The role of local context in the local strategies of global brands

Abstract

The greatest task of many international marketing practitioners in host organisations, entails understanding the factors that influence the localisation or standardisation of marketing programmes. The purpose of this paper is to gain insight into the role of local context in the local strategies of global brands. This paper uses a qualitative case study design of two global brands.Findings – The findings show that the role that emerging macro-level factors of local context play in the local strategies of global brands is in determining the levels at which marketing programs will be standardised or localised.Micro-level factors of local context play the role of a) setting the preconditions for product development and b) determining the extant of productivity that can be achieved in the local contextThe strategic implications that must be considered at the local level when applying a global brand include brand identity standards as well as making specific choices about global or local consumer culture positioning.Practical implications- For practitioners, the practical implications encompass strategic considerations in the course of making decisions to standardise or localise marketing programs.Originality/value – This paper highlights new variations in contextual factors within-countries. It also provides an international perspective that is rooted in local context regarding global marketing intermediaries. Lastly, it explores the strategic implications considered when applying a global brand.