Abstract

This case is about how The Western Union Company (WU), a leader in global money-transfer services, built its multicultural competence and its multicultural marketing through which it appealed to its customers belonging to different nations and cultures. The management at WU believed that understanding and catering to the special needs of the customers from different cultural backgrounds had been the key success driver for the company. Appealing to different sets of customers differently was also one of the biggest challenges that the company faced. WU tried to face it by studying and understanding the multi-cultural voice of its customers with the help of a broadly diverse team of top executives. The case also explores the multicultural marketing strategy of WU by throwing light on its marketing campaigns designed differently for different sets of customers. The case also discusses the multiple reasons why WU decided to shift its focus to social media/digital marketing. The move indicated that WU was taking strides to gain not only from its organic growth driven strategy but also from its digital business segment.

Learning Objectives

The case is structured to achieve the following Learning Objectives:

• Recognize the importance of cross-cultural/multi-cultural marketing in a global market
• Understand customers in a foreign market
• Analyze the role of culture in influencing the consumer behavior
• Identify the key measures for success in a social media strategy for a global audience

Keywords

Multicultural marketing; Multicultural competence; Consumer Behavior; Cultural influences on consumer behavior; Consumer needs; Motivation; Customer loyalty; International Marketing; Socio-cultural environment; Understanding customers in a foreign market; Social media marketing; Digital Marketing; Content Marketing; International Management; Managing across borders and cultures