Proceedings of 9th International Business and Social Science Research Conference
6 - 8 January, 2014, Novotel World Trade Centre, Dubai, UAE, ISBN: 978-1-922069-41-2
Building Brand Identity through Slogans in International Markets:
The Choice between Global, Local, and Glocal
Mohammad Shadab Khalila and Megha Jainb
The importance of brand identity in international marketing has grown in recent years. Being a primary
source of brand image and subsequently brand equity, building brand identity assumes even more
importance in international markets due to its obvious benefits to firms in highly competitive international
business environment. Extant literature on brand identity identifies several identity building elements.
Among others, advertising slogans are one the most important identity building elements and can serve as
a useful tool for positioning a brand in international markets. As with other marketing strategies,
practitioners operating in international environments may be faced with the dilemma of choosing between a
global, local, and more recently, glocal strategy. The choice between global, local, and glocal strategies in
marketing in general and in slogans in particular can be critical for the success of the firm in international
marketplaces. However, the above may not be easy as there is little consensus among scholars on the
viability of the three international strategies. In view of this, the current research attempts to fill this gap in
the extant literature by investigating advertising slogans of firms operating in international markets.
Specifically, the current research examines the strategy employed by major automobile firms in designing
their brand and product slogans in international markets. The research employs content analysis of 32
pairs of advertising slogans of eight automobile firms in four different countries to investigate international
slogan strategy. The findings reveal that though globalization and localization are not uncommon,
automobile firms primarily practice glocalization in designing their international brand and product slogans.
The results indicate that firms following a glocal strategy for slogan design include both the elements of
globalization and localization in their international advertising slogans. The findings hold true for slogans in
all four countries under investigation. Given that there is an apparent lack of scholarly consensus on the
most useful international strategy, the current research will contribute immensely to the field of international
brand identity in general and the design of slogan strategy in particular.
Keywords: Advertising Slogan, Glocalization, Globalization, Localization, International Marketing
Field of research: Marketing (International Marketing)
a
Assistant Professor, Department of International Business, National Dong Hwa University, No. 1, Sec 2, Da Hsueh
Rd., Shoufeng, Hualien, 97401, Taiwan, Email: jnu.shadab@gmail.com
b
Assistant Professor, School of Real Estate, RICS School of Built Environment, Amity University Block - F2, Fifth
Floor, Amity University, Sector – 125, Noida- 201313 (UP), India, Email: mei.megha@gmail.com