In four pages Nike's global expansion is examined in terms of customization and standardization choices with the 7 P's among the analytical tools applied. Six sources are listed in the bibliography.
Name of Research Paper File: TS14_TEnikebr.rtf
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strategic tools available for expansion. To demonstrate this a company that operates within the UK can be considered. A well know global brand can is chosen as this makes the
comparison with international strategies easier to compare. Nike has a very strong brand image and as such us a good candidate. When deciding
to expand and develop the international marketing strategy there was a choice to standardise or customise, there are some good arguments for either of these courses of action there is
supporting evidence but no overall evidence to either model being better than the other. If a company chooses to use a standardised strategy there are many benefits, the economies of
scale and a guarantee of consistency are two of the principle attractions (Levitt, 1983). This will result in a single message being used to promote a brand, and the segments
attracted will be the same across the national divides (Levitt, 1983). Customisation allows for different cultures and customer perceptions and the maximisation of each market but does loose the benefits
of a uniform image and the economies of scale in branding (Szymanski et al, 1993). If we look to the evidence it appears
to be mixed, with most brands undertaking a tactic of some elements that are standardised and some which are customised. If we wish to consider this further the best approach
is to look at some real world examples. If we look at Nike there is a higher degree of standardisation than many other
brands. For a comparison similar strategies may be seen in companies such as Coca Cola and many of the proctor and gamble brands (Kotler, 1999)