Consumer culture brand positioning strategies: an experimental investigation
| Date | 01 March 2011 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/10610421111108012 |
| Published date | 01 March 2011 |
| Pages | 48-57 |
| Author | Bashar S. Gammoh,Anthony C. Koh,Sam C. Okoroafo |
| Subject Matter | Marketing |
Consumer culture brand positioning strategies:
an experimental investigation
Bashar S. Gammoh, Anthony C. Koh and Sam C. Okoroafo
College of Business Administration, University of Toledo, Toledo, Ohio, USA
Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of global consumer culture positioning (GCCP) in comparison to local consumer culture
positioning (LCCP) strategies on consumer evaluations of a new unknown brand.
Design/methodology/approach – Using an experimental method in the USA and India, the paper examines if the use of such positioning strategies
in a print advertisement stimuli influence consumer evaluations of a fictitious brand.
Findings – The results support the effectiveness of such strategies as demonstrated by overall improvement in subjects’ attitudinal evaluations of the
fictitious brand when GCCP is used relative to the use of LCCP.Furthermore, our results show a moderation effect for subjects’ level of belief in global
citizenship on the effectiveness of the GCCP strategy. These results were observed across the two samples.
Research limitations/implications – This study provides valuable managerial insights into the potential value of GCCP strategy and offers specific
strategic positioning guides to brand managers competing in the global marketplace.
Originality/value – With the emergence of global market segments, it is important to assist brand managers seeking to strengthen their brand’s
equity in a competitive global marketplace. This paper contributes to the literature on international brand positioning by empirically investigating the
usefulness of GCCP as a strategic positioning guide for global marketing managers.
Keywords Brands, Brand mangement, Consumer behaviour, India, Marketing strategy, United States of America
Paper type Research paper
An executive summary for managers and executive
readers can be found at the end of this article.
Introduction
We live in an era of unprecedented and rapid globalization
that presents unique opportunities and threats to marketing
and brand managers. Rapid changes in information and
communications technology (particularly in the internet) and
transportation, and decl ining world trade barriers have
brought consumers together, creating potential global
consumer segments (Hassan and Katsanis, 1994). As Levitt
(1983) asserted, if similar consumer segments could be found
globally, “the result is a new commercial reality – the
emergence of global markets for standardized consumer
products on a previously unimagined scale of magnitude”
(Levitt, 1983, p. 92). With the emergence of global market
segments, marketing and brand managers in companies
whose market scope spans multiple cultures and borders are
challenged with understanding shared sets of consumption-
related symbols that are meaningful to such global segment
members (Terpstra and David, 1991) if they are to serve such
segments profitably.
To assist such managers seeking to strengthen their brand’s
equity in an increasingly competitive global marketplace,
Alden et al. (1999) conceptualized a new brand positioning
strategy which they labeled “global consumer culture
positioning” (GCCP), as contrasted with two other types of
consumer culture positioning: local consumer culture
positioning (LCCP) and foreign consumer culture
positioning (FCCP). The authors suggested that these
positioning strategies are intended to influence brand value
in an increasingly globalized market. Alden et al. (1999)
reported that their study results supported the presence of the
GCCP, LCCP, and FCCP strategies in brand advertising
from multiple countries and, as a potential future research
effort, they encouraged researchers to investigate the
managerial use of these positioning strategies. However, the
potential contribution of GCCP, FCCP, and LCCP
positioning strategies to brand performance would depend
on consumers’ responses to such brand positioning strategies.
In addition, the effectiveness of such brand positioning
strategies is believed to be driven by individual consumer
differences (Alden et al., 1999; Batra et al., 2000).
The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of a
GCCP strategy in comparison to a LCCP strategy on
consumer evaluations of a new unknown brand. In addition,
we examine the moderating influence of belief in global
citizenship on the effectiveness of a GCCP strategy. More
specifically, using an experimental method applied to samples
in the USA (developed economy) and India (developing
economy), we examine if the use of GCCP in comparison to
LCCP in a print advertisement stimuli would influence
consumer evaluations of a fictitious new brand. Our empirical
results support the effectiveness of a GCCP strategy as
demonstrated by overall improvement in subjects’ evaluations
of the fictitious brand (i.e. brand attitudes, purchase
intentions, word of mouth, and brand prestige) when
GCCP is used relative to when LCCP is used. In addition,
our results show some interesting interaction effects for
subjects’ level of belief in global citizenship on the
effectiveness of the GCCP strategy. From a managerial
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at
www.emeraldinsight.com/1061-0421.htm
Journal of Product & Brand Management
20/1 (2011) 48–57
qEmerald Group Publishing Limited [ISSN 1061-0421]
[DOI 10.1108/10610421111108012]
48
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