Local vs International Brands - Research Paper Example

Local vs International Brands 1 Introduction Consumer behaviour is the clue to successful marketing. When a company correctly assesses the pattern of consumer tendencies it takes advantage by offering products that are desired by the consumer. Mapping consumer behaviour is both complex and difficult and several theories have been put forward by academicians by way of explanations. A consumer is such a multifaceted personality that is impossible to predict any constancy to his or her behaviour. With increased knowledge and exposure the steady consumer with predictable behaviour is being replaced by the moody consumer who is impulsive and prone to making experiments. Consequently behaviour mapping is becoming more difficult with globalisation and the meeting and mingling of cultures. Globalisation has also meant that there are new markets to explore with new kinds of customers with different orientations. Multinationals have to find new ways to entice customers in countries other than their own. They have to face competition from local brands and this poses fresh problems. Globalisation has also brought about what is known as disintegration of manufacturing. In pursuit of competitive edge companies have shifted full or part of their manufacturing to low cost countries. This lateral disintegration has resulted in breaking the horizontal assembly line process. This often poses questions of quality and compromises are required to be made that can affect consumer perceptions and can be detrimental to marketing. Culture is another great barrier in marketing. Customers have a cultural background that guides and influences their tastes and preferences. There are also language and economic barriers in marketing. The problem is further accentuated when local brands make emotional appeals on grounds of ethnocentrism and economic nationalism and attempt to get a lease of life for their products that are at a disadvantage due to prices and other factors. This paper will attempt to explain the various barriers and possible solutions for marketing a branded product of a Multinational company from a developed country to the consumers of an underdeveloped country. It is hoped that this study will contribute to a better understanding of the modern customer and the means to convince him to accept foreign brands. Topshop -A Case Study Topshop is a UK based Multinational with an amazing story. With a humble beginning in 1964 in a basement in London, it has become one of the most well-liked High Street establishments with over 300 shops in UK and over a 100 outlets worldwide offering both high fashion and daily wear garments and accessories. While basically aiming at the female section, it also sells fashion lines for men as well as babies. Recent co-branding with Kate Moss, the famous Model was a calculated move to give a fresh thrust to move deeper into the lucrative American and European markets, and it proved to be correct. The Kate Moss experiment and experience has opened wider markets of US and Europe for Topshop and it now looking beyond the western markets to promote this exclusive range of high fashion clothing. It has chosen India as the first Eastern market due to its unique position as a country with great similarities with UK. There are many uncertainties when a company plans to exports to another country where conditions differ from the Home country (Erramilli & Rao 1993). Conflicting data and its interpretation often make it difficult to arrive at correct decisions (Boyacigiller 1990), and in absence of adequate information it is impossible for companies to project consequences of their strategic decisions (Achrol & Stern 1988). Indeed this may lead to wrong and harmful decisions effecting performances in overseas markets (Lee, 1998). To overcome this difficulty Johanson and Vahlne (1977, 1990) suggest that it is best if the target country is closely similar to the Home country to ensure success. Undoubtedly similarities are easier to manage and less challenging and more likely to succeed. This calls for a PESTEL and a SOWT analysis of the intended market. India – An Emerging Economy In the current global markets India has emerged as big marketing destination because of its large affluent middle class consumer population with greater purchasing power. An efficient way to asses the potential of a country for marketing a branded product is to conduct a PESTEL and SWOT analysis. PESTEL Analysis Political Analysis India is the largest democracy in the world today and has retained a lot of its colonial habits including the education and culture. It is therefore much easier to penetrate into this market as it is not alienated in any way. It embraces and in fact adores foreign products and is quite receptive to all things foreign. The political situation is stable, although different political parties rule the different states of India and there are deep differences between them. However there is broad consensus that the economic liberalisation that began in 1990 should be carried forward. Economic Analysis As a result of the reforms the economy has grown at a scorching pace, industry has by and large been unshackled and value has been unlocked. The stock market is at an all time high and the mood is buoyant. Industrial growth is steady and exports and foreign exchange reserves keep growing. The investment climate is very good and largely the Indian government is receptive to foreign investments. There are some restrictions or conditions attached to investments but they are more regulatory in nature and not restrictive. The GDP rate was over 9% for over a decade but due to the worldwide recession has dipped to a little over 6% but is still far better than those of the developed world. There is high demand of products of all kinds and international trades are on the increase. A huge number of foreign companies have set up operations, either as wholly owned subsidiaries, or as joint ventures with local partners. Being the second most populous country in the world, India provides both manpower and customers to the foreign companies. Socio-Cultural Analysis The country is rich in heritage and culture but there is great cultural diversity in its population. It has largely absorbed the western culture due to the 200 old British rule but with at least three big religious followings and more than twenty main languages, it presents a diverse market that can create some cultural barriers for some products. The multi-ethnic communities offer both a new marketing challenge and opportunity to those who venture in this region. Technological India has made great strides in the technological field. In the arena of Information Technology, it is admitted that they have been the co-founders of large and new enterprises that dominate the world. Not content at that, they are also the drivers of knowledge and technology. Hardly is there any IT company in the world which does not significantly depend on their contribution. India is the hub of Information highway and an important centre in the world today. Environmental Analysis India has a long coastline extending beyond 3000 miles or 4600 kilometres. It has several international ports on both the eastern and western coasts and has numerous international airports. It various regions are also well connected by rail, road and air. However the infrastructure is of poor quality. Many ambitious schemes are under way for improvement, but they will all take time to fructify. The movement of goods to the interior is slow and costly. Communications are improving faster with teledensity increasing at a very fast pace due to introduction of low cost mobile telephony. Legal Analysis India has an efficient Judicial and legal structure that is more like the west than any other country. But dispensation of justice is painfully slow due to overload of work. It still draws its legal base from the English law and as such is more acceptable to the west than any other country in the east. Special laws have been passed and are constantly evolving to make it easy and profitable for foreign investors to operate in India. SWOT Analysis SWOT analysis is an effective way of identifying strengths and weaknesses, and of examining the opportunities and threats the company is likely to face. A SWOT of India as a destination reveals many interesting features. Strengths Weaknesses 1. India is a fast growing Economy with annual growth in the range of 6-9% despite worldwide recession 2. Huge middle income population of over 300 million makes a large customer base 3. Hundreds of urban and semi-urban centres with great spending power 4. Vast educated man power pool is available for employment 5. Quality work space available at reasonable prices 6. Several religions have great number of festive occasions which create special marketing opportunities 7. The customer is very price conscious and will favourably look at price cuts 8. Good legal and commercial environment 9. A new high end set of customers are emerging which creates a new and paying segment. 10, Cost of Promotion through media is reasonable and effective 1. Infrastructure is poor therefore movement of goods costlier to interior destinations 2. There are some government restrictions on investments in India by foreign players 3. There is widespread corruption in bureaucracy and politics that creates problems in normal marketing 4. Local taxation is high compared to other countries Opportunities Threats 1. The potential of the market is very big due to growing customer base 2. With new retail space being built at a fast pace, there is plentiful choice of sales locations 3. The middle class is educated hence appreciates foreign made goods 4. Western clothing is quite popular and has great acceptance and it also carries great status symbol 5. Media is inexpensive and very effective for communications and promotions 6. Plenty of festivals all-round the year make it easy to create promotional events 7. Plenty of celebrities with huge fan following offer a great choice for promotion of brands 1. The competition from local players is tough as they are suppliers to the world class clothing companies 2. Traditions of Indian customers have to be understood and catered to. Cultural constrains exists for foreign labels with very liberal outlooks [e.g. bikinis] 3. Other large foreign brands have already established themselves and offer tough competition 4. Resistance from local industries backed by political interests is a problem in certain pockets of the country 5. Intellectual Property rights not really observed and a big market of fake goods erodes the potential and eats away into the paying urban markets 6. Often price is more important than quality and can disrupt strategies 7. Current worldwide recession has dampened the sales of high end products to some extent Culture and its influence on Purchasing It is said that a person is a product of his upbringing, influenced by the environment of the impressionable age that leaves an un-erasable etching on the subconscious mind. Very appropriately Hofstede (1993) called it the “software of the mind” that determines his motivations and inclinations, including the purchase decisions throughout his life. All individuals of a country or homogenous region make up a distinctive society having common preferences or choices and this is their cultural heritage that identifies their unique likes and dislikes. The culture of the country of birth therefore plays a vital role in consumer behaviour and even when residency changes in later life the original cultural influence remains. This is what produces “consumer ethnocentricity”, a term coined by Shimp and Sharma (1987) that suggests the preference of a consumer towards the products of his own country of birth or residence. Culture also has a societal connotation. What a group of people do or forbid collectively becomes binding on the members of a group and during their interactions each member is required to accept these norms. This culture is not static as with passage of time further knowledge is added by new members of the society that influences the community thinking thus making the cultural structure dynamic (Roth and Moorman, 1988). In an attempt to explain the lively nature of cultural development and the influence it has on the individual members of the society Sherry (1986) names culture as both constituted and constituting. Early societies were restricted to their geographical or political regions due to a cultural inhibition that did not allow for intrusions. Indeed in those times expansions of empires were considered as infringement and interference into the local cultures and mentally the local cultures were not prepared to accept new ideas easily. However the one benefit of such invasions was that when society was faced with new cultures it generally gained from it to expand their own horizons. This was the birth of globalisation and the global citizen. Globalization therefore plays an important role in the development of popular culture that is taking place as people across the world become increasingly similar in their quest for needs and requirements (Tharp 2001). This is having a singular affect on the globalisation of products and the emerging popular culture is influencing purchase decision more than the local culture. Some products are culture sensitive due to their inherent nature and consumers find an affinity and meaning in them (Usunier 2000), hence such products are difficult to find market amidst strange cultures. It is difficult to market such brands in societies that can turn hostile or diffident due to the cultural precept of the consumers due to religious or other beliefs. Sometimes even education cannot breach deep founded barriers. Ethnocentricity A prominent sociologist (Summer 1906) studied the herd mentality of humans and used this concept to distinguish between the in-group and the out-group phenomenon. This produced further study and observation by LeVine and Campbell (1972) that ethnocentricity can be used to distinguish various groups by virtue of their common interest, outlook, preferences, feeling of honesty due to superiority or viewing others as weak and dishonest because of it. This sociological concept of ethnocentrism was used as a platform by Shimp and Sharma (1987) and applied to markets and consumer behaviour and they coined the words ‘consumer ethnocentricity’ for the first time. This describes the feeling of a section of the consumers of a particular geography as being superior to others and therefore having a myopic view of their superiority that extended to the superiority of their domestic manufacture. When this belief became stronger it resulted in conviction that it was unpatriotic to buy goods produced in other geographic regions and that it will hurt national interests and have adverse effects on the domestic economy and employment (Netemeyer et al 1991; Kayank and Kara 2002). Shimp and Sharma, (1987 p 280) offer one of the best explanation of ethnocentricity stating “We use the term ‘consumer ethnocentrism’ to represent the beliefs held by American consumers about the appropriateness, indeed morality, of purchasing foreign-made products”. The tendencies of ethnocentricity originate from the perception of superiority that believes that products of foreign origin are either inferior in quality or have been produced by use of unfair trade practices. This is a sociological phenomenon that is used in marketing domestic products. Country of Origin The country of origin (COO) as a concept was developed by LeClerc and Schmitt (1994) to ascertain that this established the place of manufacture not withstanding the ownership of the products. However consumers generally linked ethnocentricism to the country of origin to strengthen their belief (Sharma et al 1995; Shimp and Sharma 1987). This combination became lethal in the hands of domestic producers, local labour unions and some consumers and produced a bias against products manufactured at overseas locations (Bilkey and Nes, 1982; Netemyer et al 1991). The COO concept gets blurred with disintegration of production and consumers understand that for competitive reasons the components of a product have to be produced in different countries to make for a competitively priced product. However when it comes to a luxury product the COO becomes far more important as the perceived quality, the originality of the product and its status value determines its market. Economic Nationalism When consumers prefer their domestic brand it is termed as economic nationalism and is a form of consumer preference that is developed out of patriotism. This is yet another social phenomenon that is propagated by marketers to promote feelings against goods produced in overseas locations and has its roots in the perception that such patriotism is essential to save home country jobs, to protect domestic products and guard against threat to the domestic economy (Mort and Duncan 2003). The promotion of economic nationalism is different from ethnocentricity as it is a national trend and goes beyond the judgement of the quality of the product (Klein et al 1998); however the writers conceded that both are not entirely unconnected as one aspect influences the other. Still it is used significantly by local product manufacturers when they are faced with foreign competition and often gets local political support by way of protectionism. Perceived Quality A global brand conjures the image of quality in the minds of the consumers, especially when they are from underdeveloped nations (Lagace 2003). The consumers of such nations have been deprived of such products for long and the pent up demand now finds expression and is sustainable as there is no local substitute for such brands. The global nature of the brand, the acceptance at global level by other consumers, better workmanship, innovative designs and similar cues all add up to the perceived quality of the brand and makes it desirable (Steenkamp et al 2003). Empirical research by Kapferer and Schuiling (2003) also indicates that global brands have higher perceived quality in the minds of consumers as compared to local brands. It is the wider acceptability worldwide that swings the customer to the foreign brand. The country of origin factor also plays a huge role here as developed countries are perceived to have an edge in quality issues. Perceived Prestige Egos are an important feature of the consumer profile. Higher status carries a prestige value that in not quantifiable or justifiable and price becomes a non-issue. Rarity is expensive and possession or association with a foreign brand carries higher prestige Schuiling & Kapferer, 2004; Steenkamp et al 2003). The modern consumer especially those from the underdeveloped world carry the weight of being ignonimus which they need to refute and need a foreign brand to be considered as part of the elite class; sophisticated, cosmopolitan and modern. This foreign brand is therefore associated with higher prestige value. The above justifications can be challenged by local brands as they are more culturally oriented to the customer status in the local environment and indeed have a greater sustainability, authenticity and locally understood symbolism (Ger 1999). But overall a global brand does carry a unique prestige proposition in developing nations where consumers have been long deprived and need to assert their identity with the global community. Globalisation All countries of the world have now become more liberal in their outlook since they understand the benefits of a free market and no country can remain in an “economic isolation” (Czinkota and Ronkainen 2004). There have been two developments that have served to save International production from the worries over resistance by ethnocentric consumers or patriotic nationalism. The first is that the developing countries where they had set up the production facilities have opted for open market policies and have liberalised their economies to join the world community. The free market concept has raised their domestic demand. This has been further facilitated by the rising income levels of their middle class that has got more jobs opening due to the Multinationals opening their branches and production facilities. The second has been the worldwide recession that has reduced demand in their home countries as the developed nations were the hardest hit by the financial crisis in 2008. This means that either the Multinationals have to reduce production and thereby reduce employment that will lead to greater fall in demand or they should create new markets and look to replace the present set of consumers with new ones to maintain or even increase their production levels. Developing Brands When the society firms up a certain belief it is reflected through its preference for it when deciding a purchase. Products that match such preferences eventually become a brand; therefore in turn a brand becomes a cultural symbol (Aaker et al 2001). The popularity of a brand is the result of wide customer satisfaction hence there is a close relationship between building customer relationships, satisfying corporate goals and developing brand values (Aaker, 1991, 1992). The vital question while building a brand is whether to retain a standardised product for the global market or to localise the brand strategy for the intended local overseas market to match with local brands (Czinkota & Ronkainen, 2007; Schiffman & Kanuk, 2004). This is a vexing issue as a standardised product has a different aura and appeal but it may face cultural barriers. Yet a localised adaptation can be penetrative in an over-protective market and can become a success. Building a brand has therefore become an important feature in the effort to attract customers. Brand equity is big on the agenda and companies are known to spend millions to build their image. The beauty of the brand is immediate recall and high calibre and high performance companies often enjoy a larger valuation of their brand than the value of their entire stockholding. In accounting terms the value of brand equity is based on the incremental discounted cash flow that accrues out of the sale of products or services; the cause of which is that the brand is directly associated with the product or service (Keller 1998). Brand management has become a core activity pursued by managers who now understand how brand equity affects buyer behaviour and its influence on corporate valuation (Aaker 1991; Keller 1998). The brand has now became vital for customer recall and attention was focused on the organisation as brand equity in place of products ( Aaker and Jacobson 1994). Psycho Profiling the Consumer The modern era with greater exposure to technology has produced a new kind of consumer who is no longer conventional and his or her purchase decisions are based on moods. Technology has also been a great contributor to bringing the world closer and for development of a homogenous consumer who has more in common with each other and the global products. According to Levitt (1983) homogenization of wants and needs also promotes common products worldwide. There has been a tremendous exposure brought about by globalisation. Travel and communications have brought about changes to the profile of a consumer. The modern day consumer has discovered new desires; novel tastes and identifies with innovative products that were totally alien to him. Greater awareness and beliefs together constructs attitudes that lay the foundation of consumer behavior. Puto and Wells (1984) propose that empathy strongly influences ad persuasiveness and choice behaviour by converting the viewer's experiences of using the product. Bagozzi and Moore (1994) have also shown that empathy is related to consumer action. Today consumption has become a vital evaluation and marketing tool. Consumption is related to pleasure, power and meaningfulness; thereby re-constructing attitudes in a society with creative and innovative connotations (Shields 1992). It is no longer the fulfilment of mundane needs and wants nor the indulgence born out of chasing desires. The perceptible shifts in cultural tolerance and the personality changes that this has brought about contribute greatly to the concept of brands. This reveals the restlessness and alternative moods of the same consumer in different environments. For instance the highly paid executive flies first class on business trips but thinks of economy when on family holidays; or the housewife who is conscious of budgets on food but is unmindful of this when buying clothes. Communications now play a vital role and these efforts act as a reminder for consumers about the popularity of a product (Schiffman and Kanuk 1994). New Marketing Strategies Marketing has shifted from the traditional product centred view to a service centred view (Vargo and Lusch 2004). It has further evolved into creating a new experience for the customer by providing unique values (Prahalad and Ramaswamy 2004). Marketers therefore attempt segmentation to penetrate markets and promote goods with objective of attracting customers (Vargo and Lusch 2004). Marketing mix as under 4 Ps does not attract a customer any longer (Gronroos 1977) as it is product oriented. Therefore relationship marketing has become more important because it moves marketing from transactional to relationship based exchange. Relationship marketing brings about a new integration into the marketing dimension. Global markets need to be understood with a different perspective. Indeed Schollhammer (1973) had earlier explained that there are three strategies; Ethnocentric, Polycentric and the Geocentric, that Multinationals adopt while formulating their marketing policies in obviously different environments. The ethnocentric strategy, as the name suggests, strongly believes in the superiority of their product and its prices and the company in such a case attempts to implement the values, policies and sentiments of the parent company regardless of environmental differences regardless of the effect it might have on its operations or marketing effects. Examples of this can be seen in high end fashion products [e.g. Rolex Watches] which are unique in nature and cannot be copied easily and carry a brand image that consumers will be willing to pay for at any cost. However in case of such products the companies normally prefer to manufacture them in their home countries only. The Polycentric Strategy accepts the local requirements, respects the local needs and its culture and recognises the need for it to adapt to the environmental differences. In such cases the parent company at the headquarter will by deliberate choice make foreign operations as local as possible [e.g. McDonald Burgers]. This will include using local components and changing the usefulness or the image of the product to conform to local cultural acceptability norms. There is a third strategy called Geocentric and it is really a compromise between the earlier two. Having a global outlook it first accepts that environmental and cultural differences need to be respected and adhered to but uses the inter-relationships with such uncontrollable external situations on a purely functional basis only [e.g. Nike shoes with local sizes]. It does not accept it as any kind of dominant factor and limits its influence to local production and marketing only. This means that for each large cultural market there will be a local adaptability to suit the preferences of the local customers. Critique Celebrity endorsements increase the awareness of the products but the selection of a celebrity for a brand is important in the context of the country where the product is intended to be marketed. Celebrities can enhance the perception of the product and through them the target audience views the relevance of the image and performance of the merchandise. Indeed some products are better known through their celebrity endorsement. Therefore the Celebrity should be a person who has a following and credibility in the target market. If the celebrity of an International product is relatively unknown in the targeted region the product will fail to obtain a viable foothold. In global settings it is preferable to use either celebrities of a global stature or regional celebrities that are more easily recognised by local consumers as they relate to their lifestyle and culture. This becomes important for products like clothing that require low-technology and are culture bound. Ethnocentricity is largely on its way out as the global consumer is now more informed and aware of global trends. He/she is also more prone to experimentation and indeed in many cases looks forward to being different. However the local cultural biases still remain and some inhibitions, especially in fashion clothing still act at barriers for western clothing in the eastern markets. Celebrities are known to be a bridge between products and customers who like to copy or imitate their idols. Hence creation of Brand Ambassadors that appeal to the targeted consumers needs to be considered for effective communications. An attempt should me made to use Celebrities to convert customers in to fans of the product or service and by default they will in turn also serve as brand ambassadors of the product or service. This is the method of building compelling brands. This is how a relationship is developed between the product and the customer utilising the Celebrity as the conduit. Conclusions The emerging economy like India is a case in point for Topshop. India has a unique position as a market since it has greater similarity with western cultures due to the long exposure to foreign rule. Yet there are some cultural barriers that originate from its old established traditions. This actually calls for a two pronged approach for the marketing strategists. It is prudent for Topshop to adopt a geocentric approach for the Indian market. It should promote its Kate Moss range as a top-end product meant for a niche market. For this it requires a discreet but highly concentrated communication with the high-end consumers who have global outlook and relate easily with the western culture. But this will not offer it viability as sales will be low. To supplement this it should offer its other ranges of fashion products that are to be targeted for the average customer who is interested in western type of fashion clothing. There is a growing market for men’s and babies fashion clothing in India as they have begun to appreciate the functional benefits of such products in their daily life. This is due to the fact that as an emerging economy the Indian middle class has grown to be more than three million people that have sizeable disposable incomes. They are eager for western fashions that are practical and do not clash with their culture. 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