America’s way back to prosperity and internal freedom is going to lead on an arduous path lined with conspicuous road signs marked for reduction of consumption and frugality.

America is a seriously ill patient and not just since the financial crisis. Essentially, the country has developed from the “Land of Opportunities” into a country that is barely able to move.

There is hardly a market such as the American market, where one has to carefully control own distribution channels and use the utmost care when choosing trade partners. The purchasing behavior of the American wholesale and retail trade differs in many ways from the European way to do purchasing and even though the retail margins are disappointing in almost all segments and the profits are at rock bottom we should not count on the discount-wave to subside. “Sales” and “discounts” are going to continue to dominate the market development in America.

US citizens are going to have to save. They are going to have to pay more in taxes and pay more for services of the government than before. For health care, education and retirement benefits they are going to have to spend a considerable amount of the net income, just as we do in Europe. And they will have expenditures which didn’t play a role in private household budgets so far. Consumer credits and plastic money will be hard to come by.

Most likely, in ten years America will have overcome the worst. Given that President Obama will be able to lastingly initiate the health care reform in a bipartisan manner and to persevere.

Anyone wanting to become active in the United States has to be well prepared and has to start with careful expectations. Anyone already established in America with an international business should look for qualitative growth and forego leaps in turnover.

Can Asia achieve what currently cannot be generated in America? We often are asked this question. We think the answer is no. Growth in Asia is possible and it is surely possible to achieve profits with valuable brands. However, establishing national Asian markets requires enormous investments, especially if companies establish own points-of-sale for their brands, so that an accrual of funds from Asian value creation cannot be anticipated on the domestic balance sheet. Successful global marketing views the markets of the world the way they are, every market with custom-made strategies.