All Business is Local: Why Place Matters More Than Ever in a Global, Virtual World

by Jocz Katherine E.&John Quelch A.

BOOKS

Genres: Business, Nonfiction, Economics

248 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 2012

Reviews

[Filippo]

Lots of truisms. Maybe this Book was more enlightening at the time of release. Not worth your time in 2021

[Daniel Threlfall]

Responding to World is Flat Friedmanites and other idealogues of the globalized world economy, author John Quelch says "Actually, business is still very much local" (my paraphrase). In other words, business is and always will be serving local communities, influenced by local contexts, and driven by local factors." As the title says, all business is local.

Perhaps Quelch and Jocz are responding to a global-only business ideology that I am unaware of, but I thought the thesis was sort of a well-known fact. All business serves a clientele firmly ensconced within a locality. All business is affected by local factors. The authors' research was interesting, but almost unnecessary due to the obvious nature of the point being proven. People live in places. Business cater to people in places. Right.

This book, like other books that I've read, seems primarily to serve a select audience — the C-level executives of Starbucks, Microsoft, McDonalds, and Dell. The book's advice, research, and directives seem best suited for massive global firms that operate on a multinational scale. This is a far cry from my little sandbox of limited business experience. This target audience focus isn't a problem. After all, there are a lot of Fortune 500 companies playing ball in the vast global arena, but aren't there more little guys, startups, and VC fledglings? Not all businesses aspire to the explosive franchise levels of a McDonald's.

I do, however, appreciate the authors' emphasis upon the importance of localized marketing and localized product tailoring. Despite the veneer of "globalism" upon the world business scene, the globe is still comprised of individuals who live in their own cultures. Businesses, like all of us, could be a bit better at cultural awareness, adaptation, and sensitivity.

[Dunktdunk]

John Quelch and Katherine Jocz have compile an invaluable resource on product placement marketing. The authors break down this book into five main sections (managing psychological place, managing physical place, managing virtual place, marketing geographic place, and marketing locally and globally) by analyzing various companies successes and failures with regards to placement. A highly informative read that applies marketing principles aimed at local through global businesses.This book helps to bridge psychological concepts often talked about in industrial/organizational psychology with product placement and marketing concepts. A book that I wish I would have had access to in a marketing class in college. A depth of knowledge provided in an informative yet non lectured way.

Highly recommended!

[Tara Brabazon]

This book is amazing. It will transform how I teach creative industries and how I write and research about social media. It is not a marketing guide - a 'how to' for business. Instead, it move Richard Florida's often reified slogans, maxims and tropes into a discussion and explanation of how and why place matters in a supposedly digitized, virtual space. There is attention to production and consumption, creation and distribution. Most importantly, there is a deep consideration of how the physicality and psychology of urbanity intertwine, dialogue and dance.

I have four research projects into which this book is about to be referenced. Quelch and Jocz have constructed an important monograph and argument here. It will help all of us working with, through and in creative industries and city imaging strategies. This argument is new. It is important.

[Mahmoud Khoder]

Gem of a book! As much as I believe all business is local this book just confirmed and improved on so many points indeed, even though there is not one strategy for global brand on how to adapt to the local market place outside of its home, adapting a local strategy regards advertising copy, customer service, packaging, advertising theme, pricing, sales promotion and so on is key contributor for brand success in foreign countries, it reminds me when I went to visit Dubai, while I was walking and observing and eating in Dubai mall I noticed Nandos had partially different menu and a different peri peri sauce they adapted to locals liking, same what the book said about McDonald's, Toyota, etc.. To succeed globally a brand needs first to succeed locally.

[Erin]

I won this book as a Goodreads First Read.

About a year ago I took a PhD level economics class (I had never taken one before) and just about died because I had no real background knowledge to understand the class. It was a class called "Globalization" and was the hardest class I have ever taken. I wish I had read this book either before or even during the class because Quelch really makes the ideas of Globalization understandable to all audiences.

He does a good job of including multiple examples to illustrate his main points. If I ever have to take another economics class again, I will have a much better understanding of the concepts.

[Ashley]

Very easy to understand and love how there's lots of different charts and figures throughout the book to help you understand marketing. I also liked the different mentions of companies and what they do to gain attention for their different products. I did not know McDonald's and other fast food chains in different Countries change their receipes.

[Rimma]

I received the book for free through Goodreads First Read
The book has provided good insights into the importance of location and place in business. The book is good for many people in business marketing and international business, ideas are useful and a good example of good globalization analysis.

[Kathleen Rainwater]

The best global brands, from IBM to McDonald's, are by design also the leading local brands. For instance, your decision to patronize Starbucks will depend on whether it's the best local coffee shop in your neighborhood, not on how many thousands of global locations it has. This means that customer relationships have to be sustained from the bottom up, customer by customer, on a local basis.

[Tammy]

This will be an excellent book for a marketing class to read. It covers items you see everyday, then when you read about it it makes you realize there is a method to they way products are placed on the shelf.

[Dee]

I won this book as a Goodreads First Read.

[Arthur-georges]

"consumers don’t make purchases based on a global strategy; they just want the best products and the best experience in the area they know best — their own neighborhoods."

[Och]

Chapter 2,4 and 5 are interesting
(managing physical place, marketing Geographic place, marketing locally and globally)

Chapter 3 is boring
(managing virtual place)

others are okay.

[Dana Kraft]

This book is more about consumer marketing and global brands than local business, and is about as dry as an article in the Harvard Business Review.

Disappointing

[Bruce Kirby]

In the digital age, place doesn't the same thing as it used to; this book proves it. The challenge of being local and international has never been greater.

[Theodore Kinni]

Marketers will want to read this thoughful and measured examination of what 'place' - the fourth p of the marketing mix - means in today's business world

[Javier]

Unremarkable