The product's foreign, the pitch is not

Question: How come those TV and print media ads for Japanese cars, Dutch shavers, and other recognizable foreign products get their stories over so well? Answer: They rely on the expertise of US advertising agencies. In fact, vendors of foreign-made products are becoming the leading spenders of ad money in the US..

Of the 100 highest dollar advertisers in the US last year, 15 were foreign companies, according to Advertising Age. Of those, 5 were Japanese (cars and cameras), 3 were British (mostly health and beauty aids), 2 were Canadian, 2 were West German - the rest were Swiss, Dutch, and Ango-Dutch. Ad expenditures of these 15 jumped 23 percent last year, compared to an average 15 percent rise for the top 100.