Localising the packaging of foreign food brands: a case of Muslim consumers in Pakistan
| Pages | 386-398 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/JPBM-08-2014-0694 |
| Published date | 20 July 2015 |
| Date | 20 July 2015 |
| Author | Huda Khan,Richard Lee,Larry Lockshin |
Localising the packaging of foreign food
brands: a case of Muslim consumers in
Pakistan
Huda Khan, Richard Lee and Larry Lockshin
School of Marketing, University of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia
Abstract
Purpose – The aim of this study was to investigate the extent that consumers prefer the localised packaging over standard packaging, and how
the differences may vary across different product types. An ongoing debate facing marketers is whether marketing approaches should be localised
as international brands enter foreign markets. In practice, international brands often localise their packaging when sold in foreign markets. This
research questions whether and under what conditions is this practice beneficial to foreign brands.
Design/methodology/approach – The experiment used a 2 (product type: hedonic versus utilitarian) ⫻2 (packaging design: standard versus local)
factorial designs. Product type was within-subjects, and packaging design was between-subject to minimise learning effects. For each product type,
two product categories were used.
Findings – Overall, the results show that the role of packaging is more pertinent for hedonic than for utilitarian products. For hedonic products,
participants preferred the standard packaging to the local packaging and brand likeability is also rated more positively in their standard package.
However, there were generally no significant differences in rating between standard and localised packaging likeability and brand likeability for
utilitarian products. The results for the choice decisions were similar to those for the likeability ratings across both product types.
Practical implications – A better understanding into how consumers perceive these packaging strategies would help international marketers
operating in local markets.
Originality/value –Although past studies on international marketing communications have investigated standardisation and localisation of
messages in the context of advertising using foreign and local cues, none have examined this issue with packaging. This study also extends past
research by examining the differential effects of localisation on hedonic versus utilitarian products.
Keywords Packaging, Hedonic and utilitarian consumption, Product standardization and adaptation
Paper type Research paper
An executive summary for managers and executive
readers can be found at the end of this issue.
Introduction
An ongoing debate in international marketing is whether
marketing approaches should be localised as international
brands enter foreign markets (Fan, 2002;Okazaki, 2004;
Eckhardt, 2005;Fastoso and Whitelock, 2012;Jiang and Wei,
2012). As international marketers seek to find ways to
influence consumer behaviour across cultures, the
communicative role of packaging is becoming increasingly
important. Yet, while many academics and practitioners have
focused on international marketing strategies of foreign brands
(Zhou and Hui, 2003;Samiee et al., 2004;Zhou and Wong,
2008;Özsomer, 2012;De Mooij, 2013), hardly any empirical
research has examined the effects of localising or standardising
a brands’ packaging. This study examines whether localising a
foreign product’s packaging would enhance its effectiveness in
influencing consumer choice. Previous research has offered
practical evidence to support international marketers
strategising their advertising activities in culturally and
linguistically different countries (Akaka and Alden, 2010;De
Mooij, 2010). It is important, however, to determine similarly
the effectiveness of packaging for foreign brands, as packaging
is the last point of contact before actual buying.
Particularly with packaging, research has examined the
impact of different cues on packaging and brand evaluation
(Underwood and Klein, 2002;Clement, 2007;Clement et al.,
2013;Littel and Orth, 2013). These studies alluded to the
effectiveness of cues such as symbols, colours, logos and labels
in making packaging noticeable and influencing consumer
purchase decisions, particularly across different cultures
(Limon et al., 2009;Bakar et al., 2013). For instance, a study
shows that the differential effectiveness of colour, size and
shape of packaging (of a German deodorant) modified for sale
in different countries (Japan, the UK, The Netherlands) may
be explained by cultural differences (Van den Berg-Weitzel
and Van de Laar, 2001). Despite these studies on the
effectiveness of cues in a packaging context, few contributions
have been made regarding the differential effects of using
foreign versus local cues on product packaging. Indeed, most
studies involving foreign cues such as foreign models and
language have been conducted in advertising (Leclerc et al.,
1994;Micu and Coulter, 2010). Another issue is whether the
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on
Emerald Insight at: www.emeraldinsight.com/1061-0421.htm
Journal of Product & Brand Management
24/4 (2015) 386–398
© Emerald Group Publishing Limited [ISSN 1061-0421]
[DOI 10.1108/JPBM-08-2014-0694]
386
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