geographically to appeal to new markets within different countries that are also
exhibiting a growing acceptance of eco-fashion.
– Use technology applications to enhance customer relationships and brand commitment.
4. **Threats**:
Thus, more players entering into the sustainable fashion market domain could reduce this
avenue of differentiation.
– Volatility in the economic environment can influence the spending on the luxury goods.
Strategic Recommendations
- **Global Marketing Campaigns**:
To adapt to these aspects, the following recommendations can be made: Point out
Asphalte’s focus on sustainability and its commitment to customers as a way of standing out
from the competition.
Introduce localized marketing by associating with local personalities in the targeted
foreign markets.
- **Product Diversification**:
- Add related products like wallets, water bottles, or organic clothing to diversify the
portfolio.
- **Localization**:
– Especially in the global market, one should adapt promotional materials and product
offerings to better fit cultural consumer expectations.
6. Conclusion
This has helped Asphalte to build a sustainable business that is customer oriented and be
among the top eco-friendly fashion brands. Through perfecting its data gathering tactics,
adopting the omni-channel model, and utilizing its competitive advantages the brand is
capable of growing globally while preserving its essence. Future advancements include
strategic offline expansion and proper localization, which will strengthen its position as a
global player and appeal to audiences worldwide.
