How consumer heterogeneity muddles the international advertising debate

Standardisation versus localisation is an enduring topic in international advertising. The generalisability of research on the topic is another issue. We address the second issue and in the process shed light on the first. Multifacet analysis on an international advertising data set indicated that individuals within countries accounted for much more variance than countries could account for. This portends that researchers should generalise with caution. It further suggests that some form of standardisation may be appropriate more often than is currently considered. Both between and within-country heterogeneity should influence international advertising strategies.