Should MNCs standardise or adapt their marketing strategy in Chinese Asian markets?

Introduction

“Multinational Corporations (MNCs) which offer their products or services worldwide, are faced with the complex problem of deciding whether or not they should standardise their advertising operations across different countries.” (Laroche et. al. 2001) The issue of whether international advertisers should standardise or adapt their commercial messages is indeed complex and has been the subject of much debate among both practitioners and academics for a number of years (Agrawal, 1994). This debate necessarily centres upon issues relating to whether consumption is a cultural phenomenon and the extent to which attitudes toward a brand or a product are influenced by cultural variables (Huang 1998). Contemporary business developments including trends toward integration within industries and the dissemination of global influences through the world-wide adoption of the internet have brought about a resurgence of interest in the standardisation issue. Moreover, question...