The hegemony of global brands: Brands, globalization, and local cultures

Abstract

This chapter explores the realm of how global brands may be impacting local cultures of markets that they target and enter. The focus is on how they carve out market shares by either reshaping consumption behaviors in their categories of products and services, or by giving rise to a new type of consumption altogether not prevalent in such societies prior to their entry. The precursor to any such eventuality being-how and to what extent global brands are able to change the value system of the populace of their new target markets. Based upon select examples of consumer goods and services from India, the chapter focuses on whether such brands affect the self-oriented, other-oriented, and environment-oriented values and, therefore, the (consumption) narrative and culture in developing economies with their own evolved and ancient cultures.