C/M/99. Literature review on Online Branding

The concept of Global vs. Local branding has been deeply researched and discussed by many academics and practitioners in the last 20 years, starting with Publication by Theodore Levitt "The globalization of markets" in the Harvard Business Review. However with the development of Internet the concept of branding received the third dimension: online branding. Many brands are nowadays not only global, but also globally-known online brands. However this online dimension of branding presents the opportunity for the companies to brand products and services either locally (e.g. UK) or globally for the whole world. Further in this essay the terms will be used: Online-Local branding (branding which is used for the specific country, region or groups of people which share similar attributes (for example language)) and Online-Global branding, where the same brand is being used everywhere. The aim of the following essay is therefore to critically analyse both approaches to online branding and suggest upon the advantages and drawbacks of each one. The essay will therefore start with definition of branding, continue to advantages and disadvantages of branding; online branding and will analyse both approaches to online branding.