Standardize or adapt? A fine-grained model for cross-border communication through digital channels

Abstract

This study investigates whether and how multinational firms synchronize adaptation or standardization approaches for the design and content of their website and social media channels when operating in different countries. We perform a content analysis of multinational firms’ website and Instagram page to analyze their design and content deployed in two markets: Russia and Italy. This study reveals that firms exhibit different degrees of standardization versus adaptation of the website and social media’s design and content based on the country and industry context. Firms that sharply differ in the design and content between website and social media are usually used to standardize the cross-border communication through websites and adapt it through social media. Furthermore, firms that converge reaching a high similarity or closeness in terms of design and content’s adaptation and standardization in both channels are positioned in a balanced degree of standardization versus adaptation, especially in some industries. Our study contributes to the international marketing literature by providing a fine-grained framework to analyze the design and content communication convergence or divergence between websites and social media in terms of standardization and adaptation. In closing, we provide some managerial implications, and recommendations for further research on this topic.