Mul icul u al Educa ion
Volume 11, Issue 11, 2025
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F om Human Accul u a ion o B and Accul u a ion: Explo ing he B and
Accul u a ion Concep and Pa e ns
Qasim Ali Shah, Asim Shabi Qazi, Hassan Abbas Soom o, Juned Ali Shah
A icle In o
Abs ac
A icle His o y
Recei ed:
Augus 03 ,2025
The accul u a ion concep has been s udiedconce ning he human
popula ion. Li e a u e o pas esea ch a ely alks abou accul u a ion
wi h global b ands and he e is an e iden lack o conc e e models and
heo ies which p o ide guidelines on how a b and should go o
accul u a ion. Based on he p ominen esea ch gap and ollowing he
b and an h opomo phic conside a ion, ou unique s udy explo es ha he
b ands do accul u a e much like humans do when hey a e in oduced ou
o hei home coun y's cul u e. Fou b and accul u a ion s a egies;
in eg a ion, assimila ion, sepa a ion, and ma ginaliza ion a e ex ac ed
om ou quali a i e esea ch and he esul is analogous o he human
accul u a ion s a egy pa e ns. Theo e ical and manage ial implica ions
a e discussed and he di ec ions o u u e esea ch a e also p oposed.
Accep ed:
No embe 05 ,2025
Keywo ds :
B and accul u a ion,
Global b ands, Coun y,
Cul u e
DOI:
10.5281/zenodo.17544619
In oduc ion
“Accul u a ion is he dual p ocess o cul u al and psychological change ha akes place as a esul o con ac
be ween wo o mo e cul u al g oups and hei indi idual membe s” (Be y, 2005 p.698). Accul u a ion is also
na a ed as “A i udinal, alue, beha io al and iden i y adjus men s by he people when hey in e ac wi h o he
cul u es” (V. Oudenho en e al., 2006) and i includes “assimila ion wi h new cul u e”, “main enance o old
cul u e”, and he “ esis ance o bo h new and old cul u e” Penaloza(1994). Simila ly, Be y (1997) p o ided he
ou le els o consume accul u a ion “In eg a ion, assimila ion, sepa a ion & ma ginaliza ion”. In eg a ion:
when indi iduals in e ac wi h hos cul u e while main aining hei home cul u e. Assimila ion:when indi iduals
ully ge a ached o he hos cul u e and igno e hei home cul u e. Sepa a ion: when people main ain hei
home cul u e and igno e in e ac ion wi h he hos cul u e.Ma ginaliza ion: a oiding bo h home and hos cul u es
by c ea ing an al e na e. Mendoza (1981 and 1984) used he e ms “cul u al esis ance”, “cul u al shi s”,
“cul u al inco po a ion” and “cul u al ansmu a ion” o he same s a egy pa e ns. Accul u a ion has been
widely s udied in e ms o human accul u a ion (Be y, 1997; Mendoza, 1981), consume accul u a ion (V.
Oudenho en e al., 2006; M. Benabdallah,2009- 2013), and he ma ke s and ma ke e accul u a ion
(Penaloza&Gilly, 1999) bu wha is missing om he can as, is he applica ion o accul u a ion concep s and
s a egies o he global b ands. The e is an e iden lack o conc e e models and heo ies which p o ide
guidelines on how; a b and should go o accul u a ion. Based on such a la ge gap in he li e a u e, we p opose
he concep o b and accul u a ionThe con ex ual idea o b and accul u a ion is an h opomo phism, and he pas
li e a u e is silen on how a b and accul u a es om i s home coun y o he hos coun y's cul u e. Ou esea ch
ies o b idge his p ominen gap by explo ing he concep o b and accul u a ion which dis inguishes ou s udy
om he p e ious esea ch.
The li e a u e on global b anding s a egyand in e na ional ma ke ing is widely a ailable whe e he a ious
au ho s ha e s udied he impo ance o cul u al ac o s and hei in luence on o e all ma ke ing s a egy.
Acco ding o S eenkamp (2019), he success and su i al o a global b and depend on how well i in eg a esand
is adap able o he changing ma ke en i onmen . B ands a e in a con inuous s uggle o win cus ome loyal y
and main ain and inc ease he ma ke sha e while compe ing wi h a ious o he global and local b ands. A b and
acco ding o B.Hol (2004) has mo e chances o success i i in eg a es he cul u e and o he impo an ma ke
dynamics in o i s b anding and ad e ising s a egy. Global b ands ge insigh s abou how o enhance pu chase
likelihood by inco po a ing he local cul u al elemen s in o hei b anding s a egy He & Lu (2017) and
acco ding o hei esea ch indings, au ho s showed ha he e is a di ec and signi ican posi i e e ec o
conside ing cul u al elemen s on he pu chase likelihood o global b ands.Howe e , acco ding o He &
Lu(2017), he e is mo e need o empi ical and sys ema ic in es iga ion o know how he elemen s o local
cul u e migh be used byglobal b ands.
Rehman and Che ie (2010) also highligh ed he impo ance o cul u e by a guing ha “wha happens o he
consume ha ing a p ede ined own con ex o consump ion mo es o a new ma ke se ing whe e ad e ising,
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ashion, ood, and o he social li e aspec s a e di e en ? The answe lies in he wo k o McC aken(1986)and
Penaloza(1989) whe e hey sugges ed ha consume needs o ede ine hemsel es in he new cul u al se ings.
This ede ini ion acco ding o Penaloza (1989. p. 110) e e s o “ he acquisi ion o skills and knowledge ele an
o engaging in consume beha io in one cul u e by membe s o ano he cul u e”. Now le say wha happens o a
b and ha ing a gi en se o cha ac e is ics (Iden i y, alue, image, pe sonali y, and cul u e)goes o he o he
coun y whe e people ha e di e en pe spec i es o hings a ound hem; language, eligion, li es yle, ace, age
s uc u e, alues and belie sys em wi h o e all di e en cul u e? The b and migh also conside ede ining i sel
in he new cul u al se ings.
Va ious o he au ho s ha e alked abou he cul u e and i s impac on b anding s a egies gene ally and
speci ically bu he li e a u e ocusing speci ically on cul u al adjus men concep s and s a egies conce ning
b and an h opomo phism is a ely a ailable. Iden i ying his p ominen gap in he li e a u e, we p opose o
b idge i by explo ing he concep o b and accul u a ion. The an h opomo phisms sugges ha b ands a e also
conside ed as human beings, bu do hey accul u a e like humans when launched ac oss bo de s? Do such
b ands adjus hei b and elemen s, ea u es, and cha ac e is ics like humans/consume s do when hey a e
exposed o di e en cul u al se ings? And i yes, wha a e he pa e ns o b and accul u a ion?
We begin wi h me hodology, ollowed by da a analysis, indings, and discussion. We conclude wi h he
heo e ical, p ac ical implica ions and limi a ions o ou esea ch.
1. Resea ch Me hodology
B and accul u a ion as discussed ea lie is a no el phenomenon and is p oposed i s ime by ou esea ch.
Hence he explo a o y objec i es o esea ch compelled us o use a quali a i e esea ch me hodology. To e eal
he consume ‟s pe spec i es ega ding global b ands in hei coun y, in-dep h in e iews we e used in he i s
pa o he s udy. In-dep h in e iews help o deeply unde s and he phenomenon om a consume ‟s pe spec i e
(Hudson and Ozanne, 1988). In he second pa , o obse e some cases o global b ands and hei way o
wo king in hos /s home coun y cul u e, a case s udyon b ands was pe o med ollowing K. Go in e al.(2019),
as wi h he eme gence o new concep s, need o explo a o y esea ch is inc easing and he case s udy me hod
seems mos app op ia e in his si ua ion.
1.1. In o man s:
Based on he au ho ‟s a ilia ion wi h di e en uni e si ies in Pakis an, a con enien sampling echnique was
used o iden i y he pa icipan s. Con enience sampling is a non-p obabili y me hod ha is usually used in
quali a i e esea ch when he objec i e is o ge an app oxima ion o a speci ic opic (Kinnea , Taylo , Johnson,
& A ms ong, 1993). The da a was collec ed om a sample o 24 g adua e and pos -g adua e uni e si y
s uden swhose demog aphics a e men ioned in able01. The s uden s we e selec ed as esponden s o he
in e iew based on hei abili y o unde s and he componen s o he ques ion i-e hei knowledge ega ding
local and o eign b ands in hei coun y and hei exposu e o he cul u al a i ac s. The esponden s belong o
wo cul u ally ich and densely popula ed p o inces o Pakis an i.e., Punjab and Sindh P o ince.
Table 1: Pa icipan ’s demog aphics:
1.2. Da a collec ion
Da a was collec ed h ough in-dep h in e iews om he 24 pa icipan s and a semi-di ec ed in e iew guide was
used. Each in e iew ook on a e age a ound 30 minu es ime du a ion. Responden s we e b ie ed ega ding he
pu pose o da a collec ion and con iden iali y o hei esponses and consen o eco ding he in e iew was also
aken. The in e iew ques ions we e asked in he local language o Pakis an, U du so ha he pa icipan s can
unde s and and deeply answe he asked ques ion wi hou a language ba ie .
2. Analysis:
All he in e iew da a we e ansc ibed and ansla ed in o
English be o e analysis. Au ho s coded a ound 60 pages o
in e iew ansc ip s wi h a ound 7000 wo ds, igu e:
1 summa izes he mos equen ly used e ba im.
Figu e 1: Wo d cloud o mos equen ly used
e ba im
Gende
Age (Yea s)
Educa ion
Loca ion
To al
Male
Female
G adua ing
G adua es
Sindh
Punjab
13
11
23-31
12
12
11
13
24
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The wo d cloud e lec s he isual ep esen a ion o he mos equen wo ds in he sou ce ex , and i is e iden
ha he wo ds like b ands, cul u es, and coun y we e p ominen , ollowed by coun y, in e na ional, o eign
local, e c.
The hema ic con en analysis echnique was pe o med using NVi o 12 p o quali a i e da a analysis so wa e
as hema ic analysis is he bes sea ch o desc ibing he phenomena and he eme ging hemes, pe spec i es, and
p ocesses (B aun & Cla ke, 2006). Au ho s used he deduc i e app oach o de elop hemes based on he concep
o human accul u a ion and i s s a egies Be y (2005) and he e ba im ex ac ed om in e iew
ansc ip s.Two au ho s o his manusc ip analyzed he ansc ip s sepa a ely, a e obse ing he mos ecu ing
codes in he ex hey eached ou global hemes, as men ioned in able 2. The mos p ominen hemes we e
in eg a ion, sepa a ion, ma ginaliza ion, and assimila ion espec i ely.
Table 2: Resul s o hema ic analysis
Codes
Themes
Mixing b and elemen s o bo h cul u es, Di e en o
di e en cus ome s, changing b anding as pe local
alues, Pa ial adop ion o new ma ke ,
accommoda ing bo h homes as well as hos cul u es,
Sui able o all cus ome s o di e en cul u es, aluing
local cus ome s while keeping he he i age in ac ,
Combina ion o home and hos , change some b and
elemen s and keep some same, espec bo h cul u es
In eg a ion
Lo e o home cul u e only, pa io ic o own coun y,
agains ou cul u e, do no adop , apa om local
socie y, igno e alues o he home hos cul u e,
In oduces home coun y cul u e in o eign ma ke s
Sepa a ion
No cul u al a achmen ,Newness in e e y hing, no
coun y iden i ica ion, o ally di e en om pa icula
cul u al alues, Nei he ollow home no ollow hos
coun y cul u e, ha ing own di e en iden i y in all
ma ke s, In oduces own b and cul u e globally
Ma ginaliza ion
Fully adop hos cul u e alues, o ge o iginal cul u e,
only ca e o he hos cul u e, become local by
changing inne and ou e pe sonali y, no iden i ica ion
o cul u e o o igin, o ge own alues, becomes a
o eigne .
Assimila ion
The esul o in e iew analysis and cases shows ha he e is e idence ha b ands do accul u a e much like
human accul u a ion.Ou indings sugges ha he mos equen ly used s a egy is in eg a ion; whe e b ands
keep some o hei an h opomo phic elemen s he same e e ywhe e and change some elemen s based on he
needs o he local cul u e. In eg a ion was ollowed by he sepa a ion whe e b ands do no adap o change hei
an h opomo phic elemen s acco ding o local cul u e; a he hey keep hei cul u e o iginally in ac . The hi d
mos equen ly used s a egy was ound as ma ginaliza ion, whe e b ands nei he ollow hei home coun y
cul u e no hey adop o hos coun y cul u e bu a he hey c ea e hei own al e na e global cul u e and ma ke
i in di e en coun ies. The ou h s a egy which is less equen ly used by he b ands is assimila ion, whe e
b ands comple ely adap o he local cul u e. Acco ding o pa icipan s and he case s udy o b ands, i is e y
di icul o he b ands o comple ely wea he d ess o a hos coun y cul u e because doing so will ha m b ands'
o iginali y and he eel o i s globalness. Al hough in some cases, b ands a e ound o ha e comple ely adap ed
o he local cul u e.
3. Discussion
3.1. B and accul u a ion
Based on he esul s o in e iews and case s udy o b ands, he e m b and accul u a ion can be de ined as “ he
abili y o a b and o change i s b and elemen s, ea u es, and cha ac e is ics based on cul u e, alues, belie s, and
no ms o he hos coun y”. To he bes o ou knowledge, no one has used he e m “b and accul u a ion”
p e iously.While asking he ques ions om he pa icipan s ega ding why hey hink a b and should
accul u a e, a pa icipan quo ed as below:
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“Basically, I belie e ha cul u e has huge in luences on he pu chase beha io o any cus ome ei he na ional
o in e na ional. Cul u e no only changes ou minds bu he o e all pe spec i e o he b ands. The alues,
no ms, choices, and e en he likes and dislikes o socie y impac he cus ome a lo . A good ma ke e is always
awa e o he cul u e. A b and should be acco ding o he no ms, alues and he cul u e o a pa icula socie y.
Doing his will no only change he cus ome beha io bu will b ing he b and o he op o he cus ome mind;
i he p oduc is acco ding o ou cul u e, we can be a ac ed o i mo e”.
The b ands a e wo king now on he e ge o global as well local consume cul u e (S eenkamp, 2019). In he
ecen yea s because o he eme gence o global echnology; such s a egies ha e aken much o a en ion in he
ma ke place. The global companies who do no ake in o accoun he local cul u e, ace a numbe challenges and
esea ch has p o ed ha he b and equi y o hese companies is weake han ha o he local companies (R
Ab a , P Mo lana, 2002). The eason behind i ,is he local companies be e unde s and he local consume
cul u e and he local ma ke as es.“Pa anjali” a local Indian (FMCG) b and o example has g own d as ically
i s b and equi y and sales in he ecen yea s and ha e gi en a e y ough ime o he global companies like
Colga e Palmoli e, Nes le and Unile e who ha e been ope a ing in Indian ma ke s since decades(S.Gup a& O.
W igh , 2019).
B and acuul u a ion was also de ined in he lense o cul u e and no am i e in luence, as s a ed by one o ou
pa icipan s:
“I hink he cul u e plays a signi ican ole in he b ands’ selec ion and pu chase decisions.Whene e we buy
some hing, we keep in mind whe he ha would be accep able in ou socie y o no . I we wea a clo hing b and,
we will wea he one ha ing accep abili y in ou socie y so ha we may eel com o able. Cul u e has
impo ance in ou pu chases because i ells us how we li e and how we wea ”.
This e lec s ha being he social beings, consume s also eel obliged o ul il o he s‟ expeca ion and need hei
app o al (Mye s 2013). Mo eo e , ou pa icipan s we e also o he opinion ha he b and accul u a ion is
needed by he consume s in di e en p oduc ca ego ies especially ood, clo hing, and o he consume i ems.
Quo ing he impo ance o cul u e in clo hing selec ion a pa icipan quo ed ha :
“Cul u esimpac ou b and choice a lo . Take he example o “Khaadi” clo hing b and ha makes di e en
d esses o Sindhi cus ome s in Pakis an. Fo eign clo hing b ands a e a ely p e e ed o e local ones he e
because hei s yle is no compa ible wi h ou cul u e. We only buy p oduc s which a e acco ding o di e en
cul u es like Sindh, KPK. Baluchis an. We don’ p e e o eign clo h b ands o e ou s”.
Rele an o he desc ip ion o he pa icipan i is igh ly quo ed by Fou nie (1998) ha consume s de elop
ela ionships wi h an h opomo phic b ands same as he a ange ma iages, causal iendships, pa ne ship wi h a
long- e m commi men , and e en sec ecy and enmi y. I a b and uly ep esen s a consume ‟s cul u al alues,
consume s migh de elop a long- e m commi men and pa ne ship wi h such b ands and in o he cases enmi y
migh also be de eloped. I a b and wan s o gene a e ma ke accep abili y and long- e m commi men o he
cus ome s, i should conside accul u a ion.
“As Pakis an is an Asian coun y so when we buy any hing, we ela e i wi h ou cul u e. I ecen ly wen o he
ma ke o buy some hing, I saw a pe son selling impo ed oys like eddy bea s om he USA. When I asked my
a he o buy i o a kid a ou home, he denied saying ha in ou Islamic cul u e, animal shapes and oys a e
no allowed because when we o e p aye , animal-shaped oys o pic u es c ea e a dis ac ion and i ’s no
allowed in ou eligion. My a he eci ed a” Hadi h” and explained ha hese kinds o i ems a e no allowed in
ou eligion”.
The abo e s a emen was quo ed by a male pa icipan , which shows he impo ance o cul u al adop ion o a
b and. Cul u e is made o a ious elemen s including eligion. The pa icipan sha ed his expe ience by saying,
when he ied o pu chase e en a oy o a kid in his amily, cul u e in luenced hei decisions and hey a oided
buying a pa icula p oduc om he USA. The beha io o he pa icipan con i ms he s a emen ha cul u e is
a p ime de e minan o consume beha io , li es yle, and a i ude whe e consume s ul ill hei needs by
acqui ing goods and se ices o hei choice (Cle eland, 2007).
Re e eeing o he symboliciden i ica ion o cul u e and use o b ands, one o ou emale pa icipan is men ioned
:
“In Indian cul u e, b ide pu chaseshe wedding d ess in ed colo because i is conside ed as he colo o
“suhagan” (ma ied) and shewill ne e pu chase awhi e d ess as i is conside ed a sign o a widow, whe eas, a
Ch is ian b ide will especially o de a whi e gown o he wedding day because whi e is a sign o happy b ide in
hei cul u e. In his way, cul u e has made ou mindse and hence we pe cei e hings acco dingly and ou
pu chase decisions a e in luenced by he cul u e. We d ess and ea acco ding o he cul u al alues so when i
comes o he b and, we selec hose which o e p oduc s acco ding o ou cul u e. As J. (Pakis ani clo hing
b and) o e s eas e n wea and I will selec J. because I know i o e s he p oduc s which sui my cul u e”.
The people in Pakis an, India, China, and o he collec i is cul u es beha e di e en ly in a ious si ua ions o
li e han hose wi h indi idualis ic cul u es, mos ly ound in he wes e n wo ld. Consume cul u e is no only he
consump ion o p oduc s and se ices, bu i also goes beyond i as i summa izes he p ac ices, iden i ies, and
symbolic meanings oo ed wi hin he daily li es o consume s. Such meanings a e es ablished by he indi idual
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and sha ed pe cep ions and li ed consump ion expe iences (L. De y e al., 2019). This desc ibes he eason why
a b and should conside accul u a ion.
Consume in e ac ion ac oss bo de s has g ea e powe o in e ac , commen , c i icize o p aise di e en
ma ke ing ac i i ies. I any hing goes agains he cul u e and alue sys em o people, I c ea e oubles o he
b ands B. Hol ( 2004) and his is he eason, ma ke e s ake a lo o ca e and show much conce n o he
pa icula consume cul u e.
One o he pa icipan s s a ed ha :
“Cul u e is a signi ican pa o ou ma ke . We belong o a socie y whe e emo ions a e e y impo an . Family
e ms, social aspec s, ela ionships, iendships, and o e all cul u eis essen ial. E e y pe son, belonging o
wha e e cul u e in Pakis an p e e s such hings and ge s inspi ed. Fo example, he e a e wo b and names,
one is w i en in my language U du and he o he in some o eign so, we p e e hose hings which a e locally
p oduced and communica ed in ou local language. So, cul u e su ely in luences ou pu chase”.
This ensu es ha he accul u a ion o b and should be e lec ed by all o i s ma ke ing ac i i ies, which is no
only limi ed o b and communica ion ia ad e isemen bu also p oduc packaging and labels assigned o i .
4.1. B and accul u a ion s a egies:
Based on ou analysis and he heo y o human accul u a ion (Be y, 2005), ou esea ch con i med he
ollowing ou accul u a ion s a egies.
Figu e 1: B and accul u a ion s a egies
The ma ix shows ou s a egies o b and accul u a ion based upon wo issues; b and iden i y and
cha ac e is ics in home coun y, and b and iden i y, and cha ac e is ics in hos coun y. The s a egies a e u he
discussed in sec ion 4.1.
Figu e 2: Hie a chy o B and Accul u a ion
35
Figu e 2 depic s he hie a chy o b and accul u a ion. Two ex emes a e; comple e accul u a ion (Assimila ion)
and no accul u a ion a all (Sepa a ion). In be ween, he e a e wo mo e s a egies in eg a ion and
ma ginaliza ion u he discussed in sec ion 4.1.
3.1.1. In eg a ion:
Acco ding o Be y (2005), ou o ou human accul u a ion s a egies, in eg a ion is he one whe e people
in e ac wi h he hos coun y cul u e while main aining hei home coun y cul u e, which is he mos popula
and s ess- ee s a egy. Simila ly, Penaloza (1999) has e med his s a egy as accommoda ion o ma ke e wi h
home coun y cul u e and hose o e hnic cul u es and Mendoza (1981) desc ibed i as cul u al inco po a ion.
Ou analysis and case examples, also highligh s he in eg a ion s a egy whe e a b and keeps some o i s
elemen s (Iden i y, alues, pe sonali y, image, cul u e) same as o home coun y cul u e and al e s some o i s
elemen s as pe he cul u al needs o hos coun y.
Se e al examples ha e been quo ed by he pa icipan s unde his s a egy. Some o he bes examples a e
Nes le, he company adop s he local consume as e, a ge s amilies using local communica ion and b anding
s a egies, pa icipa es in local e en s like (Eid and Ramazan) in Pakis an and ollows all cus oms and adi ions
o local cul u es wo ldwide. In Pakis an, Nes le e en adop s na ional language (U du) in i s b and names i.e.,
Nes le” Buniyad”, Ce elac, Nes le “Zee a” “Podina” and “Khas Ka achi key Lie” yogu . Nes le Pakis an‟s
websi e also con ains a pic u e o Pakis ani amilies along wi h “U du” and “English” language. Nes le also
adop ed he local cul u e in India by launching “Maggi masala ege able a a noodles” and “Maggi Bhunna
Masala” o ollow he heal hy li es yle in India. On he con a y, Nes le has di e en b anding s a egies which
in he U.S.A, depic ing Ame ican cul u al alues, belie s, and no ms.
One o ou pa icipan s explained he in eg a ion s a egy ollowed by McDonald‟s by s a ing ha :
“McDonald's is one o he in e na ional b ands ha ing p esence in many coun ies and has been con inuously
doing well as i ne e loses i s o iginali y while ying o p o ide a p oduc ha is p e e ed by local people like
Hindus. Fo us Muslims, hey ha e halal p oduc s”. People ha e di e en alues, so he b and has o somehow
adap o local cul u e o cap u e ma ke ”
McDonald's an Ame ican b and, hasa wes e n b and pe sonali y, alues, iden i y, and image. The b and is
a ailableac oss he wo ld and has adap ed o helocal cul u al alues as pe espec i e coun y. In china o
ins ance, McDonald‟s opened he es au an „Ea e y” ha ing Chinese building s uc u e and s yle along wi h
localized deco a ion using lan e ns, abaci and bun s eame s (He and Lu, 2014).This e lec ed a di e en image
and iden i y o Ame ica‟s McDonald's in China. Simila ly, in India and Pakis an, he b and has adop ed local
cul u e by main aining he alues, iden i y, and o he aspec s o hese coun ies. In India o example, he b and
uses local Indian names on i s bu ge s and o he i ems such as “Maha aja-Mc”, “Mc-Aloo” and “Mc-Tikki”.
Pa icipan s also s a ed ha :
“In e na ional b ands mus go wi h hei i s coun y s a egy, bu hey mus ollow he needs, wan s,
appea ance and he cul u e o he hos coun y, as ollowed by coca cola , howe e , Unile e has a di e en
cul u e in India and Pakis an”
Coca-Cola is a good example o an in eg a ion s a egy. Coke's amous ma ke ing campaign o “sha e a coke” is
a ue e lec ion o he company‟s cul u al sensi i i y. In Pakis an and India, sha e a coke campaign used local
names and e en language in i s b anding. Coke main ains Ame ican b and iden i y and pe sonali y and also
adap s o local cul u al alues and no ms. In China, o example, he comple e websi e o coke is w i en in he
Chinese language and e en he company uses he Chinese language on i s a ious b ands. The e a e se e al
o he examples whe e he b and has ollowed he in eg a ion s a egy. Some o he desc ip ions om he
pa icipan ‟s quo es suppo ing in eg a ion s a egy a e men ioned below:
All 24 pa icipan s alked abou he in eg a ion s a egy, whe e hey showed how com o able hey eel ha ing a
blend o a global b and wi h local cul u e. The same has been a gued by Be y(2005), s a ing ha he in eg a ion
is he mos sui able and widely obse ed s a egy conce ninghuman accul u a ion. This s a egy is s ess- ee
and doesn‟ need much e o and in es men by he company compa ed o he assimila ion o ma ginaliza ion
s a egy. Simila ly, Penaloza(1999) has used he e m accommoda ion when she alked abou he ma ke e 's
cul u al adop ion s a egies. “Business accommoda ed Mexican consume s by (1) p oduc and se ice
asso men s, (2) displays, (3) sales suppo se ices, (4) holiday celeb a ions, and (5) communi y se ices.
Mo eo e , Mendoza (1981) used he e m cul u al inco po a ion in he place o in eg a ion s a egy.Global
b ands a e apidly pene a ing in o he eme ging ma ke s like China, India, B azil and Pakis an bu he main
issue ha hey a e acing in o hese eme ging ma ke s is he cul u al esis ance and Özsome (2012), sugges ed
ha ; while main aining hei pe cei ed globalness, i ‟s impo an o he b ands o adop o local as es and e en
a global b and has o sac i ice i s b and consis ency o cap u e la ge ma ke sha e in he eme ging ma ke s
Robe s &Cayla(2009). Acco ding o (Chiu e al., 2011), combining he global b and image which is o en
associa ed wi h he Wes e n cul u al elemen s wi h local cul u al elemen s is wha hey call a “cul u al mixing”
which ep esen s wo cul u es in one objec . Ou esea ch also con i med a ious cases and si ua ions whe e
b ands ha e been obse ed pa iallyadap ing o he local cul u e while keeping hei o iginali y in ac .
36
3.1.2. Assimila ion
Assimila ion e e s o he accul u a ion s a egy whe e people comple ely embed hemsel es in o he hos
coun y's cul u e and ge disconnec ed om hei cul u e o o igin (Be y, 1997 & Mendoza, 1989). This implies
b and accul u a ion in a way ha when he b and comple ely adap s o he local cul u al alues, no ms, and
belie s and looks disconnec ed om he home coun y o i s o iginali y.
Some o he desc ip ions om pa icipan ‟s quo es conce ning assimila ion s a egy a e men ioned below:
“The e a e many o eign b ands and now i is di icul o iden i y which one is o eign b and. The e a e many
b ands embedded in o Pakis ani cul u e, hei p omo ional ac i i ies a e also as pe Pakis ani cul u e. Fo
example, MINISO is a b and which I had no idea ea lie ha i ’s a o eign b and”
50% pa icipan s we e able o ecall some b ands which a e comple ely me ged in o he local cul u es and hey
ind i ha d o iden i y hem as o eign b ands. The es o he pa icipan s alked abou he challenges o
assimila ion s a egy and i s lesse possibili y o an in e na ional b and.
Acco ding o Be y (2005), al hough a ely bu his s a egy has also been obse ed in a ious cases. When
alking abou he b ands, we could only ind a ew examples whe e b ands ha e changed mos o hei elemen s
and s a egy as pe he local ma ke s. Somewhe e b ands ha e achie ed his by launching di e en p oduc s
wi h e en di e en b and names o a ge he local o e hnic cus ome s. Some o he examples a e men ioned
below.
Wall‟s Ice-C eam, a Unile e ‟s wo ld- amous ice-c eam b and known as walls in coun ies o Asia and he UK.
Whe eas i is named as Holando in cen al Ame ica, Guidan S a us in he USA and Is ael, F igo in Spain,
F isko in Denma k, Miko in F ance, Eskimo in Tu key, S ee s in Aus alia, and New Zealand, Inma ko in
Russia, and Algida Ice c eam in Eu opean coun ies. The b and uses a di e en name and o he elemen s based
on he ma ke dynamics o he coun y i ope a es in. Since i is he s a egy o Unile e o buy he local ice-
c eam b ands and con inue wi h he names o local b ands o make hem easily iden i iable in he local ma ke .
Opa ia by a F ench ood manu ac u e Danone is a global packed ood manu ac u e . When Danone launched
i s amous global biscui b and; Lu in he Czech Republic, despi e ex ensi e ma ke ing e o s, he b and ailed.
When Danone changed i s b and name om Lu o a local name Opa ia, he company gene a ed subs an ial
sales. Danonewas able o accomplish his by i ue o comple ely changing i s b and iden i y as pe he hos
ma ke .
3.1.3. Sepa a ion:
Pa icipan s quo ed ha some o he b ands a e p e e ed as hey a e. Cus ome s o such b ands don‟ wan hese
b ands o adap o change as pe local ma ke s, because doing so; he b and will lose i s image o being a global
luxu ious b and. Some o he desc ip ions suppo ing sepa a ion s a egy a e men ioned below:
“Mos o he b ands do no change much as pe he coun y cul u e. Because b ands a e s ongly de eloped
when hei elemen s a e s able. I you conside , luxu y b ands, hey ha dly ollow he local cul u e because
ollowing he local cul u e will ake hem ou o he luxu y b andca ego y in my opinion. Fo example, Rolex
wa ches and Tag Heue wa ches, we pu chase because o hei home coun y iden i y. Simila ly, Ou i e is a
wes e n b and ope a ing in Pakis an bu i suppo s wes e n cul u e. Al hough we use ou i e s bu i ’s no
acco ding o ou cul u e.
Mo e han 90% pa icipan s men ioned abou sepa a ion s a egy, and i was second mos p ominen b and
accul u a ion s a egy. Pa icipan s men ioned ha some o he b ands in a pa icula ca ego y a e only p e e ed
because o hei image o being a global b and.
“The e is one b and Le is; hey always ollow hei b anding and hey don’ ca e abou us. They ollow he
ends, bu hei b anding is in e na ional”.They always p e e hei languages, and hey like hei coun y.
They use badges on hei d esses and launch p oduc s acco ding o hei na u e”.
Acco ding o Be y (2005), sepa a ion is no an accul u a ion s a egy; a he i ‟s opposi e o accul u a ion and
unde his pa e n, b ands do no accul u a e a all. Sepa a ion e e s o he accul u a ion s a egy whe e people
show esis ance o he new cul u al se ings and emain associa ed wi h hei o iginal cul u e (Be y, 1997).
Mendoza, (1981) used he e m cul u al esis ance whe e he e e ed his accul u a ion pa e n as “ esis ance
ei he ac i e o passi e, agains he acquisi ion o al e na e cul u al no ms”. In his “ICMA” amewo k, S.
Bane jee (2007) e med his s a egy as “con ince” whe e he a gued ha when a b and is s ong, ha ing s ong
cul u al he i age, i doesn‟ need o adop he local cul u e a he con ince cus ome s o pu chase he b and. In
ou esea ch, we also ound se e al examples o b ands whe e hey a e igid and insensi i e o he local cul u e.
The b ands unde sepa a ion s a egy keep hei o iginali y in ac om all aspec s anddo no change hei alues,
iden i y, cul u e, pe sonali y, e c. in any coun y. Whe e e e hey go, hey b ing he same b anding and
ma ke ing s agey. Some o he examples a e men ioned below:
Le i S auss & Co. (LS&CO) an Ame ican clo hing b and. The b and pe sonali y o Le i‟s is he same o alli s
ma ke s, e en in cul u ally he e ogeneous coun ies like India and Pakis an. Le i‟s has a s anda dized b anding
and ma ke ing s a egy all o e he wo ld acco ding o i s co e alues such as empa hy, in eg i y, o iginali y, and
cou age. The b and ca ies an Ame ican ashion s yle, cul u e, pe sonali y, and iden i y and does no conside
he local cul u al alues in he coun ies whe e i ope a es.
37
Louis Vui on, F ench luxu y men, and women ashion b and has a consis en b and pe sonali y o an uppe
class, cha ming, elegan , and glamo ous b and wo ldwide. The b and is a ailable in many coun ies o he wo ld
h ough di ec o indi ec channels. The company uses s anda dized b anding and ma ke ing s a egies. Louis
Vui on has global celeb i y endo se s and uses mass media channels including social media o communica e
wi h i s millions o cus ome s wo ldwide. The b and possesses an image o being F ench, luxu ious, expensi e,
and elegan and i does no change in di e en coun ies. The b and seems o ha e a consis en pe sonali y,
iden i y, image, alues, and cul u e in all co ne s o he wo ld.
3.1.4. Ma ginaliza ion
Mo e han 70% pa icipan s alked abou he si ua ions whe e b ands a e pe cei ed o ha e hei own b and
cul u e, independen o hei coun y o o igin o he hos coun y. Some o he desc ip ions ela ed o
ma ginaliza ion s a egy quo ed by pa icipan s a e men ioned below:
“The p omo ions o Ca s and Vehicles a e unique as hey don’ hi any cul u e. Fo une o ins ance, only
ocuses on p oduc obus ness and sophis ica ion, no on any coun y o cul u e and simila ly i you ake he
example o IKEA which ollows a global cul u e. I does no ad e ise i sel di e en ly in Pakis an o change
p oduc s in Pakis an. I po ays i s cul u e and li es yle”.
Some pa icipan s also men ioned abou he ma ginaliza ion s a egy adop ed by IKEA and Ha ley Da idson by
s a ing ha :
“Ha ley Da idson ne e ollows any coun y o cul u e. I has i s own cul u e and an ollowing. Those who use
Ha ley, adop Ha ley cul u e. I is a niche ma ke ing b and. I has a dis inc g oup o people who a e ugged
and ough ough. They ne e change he cul u e. Ha ley Da idson has buil i s own b and cul u e. When we see
hei ad e ising and p oduc s and hei macho-man s yle bike s, hey a e in o hei own cul u e. Ma lbo o is
also ying o c ea e i s own cul u e. They a ge cowboys and ad en u ous cus ome s. So, hey ha e c ea ed a
cul u e like ha ”.
F om he esul s o in e iews and cases, i was ound ha he b ands in he au omobile indus y a e obse ed
no o ollow any pa icula coun y cul u e a he hey c ea e hei own cul u e and li es yle. O he han ha ,
some luxu y b ands, ene gy d inks, bikes, and ciga e e b ands a e also obse ed no o ollow any coun y o
egional cul u e bu a he c ea e hei own cul u e and ma ke i globally. The li e a u e e y equen ly alks
abou he b ands ha ha e c ea ed hei own b and cul u e (B.Hol 2003; Fi a &Dholakia 2006, Kap e e , 2008,
Sch oede , 2014). This con i ms ou indings ha ma ginaliza ion is one o he widely obse ed b and
accul u a ion s a egies, as e lec ed in igu e 3 ia case examples o companies ollowing ma ginaliza ion
s a egy.
Li e a u e uses he e m ma ginaliza ion, whe e people nei he ollow hei home coun y cul u e no hey ollow
he hos coun y cul u e bu a he c ea e a subs i u e o bo h cul u es (Be y, 2005).
Acco ding o Mendoza (1981), he ou h accul u a ion pa e n is called “cul u al ansmu a ion” which e e s o
he o ma ion o an al e na i e subcul u e ins ead o ollowing home o hos coun y cul u es. This applies o he
b ands which c ea e hei own b and cul u e di e en om bo h he home and hos coun y cul u e. B ands do
c ea e hei own cul u e o consump ion globally. Based on he cases and pa icipan s‟ desc ip ions some o he
examples o ma ginaliza ion a e men ioned below:
38
Figu e3: Case examples o each accul u a ion s a egy
Ha ley Da idson, “We a e no a mo o cycle company; we a e a cul u e on wheels”. Ha ley Da idson is an
Ame ican hea y bike company. The b and possesses a obus image and iden i y in he minds o cus ome s
wo ldwide. Ha ley has a ugged b and pe sonali y, and he b and ca ies i s iden i y as a ebellious b and. Ha ley
Da idson has c ea ed i s own cul u e h ough b and communi ies. Ha ley consume s in hese communi ies a e
g ouped a ound he alues, cul u e, li es yle, ac i i ies, and e hos o he b and. Ha ley has a global s anda d
b and s a egy. The co e b and alue o Ha ley Da idson is pe sonal eedom and he b o he hood o bike s
ega dless o na ional bounda ies. I you own a Ha ley bike, you a e a membe o he “global amily” (Zoe,
2017).
Ano he example is Red Bull BmbH, an Aus ian ene gy d ink b and ha uses a s anda dized b anding s a egy
all o e he wo ld. The b and has he same pe sonali y, iden i y, alues, and cul u e e e ywhe e. Red bull has
c ea ed i s own spo y cul u e a ound he wo ld called he “Red Bull cul u e” (L. Fi ings, 2015). The spo y
b and pa icipa es in a ious spo s and musical e en s and compe i ions locally and globally. “Red Bull c ea es
i s “b and cul u e” by associa ing he b and wi h a e y di e se ange o spo s, music and o he cul u al
ac i i ies” (L. Fi ings, 2015). The b and has a ound 21 a ian s wi h a simila logo, colo , design, name and uses
he slogan “Red bull gi es you wings” in all cul u es since 1987.
4. Conclusion
Following he concep o human accul u a ion (Be y, 2005; Mendoza, 1981), ma ke and ma ke e
accul u a ionPenaloza(1999), he b and cul u al i S.Bane jee(2007), and consume accul u a ion (V.
Oudenho en e al., 2006), ou s udy b idges he gap by explo ing b and accul u a ion and i s s a egies. To he
bes o ou knowledge, no s udy has speci ically applied he concep o accul u a ion o b ands. Based on he
in e iew esul s and ieldwo k on b and examples, we conclude ha much like humans go h ough he
accul u a ion p ocess when hey mig a e o ano he coun y wi h di e en cul u al se ings, he an h opomo phic
b ands also go h ough a simila p ocess. F om ou quali a i e s udy which was based on he semi di ec ed
in e iews and case s udy on b ands, we came up wi h he e m b and accul u a ion which can be de ined as “ he
abili y o a b and o change i s b and elemen s, ea u es, and cha ac e is ics based on cul u al alues, belie s, and
no ms o he hos coun y”. The indings o ou s udy also shows ha he b ands use ou accul u a ion
s a egies; “in eg a ion, assimila ion, sepa a ion and ma ginaliza ion” based on se e al ac o s. Ou esul s also
con i m ha , i a b and uly ep esen s a consume ‟s cul u al alues, consume s migh de elop a long- e m
commi men and pa ne ship wi h such b ands, howe e , an enmi y migh also be de elopedin o he cases. I a
b and wan s o gene a e ma ke accep abili y and long- e m commi men o he cus ome s, i should conside
accul u a ion based on i s na u e o business and ele an ca ego y.
4.1. Resea ch Implica ions:
The s udy has a ious implica ions, bo h heo e ical and manage ial. F is , i is an addi ion o he li e a u e o
cul u e speci ic s a egies o global b ands. Secondly, o bes o ou knowledge, no s udy has aken he concep
o human accul u a ion and applied i on he global b ands, ou s udy is i s o p opose he concep o b and
accul u a ion. Thi dly, he s udy con ibu es in illing he gap o a ailabili y o some p o ound b and
