Executive Insights: Integrating Branding Strategy across Markets: Building International Brand Architecture

Abstract

Brands play a critical role in establishing a firm's visibility and position in international markets. Building a coherent international brand architecture is a key component of the firm's overall international marketing strategy, because it provides a structure to leverage strong brands into other markets, assimilate acquired brands, and integrate strategy across markets. The authors examine the way firms have developed international brand architecture and the drivers that shape the architecture. The authors discuss implications for the design and management of the firm's international brand architecture.

Towards a model of the Place Brand Web

“…An important consideration is the link between the brand architecture and the 'organisation's' intended strategy (Aaker & Joachimsthaler, 2000). Achieving this link presents a particular challenge since place brand architecture is an interactive and evolutionary process affected not only by intended strategy but also by past and present place factors (Douglas & Craig, 2002;Hanna & Rowley, 2011).…”

“…They also felt that achieving a co-ordinated brand architecture depended on the DMO's objectives and on the resilience and expertise of leadership in articulating their proposition; as one participant stated: Participants also commented on the need for open stakeholder communications (Aaker & Joachimsthaler, 2000) to highlight any conflicts of interest, and the use of informal communications procedures and forums to resolve such conflicts (P12, P7, P6, P11). It was also noted that brand architecture was dependent on evolving market demographics and economic stability (Douglas & Craig, 2002;Hanna & Rowley, 2011;Van Assche & Lo, 2011) and essential for brand longevity (P10, P8, P6). For instance, the foot and mouth epidemic was a factor in changing strategy and brand perspectives to exploit positive associations (P14).…”

Determinants of the Success of Global and Local Brands in Latin America

“…Generally, a product that is closely related to its culture must use local branding strategy (Douglas et al, 2001;Harun, Kassim, Igau, Tahajuddin, & Al-Swidi, 2010;Kapferer, 2002;Wolfe, 1991). Hence: H4: Product categories related to local tastes are positively associated with local brand success.…”

“…They must decide which brands to retain, and which to remove (e.g., global or local brands?) (Douglas, Craig, & Nijssen, 2001). These are important decisions that significantly influence any firm's success (Chernatony, Halliburton, & Bernarth, 1995;Douglas et al, 2001;Halliburton & Hünerberg, 1993;Hollis, 2008;Kapferer, 2002;Kim & Kim, 2005).…”

“…(Douglas, Craig, & Nijssen, 2001). These are important decisions that significantly influence any firm's success (Chernatony, Halliburton, & Bernarth, 1995;Douglas et al, 2001;Halliburton & Hünerberg, 1993;Hollis, 2008;Kapferer, 2002;Kim & Kim, 2005). Winit, Gregory, Cleveland, and Verlegh (2014) show that consumers evaluate global (vs local) brands more positively, regardless of brand ownership (local vs foreign).…”