Brand positioning through advertising in Asia, North America, and Europe: The role of global consumer culture

In this study, the authors examine the emergence of brand positioning strat egies in advertising that parallel the growth of the global marketplace. A new construct, global consumer culture positioning (GCCP), is proposed, ope rationalized, and tested. This construct associates the brand with a widely understood and recognized set of symbols believed to constitute emerging g lobal consumer culture. Study results support the validity of the new const ruct and indicate that meaningful percentages of advertisements employ GCCP , as opposed to positioning the brand as a member of a local consumer cultu re or a specific foreign consumer culture. Identification of GCCP as a posi tioning tool suggests one pathway through which certain brands come to be p erceived by consumers as "global" and provides managers with strategic dire ction in the multinational marketplace.