Standardization and adaptation in multinationals corporations
Case study on Samsung's marketing mix strategy
Palavras-chave:
International Marketing, Standardization and Adaptation, Mobile, Case StudyResumo
International marketing is the process of planning and conducting transactions across borders to create exchanges that satisfy the objectives of individuals and organizations (Czinkota & Ronkainen, 2006). The standardization approach understands markets as homogeneous and defend that the key to succeed is the ability of the company to standardize goods and services (Buzzell, 1968). On the other hand, the Adaptation Method highlights the difficulties in using a standardized approach and support the tailoring to fit in the unique dimensions of international markets (Thrassou & Vrontis, 2006). We illustrate these conceptual arguments through a case study of the Samsung mobile business, profiling its marketing mix strategy in four different countries: Brazil, China, France, and United States, and comparing it to the headquarters in South Korea. The methodology used multiple sources of data, both primary and secondary to guarantee its value and authenticity. The study concludes that Samsung applies both strategies: standardizing its core competencies and characteristics and adapting non-core characteristics to fit the cultural and economic aspects of different countries. Promotion is the marketing mix element more adapted while placement and pricing have the same overall strategy across countries. Product concept and name is standardized while some characteristics as color may be adapted to fit cultural preferences. This conclusion is aligned with the literature and contribute to the International Marketing and Standardization and Adaptation field, as it brings a practical and applied study on a well-known company.
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