AN INTERNATIONAL MARKETING PROJECT/BUSINESS PLAN FOR AOL EXPANSION IN THE ASIA PACIFIC REGION
The international marketing opportunity for AOL is the entry into the Internet market in a nation with higher growth potential than is available to the Company in its existing markets. Such markets hold risks for the Company because they are not developed.
International Market Selection and Justification
The nation selected for an AOL international expansion is India. While Internet penetration is low in India and likely will remain comparatively low for some time, the vast size of the Indian population provides ample opportunity for Internet growth.
International Market Entry Recommendation
The recommendation is for AOL to acquire several of the 185 functioning ISP companies in India. The acquisition of several of the small Indian ISPs will allow AOL to develop a national Internet service in India, which is something that does not now exist in the nation.
Key Aspects of Marketing Strategy Recommendation
One key aspect of the marketing strategy for AOL's entry into the Indian Internet market is for the Company to pursue a market share building pricing strategy. A second important aspect of the strategy is for AOL to offer its Internet access and content as a bundle, as opposed to offering the services separately.
America Online (AOL), the Internet division of the media conglomerate Time Warner, is the world's largest Internet access provider (ISP). AOL has approximately 29 million subscribers in North America (principally in the United States) and Western Europe. AOL also owns Compuserve Interactive Services and has operations in several countries outside of North America and Western Europe. AOL subsidiaries that provide ISP services in separate countries provide access to the AOL backbone network. AOL subsidiaries provide ISP services in Japan, Canada, several European countries, and several Latin American coun...