Global marketing standardization

The author examines the marketing literature to identify emerging trends from conceptual and empirical articles on the controversy about standardization versus adaptation of global marketing strategies. The paper discusses theories underlying standardization or adaptation and examines empirical evidence about the assumption that international markets are homogenizing. It concludes that this assumption may be inaccurate as markets seem to shift apart. Research about the use of standardized strategies and its relation to international performance is reviewed and directions for future research are proposed.