International branding strategies of developing countries: The case of Arçelik

Abstract

The international branding process of firms from developing countries is an area of scarce research. This paper is an attempt at filling this research gap by looking at the internationalization of emerging market companies from a branding perspective. Our aim is to explore the possible link between international branding decisions and international expansion of the firm through an in-depth study of Arçelik, the market leader in Turkey's home appliances industry. Arçelik has adopted international expansion as a strategy for ten years, and it has aimed at branded growth in international markets for nearly that long. Through in-depth interviews with six senior company executives as well as two industry experts, we study the branding path adopted by a developing country firm.