International Marketing in Germany – From a cultural perspective

Product 
Packaging 
Standardized Standardized 
Standardized 
Standardized 
Standardized Standardized 
Features 
Standardized Standardized 
Standardized 
Standardized 
Standardized Standardized 
Label 
Adapted 
Adapted 
Standardized 
Standardized 
Standardized Standardized
 
Quality 
Standardized Standardized 
Standardized 
Standardized 
Standardized Standardized 
Brand Name 
Standardized Standardized 
Standardized 
Standardized 
Standardized Standardized 
Augmented 
Product 
Installation 
Service 
N/A 
N/A 
N/A 
N/A 
N/A 
Standardized 
After-sales 
Service 
Standardized Standardized 
Adapted 
Adapted 
Standardized Standardized 
Warranty 
Service 
N/A 
N/A 
N/A 
N/A 
N/A 
Adapted 
Delivery 
Service 
N/A 
N/A 
N/A 
N/A 
N/A 
Adapted 
N/A = Not Available 
All of the companies apply standardized packaging. They also standardize the features, 
quality and brand name. However, this seems to be the result of wishes of having a consistent 
product and brand image.
Regarding quality, it would have been natural if some companies would have adapted the 
product having better quality, since Germans are very concerned about quality, but this 
doesn’t seem to be the case. However, this may be a consequence of the fact that most of the 
companies are within the food- and beverage industry and garment industry, where the 
products are more “short-lived”.
Regarding the augmented product, standardization is more common than adaptation. To add is 
also that most of the companies don’t offer certain services, which is due to the fact that the 
services aren’t included for the end customer in the augmented product. Precimeter Group had 
standardized installation service as well as after-sales service, but it seems to opt for the 
adaptation alternative, since there are so many problems when the Swedish staff performing 
the services is not able to speak fluently German.
Nudie Jeans marketing AB and The Absolut Company AB adapt their after-sales services, 
since it is easier having a native German handling it. Göteborgs Kex AB opts for adapted 
after-sales services, but hasn’t yet applied it. Germans have the opinion that right should be 
right and complain as soon as something has occurred. This implies that having adapted after-
sales services with a native speaker is to recommend. 

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Precimeter Group also adapts the warranty time, since Germans are very concerned about the 
products durability; however, this is nothing that the other companies do. Connecting this to 
German culture, this is probably due to the fact Germans are very interested in the quality and 
think that the product should last.
Regarding delivery service, only Precimeter Group applies this service as included in the 
product and it is adapted.