Positioning strategies of foreign and indigenous firms in an African cultural milie
Date
2020
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Journal of Business Research
Abstract
Despite the pivotal role of positioning in marketing strategy formulation, few studies explicitly examine posi tioning strategies employed by foreign and indigenous firms operating in the same cultural milieu. Relying on
the concepts of culture and positioning as the backdrop, this research contributes to the literature by answering
two key research questions: What are the differences between African indigenous firms' and Africa-based foreign
firms' pursuits of positioning strategies? And is a Western-developed typology of positioning strategies applicable
in an African cultural milieu, and more specifically, in the Ghanaian cultural environment? The results of the
study demonstrate that indigenous and foreign firms replicate each other's positioning strategies to carve out
positions, although foreign firms aggressively pursue a wider range of strategies than indigenous firms. While
there is a uniform attempt by indigenous and foreign firms to reach the mass-market and lower- to middle-class
target audiences, foreign firms focus more on middle-class audiences than do indigenous firms. The authors
discuss implications for marketing theory and practice.
Description
Research Article
Keywords
Positioning strategies, Foreign firms, Indigenous firms