Branding in the Global Arena: The Role of Culture

Unprecedented globalization fostered by continued and substantial increases in international trade and in global communication has created tremendous opportunities for companies to extend their influence beyond domestic and regional markets. In this paper we discuss the role of branding in a company’s global strategy. In order to emphasize the importance of culture in international marketing we have highlighted some examples in the Indian and Chinese contexts. In addition, we identify key issues with respect to culture and branding that need to be taken into account by successful global companies.