Tires from China, Islam, online sales and you.

• Author: Hall, Robert
• Position: Marketing: Solutions

O.K., the Jeopardy category is 'Tires from China, Islam, Online Sales and You." You must be just dying to know the question. We will get to that, but first some background.

"Made in China" is on the verge of becoming the unfortunate brand that supersedes the intended positioning of just about any company or product--not a positive thing for consumers or marketing departments. The spate of bad news about things Chinese is beginning to form an image in the mind of consumers--lead paint on children's toys, hazardous material in tooth paste, killer per food. This is an image that is going to stick.

Yet the impact on consumer trust and buying behavior is larger than just for products made in China. Why? Because it fits into a larger, emerging picture.

Resistance to globalization

A second part of that picture is the growth of Islam, often reported as a religious trend or a factor in terrorism. While both of these are relevant, there is another aspect increasingly relevant for the business community and especially marketing. The growth and prominence of Islam is also fueled by opposition to globalization. Geneive Abdo, senior analyst with the Gallup Organization states: "What is fascinating to me about Islam, is that it is also an ideology, one that has now become a very significant alternative to globalization." There is a growing drum beat around the world, and especially from more tribal societies, to stop the massive force of globalization and its impact on local culture.

Key point: It is not just a feature of Muslim cultures. In the United States, there is a rising sentiment of concern about globalization effects: job displacement, a widening income gap between the haves and the have-nots, and the export of jobs, customer information and customer-company interactions. A number of executives are now very concerned about pressure for increasing trade restrictions. The Wall Street Journal (6/26/07) reports: "Chief executives of the nation's largest financial services companies, concerned about the growing public backlash against international trade, are wading into the policy debate over how to help those on the losing end of globalization." The growing disaffection for global trade is likely to be a key issue in the upcoming Presidential election and is already a high profile issue with a Democratic congress. Just imagine how a major terrorist incident involving stealing or compromising customer data from a provider, such as a U.S. bank that...