Exploring Brand Strategies of Western Companies When Entering the Asian F&B Market : the Case of Unilever

Abstract

AI-GENERATED ABSTRACT: Abstract: This thesis explores the change in brand strategy during the internationalization of Western F&B enterprises, especially when it penetrates the Asian market. The selected case study is Unilever - one of the largest international enterprises in the world. The research question is "How did Unilever change its brand strategies compared to its initial ones in the Western countries to enter the F&B market of Asian countries?" This thesis also examines Unilever's strategies in the US - representing the Western markets; China and Vietnam - representing the Asian markets. The change in brand strategies from the original will be explored and explained based on Keller's Brand Equity Pyramid and Hofstede's theory of cultural dimensions. The selected research method is qualitative research, and the primary data will be collected by observation method. Finally, this thesis concludes that Unilever has changed its brand strategy based on the cultural characteristics and social needs of the market to maintain strong competitiveness in the process of internationalization. Keywords: Brand strategies, Unilever, internationalization