The Starbucks Brandscape and Consumers

De Mooij and Hofstede (2002) define culture by eight dimensions. Asian cultures are associated with higher levels of uncertainty avoidance (UA) (see Appendix 1) compared to individualistic cultures, therefore these Asian cultures are more attracted to products with a lower risk (Moss & Vinten, 2001; Samli, 1995; Shannon, 2005). Furthermore, there is a strong belief that Asian consumers have a strong preference for NBs over PLs (Ahuvia & Wong, 1998; Brady et al., 2003; De Mooij & Hofstede, 2002). According to Batra and Sinha (2000) consumers who relate higher prices with higher quality are less attracted by PLs. According to De Mooij and Hofstede (2002) PLs are more frequent in individualistic cultures such as the Netherlands, than collectivist cultures such as in China. They presented two specific reasons for collectivist (Asian) nations to choose NBs over PLs, namely that NBs lead to more status, and the preference for long-term relationships and so for well-known NBs. Therefore, collectivistic cultures are more risk averse and tend to value brand names. They also value the perceived link between price and quality, which negatively affects the image of PLs in such countries. On the other hand, individualistic cultures are supposed

View more »Expand viewKotler, P., & Keller, K. L. (2012). Marketing management (14th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.

Brown, T. (2014). Basic Marketing Research, 8e, 8th Edition. [VitalSource Bookshelf version]. Retrieved from http://online.vitalsource.com/books/9781305178571/page/24

The impact of national cultures on marketing practices has been such that it brought about the creation of an academic field, with as a lead-researcher, Geert. Hofstede, on whose writings I have based my analysis.

Kotler, P., & Keller, K. L. (2011). Marketing Management (14th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NY:

Brinkerhoff, Weitz, and Ortega (2014) define globalization of culture as “the process through which cultural elements (including musical styles, fashion trends, and cultural values) spread around the globe (p. 49). Furthermore, the cultural impact globalization has imparted on American society is clearly evident in the enormous number of choices available, which includes choices concerning food, fashion, and the arts of film, dance, and music (The Impact of Globalization on the Consumer, 2014). For instance, when I dine out and have the choice of a type of cuisine to eat, just in the small city I live, there are at least three of each type of Asian (Thai, Mongolian, Japanese, and Chinese), Mexican, and Italian restaurants.

Kotler, P., & Keller, K. (2016). Marketing Managment, 15th Edition. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education, Inc.

Tom Brown’s Restaurant Group has shown an appreciation of national culture by incorporating their British style with Chinese flavours. Arguably this is a glocalization strategy that according Singh & Prakash (2011) must be incorporated by every food enterprise firm operating in market other than its home domestic ones. Glocalization is termed coined from globalisation and localization. It refers to the process customizing a product in a foreign global market to meet the needs and desire of the local market. It might involve redesigning the whole marketing mix depending on the target market (Robertson 1995; Veseth 1998; Torress & Montpellier 2002) According Singh & Prakash (2011) the cultural values associated with foods is very strong since eating habits are developed early in life and hence enhanced through once lifetime. Different nations will therefore have different eating habits due to there diverse culture.

Each country is a different market, with its own language, buying habits, ways of living, mores, business methods, marketing traditions, and laws. So instead of trying to organize new agencies with American personnel, most U.S. agencies purchase a majority. However, U.S agencies are not locked into the differences, because through global marketing, all of people’s needs around the world will be same toward U.S products sold abroad. Global consumer culture also depends upon global media to create a sense of global identify and memory without which any cultural identity is incomplete (Smith 1991).

Specific target audience: In the 1990’s, Starbuck primarily targeted towards the affluent, well-educated, white-collar patrons (skewed female).

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One of the key attributes of modernization is the globally interconnected marketplace. The globalization of consumerism allows for companies and their goods to be recognized internationally. The United States (followed by the United Kingdom, Germany, and China) is one of the most culturally influential countries in the world today. It sells its music, clothes, movies, literature, products, and perhaps most recognizably, its fast food, all throughout the world. Companies like McDonald’s and Coca Cola are archetypical examples of this. This globalization is believed to be creating an increasingly homogenous world because Western values and lifestyles sustain the possibility of obliterating countless unique, local cultures that don’t posses the means to market themselves to the rest of the world.

Market segmentation is usually regarded as one of the main elements of marketing, with benefit segmentation commonly referred to as the most meaningful form of segmentation. Even though the importance of segmentation is broadly accepted, limited research, do exist about cosmetic medical products (Mohr, Sengupta, & Slater 2010, 79). There are very few real examples of segmentation studies available. This article has focused on Johnson and Johnson products marketing strategy globally. The spread of global culture is normally facilitated by the rise of global capitalism, the proliferation of transitional corporations, homogenization of global consumption, and widespread aspiration for material possessions. International market researchers have discussed the breadth of convergence of cultural values across countries.

A Senior Thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for graduation in the Honors Program Liberty University Spring 2011

Doyle, P. (1989). Building successful brands: The strategic options. Journal of Marketing Management, 5(1), pp.77-95.