International Branding Strategies of Global Companies: A Case Study of SonyEricson

Abstract

In order for a company to sustain its presence in the market and as well stay very competitive, it is very essential to adopt an effective brand strategy. However, depending on the structure of a global company and the products offered, global companies can adopt product branding, corporate branding or a mixture of the two. In order to reach economies of scale and scope, many global companies standardize their branding. However, global companies are often required to adapt to local preferences and cultures. The purpose of this thesis is to investigate the international branding strategies of global companies. The research addressed the issue of how international branding strategies of global companies can be described. A qualitative case study of Sony Ericsson was conducted. The research showed that global companies use either product brand strategy, or corporate brand strategy. However, there may be mixtures of the two types, as it is in the case of Sony Ericson where the emphasis is on corporate brand. With product branding, a company offers multiple products within different business segments. On the other hand, with corporate brand strategy, the corporate name and the brand are the same.