International strategies of emerging market firms: Standardization in brand management revisited (original) (raw)

Brand internationalization strategy beyond the standardization adaptation dicothomy

The standardization vs. adaptation choice of international brands should no longer be seen as dogmatic nor as a rigid dichotomy. Instead, it should be regarded as a combination of these two options, depending on contingent factors at a given time on a given market. Building on a review of the different visions of consumers' culture, we present a modelling of the intermediate solutions combining both elements of standardization and adaptation, and that is better suited today for demand and supply driven considerations. Thus, we first delimitate the questions that need to be considered when formulating the international marketing strategy and mix, and then we present a simplified framework of two dimensions, products' global vocation and demand's global homogeneity, leading to a matrix of four strategic options for international branding.

INTERNATIONAL BRANDING AND PERFORMANCE IMPLICATIONS IN EMERGING MARKETS

The central role of branding in establishing the firm’s identity and building its position in the global marketplace among customers, retailers and other marketplace participants, makes it increasingly imperative for firms to establish a clear cut international branding strategy. This study examines the impact of branding aspects on firm performance in the emerging markets ofSoutheast Asia. Specifically, the question of standardization versus adaptation of brandpromotion is the focus of attention. After literature review, a conceptual model suggests that thestandardization of brand promotion as well as a long-term brand vision provided by management, positively influence target market performance. Furthermore, the model considers externalenvironmental factors. Data gathered from a survey with managers allow testing the hypothesesthrough structural equation modelling. The results of the quantitative study largely support thehypotheses

Brand management practices in emerging country firms – exploring the patterns of variation and its impact on firm performance

Journal of East European Management Studies, 2018

Brand management practices in emerging country firmsexploring the patterns of variation and its impact on firm performance Firms in emerging countries often face different sets of challenges in developing their brand management strategies. Drawing on the dynamic capabilities view, the present study examines brand management practices among firms in an emerging country. Drawing on a survey of 224 firms in Turkey, the study first aims to segment firms in terms of their adoption level of brand management practices and then relate them to their overall firm and brand performances. A three-cluster solution emerging from a K-means cluster analysis reveals that firms show significant differences with respect to both performance dimensions. The findings of the study also provide evidence to the view that brand management practices add to the dynamic capabilities of emerging country firms. Finally, the study concludes with practical implications and avenues for future research.

Brands and Brand Strategies Managerial Considerations

In consumer marketing, brands often provide the primary points of differentiation between competitive offerings, and as such they can be critical to the success of companies. Hence, it is important that the management of brands is approached strategically. Brands play a critical role in a firm's international expansion. A coherent international brand architecture is a key component of the firm's overall international marketing strategy as it provides a structure to leverage strong brands into other markets, assimilate acquired brands, and rationalize the firm's international branding strategy. This paper is a review of the brand literature and his aim is to examine the brand concepts developed by management and the dynamic nature of brands in terms of changing brand strategy and increasing consumer sophistication.

Factors Influencing Brand Launch in a Global Marketplace

Journal of Product Innovation Management, 2007

The purpose of this study is to explore the factors that influence the launch of brands into new markets in a global environment. Although multiple streams of literature exist with respect to the entry of brands into new markets and the diffusion of new brands within and across markets, the process of launching products and brands globally over time has received relatively limited attention. To address this issue, this study incorporates multiple indicators of activities that can contribute to experiential learning relevant for launching brands in a global marketplace. Market uncertainty and experiential learning provide a conceptual foundation for the development of relevant hypotheses, which are tested in the context of the global automotive industry from 1981 to 2004. A discrete time event history analysis with time-varying independent variables is employed to estimate the effects of the independent variables on the probability of a brand being launched in a specific market. The global brand launch observations are extracted from a proprietary dataset containing the global dispersion of automotive brands including 22 countries of origin and 42 countries of brand entry. The sample yields 50,572 spells, derived from 99 companies, 173 brands, and 700 market entries. The results of this study contribute to the literature in a variety of ways. Market attractiveness positively influences the propensity of a brand to be launched into a new market. This supports the idea that potential demand conditions are an important managerial consideration in product introduction decisions. The results reveal significant effects with respect to the role of psychic distance and experiential learning. Brands are reluctant to launch into countries that are culturally and economically less similar to the home market. Yet firms tend to place a lower degree of emphasis on factors of cultural distance when launching brands into larger markets, and global experience enables companies to overcome the uncertainties associated with launching brands into international markets that are economically distant. The results also suggest that companies are more likely to introduce additional brands in markets where they already have a presence. Overall, global dispersion and geographic scope, coupled with local market knowledge facilitate the launch of brands globally. From a managerial perspective, this study suggests companies should focus on acquiring both local and global experience to facilitate the launch of products and brands in the global marketplace.

The process of global brand strategy development and regional implementation

International Journal of Research in Marketing, 2012

Although standardization-adaptation has long been recognized as a dynamic negotiation, less is known about the attendant processes within organizations. Accordingly, this study "pulls back the curtain" on a new global brand management strategy at Kimberly-Clark (KC). An extended case method was employed, comprising three rounds of semi-structured interviews with senior regional and global marketing managers on six continents. Global brand strategy development at KC entails sharing information and best practices, implementing common brand planning processes, assigning responsibilities for global branding, and creating and implementing effective brand-building strategies. Indeed, KC's approach, predicated on accountable empowerment and capacity-building, is transforming the organization by increasing marketing capability locally while instilling better processes and disciplines centrally. An examination of these seemingly orthogonal objectives allows us to see how brand strategy cohesiveness is maintained in an unconventionally decentralized structure.

Addressing the complexities of managing domestic and multinational corporate brands

Corporate Communications: An International Journal, 2015

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to focus on the differences between managing domestic corporate brands (DCBs) and multinational corporate brands (MCBs), and presents a framework highlighting six types of complexity associated with managing both forms of corporate brands in an international business context. Design/methodology/approach – This paper proposes a framework addressing six types of complexity involved in managing DCBs and MCBs drawing on the literature related to corporate branding, corporate brands, and domestic and multinational corporations. The six types of complexity examined include: strategic role, organisational structure, culture, knowledge, positioning and extended responsibility. Findings – The research identifies that DCBs have a lower degree of complexity in regard to strategic role, knowledge and positioning, but have a higher level in regard to organisational structure, cultural and extended responsibility complexity. MCBs face more complexity than DC...

THE DYNAMICS OF TURKISH BRANDS GLOBAL EXPANSIONS A COMPERATIVE VIEW

Globalization is transforming the branding activities in ways never been imagined a century ago. As companies reach out across borders and are inspired to become more globalized, competition has become more challenging. The pressures of international competition make it difficult for companies to build winning global branding strategies. Global branding is one of the fundamental topics that has been discussed in the literature from different viewpoints, yet, ignoring the phenomenon which is called “Worldwide Brand” or “World Brand”. A “Worldwide Brand” is one that is available in many countries and its positioning, marketing communications strategy and brand personality are essentially the same but allows for regional customization or glocalization. The aim of this study is, thus, to explore the “World Brand” phenomenon in-depth and to compare a few examples regarding global branding implications both from Turkey and the world. This comparative study will employ a descriptive approach which will, firstly, take a brief inventory of international Turkish firms that have already made their way into the world markets in one way or another and thus headed to be “World-class” firms. The study will also try to find out the cross cultural dynamics and motivations of Turkish brands that try to expand on global markets. Initial considerations on “market development” strategies of Turkish brands are summarized. Finally, the limitations of the study and suggestions for further research are presented.