Consumer culture brand positioning strategies: an experimental investigation

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of global consumer culture positioning (GCCP) in comparison to local consumer culture positioning (LCCP) strategies on consumer evaluations of a new unknown brand. Design/methodology/approach - Using an experimental method in the USA and India, the paper examines if the use of such positioning strategies in a print advertisement stimuli influence consumer evaluations of a fictitious brand. Findings -The results support the effectiveness of such strategies as demonstrated by overall improvement in subjects' attitudinal evaluations of the fictitious brand when GCCP is used relative to the use of LCCP. Furthermore, our results show a moderation effect for subjects' level of belief in global citizenship on the effectiveness of the GCCP strategy. These results were observed across the two samples. Research limitations/implications - This study provides valuable managerial insights into the potential value of GCCP strategy and offers specific strategic positioning guides to brand managers competing in the global marketplace. Originality/value - With the emergence of global market segments, it is important to assist brand managers seeking to strengthen their brand's equity in a competitive global marketplace. This paper contributes to the literature on international brand positioning by empirically investigating the usefulness of GCCP as a strategic positioning guide for global marketing managers.