STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES OF (INTER)NATIONAL BRANDS: IKEA, L’ORÉAL, STARBUCKS AND FORD, BASED ON THE OPINION OF CONSUMERS

Abstract

In our everyday lives the presence of global brands is indisputable, as we decorate our homes with furnishings, purchase cosmetics to reverse the time, use services to make our everyday lives more enjoyable and purchase cars, all of which are available in several countries. It is also true that we typically buy and use those products and services that contribute to our personal appearance and to the development of our personality. In addition, the country of origin of a given product/brand also plays an important role in our purchasing decision. There are products/brands that we immediately associate with a particular country and nation, but there are countries to which we cannot associate any product or brand. This paper analyses the consumer opinions of international brands that are strongly associated with a particular country. The objectives of the analyses are the following: to identify (1) the strengths - (2) weaknesses of IKEA, L’Oréal, Starbucks and Ford, (3) to identify those factors, based on the results, that have an important role in case of two (inter)national brands at least, even though they represent different products/services, and finally, (4) to describe the opinion of the participants. JEL Classification: M31

Keywords

• IKEA, L’Oréal, Starbucks, Ford, consumer opinion, strengths and weaknesses.