Marketing - Get the Whole Story

I was reading an article by Dean Calbreath, U.S. to impose some tariffs on Chinese goods.1 The article mentioned figures provided by the local California office of the Department of Commerce (D.O.C.) saying exports from California to China had increased 14% to US$14.6 billion in the last year.

One paragraph really stood out for me where Dean mused over how much imports to California had increased. He commented that state-by-state figures were not included by the D.O.C.

His query touched on an important concern for international companies, the possible bias of the market information they receive. Businesses may rely heavily on government data to determine where to invest their marketing dollars, euro, pound or yen.

Dean's article gives a brief and interesting look at exporting abroad and the subsequent returning imports. I would recommend the article (except it's not online). But more importantly, I would recommend businesses question the market research they receive from their government.

Ask if there may be an agenda or bias to the information that may not serve your company's best interests. Look for contrasting information, and you will have a more complete picture of a country's market for your products and services. Then it won't matter if exports are increasing or decreasing because you'll be working from the powerful position of knowledge.

Richard Villasana
The Mexico Guru

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1. Dean Calbreath, U.S. to impose some tariffs on Chinese goods, San Diego Union Tribune, April 1, 2007.