Factors for Choosing International Marketing Strategies by Automotive Companies in European and Asian Countries on the Example of Volkswagen and BMW in China and Italy

The automotive industry is one of the largest, most competitive, and dynamic industries in the world. Companies that are part of this industry need a well-thought-out marketing plan and the specifics of their activities influence the factors for choosing a marketing strategy in foreign countries. The main research question of this work is: What are the factors for choosing international marketing strategies by automotive companies in European and Asian countries? The answer for this question was found and there were identified the factors that influence the choice of standardization and adaptation as an international marketing strategy. These factors are distinguished into three groups: factors related with host country environment, product related marketing factors and subsidiary-related factors. This research demonstrated that there is usually no pure standardization or adaptation. In this thesis was developed the scale for assessing the level of adaptation and standardization and the cases of Volkswagen and BMW helped to make a conclusion which levels of standardization can be more likely successful. The finding of this thesis confirmed the complexity for automotive companies to decide what international marketing strategy to choose. Such companies need to align their marketing mix with unique economic, cultural, and regulatory landscapes of different countries, but also maintain their own image and identity.