University of Applied Sciences in Fulda

Title of dissertation:

International Branding

In Module

International Marketing Management

Lectured by

Prof. Dr. Lutz H Schminke

Authors:

Jenny Lau Alexander Hufnagl

Magdeburger Strasße 5 Ausbacher Straße 32

36037 Fulda 36284 Hohenroda

jennylau@gmx.de ahufnagl@aol.com

Matrikelnummer: 531111 Matrikelnummer: 333014

Sophia Jurisch Tadoh Jude Samkia

Sebastian Straße Marquard Straße 28

36037 Fulda 36039 Fulda

VI

Sophia.jurisch@web.de tsamkia@yahoo.com

Matrikelnummer: 633017 Matrikelnummer: 433065

Fulda, 09.11.2011

I

Management summary

Companies have understood the importance of brands in the national and

international context in this light branding has become a fundamental part

of the company’s strategic maneuver on foreign terrains.

To shape the brands appearance across national borders, four branding

strategies which are often used by most international companies are

explicitly introduced, multiproduct, multibranding, private and a mixed

branding strategies

Additionally, the chief reasons of international branding are exposed, like

the economies of scale which companies seek to capture when going

global. Furthermore a brief rundown of benefits and the pitfalls of taking a

brand across foreign borders are illustrated.

A brief resume of standardization and localization is summarized. On the

one hand, by using a standardized brand, a company reduces its risk and

enhances the (premium paid) by the customer. Additionally costs can be

saved by the implementation of same advertisement champagne

worldwide due to standardization. On the other hand, a company should

take note of cultural differences amongst nations and possibly adapt its

brand elements, as the product name, to response to local preferences if

need arises.

Before introducing their brands, trademarks and patents must be

registered (whereupon unlike) as well as approaches to legal protection

have to be considered. Trademarks or patent protection is one of the most

controversial and challenging areas brand management has to deal when

attempting to travel with brand to foreign shores .This dissertation tackles

all the above mentioned issues and an example of a global or an

international brand is presented with future prospects of international

branding.

II

List of Contents

Management summary..............................................................................I

List of Contents.........................................................................................II

List of figures........................................................................................... III

1 Introduction........................................................................................1

2 Branding Introduction and term definition......................................2

2.1 Branding Goes International..........................................................3

2.2 Differentiation vs. Standardization.................................................3

3 Relevance of international branding................................................4

3.1 Rely on a global brand...................................................................5

3.2 When to better stay local...............................................................6

4 Brand Strategies.................................................................................7

4.1Multiproduct branding……………………………………………………

4.2 Multibranding strategy……………………………………………….

4.3 Private branding ………………………………………………………..

4.4 Mixed or hybrid branding

5 Potential challenges...........................................................................9

5.1 Cultural differences........................................................................9

5.2 Legal protection...........................................................................10

6 Born Global.......................................................................................11

7 Future prospects..............................................................................12

III

Appendix.................................................................................................13

Literature.................................................................................................16

Books.....................................................................................................16

Online Sources......................................................................................18

Declaration on oath................................................................................19

IV

List of figures

Figure 1: Consumer interests and expectations 13

Figure 2: 100 Most Valuable Global Brands 2011 14

Figure 3: Producing country of plagiarisms 15

1

1 Introduction

In times of internationalization and globalization, brands play an important

role in international markets. An expansion into the international market

without the inclusion of a brand is unimaginable. Due to the fact that

most(consumers needs are becoming convergent around the globe)

(product cores are increasing homogeneous), companies have to be

silhouetted against competitors through a targeted branding( and

profiling.1 )

International branding is (mainly) caused by three different developments

(Factors):

- "The large number of corporate mergers and acquisitions

- The increasing globalization of markets and

- The growth of new brands"2

The following dissertation will describe the term "international branding"

and analyze its importance for a company. In addition, the advantages and

disadvantages as well as the strategic aspects of global brand

management will be explained. In the end the authors will illustrate the

potential challenges when going global with a brand and show a practice-

oriented future analysis.

The objectives of this dissertation will be to illustrate (present) the reader

with not only the importance and advantages of introducing a brand to a

foreign market but also(the effects or consequences of taking a brand

overseas). to reflect the resulting problems. (Besides chances) due to

corporate brands, there will also two major challenges be discussed.

Moreover, the reader shall get an impact(a vivid positure) of how modern

marketing will benefits from future trends in brand management.

1 Vgl.: Esch F.R., Moderne Markenführung S. 20052 Vgl.: Steiner P., Sensory Branding, S. 69

2

To carry out this dissertation, (Hereby, the authors will) we relied on

several scientific dissertations, articles from newspapers, economic

magazines and many academic literature on marketing and branding.

(Additionally)Furthermore, statistics and surveys conducted in the UK and

Germany will be used to illustrate diverse hypotheses.

2 Branding( Introduction) and term definition

There is a variety of marketing literature about branding. However, a

general definition of global branding or international branding does not

exist.These terms are used interchangeably in many marketing literature.

Karl-Heinz von Lackum characterizes branding as the effective

establishment and management of a new brand. His definition is based on

a quote from Hans Domizlaff, who is referring to him as the Father of

Branding: "The goal of branding techniques is to secure a monopoly in the

psyche of consumers.3

On the one hand, a company tries with its brand to address their target

audience directly and inspire them on an emotional level. On the other

hand, the accomplishment seems to be quite difficult, especially when a

company tries to pursue a successful branding strategy not only at

national but also at international level. For Brown and Fletcher thus a

brand is: “a name, term, symbol, sign, design or combination of these,

created with the objectives of differentiating the offering from those of

competitors.”4 However, in this dissertation (the authors)we will refer to a

brand as follows: (A brand represents a company and also has the task to

meet or even exceed the expectations of consumers. Branding is not just

a logo, writing or jingle. A trade mark must inspire and stay in the minds of

customers.)a definition is required!!

It should be noted that branding can only be used successfully in form of

a holistic kind of view.5 A holistic view means the simultaneous design of 3Vgl.: Von Lackum K.H., Mit Branding an die Spitze!, S.144 Vgl.: Fletcher R., Brown L., International Marketing an Asia-Pacific Perspective S. 5335 Vgl.: Esch F.R., Strategie und Technik der Markenführung S. 179

3

brand name, brand logo and packaging, which is also known as "The

Magic Triangle of branding" by Langner.6 In the case of an international

expansion, the design parameters – name, logo and packaging – may

have to be modified to the target market.

2.1Branding Goes International

Almost every successfully managed brand arouses expectations of

increasing profits by expanding to foreign markets. One reason for this

effort could be, according to Kotler, the rising travel behavior of society

which increasingly expects to find the same brands all over the world.7

While Kotler describes a brand as a global one, if at least one third of the

sales volume will be conducted outside the home market,8 Fletcher and

Brown add also other criteria. They mention six measures, with which a

brand can be judged as global:

1. “It dominates the domestic market, which generates cash flow to

enter new markets

2. It meets a universal consumer need

3. It demonstrates balanced country-market coverage

4. It reflects a consistent positioning worldwide

5. It benefits from positive country of origin image, and

6. The focus is on the product category”9

However, the marketing experts agree on the diversification of the

marketing mix, depending on the final destination of a product.

Nevertheless, the main market values of a global brand are never subject

to change.10 Hence a company, that wants to sell its products on the

international market, faces the problem of the right mixture of

standardization and differentiation.

6 Vgl.: Steiner P., Sensory Branding – Grundlagen multisensualer Marktführung S. 697 Vgl.: Kotler P., Keller K.,m Brady M., Goodman M., Hansen T.,Marketingmanagement S.4608 Vgl.: Kotler P., Keller K.,m Brady M., Goodman M., Hansen T.,Marketingmanagement S.4609Vgl.: Richard Fletcher R., Brown L., International Marketing an Asia-Pacific Perspective S. 53510 Vgl.: Kotler P., Keller K.,m Brady M., Goodman M., Hansen T.,Marketingmanagement S.460

4

2.1 Differentiation vs. Standardization

From a business perspective standardization primarily intends to minimize

the costs of adapting a product. Proctor and Gamble as an example was

able to save millions of dollars due to a standardized product packaging of

Pampers in Europe and the resulting uniform storage.11 However,

sometimes it is necessary to do certain adjustments to a brand’s elements

on foreign markets as the example of an Australian airline named “Ansett”

illustrates: This airline had tried to establish itself on the Chinese market

without adapting its brand to local distinctions. Wondering why Chinese

citizens did not use their service, the company found out that the name

"Ansett" means "To die peacefully" in the Chinese language.12 This case

proves that the name of a product represents a decisive factor of

differentiation. Companies have several options to modify a brand name,

e.g by modifying the brand name in each country or by using the

company’s name as a brand name.13In addition to verifying the correct

brand name, the two other elements of the branding triangle (brand logo

and packaging) will have to be tested on their international capability.

Almost all brands have to undergo changes. Country-specific statutory

provisions, taste changes, or different standard sizes in other countries

may lead to differentiation. As a result, (the authors) we propose the

following guideline for companies: as much standardization as possible

and as much differentiation as necessary.

3 Relevance of international branding

There is an increasing need for international branding in the last decade

due to different market trends that made global markets more competitive

and challenging to satisfy customer demands, the rising number of new

brands and technological innovations. There are five main market trends:

rising economies of scale, exploitation of experience and knowledge

transfers, capitalizing on geographic image spill over, seeking new

11Vgl.: Esch F.R., Strategie und Technik der Markenführung S. 17712Vgl.: Fletcher R., Brown L., International Marketing an Asia-Pacific Perspective S. 53413Vgl.: Fletcher R., Brown L., International Marketing an Asia-Pacific Perspective S. 536- 537

5

expansion opportunities, and globalization of the retail trade.14 It is more

and more expensive for a company to achieve an advantage in the

extremely competitive global markets. There are numerous factors to

influence the decision of a company to decide to adopt global branding

strategy. The main push factors are raising costs of research

anddevelopment for product differentiation. Furthermore production cost

advantages can only be reached by reducing more than is locally

demanded.

Another reason for (global branding) (term should appear in the

introduction) is the individual demand of customers. For some products

consumer tastes are converging and products serve the same function

everywhere. This means using the same brand name and marketing the

same brand image works all over the world. The phenomenon of the

“global consumer” has emerged with the parallel development of

international information technology and communications. For example,

Coca-Cola is a homogenized soft drink product marketed all over the

world no matter which culture or tradition!!!!!! Information some Cocacola

drink as country specific Turkey!!!!. A company can apply its marketing

strategy through experience in local markets on new markets at a low cost

without active corporate support. Global communications, driven by the

Internet, international business travels and the globalization of the media

and entertainment industries enables companies to innovate, design and

market their products worldwide. Such increase in information technology

results in better awareness of products and services offered in other

countries for the consumers, leading to an increased demand for products

globally. Another significant driver is retail trade consolidation, which often

results in global mega chains. Market advantages such as sharing

information and technology, efficient logistic systems etc. leads to greater

negotiation power with manufacturers.15

14 Mühlbacher, Leihs & Dahringer (2006) International Marketing: A Global Perspective (3rd ed.) Cengage Learning EMEA

15 Mühlbacher, Leihs & Dahringer (2006) International Marketing: A Global Perspective (3rd ed.) Cengage Learning EMEA

6

3.1 Rely on a global brand

A strong brand is very important in a time of growing competition and

saturated markets, and it is reflected by how familiar customers are

towards the brand. There are additional advantages for companies with a

global brand that influence brand equity to a large extent. Positive brand

associations can influence a customer's perception of quality, product

evaluations and purchase rates and are therefore of great importance

forthe global branding decision. In general the more standardized the

brand is, the greater is the extent to which the following advantages can

be achieved16 (up). Consistency is definitely one of the main conditions of

global branding. A consistent image facilitates global advertising and

promotion. Extensive research can therefore be carried out on main

variables to measure the global image of a global brand. Under the

phenomenon of increasing homogeneity lifestyles, consistency can be

easily maintained.

In order to stay competitive and to achieve revenue growth, companies

must enter new markets that provide high growth opportunities or

comparatively weak competition. Especially mature brands with growth

potential limited by local markets benefit from standardization: Personnel

and administration expenses can be reduced because of a consolidation

of marketing functions and hence avoidance of duplicating activities. The

company can also save costs by uniform production of global advertising

and it can be advertised in similar media throughout the world too. Another

advantage is increased competitiveness. As for local markets, a strong

global brand helps a company to stand out among competitors.

Consumers would rather trust in a famous, easy to remember brand that

would lead them buying that brand with more certainty. Even retailers and

wholesalers would help promote the well-known brands in stores and thus

sales numbers could more likely increase. The product value would

16 Keller, K. L. (2003) Strategic Brand Management: Building, Measuring, and Managing Brand Equity (2nd ed.). New Jersey, p.682.

7

increase significantly as well if it is well-known globally and has gained

enough customers’ awareness.

3.2 When to better stay local

Although there are many good reasons of global branding as mentioned,

there are still some possible disadvantages. As said before, the right level

of standardization is critical. Due to language differences or misleading

translations, the same brand name might go wrong in a foreign country.

Design elements that are not accepted by the market, ruin the brandimage

in a sustainable way. Moreover, market entry would be difficult if there are

already some market niches in a particular country. There might be lack of

flexibility because of standardization. Therefore it is only suitable for

simple products such as Coca-Cola. Another problem is that the product

might be sold at different prices in different countries due to tariff levels,

sales taxes and economic situations.

On the other hand, local brands enjoy some advantages that global

brands might not be able to achieve. Consumers can usually relate better

to the local brand name and image. Marketing strategies can be divided

into specific segments. It is more flexible in the sense that it can be

changed to suit local circumstances. The product image can be tailor

designed to local consumers too. If a company operates only in a limited

number of markets, then it would be easier to stay a local brand. 17 As a

result, it can be said, that the decision whether to take a brand global is

sensitive to the kind of product or service provided.

4. Brand Strategies

Looking at a brand from an international perspective, there exist an

arsenal of different strategies that companies can employ to travel to

17 Bennett & Blythe (2002) International marketing: strategy planning, market entry & implementation (2nd e.d) Kogan Page Publishers

8

foreign shores. ( Kerin et al.,2006 p. 304-307) presents four strategies that

mirror branding strategies on a global scale. These international branding

strategies consist of multiproduct branding, multibranding, and private

branding and mixed branding strategies.

4.1Multiproduct branding

This approach is called corporate branding or family branding. Family

branding is also known as umbrella branding. Here a company uses one

name for its entire products in a product class. Examples of corporate

branding include brand names like General electric, Philips, Nike, and

Sony. A typical example of family branding is Church & Dwight which uses

the Arm & Hammer to expose all of its products featuring baking soda as

primary ingredient ( Kerin et al.,2006 p. 304-307).

4.1.1 Brand line extension, sub-branding and brand extension

Multiproduct branding strategy employs a wide range of brand line

extension in which the parent brand covers a new product or service with

new flavours, forms, colours, ingredients and package sizes (Kotler et

al.,2009 p.438-441). For instance, the Campbell Soup Company uses a

multiproduct branding strategy with more than 100 soup flavors. Also

Danone, a French food company introduced several types of yogurt line

extension consisting of fruit on the bottom, natural flavours and fruit

blends. The main pitfall of such a line extension is called a ‘line extension

trap’ where the core brand name becomes weaker than other products in

the line. For example Cadbury ran the risk of losing its core identity as a

chocolate and sweet brand by extending its mainstream to food products

such as mashed potatoes, powdered milk and soups (Kotler et al.,2009

p.438-441).

Subbranding is also a form of a multiproduct branding whereby the

corporate or umbrella branding strategy is merged with a new brand. An

example is the subbranding of Gatorade to Gatorade Forst and Gatorade

9

X-factor and each product potrayed a unique flavour( Kerin et al.,2006 p.

304-307).

Brand extension, which is the practice of using a current brand name to

enter a completely different product class ( Kerin et al.,2006 p. 304-307),

is very pragmatic in the multiproduct branding arena. An extension within

the same category ‘close’ or an extension into another category ‘remote’ is

called ‘brand stretching’ which is not more accurate in the modern times.

For example, Johnson & Johnson used the Tylenol name to capture equity

via Tylenol Cold & Flu and Tylenol PM as sleeping aids. Honda also

depicts a vivid picture of brand extension using its name to cover different

products like cars, motorcycles, snow blowers, lawnmowers, marine

engines and snowmobiles (Kotler et al., 2009 p.438-441).The capital

drawback of such an extension is the dilution of the core brand. For

instance, LEGO neglected its core market and switched into clothes,

watches and video games which led to massive loss in profit. Brand

switching can also be triggered by such an endeavor causing cannibalism

effect where the sales are high and meet target but at the opportunity cost

of their mainstream brand. The opportunity of creating a new brand with its

own unique identity is often also undermined with brand extension since

the company enjoys increased sales.

Co-branding is also a form of brand extension, which is the practice of

using established brand names of two different companies on the same

product (Kotler et al., 2009 p.438-441). For example, Bravo! Foods co-

brand with Master Foods to create Starburst Slammers, 3 Musketeers

Slammers, and Milky Way Slammers. General electric worked with

Gulligan to develop its water by Gulligan Profile Performance refrigerator

with a built-in Gulligan filtration system. The banking sector is renowned

for its multiple co-branding maneuvers. For examples, Citibank co-

branded Mastercard and Visa with American Airline and Ford ( Kerin et

al.,2006 p. 304-307).

.

10

4.2 Multibranding international strategy

Alternatively, companies can involve themselves in multibranding strategy

which entails allocating a distinct name to each product in the product

class (Kotler et al.,2009 p.438-441). The strategy makes sense when each

brand is caved to respond to different market segment. For example, P&G

produced the Camay soap for soft skin consumers and safeguard for

those who want deodorant protection. Black and Decker uses its name for

its household ‘do-it-you self’ segment but Dewelt name for its professional

tool line. Disney uses Maramax and Touchstone pictures for films directed

to adult and Disney for children. The strategy can also be manifested in a

variety of companies. Marriott International hotels for example use the

brand on the basis of price quality segments, whereby Marriott Marquise

hotels and vacation clubs offer luxury amenities at premium price. Marriott

and Renaissance hotels offer medium-to high- price accommodations,

whereas, country yard hotels and town place suites appeal to economy-

minded travelers while Fair Field Inn is for very low budget travelers.

Multibranding can be used as a defensive strategy to confront competition

head-to-head in a strategy called fighting brands or flanker. For instance,

Frito-lay introduced Santitas brand tortilla chips to go against regional

tortilla chips brand that were putting a dent to sales of the mainstream

Doritos and Tostitos brand tortilla chips. Mattel also launched its Flava

brand of hip-hop fashion dolls in response to the popularity of Bratz brand

dolls sold by MGA Entertainment, which were attracting 8 to 12 year-old

girls segment of Barbie brand sales. The key disadvantage with this

strategy is the high promotional cost attached to it. Also since brand

awareness seems to be at the forefront of this strategy, the complexity and

the expense of implementing this strategy might outweigh its benefits. The

capital gain is that the failure of one segment does not hamper the other

products in the product line.

4.3 Private branding or private labeling or reseller branding

In this case, the manufacturer produces the product but sells them under

the brand name of wholesalers and retailers (Kotler et al., 2009 p.438-441)

11

For example; Rayovac, Paragon Trade brands and Ralcorp are major

suppliers of private label alkaline batteries, diapers and grocery products

respectively.

4.4 Mixed or hybrid branding

Mixed branding is when a firm markets products under its own name(s)

and that of a reseller because the segment attracted to the reseller is

different from its own market (Kotler et al., 2009 p.438-441). For example,

Kodak uses a mixed branding strategy in Japan to increase its sales of

35mm film. Additionally, the company now makes COOP private labels

firms for Japanese Consumer Cooperation Union.This is also

demonstrated by Coca- Cola which used its brand name on a global scale

but has introduced a lot of product variant like Cherry Coke, Diet Coke and

some local regional drinks like Lilt in the UK, TabXtra in Scandinavia and

Cappy in Turkey.

5.Potential challenges

The thesis focuses on two main challenges when entering a foreign

market with a domestic brand: cultural differences and legal protection.

5.1Cultural differences

“The global market place [is] a highly […] competitive battlefield for

companies vying for supremacy!” (Roll, 2011) Cultural differences create

an extreme complex environment and are at the same time crucial for a

brand’s success. Thus, local distinctions force companies to segment their

markets. But during western people tend to respond to emotional product

characteristics, developing countries consume for economic benefit.

12

These objective and functional preferences as well as a lower technology

level also demand differentiated media application (Esch, 2003, p. 124).

Consumption patterns are determined by value-driven preferences.

(connection) Companies have to analyze the target market, e.g. in

reference to language spoken, religion, wealth acquisition and risk taking,

in order to address local sensitivities (Stone & McCall, 2004, p. 19).For

instance, Disneyland did not take cultural differences in account when

opening Euro Disney with English instructions and standardized food

items - and failed.(Additionally) Furthermore, a company has to take into

account that in developing countries(the middle class is missing which can

not afford to pay a premium price) are missing a broad middle class that

can afford to pay premium prices) .(For example) Hence, Unilever sells

their shampoo in sachets in India. (Poor people) can afford smaller, less

pricy packets and are able to enjoy some luxury with the money left at the

end of a month. (On the one hand), Local distinctions also demand for

alternative technologies. Nokia for example, was very successful by

developing dust-resistant mobile phones in rural India (Roll, 2011). (On the

other hand) social conditions may decelerate the development of a

market, (e.g.) for instance, threatening unemployment for maids due to

washing machines in Brazil.

Esch (2003, p. 125) (is warning) warns that by identifying local

preferences via market research, global companies have to consider that

competitors got the same results. Instead of creating a unique brand,

international companies may position the same way and products would

become exchangeable. Moreover, market researches reflect current

aspects of product characteristics. Thus, by developing a brand strategy,

companies are at risk to take over out-of-date clichés.

Taking these circumstances into account when adopting their brand

strategy, international companies can turn the cultural challenge into an

opportunity. Brands which adequately reflect customer preferences will

sustain on the complex battlefield of developing country’s(Why) markets.

13

5.2Legal protection

According to Teixeira (2005), the power of a brand depends on the brand’s

image and is therefore directly related to legal protection. In this context,

special relevancy is attached to patents, trademarks and copyrights. In

2010, German customs found more than 23.000 infringements of industrial

property rights (Bundesministerium der Finanzen, 2011, p.9). The

plagiarisms( pirated copies) were mostly manufactured in China, as can

be seen in the annex 1. Product and trademark piracy harms international

companies in two ways: loss occurred (e.g. damaged reputation) and loss

of profit. (On the other hand,) the worldwide protection of trademarks is

costly and is based on constant enforcing against counterfeits and

applications. Moreover, it is nearly impossible due to differing

governmental approaches, expressed by varying local laws, practices and

periods of validation. In Thailand, for example, there is no patent

protection for pharmaceutical products (Stone & McCall, 2004, p. 137).

Imitation of medicines is, in the opinion of EU-Commissioner, Günter

Verheugen, “ […] attempted mass murder!” (Süddeutsche, 2009). Before

creating a new brand it is therefore necessary to identify possible existing

similar trademarks. Subsequently, an international intellectual property

strategy, containing suitable legal means, as trademarks, copyrights or

patents, hasto be displayed. Thereby companies have to take into account

product life cycles, potential consumer markets as well as producing and

competing countries (Teixeira, 2005).

The globalization of markets, easier transfer of technology, trading blocs

and progressive tariff reduction have shown that inadequate patents cover

only the country of origin. As a result, cheap plagiarisms can compete at

much lower costs as the original producer who faces high expenses for

product development, quality controls, first-class resources, certification,

advertisement etc. Hence, the manner and speed with that the patent

cover is acquired bound up closely with the decision for a brand and its

profitability (Stone & McCall, 2004, p. 137).

14

6.Born Global

The creation of a new brand also contains the decision to immediately go

global. Larry Page and Sergey Brin claimed to organize the world’s

information and to make it universally accessible. The global focus of the

1997 registered trademark “Google” and the superior software, patented in

1998, proved them right: the first billion-URL index only a few weeks after

having translated the website into the most common languages (Google,

2011). The flexibility based on its online existence and the ability to

transform user input at an early stage of development created the worlds

largest search engine, only by mouth-to-mouth propaganda. Google met

the decision criteria of the worldwide target group: less time, higher

expectations and extensive knowledge. Furthermore, the company made

social responsibility and environmental protection part of its corporate

identity. Knowing about the increasing customer awareness to corporate

social responsibility (see annex 2), Google conducts innovation cups for

college students and invests in renewable energy (The Sydney Morning

Herald, 2011). Eventually, the high brand value strengthened the

companies’ ability to extend the brand to new products and services, as an

operating system for mobiles or cloud computing (Davis, 2010, p. 14,

7).Future prospects

Nowadays, technology and communication brands as Facebook, Microsoft

or IBM are on top of the worldwide rankings in brand value (see annex 1).

One reason is their client’s high affinity to the internet. Here customers can

be asked to give direct feedback, take place in competitions or promotion

events. Modern communication between companies and stakeholders is

not longer one-way, but takes place as a dialogue (Davis, 2010, p.71). The

internet constitutes the perfect platform: Consumers with similar interests

can share their opinions, experiences or look for consult, e.g. in social

networks. Thus, successful brands need to respond to consumers’

diversity and fluidity, access to information and interconnectivity as

communities (AccountAbility/ NCC, 2006, p.17). Apple succeeded in

transforming customer sentiment into financial value, boosted its brand

15

equity for 84 percent and became the most valuable brand in 2011

(Financial times, 2011, p. 1).The conclusion should merge all the parts

together and then the future prospects!!!!! And the Born global should be

revised or removed.

16

Appendix

Figure 1: Consumer interests and expectations

Source: AccountAbiliy / NCC (2006): What assures consumers? p. 25

17

Figure 2: Most Valuable global brands 2011

Source: BrandZ (2011)

18

Figure 3: Producing country of plagiarisms, in %

Source: Bundesministerium der Finanzen (2011): Der Zoll –

Produktpiraterie im Visir, Berlin, p. 9

19

Literature

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20

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21

Mühlbacher, Leihs & Dahringer (2006) International Marketing: A Global

Perspective (3rd ed.) Cengage Learning EMEA

Steiner, P. (2011) Sensory Branding Grundlagen multisensualer

Marktführung, 1. Edition, Wiesbaden

Stone, Marilyn, A. & McCall, Ian (2004): International Strategic

Marketing, London, Routledge (publisher), 1st edition

Theobald, E. / Haisch, P.T. (2011) Brand Evolution – Moderne

Marktführung im digitalen Zeitalter, 1. Edition, Wiesbaden

Von Lackum, K.H. (2004) Mit Branding an die Spitze! Wie Sie auch ohne

Werbemillionen die Konkurrenz überflügeln, 1. Auflage, Wiesbaden

22

Online Sources

AccountAbiliy / NCC (2006): What assures consumers?

http://www.accountability.org/images/content/0/5/052/What%20Assures

%20consumers.pdf

Bundesministerium der Finanzen (2011): Der Zoll – Produktpiraterie im

Visir, Berlin

http://www.bundesfinanzministerium.de/nn_32380/DE/BMF__Startseite/

Service/Broschueren__Bestellservice/Zoll/

60250__Zoll__Produktpiraterie,templateId=raw,property=publicationFile.p

df

Die Süddeutsche (July, 12 th 2009): Das ist versuchter Massenmord

http://www.sueddeutsche.de/wissen/faelschung-von-arzneimitteln-das-ist-

versuchter-massenmord-1.130087

Financial Times Special Report (May, 19th 2011): Global brands

http://media.ft.com/cms/d883e346-820b-11e0-a063-00144feabdc0.pdf

Google (2011): Google history

http://www.google.com/about/corporate/company/history.html

Roll, Martin (2011): Cross-cultural branding and leadership.

http://www.venturerepublic.com/resources/Crosscultural_branding_leaders

hip.asp

Teixeira, Cassiano Golos (2005): Protecting your trademark far from

home http://www.brandchannel.com/brand_speak.asp?bs_id=121

23

The Sydney Morning Herald (2011): Google guzzles 2.3b kilowatt-hours

of electricity a year

http://www.smh.com.au/environment/energy-smart/google-guzzles-23b-

kilowatthours-of-electricity-a-year-20110909-1k1m0.html

24

Declaration on oath

Hiermit erklären wir, dass wir die Arbeit gemäß §5 der Prüfungsordnung

des Fachbereichs Wirtschaft der Fachhochschule Fulda selbständig

angefertigt habe und keine außer den angegeben Quellen und Hilfsmittel

benutz haben.

Die Arbeit hat in gleicher oder ähnlicher Form noch keinem anderen

Prüfungsamt vorgelegen.

Fulda, den ......................................

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