Best prices Special offers for members of the PWE book club The cheapest delivery
Dr hab. Milena Ratajczak-Mrozek
ORCID: 0000-0003-4432-5459

Associate Professor and Head of the Department of International Marketing at the Poznań University of Economics and Business. In research, she focuses on the influence of both inter-organizational and social relationships, and embeddedness on different aspects of companies' performance in the global market. This includes competitive advantage, digitalization and sustainable development. She is a board member of the Industrial Marketing and Purchasing Group, an international organization bringing together scientists conducting research in the area of inter-organizational relationships and business networks.

 
DOI: 10.33226/1231-7853.2023.10.3
JEL: M31, F23, L25

The article aims to identify the consumers' perception of marketing standardization and adaptation activities deployed by multinational companies in a foreign market with a high national identity. This is analysed on the example of a fast-food chain of McDonald's in Vietnam. This paper evaluates these tactics in terms of satisfying consumer demands and the perceptions of Vietnamese consumers towards the marketing mix implementation of the company. The analysis is based on focus group interviews, observations, and online surveys conducted in Vietnam. The findings provide empirical evidence that international marketers should balance between standardization and adaptation in the marketing strategy. In countries of high national identity it is important to emphasize the company's global distinguishing features, but at the same time to show respect for local culture, including local food taste and consumer behaviour. The case of McDonald's provides recommendations for multinational companies to expand their operations and achieve their strategic goals in Vietnam.

Keywords: standardization; adaptation; international marketing; fast food industry; consumers' perception