IS STANDARDISATION OF MARKETING FEASIBLE IN CULTURE‐BOUND INDUSTRIES? A EUROPEAN CASE STUDY

Abstract

Global marketing is based on cross‐cultural similarities instead of cross‐cultural differences. For a company encountering markets with similar cultural values it is easy to standardise the marketing program. Typically, however, most markets have different cultural values. The global marketer therefore has to decide how to coordinate its marketing program in the best way possible. This case study shows how a global retailer has coordinated its marketing program in an industry which has resisted the forces of globalisation more than most other industries.