Emergence of a Global Village
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It was believed that the emergence of a global village will create a homogenous consumer base. Many producers feel that culture is abstract and that universal branding models exist. However, different cultures have a great impact on how consumers react to branding. The culture of each respective country has an effect on the brand types, brand personality, brand equity, and even brand packaging. Even brands that are universally known such as Coca-Cola and McDonalds use slightly different branding techniques depending on the country the franchise is in. Coca-Cola has slightly different packaging and translations for each country. McDonalds offers different products depending on the country. For example, McDonalds in Milan offers a café style experience and sells pastries and coffee. There are also things like Kiwiburger in New Zealand and Prosperity burger in Malaysia. These different items appeal to the culture and history of each country. The consumer base they target is also different. In Japan McDonalds is marketed more for young people while in India it is seen as a family restaurant. People also prefer brands that are rooted in their own history and their own culture. Although global brands are present everywhere in the world, the top-rated brands in each country are oftentimes native brands. The most trusted car brands in each country are usually cars that originate in the country being surveyed.
Culture can best be understood as layers like an onion. The outside are symbols or what is perceived on the outside. Heroes are the next level and are the traits that are valued within the culture. The third level is rituals and this is how people relate to each other. These three layers are expressions of culture. The innermost later are the values in a culture. Value must be understood in order to have effective branding. Value is preferring one state of being over another. These are learned in early life and is an unconscious process. We are