From Human Acculturation to Brand Acculturation: A Phenomenological perspective of University Students of Pakistan

Abstract

Culture plays a crucial role in determining the success or failure of a brand in a particular market. Despite having workable marketing plans, several brands fail globally due to the lack of cultural considerations in their marketing strategies and programs. The acculturation concept has been studied in the context of consumers, marketplaces, and marketers. Past research rarely explores acculturation in global brands. There is an evident lack of concrete models and theories that provide guidelines on how a brand should go for acculturation. Informed by the research gap and following the brand anthropomorphic consideration, this research investigates if brands follow human acculturation patterns in cultures other than the country of their origin (COO). The phenomenological study based on the interviews of 24 students having international consumption experience was conducted in Pakistan along with some case studies of global brands. The result of in-depth interviews followed by thematic content analysis identifies four brand acculturation strategies: integration, assimilation, separation, and marginalization, which can be leveraged to develop brand positioning based on the nature and characteristics of the global brands and the country of operations. The paper introduces the first-ever concept of brand acculturation and invites brand researchers to deepen their horizons further. The theoretical and managerial implications of the study are also discussed.