Breakout Strategies for Emerging Markets: Business and Marketing Tactics for Achieving Growth

8. Building Brand Identity

The ability to develop and establish brands is a key strategic advantage for companies that enter emerging markets because it insulates them from price competition. A dominant thought for marketers has been that brand essence, or the meaning placed on a brand, and branding techniques must remain consistent across countries. However, due to a host of varying cultural and social factors in different markets, how consumers in a given market experience a brand, the branding techniques companies use, and the elements they use often need to vary. Well-established branding research has focused on conceptualizations from developed countries which are usually culturally close to each other. The impact of culture on brands and ...