Degrees of Standardization of Product Web Pages
 

Doyle Yoon
Graduate Student
School of Journalism
University of Missouri - Columbia

Jongmin Park
Doctoral Student
School of Journalism
University of Missouri - Columbia
 

Abstract

This study examines the degree of standardization of multinational products’ Internet home pages.  In studies of traditional media, the discussion of standardization and localization has focused on marketing and advertising strategy in terms of frames of reference such as cultural beliefs, values and tradition, not empirically studied.  This study attempts to examine the possibility of standardization of Internet advertising through analyzing current Internet advertising content.    A content analysis of 40 products’ web sites showed 95 percent of the products' Web pages used mixed types of standardization and localization.   Based on the product category using the FCB Grid Model, there is no significant difference between the high and low involvement products.  However, a significant difference was found between the rational and emotional product categories.  Implications of these findings are discussed.