Does It Pay to Be First? A Cross-National Comparison of Mature and Emerging Market Consumer Attitudes toward Pioneer and Follower Brands

A number of hypotheses examining the underlying beliefs, attitudes, and purchasing intentions of mature-(American) and emerging-(Indian) market consumers as they relate to pioneering versus follower brands were developed and tested. The results indicate that while consumers in both countries have favorable attitudes toward the pioneer, Indian consumers tend to exhibit more positive perceptions in terms of both global and multi-attribute-based attitudes. The notable attitudinal difference between the markets reflects a significantly more positive preference for the pioneer brand on the part of Indian consumers. As such, being first in an emerging market and communicating pioneer status is more important than in a mature market.