This article proposes and tests a relationship between mass media availability and new product sales in a multicountry environment. Theoretical support is derived from the behavioral and modeling literature on diffusion of innovation. Empirical support is obtained for a model that compares mass media availability with measures of new product sales in a variety of countries. The results suggest that variations in media availability have predictable effects on the speed and pattern of new product sales. These findings help clarify the underlying forces that may influence multinational variations in new product introductions. They also suggest several options for forecasting and managing new products in a multicountry environment.
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