Brand Breakout by Nirmalya Kumar & Jan-Benedict E.M. Steenkamp - Book review

Brand Breakout

How Emerging Market Brands Will Go Global

By: Nirmalya Kumar, Jan-Benedict E.M. Steenkamp

Published: June 18, 2013
Format: Hardcover, 272 pages
ISBN-10: 1137276614
ISBN-13: 978-1137276612
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan










"Given the size and growth of its economy, China will dominate brand breakout from emerging markets to the West. It is a global game changing country, both economically and politically. Yet most of our arguments are valid for other emerging markets, and our examples serve managers in those countries too", write professor of Marketing and co-director of Aditya Birla India Centre at London Business School, Nirmalya Kumar; and C. Knox Massey Distinguished Professor of Marketing and Marketing Area Chair at the Kenan-Flagler Business School at UNC, Jan-Benedict E.M. Steenkmap, in their important and well researched book Brand Breakout: How Emerging Market Brands Will Go Global.

The authors describe how brands from emerging market countries are not well known in the West, but they see that perception to change in the near future, and provide a series of key ways that ensure emerging market brands will become household names for Western consumers.

Nirmalya Kumar (photo left) and Jan-Benedict E.M. Steenkamp recognize that potential customers in the West, are unable to recall or point out any brands originating in China, and from other developing market countries. The authors present a practical strategy for brands from non-Western countries to create a breakthrough in recognition and acceptance in the West.

For emerging market based brands, the global economy offers them a huge and untapped source of new customers. The challenge facing brand managers and marketers in emerging economies is to create brand awareness and acceptance in the West. The authors offer a richly researched knowledge base for taking a developing market brand to the global marketplace.

Jan-Benedict E.M. Steenkamp (photo left) and Nirmalya Kumar understand the importance of brands and brand recognition for product success in the global economy. Despite its enormous success in manufacturing as the global workshop, Chinese brands have not made inroads into the Western marketplace. The same challenges face brands from other emerging market countries. The authors also point out the extreme differences between the various emerging markets, but they are convinced that each country can achieve breakthroughs with exporting their brands globally.

The authors demonstrate that the differences in the emerging markets are also their potential strengths in gaining global markets in general, and Western markets in particular. The authors outline eight different strategies that can be considered and employed by emerging market based brands. The marketing concepts go far beyond the usual default lower price route. The eight strategic routes are as follows:

* The Asian tortoise route: Migrating to higher quality and brand premium
* The business to consumer route: Leveraging B2B strength in B2C markets
* The diaspora route: Following emigrants into the world
* The brand acquisition route: Buying global brands from Western multinationals
* The positive campaign route: Overcoming negative country of origin associations
* The cultural resource route: Positioning on positive cultural myths
* The natural resources route: Branding commodities in four steps
* The national champion route: Leveraging strong support from the state

For me, the power of the book is how Nirmalya Kumar and Jan-Benedict E.M. Steenkamp establish a powerful set of eight strategic routes, to international branding success, and share the practical techniques to put those strategies into action. The authors provide groundbreaking research to enhance their strategies and concepts for increasing global brand awareness. The research data includes case studies of successful brand transitions into Western markets, as well as some useful graphics which show the changes in brand strategies at a glance.

The strategic routes are described in detail for ease and depth of understanding by brand marketers. At the same time, the details of the techniques for implementing the overall strategies are presented in in a readily applicable format, including further examples to illustrate the principles in the real world marketplace. The authors include a very extensive set of end notes for each chapter, documenting their research, and offering the marketers additional sources of information to enrich their understanding of the eight strategic routes.

I highly recommend the very clear and concise book Brand Breakout: How Emerging Market Brands Will Go Global by Nirmalya Kumar and Jan-Benedict E.M. Steenkamp, to any global branders, marketers, CEOs, public policy makers, government officials, trade association members, advertisers seeking a very hands on and proven strategy packed book on winning international market share for their brands. This book will inspire companies to move forward with any plans they may have to capture the global marketplace.