International Marketing Practice Research Articles

Role of Information Technology in Enhancing International Marketing

Information Technology (IT) has become an indispensable tool in the realm of international marketing, reshaping traditional strategies and opening doors to unprecedented opportunities for businesses worldwide. This abstract delves into the pivotal role of IT in enhancing international marketing practices, shedding light on its transformative impact on market expansion, customer engagement, and competitive advantage.

Attitudes toward LCCP strategies: A comprehensive framework

Within recent years, the choice of whether to employ local culture consumer positioning (LCCP) strategies has gained considerable interest in both international marketing research and practice, particularly due to the recent rise in nationalism around the world. This current research focuses on the individual-level drivers of consumer attitudes toward LCCP strategies by creating a more comprehensive framework of the antecedents of attitudes toward LCCP strategies. Utilizing an institution-based view, social identity, self-verification, and personality trait theories, we develop a framework that encompasses elemental personality traits (agreeableness and need for material resources), perceptions of national identity, international travel, world-mindedness, and national identification as direct and indirect antecedents of attitudes toward LCCP strategies. Within three studies, we test the hypothesized relationships in the proposed framework across two different markets (the US and India) and discover several interesting findings that contribute to understanding in both international consumer marketing theory and practice.

Priceless time – The UHNWI's most precious possession: implications for international marketing theory and practice

PurposeTraditionally, international luxury marketing highlights possible disparities of cultural and value perception. The context-specific nature of traditional international luxury marketing, which ranges from educational and cultural to financial and offering-based variations, delivers little guidance to managers in the field regarding how to cater best to their highest target segment. The study aims to exemplify the relevance of global consumer culture (GCC) theory for the ultra-high-net-worth-individual (UHNWI) context. The authors' research on UHNWIs maps the DNA, so to speak, of the UHNWI customer experience (CX) by determining what drives UHNWI purchasing behavior independent of background – in other words, what matters most to this exclusive consumer segment.Design/methodology/approachInterviewing 15 UHNWIs using a means-end approach and incorporating the emerging consensus technique (ECT), the authors explored the CX of UHNWIs leading to their purchasing decisions.FindingsThe authors' analysis reveals the three main constituents of the UHNWI CX: the value of time, expectation mismanagement and the utilitarian nature of luxury. The findings highlight that UHNWIs see traditional luxury as a necessity rather than a luxury and value different factors, such as time, much more highly. The findings highlight the UHNWI homogenous nature, connecting GCC to purchasing behavior.Practical implicationsThe authors' study delivers empirical evidence of what matters most to the UHNWI segment and drives their purchasing behavior. The authors are questioning existing luxury segmentation strategies and lay out a clear guidance on how to design and deliver effective and efficient marketing, sales and communications strategies for the elusive UHNWI segment. The research highlights that it is the experience and the three main dimensions, namely expectation mismanagement, luxury as a utility and the value of time. Following UHNWI CX DNA framework will allow luxury companies to build their marketing and client acquisition efforts on a solid understanding of what matters most to the UHNWI target segment.Originality/valueThe study highlights the commonalities of UHNWIs in terms of what matters most to them. Based on this, the authors develop a UHNWI CX DNA. The authors propose that traditional context-specific differences upheld by international marketing researchers might not apply to the UHNWI segment. The authors deliver evidence that UHNWI are an excellent example of the applicability of GCC theory. The only difference in perception the authors noticed was between CX evaluations of self-made UHNWIs and those who inherited their wealth in an otherwise homogenous segment.

A critical review of international print advertisements: evolutionary analysis, assessment and elucidations, from 1965 to 2020

PurposeAmidst the plethora of mass communication methods that technology bestowed business with, print advertisements still remain an effective and widely utilized advertising tool, and retain a diachronically venerable position in international marketing practice. Bar and transcending mere academic fascination or curiosity, this research provides insights into the past, an understanding of the present and an outlook into the future. In this vein, through a methodical and comprehensive critical review of extant literature on print advertisements since 1965, this research aims to identify gaps in extant knowledge, to map its trends and divergences, to trace its paradigm shifts and to ultimately develop agendas for truly significant future research.Design/methodology/approachThis spatial-temporal study reviews 256 methodically selected articles, using VantagePoint software, and adopts a novel methodology through natural language processing (NLP), text mining, auto-correlation maps, and bubble maps to conduct and present a robust analysis and explicit findings.FindingsUsing also the VOSviewer for density and network visualization, the results identify the predominant literature themes and, conversely, the relatively under-researched areas, and provide a more insightful collective interpretation of extant works, while laying the foundation for future research of greater value and significance to academia and industry.Originality/valueThis study transcends the partial and/or limited analyses and perspectives of extant literature to present scholars with the first comprehensive and long term meta-analysis or systematic study of print advertising, with explicit findings of both scholarly and executive worth.

ТЕХНОЛОГІЇ «ІНТЕРНЕТ РЕЧЕЙ» В МІЖНАРОДНОМУ МАРКЕТИНГУ

One of the key trends in international practice is the Internet of Things technology, which contributes to the competitiveness and performance of international companies, as well as the emergence of new product/service functionality and greatly expanded access to information, the emergence of sophisticated distribution networks and flexible pricing models, optimized and personalized advertising campaigns, etc. The article considers the essence and types of Internet of Things technologies with the identification of internal (aimed at optimizing the company’s business processes) and external technologies (as an element of goods/services), and also investigates the intensity of their implementation in various sectors of the economy. The relevance of the implementation of Internet of Things technologies in international business in order to improve the competitiveness of companies in foreign markets was analyzed. The influence of implementation of Internet of Things technologies on the international marketing complex (4P) of the enterprise was investigated. Opportunities (creation of smart products, new augmented pricing models, more accurate consumer segmentation and personalized communication tools) and problems of using data generated by the Internet of Things for international marketing practices were identified. IoT technologies have a significant impact on international marketing research because they provide more accurate, timely and relevant information about consumer preferences. The Internet of Things reveals patterns of product usage, which allows for accurate demand forecasting. Also, Internet of Things technologies allow for more accurate segmentation of consumers, which allows companies to adapt product, communication and pricing policies in target foreign markets. This leads to a minimization of costs and, accordingly, an increase in profits and brand awareness in the long term. Data from IoT-connected devices can be used to understand customers’ daily lifestyles, determine when products need to be replaced and what type of model they would like to purchase, identify factors that influence buying patterns, and the markets where a product will sell the most.

Revisiting international marketing strategy in a digital era

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore the opportunities and challenges facing firms in this new digital era concerning their international marketing strategy and examine how international marketing practices can be revisited in the light of these developments. Consideration is given to a range of relevant issues involved in the design and deployment of effective international marketing strategies using internet-enabled technologies. Such factors relate to internal company requirements, the external environmental situation, foreign market selection and entry, international marketing mix programs, and strategy implementation and control aspects.Design/methodology/approachA conceptual paper identifies, structures and presents systematically factors influencing international marketing strategy, implementation and control using digital technologies.FindingsThe authors point to the relevance and potentially important role that the deployment of online organizational resources and capabilities play in influencing foreign market selection and entry decisions and international marketing strategy choices, implementation and control. The authors thus explain how the use of digital technologies can facilitate the firm’s foreign market choices and the adoption of effective marketing programs, and offer insights into the adoption of digital tools in more effectively implementing and controlling the firm’s international marketing strategy.Originality/valueThe originality and value of this conceptual study is reflected in the identification and discussion of factors comprising the organizing framework of an international marketing strategy using internet-enabled technologies and in the examination of fruitful avenues of future investigation as a result of the need to redesign international marketing strategies in a new digital era.

The Role of Cultural Distance Across Quantiles of International Joint Venture Longevity

Rapid global economic development and liberalization have increased the motivation and opportunities for firms to enter into international joint venture (IJV) agreements. Numerous studies in the international marketing literature have examined the impact of international partners’ cultural differences on IJV longevity; however, results are inconclusive, potentially due to limitations in the methods used. While this study examines the varied impact of cultural differences on IJV longevity based on the IJV’s age, it uses quantile regression, enabling the detection of varying effects’ strengths across the dependent variable’s entire distribution. The results demonstrate variations in the role of cultural differences across individual cultural dimensions as well as variations in the patterns of association between cultural differences and IJV longevity dependent on the IJV’s age. Implications for theory and the practice of international marketing are offered as well as potential applications of this study’s methodological approach.

The Balancing of Country-Based Interaction Orientation and Marketing Strategy Implementation Adaptation/Standardization for Profit Growth in Multinational Corporations

For business success and continued growth, multinational corporations (MNCs) must work to efficiently leverage interactions with customers dispersed across geographic boundaries. Under the framework of the attention-based view, this study examines the MNC strategic approach of country-based interaction orientation and marketing strategy implementation adaptation/standardization as drivers of global profit growth, contingent on the environmental conditions of competitive intensity and market dynamism. The findings from a survey of U.S.-based MNCs indicate that managerial attention focused on country-based interaction orientation and marketing strategy implementation standardization, when considered jointly, have a positive effect on MNC profit growth. The findings also show that the effect of a country-based interaction orientation on MNC profit growth is not as susceptible to competitive intensity and market dynamism when MNCs standardize their marketing strategy implementation, but it varies when MNCs take a more adapted approach to their implementation strategies across country markets. These findings bring to light important implications for international marketing theory and practice.

Bank relationships’ contributions to SME export performance

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine to what extent, and in what ways, various types of bank support improve small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) export performance. It contributes to bank marketing and international marketing theory and practice by clarifying bank contributions to SME export performance at the firm level.Design/methodology/approachThe study method is an on-site survey, encompassing 135 manufacturing Swedish SMEs. Five hypotheses are tested using ordinary least squares regression.FindingsThe higher the export performance, the greater the importance attributed to bank funding of international business. The importance of transaction and/or currency services provided by banks for SMEs’ ability to do business abroad was confirmed, but with the important limitation that the effect diminishes as the number of markets increases. Furthermore, the results indicate that SMEs with low export performance attach a high importance to the advisory services that banks can offer regarding international business. No significant results for knowledge sharing or support from bank contacts were found.Practical implicationsSME managers are encouraged to view banks as potential providers of a diverse set of value-added resources while taking into consideration that some banks will have more developed resources and support policies than others. The study results also assist banks in building effective strategies for enhancing their relationships with SME clients, as it provides detailed information on how SMEs relate different kinds of bank services to their export performance.Originality/valueAs the first paper to describe SME-perceived relationships between different bank services and export performance, this study informs bank marketing and international marketing theory about bank contributions to SME internationalisation.

A Cross-National Study of Evolutionary Origins of Gender Shopping Styles: She Gatherer, He Hunter?

By investigating gendered shopping styles across countries, the authors explore whether the differences between male and female shopping styles are greater than the differences in shopping styles exhibited by consumers across countries. With a conceptual model, this study tests an extant convergence hypothesis that predicts that men and women should grow more similar in their shopping styles as traditional gender-based divisions in wage and domestic labor disappear. The results of a survey of shopping behavior across 11 countries indicate though that men and women are evolutionarily predisposed to different shopping styles. These differences in shopping styles also are greater in countries with higher levels of gender equality. Empathizing, or the ability to tune in to others’ thoughts and feelings, mediates shopping styles more for women; systemizing, or the degree to which a person possesses spatial skills, mediates shopping styles more for men. These results suggest that gender-based retail segmentation is more strategically relevant than country-based segmentation. The authors discuss the implications of their findings for international marketing theory and practice.

Framing hybrid exchanges in subsistence contexts

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to deepen the understanding of subsistence exchange practices and their contribution to international marketing theory and practice. It draws on the notion of embeddedness to examine the hybrid exchange practices unfolding within subsistence communities, and between subsistence communities and (international) firms.Design/methodology/approachThe paper reports two ethnographic studies conducted in low-income farming and slum communities in Uganda and Kenya, respectively. Both studies involved participant observation, interviews, field note-taking and visual methods.FindingsThe findings demonstrate that hybrid exchange systems prevail in subsistence contexts, supporting both market and non-market logics simultaneously. Actors remain deeply embedded in their social worlds during exchange, making it problematic to disentangle social relations from market exchanges.Research limitations/implicationsThe study suggests implications for international firms interested in forging business partnerships with subsistence actors. It calls for international marketers to surpass the traditional marketing roles and develop competences that enable firms to meaningfully embed in subsistence contexts. Further research could explore how international marketers could develop such competences.Originality/valueThe paper draws from diverse exchange literature to demonstrate how subsistence actors become actively involved in shaping hybrid exchanges that (potentially) incorporate international firms. The study calls for a broader understanding of international marketing, which accounts for the embedded marketing practices entailed in serving subsistence markets. It concludes that categorizing exchanges as either economic or social is problematic as both forms co-evolve to constitute multiple levels of intra-community, local marketplace and extensive hybrid exchanges.

Indulgence versus Restraint: The Moderating Role of Cultural Differences on the Relationship between Corporate Social Performance and Corporate Financial Performance

ABSTRACTAdapting to the cultural environment surrounding, a firm is of paramount importance in international marketing practices. Extant marketing literature provides meager guidance to marketers on how to adapt to cultural factors to turn corporate social responsibility strategies into financial outcomes. To address this gap, we utilize the instrumental stakeholder theory and Hofstede's cultural framework to investigate the moderating effect of indulgence versus restraint culture on the relationship between corporate social performance (CSP) and corporate financial performance (CFP). Applying a panel data regression analysis to a dataset of CSP and CFP data for 3753 firms from 43 different countries, we demonstrate that CSP has a positive effect on CFP. However, we show that CSP has a weaker effect on CFP in firms located in indulgent countries. Therefore, to generate financial outcomes, we recommend managers to allocate more resources to CSP initiatives if the firm is operating in a culturally restrained country.

International marketing strategies of emerging market firms

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is twofold: to publish scholarly works that extend knowledge on the drivers, consequences and boundary conditions of international marketing strategies employed by emerging market firms of all sizes and types; and to advance a narrative for future research on emerging market firms’ international marketing activities.Design/methodology/approachTo achieve this agenda, the authors invited scholars to submit quality manuscripts to the special issue. Manuscripts that addressed the special issue theme from varied theoretical perspectives and methodological approaches were invited.FindingsOut of 70 manuscripts reviewed, 7 are eventually accepted for inclusion in this special issue. The papers touched on interesting research topics bothering on international marketing practices of emerging market firms using blend of interesting theoretical perspectives and variety of methods. Key theoretical perspectives used include resource-based theory, internationalization theory, institutional theory and corporate visual identity theory. The authors employed unique sets of methods including literature review, surveys, panel data, and process-based qualitative and case-study enquiries. The authors used some of the most advanced analytical techniques to analyze their data.Originality/valueThis introduction to the special issue provides a review of the extant literature on the international marketing strategy of emerging market firms, focusing on summarizing key empirical contributions on the topic over the last three decades. Subsequently, the authors discuss how each paper included in this special issue helps advance the agenda to develop scholarly knowledge on emerging market firms’ international marketing strategy.

Power source drivers and performance outcomes of functional and dysfunctional conflict in exporter–importer relationships

Although conflict is natural in buyer–seller relations, the issue has largely been studied in domestic market settings despite increasing globalization and the surge of cross-border inter-firm relationships. This research focuses on two different types of conflict, functional and dysfunctional, and examines how these are linked to coercive and non-coercive power bases and performance outcomes in exporter–importer relationships. Using survey data from 105 pairs of exporters and their foreign distributors, we find that only in the exporter group the use of coercive power by the foreign distributor lowers functional conflict. However, the use of coercive power by the overseas partner increases dysfunctional conflict and the use of non-coercive power reduces such conflict across both exporters and importers, although in the importer group this link is not significant. The results also suggest that functional conflict enhances performance only among importers. The use of problem solving conflict resolution boosts functional conflict's impact on performance among exporters, but adversely affects the performance effect of such conflict in the importer group. Nonetheless, problem solving resolution negatively affects the impact of dysfunctional conflict on performance in both the exporter and importer groups. Moreover, we find that power distance boosts the impact of dysfunctional conflict on performance in the relationship across the groups of exporters and importers. Implications of the findings for international marketing theory and practice are discussed, and limitations of the study considered along with future research directions.

Cross–National Collaboration of Marketing Personnel within a Multinational: Leveraging Customer Participation for New Product Advantage

Multinational success in building new product advantage through customer participation is contingent on a multinational's ability to understand the moderating influence of cross-national collaboration of its marketing personnel. The findings from a survey of global marketing managers indicate that customer participation as an information source positively influences new product advantage, but this effect is dampened when cross-national collaboration within a multinational is high. However, customer participation as a codeveloper positively influences new product advantage only when the level of cross-national collaboration is high. The contrasting moderating effects of cross-national collaboration have important implications for international marketing theory and practice.

The role of sales representatives in cross-cultural business-to-business relationships

This study responds to the call for the “internationalization of sales research” by collecting data from 160 international buyers spanning 33 countries and regions. Based on survey data, archival sales records and cultural-distance indices, this research examines the performance-enhancing effect of sales rep-owned commitment as well as its antecedents under varying degrees of cultural distance. Our results show a strong and direct impact of rep-owned commitment, independent of the effect of firm-owned commitment, on enhancing performance indicators including sales volume, importers' purchase share, and importers' future purchase intentions. Moreover, we find two important antecedents to rep-owned commitment: benevolence trust and capability trust. Interestingly, cultural distance moderates the effects of benevolence and capability trust on rep-owned commitment: the larger the cultural distance, the stronger the effect of benevolence trust but the weaker the effect of capability trust. We conclude with theoretical and managerial implications to international marketing research and practice.

A New Conceptual Model for Understanding International Students’ College Needs

This study concerns the theory and practice of international marketing in higher education with the purpose of exploring a conceptual model for understanding international students’ needs in the context of a four-year college in the United States. A transcendental phenomenological design was employed to investigate the essence of international students’ needs within their study experiences and explore a conceptual model that can explain these needs. Qualitative data were collected from 12 undergraduate and graduate international students through semi-structured interviews. Using thematic analysis, findings expand typical marketing mix frameworks and advance an eight-dimensional international student needs model: Program, Place, Price, Promotion, Process, People, Physical Facility, and Peace.

Relationship Value: Drivers and Outcomes in International Marketing Channels

Although collaborative business arrangements based on relationship marketing have become ubiquitous over the past decades, research studies of relationship value in international marketing channels are scarce. Drawing on the relational view of competitive advantage, this study investigates the drivers of relationship value in exporter–importer relationships and its impact on customer loyalty. The study findings reveal that relationship-specific investments, knowledge sharing, complementary capabilities, and relational norms are powerful contributors of importer-perceived value in an overseas supplier relationship. Importantly, exporter cultural sensitivity weakens the negative effect of psychic distance on relationship value; when cultural sensitivity is low, psychic distance takes on greater importance in attenuating relationship value, whereas when cultural sensitivity is high, psychic distance has no discernible effect. In addition, the results demonstrate that relationship value results in insensitivity to competitive offerings and future purchase expansion. The article concludes with a discussion of implications for international marketing theory and practice.

Diplomatic Skills Used for International Marketing Practice

In international management, there are observable difficulties in development processes and international alignments similar to situations in international diplomacy. This article presents application of the theories and concepts of international diplomacy on the practice of international marketing. It is the first application of the concept of international diplomacy for management, especially marketing practices. The goal of the article is to elaborate the concepts and solutions of international diplomacy for international marketing. The used research method is secondary analysis of existing theories and concepts of diplomacy in combination with expert interviews with international diplomats as well as international marketing practitioners. The results of the presented examination have interesting managerial implications for international marketing development processes, showing that the virtues of international diplomacy can be adapted to the practice of international marketing.

Cross-National Advertising and Behavioral Intentions: A Multilevel Analysis

Previous research has provided limited insight into (1) the cross-national effectiveness of marketing communication aimed at engaging consumers and (2) the moderating role of national characteristics. This study assesses the effectiveness of a cross-national advertising campaign in terms of changing behavioral intentions. The authors examine the moderating effects of country-level indicators representing three institutional pillars (regulative, normative/moral, and cultural-cognitive) on the mediated associations between three advertising persuasion measures (message comprehension, attitude toward the campaign, and message elaboration) and behavioral intentions. The authors examine a multilevel analysis using survey data related to a 25-country advertising campaign to test hypothesized within-country and between-country effects. The results show that message comprehension affects message elaboration less strongly in countries with stronger regulative, normative/moral, and cultural-cognitive pillars. Attitude toward the campaign affects message elaboration less strongly in countries with stronger normative/moral and cultural-cognitive pillars. Message elaboration affects behavioral intention less strongly in countries with a stronger regulative pillar but more strongly in countries with a stronger normative/moral pillar. The authors discuss implications for international marketing theory and practice.