International marketing at the interface of the alluring global and the comforting local

Abstract

This chapter highlights the poles of global/local and standardization/adaptation and calls for a focus on the specifi c interaction between a local context and the global forces while forming a glocalization strategy. It focuses on a key question managers try to answer: what is the right marketing approach for a fi rm operating in international markets? The decision of if and how to tailor their marketing offerings to global/local market dynamics is fundamental in defi ning the marketing strategy of both transnationals and local companies in emergent markets. We describe how emergent market companies can successfully compete with transnational giants by developing brands that serve consumers bridge various sociocultural tensions in their daily lives. We focus on one such tension: the alluring global and the comforting local. Two cases – a Russian brand of cosmetics, Green Mama and a Turkish brand of cola, Cola Turka – demonstrate effective business solutions that bridge the desire for both the local and the global. These cases also underscore that the specifi cs of the design and implementation of glocalization as well as cultural analysis of the sociohistorical context of a national market are vital for successful marketing.